{"id":178,"date":"2025-03-10T16:00:34","date_gmt":"2025-03-10T15:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indologia.uw.edu.pl\/nowa\/?page_id=178"},"modified":"2025-10-01T12:01:33","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T10:01:33","slug":"historia-katedry","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/indologia.uw.edu.pl\/en\/o-katedrze\/historia-katedry\/","title":{"rendered":"History"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The tradition of teaching and researching South Asia at the University of Warsaw, known as Indology, dates back to 1918 when Sanskrit was introduced into the Indo-European linguistics curriculum. The present Chair of South Asian Studies at the Faculty of Asian and African Cultures, however, can trace its formal beginnings back to Professor Stanis\u0142aw Schayer (1899\u20131941), founder of the Institute of Oriental Studies and the Seminar of Indology, established in 1932. The seminar's activities were interrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War. In 1939, the Institute's building, along with its library, was destroyed in a bombardment. Indological work resumed in 1953 under the direction of Professor Eugeniusz S\u0142uszkiewicz (1901\u20131981), a specialist in Indo-European linguistics, Indian studies and Buddhist studies.
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The History of Sanskrit Teaching at the University of Warsaw<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Professor Eugeniusz S\u0142uszkiewicz laid the foundations for post-war Sanskrit studies in Warsaw, and his students went on to educate successive generations of scholars. Among his students were, among others, Andrzej \u0141ugowski (1938\u20132006), an outstanding linguist and expert on the Vedas; Maria Krzysztof Byrski, who specialized in classical Indian theatre; and Marek Mejor, a Sanskrit scholar and researcher who focused on Buddhist studies and, in 2008, founded the Research Unit for Buddhist Studies<\/a>, Artur Karp (1942\u20132022), a specialist in Sanskrit epics, as well as a researcher of Buddhism and the Pali language. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over time, the group of specialists in classical Indological studies was joined by further scholars, most of whom were graduates of Indology at the University of Warsaw and who continue to teach Sanskrit-related subjects to this day. Among them are: Joanna Jurewicz, a researcher of Vedic-period Sanskrit literature, especially the Rigveda; Bo\u017cena \u015aliwczy\u0144ska, a Sanskritist and Bengali studies scholar, who also researches India\u2019s performative traditions, particularly the theatrical forms of Kerala; Piotr Balcerowicz, a scholar of the history of Indian philosophy and Jain doctrines (he studied in Warsaw, Varanasi, and Hamburg); and Anna Trynkowska, who specializes in classical Sanskrit literature (k\u0101vya<\/em>), primarily with courtly epic poetry (mah\u0101k\u0101vya<\/em>) and love poetry, classical Indian literary theory, as well as Bengali studies; Monika Nowakowska, who, after studying Greek and Latin, developed an interest in classical Indian culture, focusing primarily on Indian philosophy.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

More about the history of Sanskrit teaching at the University of Warsaw: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Marek Mejor, Dziewi\u0119\u0107dziesi\u0105t lat Instytutu i Wydzia\u0142u Orientalistycznego Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego 1932-2022<\/em>, Dom Wydawniczy ELIPSA, Warszawa 2022.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Marek Mejor, Studia sanskrytologiczne i buddologia<\/em>, in 75 lat Instytutu Orientalistycznego Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego<\/em>, pod red. Macieja Popko, Warszawa 2007, s. 111-121.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Marek Mejor, Sanskrit Studies in Poland<\/em>, in Teaching on India in Central and Eastern Europe. Contributions to the 1st Central & Eastern European Indological Conference on Regional Cooperation (Warsaw, 15-17 September 2005<\/em>, pod red. Danuty Stasik, Anny Trynkowskiej, Dom Wydawniczy ELIPSA, Warszawa 2007, s. 36-43.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Anna Trynkowska, Sanskrit Studies in Poland after the Second World War<\/em>, in Sixty Years of Sanskrit Studies (1950-2010)<\/em>, Vol. 2: Countries Other than India<\/em>, pod red. Radhavallabh Tripathi, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, D.K. Printworld, New Delhi 2012, s. 213\u2013236.