French Institute of Pondicherry
Encyclopedia
The French Institute of Pondicherry (fr
:Institut français de Pondichéry) UMIFRE 21 CNRS-MAEE, is a French financially autonomous institution in India, under the joint supervision of the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (MAEE) and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). It is an integral part of the network of 27 research centres connected with the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. It is also part of the research unit 3330 "Savoirs et Mondes Indiens" of the CNRS, along with the Centre de Sciences Humaines (CSH) in New Delhi.
), in the study of Indian civilization and culture, and more particularly in the history and the religions of South India
.
In the 1960s, a department of ecology was created to collect information on the conditions and evolution of the environment in South India (vegetation, soils, climate changes,...) with its focus on the Western Ghats, one of the world’s 34 hotspots for biodiversity
.
With the setting up of the department of Social Sciences in the 1980s, the Institute also extended its interest to the evolution and dynamics of the Indian society.
The development of research and the necessity to support it with modern methodologies and instruments, led to the creation of a Laboratory of Applied Informatics and Geomatics (LAIG) in the 1990s. With it, the Institute acquired modern tools for the representation and analysis of the relationships in space and time between these entities and their environment. The installation of the LAIG as a common tool greatly helped in identifying new areas for research.
The Institute also has a multidisciplinary Centre for Documentary Resources (CDR), which came into being as the result of a major restructuration of three research libraries in Pondicherry. This Centre holds specialized data of the research conducted at the IFP, which is augmented every year through a dynamic acquisition policy. The CDR is open to the public within a set of rules framed by the IFP.
“From Tradition to Modernity”, a document released on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the IFP, traces the history of the Institute from its inception to the present.
The aim of the Institute is to deploy its resources for projects in South and South-East Asia.
Training: Within the framework of its research projects, the IFP welcomes, for various tenures, PhDs and masters level trainees of different nationalities (French, Indian, European and others).
Additionally, the Institute publishes a news bulletin, « Pattrika », in collaboration with the CSH in Delhi and the EFEO (3 issues per year). The Institute also organizes scientific events on different themes.
. Comprising 8,187 ancient palm-leaf bundles, 360 paper codices and 1,144 recent paper transcripts, it is the largest collection of manuscripts primarily transmitting texts of the Saiva Siddhanta tradition of Hinduism
. The collection was started in 1955 by the institute's founder-director, Jean Filliozat, who desired to explain the Hindu temple and what happens in it. The manuscripts were gathered from private collections of temples, priests and monasteries across South India and brought to the institute with the intention of preserving, transcribing and eventually translating them. Four volumes of a catalog describing in detail the contents of 4,000 texts transmitted in 475 of the palm-leaf bundles were published in 1986, 1987, 1990 and 2002, respectively. Cataloging has continued using flatbed scanning and digital photography technology in conjunction with a computerized database.
of the UNESCO
in July 2005 and was declared a national treasure of India by the Indian government. The institute was also declared a "Manuscripts Resource Centre" in 2004 in recognition of the valuable collection.
Other than the personnel appointed to the Institute or remunerated by it, the Institute welcomes every year some researchers and research assistants on project contract and financed by outside sources, and experienced researchers and students of all nationalities, associated with projects of the Institute and carrying out resident study for various lengths of time.
Agreements with Indian institutions: There are numerous agreements with universities, research institutes and the technical departments of governments (of forestry and of environment): Calicut University, Indian Space Research Organization, Jawaharlal Nehru University, National Mission for Manuscripts, National Remote Sensing Agency, Physical Research Laboratory, Pondicherry Institute of Linguistics and Culture, …
Other cooperation agreements : The IFP works in collaboration with European teams (from Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, etc.), as with teams from America and South and South-East Asia (Bangladesh, Laos, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan): American Institute of Indian Studies, Washington and Lee University, University of Jaffna, University of California, University of Michigan; Swarthmore College; Eastern University of Sri Lanka; University of Toronto ; Autonomous University of Barcelona; Darmouth College; Durham University; Facultés Universitaires Saint Louis ; Harvard University; Institut Universitaire d’Etudes du Développement ; Institut de Ciencia i Tecnologica Ambientals; Kyushu University; National Herbarium Nederland; National University of Laos; Oxford University; Pontifica Universita Gregoriana; Ruhuna University; University College; University of Copenhagen; University of Heidelberg; University of Kent; University of Leiden; University of Minnesota; University of Sussex; Victory University, ...
The budget of the IFP is made up of basic subsidies ( mainly from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and external resources (contracts,...). The scientific programmes are in majority self-financed, the basic subsidy being unable to support them anymore. The French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) provides intangible resources (electronic library, lever effect in calls for proposals,...) and the next transition into an operational structure for research (SOR) will allow us to welcome new staff members.
