Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies
The Central University of Tibetan Studies (formerly Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies) (CUTS) (Wyl. wā Na dbus bod kyi ches mtho'i slob gnyer khang) was envisioned by Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru in consultation with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama with a view to educate the youths of Tibet and the Himalayan border region.
Established in 1967, CIHTS initially functioned as a special constituent wing of Sampurnananda Sanskrit University, Varanasi. Thereafter the government of India reviewed the progress of the Institute and decided to accord it a status of an autonomous body under the Department of Culture, Ministry of Education, Govt. of India in 1977 with 100% financial support from the Govt. of India. The Institute steadily progressed with optimal success. The Govt. of India declared the Institute to be a "Deemed to be a University" on 5th April, 1988. Until 2000, the Institute was headed by Ven. Samdhong Rinpoche, the now Prime Minister of the Tibetan Government in Exile. The Institute is currently headed by Geshe Ngawang Samten as Director and is ably assisted by learned faculty members of the Institute in achieving its goal of excellence in the field of Tibetology, Buddhology and Himalayan Studies.
