The Center for Indian and Central Asian Studies was originally named the Institute of Indian Civilization (ICI) when it was founded in 1927 at the University of Paris by orientalists Émile Senart, Alfred Foucher and Sylvain Lévi. Its primary role was to centralize and coordinate lectures on India and the Indianized world (from Central Asia to Southeast Asia) given at the Collège de France, the Faculté des Lettres de Paris, the École Pratique des Hautes Études, the École des Langues Orientales Vivantes and the École du Louvre. Housed in the Sorbonne, the ICI inaugurated its library in 1929, initially supplied by the donation of Émile Senart's library, then by the acquisition of Sylvain Lévi's library in 1936. The Institute's development was gradually supported by external funding (from the French colonial ministries and governments, and Indian patrons). In 1969, the ICI and its library were transferred to the Maison de l'Asie (Paris 16th), and in 1973 came under the auspices of the Collège de France. In 1990, the ICI moved again to 52 rue du Cardinal Lemoine, in the buildings now occupied by the Institute of Civilizations of the Collège de France. Under the direction of Professor Gérard Fussman from 1984 to 2011, it was renamed the Institute of Indian Studies in 2001.
While continuing to expand its library, which now covers the archaeology of Afghanistan and Central Asia, the Institute, which also boasts a collection of art objects, also acquired a map and photo library during this period. The latter now includes over 40,000 images of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nepal, as well as photographs from the objets d'art collection.
The Centre's new name from 2022 reflects its thematic extension to pre-Islamic Central Asia. Over the decades, the Centre has developed partnerships with universities and research centers in France and abroad, notably to promote its heritage collections. It is a member of various national and international collaborative networks: DocAsie, the Patrimoines partagés France-Asie du Sud project, and the Association française des études indiennes. It collaborates on projects with various institutions: EFEO, INHA (Agorha), BNF, Musée Guimet and research teams.
The Centre, directed since 2025 by Isabelle Ratié, has a scientific council of members chosen from among specialists in the field. It continues to publish via the " Publications de l'Institut de civilisation indienne"collection , now renamed "Publications du Center for Indian and Central Asian Studies". Created in 1955, it now comprises over 80 volumes, including Louis Renou's important Études védiques etpāṇinéennes (18 volumes). Its works deal mainly with the fields of so-called "classical" India, literatures, philosophies, religions, history and archaeology, while opening up to more recent Indian languages and literatures, and while building bridges to the Iranian world and Central Asia.
Illustration : manuscript dedicated to the cult of the Hindu god Shiva (Śivadharma corpus, MS.SL.57, XIth century CE) depicting the god Vishnu in his hybrid lion-man form (Narasiṃha).