On a utilizable area of 3 000 m2 divided between a building dating from the 19th century, which was recently renovated, and a wing constructed in 2002-2003, the Institute avails of: 26 offices; 3 laboratories (computer, palynology, botany); 2 herbaria, 1 reading room with 30 seats; 1 conference room with 40 seats; various rooms for the storage of documents, one of which is for the preservation of valuable collections (manuscripts and photos) and 1 map library; 1 photographic laboratory; 1 exhibition hall; 4 guest rooms.
The Institute is served by an integrated and state-of-the-art computer network.
The IFP has three vehicles, two of them are “cross-country” vehicle.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
:Institut français de Pondichéry) UMIFRE 21 CNRS-MAEE, is a French financially autonomous institution in India, under the joint supervision of the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (MAEE) and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). It is an integral part of the network of 27 research centres connected with the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. It is also part of the research unit 3330 "Savoirs et Mondes Indiens" of the CNRS, along with the Centre de Sciences Humaines (CSH) in New Delhi.
Historical review
Established under the terms of the Treaty of Cession of French Territories in India, the French Institute of Pondicherry was inaugurated on 21 March 1955 under the name "Institut Français d'Indologie". It was initially engaged, under the leadership of its first director (Jean FilliozatJean Filliozat
Jean Filliozat was a French author. He studied medicine and was a physician between 1930 and 1947. He learned Sanskrit, Pali, Tibetan and Tamil. He wrote some important works on the history of Indian medicine...
), in the study of Indian civilization and culture, and more particularly in the history and the religions of South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
.
In the 1960s, a department of ecology was created to collect information on the conditions and evolution of the environment in South India (vegetation, soils, climate changes,...) with its focus on the Western Ghats, one of the world’s 34 hotspots for biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
.
With the setting up of the department of Social Sciences in the 1980s, the Institute also extended its interest to the evolution and dynamics of the Indian society.
The development of research and the necessity to support it with modern methodologies and instruments, led to the creation of a Laboratory of Applied Informatics and Geomatics (LAIG) in the 1990s. With it, the Institute acquired modern tools for the representation and analysis of the relationships in space and time between these entities and their environment. The installation of the LAIG as a common tool greatly helped in identifying new areas for research.
The Institute also has a multidisciplinary Centre for Documentary Resources (CDR), which came into being as the result of a major restructuration of three research libraries in Pondicherry. This Centre holds specialized data of the research conducted at the IFP, which is augmented every year through a dynamic acquisition policy. The CDR is open to the public within a set of rules framed by the IFP.
“From Tradition to Modernity”, a document released on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the IFP, traces the history of the Institute from its inception to the present.
Missions and calling
In terms of Article 24 of the Treaty of Cessation of French Territories in India (1956), the mission of the IFP is to function as an establishment for higher studies and research.The aim of the Institute is to deploy its resources for projects in South and South-East Asia.
Fields of research
- IndologyIndologyIndology is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent , and as such is a subset of Asian studies....
: Indian Society, History and Culture: Sources and Resources - Social Sciences: Contemporary Social Dynamics
- Ecology: Environment and Sustainable DevelopmentSustainable developmentSustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
Research departments
- The Department of Indology (historical department) focuses its attention on the key features of classical India, namely, its religions, its literature, its languages ( TamilTamil languageTamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
, SanskritSanskritSanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
,...) in order to better interpret and study the foundations of modern India.
- The Department of Social Sciences promotes research on the major questions of society and on the relations between human societies and their environment: social management of water, urban development, demography and social mobility, finance and debt, impact of industrialization on rural systems, diffusion of new technologies, traditional health care systems, health problems related to the spread of transmittable diseases, etc. In the framework of the USR 3330, it also engages in research on economics, international relations, and socio-political issues.
- The Department of Ecology concentrates its research on biodiversity and notably on the functioning of fragile ecosystems (forests, mangroves,...), by considering man as an important parameter in their evolution. It conducts research that aims to understand and evaluate the biological diversity of natural ecosystems as well as those affected by human impact. This research activity has the related aim of contributing to the establishment of schemes for conservation and sustainable management of natural resources. The high priority accorded to research on palaeoenvironments has yielded a rich and varied collection of pollen.
Scientific orientations and projects
In keeping with its multidisciplinary nature, the Institute hosts, fully or in part, several research projects spread over ten orientations :- Indology :
- Indian analyses of Sanskrit language and literature
- History of religions
- Tamil studies
- Social Sciences :
- Health and societies
- Economy and societies
- Environment and societies
- Ecology :
- The Palaeo-environments of South India
- Application of new information technologies for strengthening of Taxonomic expertise
- Biodiversity elements in the Western Ghats
- Usage of biodiversity and ecosystems modified by human activity
Support structures for research
Two “transversal structures” support the research departments :- A Laboratory of Applied Informatics and GeomaticsGeomaticsGeomatics is the discipline of gathering, storing, processing, and delivering geographic information, or spatially referenced information.-Overview and etymology:...