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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    The History of Hindi Language Teaching at the University of Warsaw<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Research on the Hindi language at the University of Warsaw began in 1938, when it became part of the curriculum of the Indological Seminar. The beginner\u2019s course was taught by Professor Stanis\u0142aw Schayer, while the advanced classes were led by Hiranmoy Ghoshal, the first lecturer in modern Indian languages from India employed at the Institute of Oriental Studies at the University of Warsaw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A new stage in the teaching of the Hindi language began in the 1955\/56 academic year, when Tatiana Rutkowska (1926\u20132002) was employed. She was a student of Prof. A.P. Barannikov, a renowned specialist in both contemporary and classical Hindi language and literature. With the arrival of this expert, post-war studies of the language were revived. Since then, Hindi has been taught continuously for 70 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Research was expanded to include studies of the Muslim strand of North Indian culture with the introduction of Urdu language instruction in 1961. The first lecturer was Alicja Karlikowska, a graduate of Warsaw Indology. In the 1960s, additional graduates joined the Hindi language teaching staff: Agnieszka Kowalska-Soni, a scholarship holder at Allahabad University, and Maria Krzysztof Byrski, who held a scholarship at Banaras Hindu University, where he earned his PhD in 1966. In the following years, the teaching staff continued to grow. Artur Karp (1942\u20132022) joined the team; as did Anna Sieklucka, who, until her retirement, also taught Punjabi language and literature; and in 1984 \u2013 Danuta Stasik, author of the first Polish-language textbook for learning Hindi and a researcher of Ramayana<\/em> in the Hindi literary tradition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    From 1983 to 2021, Hindi language teaching was also supported by lecturers from India, who arrived as part of Polish-Indian bilateral agreements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    With Aleksandra Turek (since 2009), who specializes in the culture, literature, and language of Rajasthan (Marwari), the teaching staff gradually began to include former students of Prof. Danuta Stasik, forming the second generation of Hindi language graduates from Warsaw Indology. This group also includes Jakub Wilanowski-Hilchen (since 2013), a researcher of Pakistani culture, Urdu literature, and language, and Justyna Wi\u015bniewska-Singh (since 2016), a scholar of early literary prose in Khariboli Hindi. Hindi language teaching is also supported by Monika Nowakowska, a Sanskritist who also honed her Hindi skills at the Central Institute of Hindi in Agra, India. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Currently, the Hindi Language Section of the Chair of South Asian Studies at the Faculty of Asian and African Cultures, University of Warsaw, includes graduates from the third and youngest generation. Among them are Agnieszka Jak\u00f3bowska (2023\u20132024) and Karolina Papis-Wr\u00f3blewska (2024).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It is also worth mentioning that the Chair of South Asian Studies at the Faculty of Asian and African Cultures at the University of Warsaw has organised various events, including the 2nd Braj Bhasha and Early Modern Hindi Retreat (2012), during which scholars explored texts written in the early modern literary languages of northern India, and the 1st International Early Modern Rajasthani Workshop (2015). 2nd Braj Bhasha and Early Modern Hindi Retreat (2012)<\/a>, during which scholars explored texts in early modern literary languages of North India, as well as the 1st International Early Modern Rajasthani Workshop (2015).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    More about the history of Hindi language teaching at the University of Warsaw: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    1. Danuta Stasik, Studia nad j\u0119zykiem i literatur\u0105 hindi<\/em>, in 75 lat Instytutu Orientalistycznego Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego<\/em>, pod red. Macieja Popko, Warszawa 2007, s. 123-131.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Danuta Stasik, V\u0101rs\u0101 vi\u015bvavidy\u0101lay m\u1ebd hind\u012b ke p\u0101thyakram aur pa\u1e5bh\u0101ne k\u012b s\u0101magr\u012b<\/em>, in Madhya aur p\u016brv\u012b y\u016brop m\u1ebd hindi<\/em>, pod red. Imre Bangha, V\u0101\u1e47\u012b prak\u0101\u015ban, Na\u012b Dill\u012b 2007, s. 57\u201360.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Danuta Stasik, V\u0101rs\u0101 vi\u015bvavidy\u0101lay m\u1ebd hind\u012b adhyayan-adhy\u0101pan \u2013 vartm\u0101n paridr\u0325\u015bya<\/em>, in Vide\u015b\u012b bh\u0101\u1e63\u0101 ke r\u016bp m\u1ebd hind\u012b \u015bik\u1e63a\u1e47: paridr\u0325\u015bya. Sa\u1e45go\u1e63\u1e6dh\u012b samagra<\/em>, pod red. \u015ar\u012b\u015b Candra Jaisv\u0101l,  Hindi Book Centre, New Delhi 2012, s. 61-63. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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      The History of Bengali Studies at the University of Warsaw<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      The Faculty of Asian and African Cultures at the University of Warsaw is the only centre in Poland, and one of the few in Europe, to conduct research on Bengali literature and culture, and to offer instruction in the Bengali language. The history of Bengali studies in Warsaw is inextricably linked to Hiranmoy Ghoshal (1907\u20131969), a Bengali scholar who was the first lecturer from India to be employed at the University of Warsaw to teach modern Indian languages. He was invited to Poland in 1935 by Professor Stanis\u0142aw Schayer. The outbreak of the Second World War found him in Warsaw. In September 1940, he managed to return to India, but came back to Warsaw in 1957. From that time until his death, he lectured at the Department of Indian Philology, then part of the Institute of Oriental Studies at the University of Warsaw. His teaching covered subjects including the history of India, Bengali literature and the Bengali language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      In the 1960s and 1970s, classes in descriptive grammar and practical Bengali language instruction were conducted by Agnieszka Kowalska-Soni, who also studied Bengali at Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan (1961\u20131963). It is also worth mentioning Maria Gurbiel, who taught Bengali at the then Institute of Oriental Studies at the University of Warsaw between 1969 and 1971.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      One of Hiranmoy Ghoshal\u2019s students was Barbara Grabowska (1944\u20132023), who joined the Bengali studies faculty in 1967 and earned her PhD in 1973 under the supervision of Prof. Eugeniusz S\u0142uszkiewicz. Thanks to her work, Bengali studies in Warsaw expanded to include research on medieval Bengali literature. She taught Bengali-related subjects until her retirement in 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The next generations of lecturers were students of Professor Barbara Grabowska. One of the key figures in Warsaw\u2019s Bengali studies was El\u017cbieta Walter (from 1973 until her retirement in 2015), who actively contributed to the development of this centre, educating successive generations of specialists in Bengal\u2014both West Bengal in India and Bangladesh. She also translated Bengali literature into Polish and was involved in promoting knowledge about India and Bengal. Between 1976 and 1979, she was a scholarship holder at Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan. The Bengali studies faculty also includes Bo\u017cena \u015aliwczy\u0144ska and Anna Trynkowska, the latter likewise a former Visva-Bharati University scholar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The teaching staff for the Bengali language also included Micha\u0142 Panasiuk (until the end of the 2023\/2024 academic year). Currently, Bengali studies are being developed by Weronika Rokicka (since 2014), whose research interests include Bengali travel literature as well as the history and contemporary literature of West Bengal and Bangladesh, and Jan Klonowski, a representative of the youngest generation of Bengali scholars who joined the faculty in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Since 2018, the Chair of South Asian Studies at the Faculty of Asian and African Cultures, University of Warsaw, has collaborated with the universities of Heidelberg and Prague to organise the annual Bengali Language Summer School. This event rotates between the partner institutions each year, with Warsaw hosting the most recent edition in 2023 and the next edition planned for 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      More about Bengali studies in Warsaw:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      1. El\u017cbieta Walter, Danuta Stasik, Bengalistyka warszawska<\/em>, Uniwersytet Warszawski. Pismo uczelni, pa\u017adziernik 2011, s. 46-47.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. El\u017cbieta Walter, Bengalistyka<\/em>, in 75 lat Instytutu Orientalistycznego Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego<\/em>, pod red. Maciej Popko, Warszawa 2007, s. 133-139.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      3. El\u017cbieta Walter, Bengali Studies in Warsaw<\/em>, in On the Understanding of the Other Cultures, Materials of International Conference on Sanskrit and Related Studies to Commemorate the Centenary of the Birth of Stanis\u0142aw Schayer, Warsaw University, Poland, October 7-10, 1999<\/em>, pod red. Marka Mejora, Piotra Balcerowicza, Warszawa 1999, s. 42-48.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      4. Barbara Grabowska, Hiranmoy Ghoshal (1907-1969)<\/em>, \u201ePrzegl\u0105d Orientalistyczny\u201d, nr 2, 1970, s. 108-109.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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        The History of Tamil Studies at the University of Warsaw
