Central Institute of Classical Tamil
An Autonomous Institution under Ministry of Education, Govt. of India
செம்மொழித் தமிழாய்வு மத்திய நிறுவனம்
(தன்னாட்சி நிறுவனம், கல்வி அமைச்சகம், இந்திய அரசு)
A publishing catalogue preserving the world's oldest classical language — spanning ancient grammar, epics, Caṅkam anthologies, translations in 50+ languages, Braille editions, and digital innovations.
Hon'ble Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi delivered a distinguished address at the United Nations, invoking a 3,000-year-old Tamil verse that reflects the timeless wisdom and cultural depth of the Tamil tradition.
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Tamil, one of the world's most ancient classical languages, stands as a symbol of rich literary and cultural heritage. The Central Institute of Classical Tamil (CICT) has been instrumental in preserving and advancing this legacy through critical editions, research publications, dictionaries, and digital resources.
With growing global interest, scholars and institutions worldwide are actively engaging with Tamil literature, grammar, and manuscript traditions. As an autonomous body under the Ministry of Education, Government of India, CICT plays a key role in supporting this international scholarship.
Its publications make Classical Tamil knowledge widely accessible, combining academic rigor with modern approaches. This catalogue reflects CICT's continued commitment to promoting and preserving Tamil's timeless heritage for future generations.
Translated into 65 languages across 6 continents — making Tirukkuṟaḷ one of the most translated classical works in the world.
CICT Chennai has published 22 Braille editions of Classical Tamil texts — the largest such collection in the world. Watch this documentary to discover how these publications are transforming access to Classical Tamil literature for the visually impaired.
The Braille collection comprises 46 titles distributed across 118 books, containing a total of 1,079,454 words in 13,006 Braille pages. The combined weight of these volumes is 139.8 kilograms.
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Since 2022, Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's Kashi Tamil Sangamam has celebrated the civilisational bond between Tamil Nadu and Varanasi. At every edition, CICT has released landmark publications — from 13 Tirukkuṟaḷ translations (2022) and 46 Braille titles (2023), to 34 Hindi Sangam works (2025) and Tolkāppiyam in 10 languages (2025) — carrying Classical Tamil wisdom to new audiences across India and the world.
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