, which applies its expertise in the following areas: digital mapping, utilization of satellite imagery, geographic information systems and modeling, multimediaMultimediaMultimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
promotion. It also deploys its computer resources and information technologies within the Institute. Its documentary collection consists of 3 000 maps and several databases.
- A Centre for Documentary Resources. The computerized collection comprises in particular: 60 000 books; 800 journals, of which 250 are regularly subscribed; 8 500 palm-leaf manuscripts (the largest collection of texts on Saivasiddhanta in the world and registered as such in the "Memory of the World" register of the UNESCO, with the IFP being regarded as a "Manuscript Resource Centre" by the National Mission for Manuscripts of the Government of India); 1 144 transcripts; a collection of 140 000 photographs, of temples and edifices in South India notably.
Other missions
Promotion of knowledge: The corpus of scientific knowledge at the IFP is made available to social, economic, cultural and political decision-makers in various forms : publications; expertise (in particular, in the area of environment); scientific events ; library ; promotion of scientific culture and technology (information, exhibits, etc.).Training: Within the framework of its research projects, the IFP welcomes, for various tenures, PhDs and masters level trainees of different nationalities (French, Indian, European and others).
Publications
The IFP's research results are circulated in different types of publications :- In journals to supervisory committees and in the proceedings of national and international congresses
- By the Institute: book series and multimedia CD-ROM ; position reports or evaluations ; maps with notices on the soils and vegetation of South India.
Additionally, the Institute publishes a news bulletin, « Pattrika », in collaboration with the CSH in Delhi and the EFEO (3 issues per year). The Institute also organizes scientific events on different themes.
The manuscripts
With respect to its branch of research in Indology, the French Institute of Pondicherry has a collection of 8,600 Hindu religious manuscripts and similar records, forming part of India’s National Mission for ManuscriptsNational Mission for Manuscripts
The National Mission for Manuscripts is an autonomous organisation under Ministry of Culture, Government of India, established to survey, locate and conserve Indian manuscripts, with an aim to create national resource base for manuscripts, for enhancing their access, awareness and use for...
. Comprising 8,187 ancient palm-leaf bundles, 360 paper codices and 1,144 recent paper transcripts, it is the largest collection of manuscripts primarily transmitting texts of the Saiva Siddhanta tradition of Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
. The collection was started in 1955 by the institute's founder-director, Jean Filliozat, who desired to explain the Hindu temple and what happens in it. The manuscripts were gathered from private collections of temples, priests and monasteries across South India and brought to the institute with the intention of preserving, transcribing and eventually translating them. Four volumes of a catalog describing in detail the contents of 4,000 texts transmitted in 475 of the palm-leaf bundles were published in 1986, 1987, 1990 and 2002, respectively. Cataloging has continued using flatbed scanning and digital photography technology in conjunction with a computerized database.
Contents of the collection
- Canonical texts of Saivism (Saiva Agamas, also known as Tantras) 1,900 codices
- Mantra/ritual manuals 1,890
- Devotional hymns and legends of holy places (stotra/mahatmya) 1,360
- Hindu astrology (JyotishaJyotishaHindu astrology , also Jyotish or Jyotisha, from Sanskrit , from "light, heavenly body") is the ancient Indian system of astronomy and astrology...
) 435
- The literary epic about Rama (RamayanaRamayanaThe Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
) 192
- Other Sanskrit epics, myths and legends (PuranasPuranasThe Puranas are a genre of important Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religious texts, notably consisting of narratives of the history of the universe from creation to destruction, genealogies of kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology, philosophy, and geography.Puranas...
) 230
- Traditional South Indian medicine 198
- VedasVedasThe Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....
187
- Literary works in Sanskrit 160
- Tamil devotional literature 1,350
Recognitions
The collection was registered in the World MemoriesMemory of the World Programme
UNESCO's Memory of the World Programme is an international initiative launched to safeguard the documentary heritage of humanity against collective amnesia, neglect, the ravages of time and climatic conditions, and willful and deliberate destruction...
of the UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
in July 2005 and was declared a national treasure of India by the Indian government. The institute was also declared a "Manuscripts Resource Centre" in 2004 in recognition of the valuable collection.
Collections
- PollenPollenPollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes . Pollen grains have a hard coat that protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement from the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants or from the male cone to the...
reference slide collection ~22,000 slides falling in 15,000 tropical plant species.
- LibraryLibraryIn a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
collection consists of 60 000 books, 300 theses, over 1000 articles and 800 journals of which 260 are received currently.