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        The beginnings of Tamil studies in Warsaw are linked to Ramanathan Sundaram, who in 1972 began working at the University of Warsaw as the first-ever lecturer in Dravidian languages\u2014Tamil and Malayalam. Since 1974, Indology students have had the opportunity to study in a group with Tamil as their primary Indian language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        The first Polish lecturer in the Tamil language was Katarzyna Witkowska-Trzaska, a student of Dr. Sundaram, who prepared and defended her master\u2019s thesis under his supervision in 1975. It should be noted, however, that the first master\u2019s thesis devoted to the Tamil language was submitted earlier, in 1970, by Ma\u0142gorzata Burakowska under the supervision of the Sanskrit scholar Prof. Eugeniusz S\u0142uszkiewicz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Among the Indology graduates who completed their studies under Sundaram's supervision in 1979, two individuals deserve particular mention. Danuta P\u0119cikiewicz studied in Madras, where in 1980 she prepared a Tamil-Polish-English dictionary, which remains in manuscript form to this day. Tadeusz Herrmann studied at the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Madras (1983\u20131986) and became the first person in Poland to earn a PhD in 1989 based on a dissertation devoted to medieval Tamil literature. Until his retirement, he taught the Tamil language, literature, and culture, and also conducted Malayalam language courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        The second person to earn a PhD at the University of Warsaw based on a dissertation devoted to Tamil literature was Joanna Kusio (1960\u20132009), who received her degree in 2003. During her studies, she spent a year on a scholarship in Madras (1980\/1981), and after beginning her work at the then Institute of Oriental Studies, she went on a three-year research stay at Tamil University in Thanjavur, where she deepened her knowledge of the Tamil language and culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Currently, two people are conducting academic research in Tamil studies at the University of Warsaw. Jacek Wo\u017aniak studied Tamil at Tamil University in Thanjavur, and Karolina K\u0142oszewska at Pondicherry University in Puducherry. Until 2025, the lecturer employed was M.A. Karthik Shanmuganandam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        From the very beginning, Polish Tamil scholars have been supported in their teaching work by lecturers from India. Among the most distinguished of them is Indra Parthasarathy, an acclaimed writer and playwright.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        More about the history of Tamil studies in Warsaw:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        1. Joanna Kusio, Studia drawidyjskie<\/em>, in 75 lat Instytutu Orientalistycznego Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego<\/em>, pod red. Macieja Popko, Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, Warszawa 2007, s. 141-146.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        2. Joanna Kusio, Tamil Studies in Poland<\/em>, in Teaching on India in Central and Eastern Europe<\/em>. Contributions to the 1<\/em>st<\/sup><\/em> Central and Eastern European Indological Conference on Regional Cooperation (Warsaw, 15-17 September 2005)<\/em>, pod red. Danuta Stasik, Anna Trynkowska, Dom Wydawniczy ELIPSA, Warszawa 2007, s. 109-114.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        3. Jacek Wo\u017aniak, Tamilski w Warszawie. Z okazji obchod\u00f3w 40. rocznicy tamilistyki w Uniwersytecie Warszawskim<\/em>, \u201ePrzegl\u0105d Orientalistyczny\u201d, nr 3-4 (247-248), 2013, s. 125-138.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        4. Jacek Wo\u017aniak, Tamil Studies in Warsaw<\/em>, in Tamil in Warsaw. Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Tamil Studies at the University of Warsaw (2012\/2013)<\/em>, pod red. Danuta Stasik, Jacek Wo\u017aniak, Dom Wydawniczy ELIPSA, Warszawa 2014, s. 11-14.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        5. Jacek Wo\u017aniak, Tamil in Poland and Polish Translations of the Tirukku\u1e5fa\u1e37<\/em>, in Thirukkural beyond the Frontiers of Tamil India. Second International Conference on Thirukkural, Liverpool, England<\/em>, pod red. G. John Samuel, Institute of Asian Studies, Chennai 2018, s. 217-223.<\/li>\n<\/ol>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1002,"parent":25,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-178","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indologia.uw.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indologia.uw.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indologia.uw.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indologia.uw.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indologia.uw.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=178"}],"version-history":[{"count":44,"href":"https:\/\/indologia.uw.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/178\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2266,"href":"https:\/\/indologia.uw.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/178\/revisions\/2266"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indologia.uw.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/25"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indologia.uw.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1002"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indologia.uw.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}