S. Ananta Subramanya Sarma

S. A. S. Sarma joined the EFEO Center in Pondicherry in 1989. He initially participated in the Pāṇiṇīya-Udāharaṇa-Kośa (PUK) project, led by François Grimal, aimed at compiling a dictionary of examples from Pāṇini’s grammar, for which he developed data management software. He also coordinated the digitization of the catalog of the IFP/EFEO Indology Library, whose metadata enabled the creation of entries now accessible online for the libraries of both institutions.

His work focuses on critical editions of Sanskrit texts, particularly in the field of Śaivism. He is currently preparing an edition of Trilocanaśiva’s 12th-century commentary on the Somaśambhupaddhati, an 11th-century Śaivite ritual manual. As part of the ERC DHARMA project, he is also involved in the editing and translation of the Naimittikakriyānusandhāna of the Brahmaśambhupaddhati.

S. A. Sarma is the coordinator at the Pondicherry Center for the project “Hindu Temple Legends in South India,” funded by the Heidelberg Academy, which focuses in particular on the Kanchipuram māhātmyas in Sanskrit and Tamil.

It also plays a central role in the DiPiKA (Digitization and Preservation of Kerala Archives) project, funded by the Arcadia Foundation and carried out in collaboration with the EFEO and the University of Hamburg. This project builds on the work of two projects from the British Library’s “Endangered Archives Programme” led by the EFEO, which focused on digitizing the manuscript collections of the Vadakke Madham Brahmaswam in Thrissur, Kerala.

As part of the ERC VOICES project (Voices from the Deep South), launched in 2026, he is also conducting research on the pāṭṭu traditions of Kerala.

In addition to his research activities, he supervises doctoral students affiliated with the Pondicherry Center and regularly participates in conferences, workshops, and training programs focused on Sanskrit manuscripts and textual criticism.

• 1985: Bachelor of Arts in Sanskrit, University of Kerala.
  1987: Master of Arts in Sanskrit (Philosophy / Advaita), University of Kerala.
• 1992: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Hindu Law, University of Calicut.

• Research Fellow, EFEO Center in Pondicherry, from 1989 to 2016
• Senior Research Fellow, EFEO Center in Pondicherry, since 2016

• 1987–1988: Research coordinator for Professor K. V. Sarma on scientific projects at CESMEO, Turin, Italy.
• 1988–1989: Research assistant at the Adyar Library and Research Centre, Theosophical Society, Chennai.
• 1989–present: Researcher at the École française d’Extrême-Orient (EFEO), Pondicherry Center

• Dr. Arya Devi Endowment Award for Sanskrit Scholars, presented by the Vedic Research Center of Brahmasva Matham (Thrissur), 2022.

Translated with DeepL.com