Previous Year Question

The first university Chair of Sanskrit in Europe was established at the Collège de France in Paris in 1814. The Collège de France itself identifies it as Europe’s first Chair devoted to Sanskrit.

A royal decree dated 29 November 1814 created two Chairs at the Collège de France—one for Sanskrit and one for Chinese. The first holder of the Sanskrit Chair was Antoine-Léonard Chézy. He delivered his inaugural lecture on Sanskrit language and literature on 16 January 1815.

Here, Germany is an important distractor. The Sanskrit Chair in France had already been created in 1814, while Sanskrit Chairs at German centres such as Berlin and Bonn developed subsequently. According to the Bibliothèque nationale de France, Chairs for Sanskrit teaching were later established in London, Oxford, Berlin and Bonn.