University · Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies
The Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (CIHTS) at Sarnath — where the Buddha first taught — is a deemed university under the Ministry of Culture, founded in 1967 by the Government of India in consultation with the 14th Dalai Lama, who inaugurated it in 1968. Its mission is to preserve Tibetan culture and restore ancient Indian sciences lost in the original Sanskrit but preserved in Tibetan translation. NAAC 'A' accredited (2022), its 29-acre campus runs 5 faculties and 13 departments with the renowned Shantarakshita Library.
| Established | 1967 |
| Type | Government / central |
| Location | Sarnath, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 221007 |
| Website | https://www.cihts.ac.in |
Begun as a wing of Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya and made an autonomous deemed university in 1988, CIHTS is the world's leading centre for restoring the lost Nalanda-tradition corpus: Sanskrit texts reconstructed from their Tibetan translations. It received the Vaishakh Prashasti in 2018. Its degree structure runs from the traditional Madhyama up through Shastri, Acharya and doctoral research, including India's degree programme in Sowa-Rigpa, the Tibetan medical tradition.
Courses & degrees
• Purva Madhyama / Uttar Madhyama
• Shastri (B.A.) — Buddhist Philosophy / Bhot Jyotish / Fine Arts
• Shiksha Shastri (B.Ed.) / B.A.B.Ed.
• BSRMS — Sowa-Rigpa (Tibetan medicine, 5-year)
• Acharya (M.A.)
• MFA
• Ph.D. / text-restoration research
Notable people
• The 14th Dalai Lama (founding consultation; inaugurated 1968)
• Ven. Samdhong Rinpoche (founding director)
Facts last verified 2026-08-15. Spot an error? Tell us.