- HerbariumHerbariumIn botany, a herbarium – sometimes known by the Anglicized term herbar – is a collection of preserved plant specimens. These specimens may be whole plants or plant parts: these will usually be in a dried form, mounted on a sheet, but depending upon the material may also be kept in...
is internationally recognized and indexed index Herbariorum http://sweetgum.nybg.org/ih/herbarium.php?irn=124579 housing nearly 23,000 specimens.
- Photographs nearly 136,000 and are unique resource for visual information about South India in the second half of the twentieth century, particularly its temple art.
- MapsMAPSMaps is the plural of map, a visual representation of an area.As an acronym, MAPS may refer to:* Mail Abuse Prevention System, an organisation that provides anti-spam support...
nearly 3,000 maps on India and South and Southeast Asia, around 1,200 topographic maps of the Anglo-Saxon scale (1 inch/1mile) dating from the first half of the 20th century and an equal number of topographic maps at the metric scale (most of them 1/50,000 and nearly 200 sheets at 1/250,000) obtained from the Survey of India and covering most of the Indian subcontinent. Around 500 thematic maps of other South and Southeast Asian countries (vegetation, soil, geology, meteorology, etc.) at highly varying scales, mainly from the 50’s, are also preserved in French institute.
Personnel
The personnel of the IFP consist on average of 80 persons:- Expatriate personnel on temporary assignment from the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (MAEE)
- Indian researchers
- Research assistants (engineers and technicians)
- Administrative and service personnel (archivists, secretariat, maintenance personnel).
Other than the personnel appointed to the Institute or remunerated by it, the Institute welcomes every year some researchers and research assistants on project contract and financed by outside sources, and experienced researchers and students of all nationalities, associated with projects of the Institute and carrying out resident study for various lengths of time.
Partnership agreements
Agreements with French institutions: In addition to the agreements with the CIRAD, the CNEARC, the EFEO, the EHESS, the EPHE, the ENGREF, the INALCO, the INRA, the IRD and the Universities of Aix-Marseille, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Paris (I, III, IV, VI, VII, X, XII), Rennes and Rouen, are the non-institutionalized partnerships with various universities.Agreements with Indian institutions: There are numerous agreements with universities, research institutes and the technical departments of governments (of forestry and of environment): Calicut University, Indian Space Research Organization, Jawaharlal Nehru University, National Mission for Manuscripts, National Remote Sensing Agency, Physical Research Laboratory, Pondicherry Institute of Linguistics and Culture, …
Other cooperation agreements : The IFP works in collaboration with European teams (from Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, etc.), as with teams from America and South and South-East Asia (Bangladesh, Laos, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan): American Institute of Indian Studies, Washington and Lee University, University of Jaffna, University of California, University of Michigan; Swarthmore College; Eastern University of Sri Lanka; University of Toronto ; Autonomous University of Barcelona; Darmouth College; Durham University; Facultés Universitaires Saint Louis ; Harvard University; Institut Universitaire d’Etudes du Développement ; Institut de Ciencia i Tecnologica Ambientals; Kyushu University; National Herbarium Nederland; National University of Laos; Oxford University; Pontifica Universita Gregoriana; Ruhuna University; University College; University of Copenhagen; University of Heidelberg; University of Kent; University of Leiden; University of Minnesota; University of Sussex; Victory University, ...
Means of operation
Part of the support (direct or indirect) to research projects was ensured by external resources: Indian (Universities, National Mission for Manuscripts, National Remote Sensing Agency, CEFIPRA); French (Universities, IRD, CIRAD, EFEO, CNRS, ANR, ANRS, MEDD); International (European and American Universities, European Union, World Bank, ILO, Ford Foundation, AUF)The budget of the IFP is made up of basic subsidies ( mainly from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and external resources (contracts,...). The scientific programmes are in majority self-financed, the basic subsidy being unable to support them anymore. The French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) provides intangible resources (electronic library, lever effect in calls for proposals,...) and the next transition into an operational structure for research (SOR) will allow us to welcome new staff members.
On a utilizable area of 3 000 m2 divided between a building dating from the 19th century, which was recently renovated, and a wing constructed in 2002-2003, the Institute avails of: 26 offices; 3 laboratories (computer, palynology, botany); 2 herbaria, 1 reading room with 30 seats; 1 conference room with 40 seats; various rooms for the storage of documents, one of which is for the preservation of valuable collections (manuscripts and photos) and 1 map library; 1 photographic laboratory; 1 exhibition hall; 4 guest rooms.
The Institute is served by an integrated and state-of-the-art computer network.
The IFP has three vehicles, two of them are “cross-country” vehicle.
External links
- IFP - official website
- Indian Ministry for External Affairs - 1956 Treaty
- Dr.Ganapathi Thanikaimoni