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2024-03-31-accounts

The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Charity Registration No: 1074458

Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements

for the year ended

31 March 2024

Wenn Townsend

Chartered Accountants

Oxford

The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Legal and Administrative Details

Registered charity number 1074458
Trustees: Prof Diwaker Acharya (Humanities Division representative)
Prof Francis X Clooney
Mr Shaunaka Rishi Das
Lord Dholakia, OBE, DL
Dr Mark Edwards (Theology Faculty representative)
Dr S Bhattacharya-Ford
Prof Richard Gombrich
Mr Pujan H Patel
Mr Ajay Piramal
Mrs Madhu Ruia
Mr Azad Shivdasani
Prof Mark Smith (Oriental Studies representative)
Mr Ramesh Venkataraman
Prof Himan Shruprabha Ray
Director: Shaunaka Rishi Das
Auditors: Wenn Townsend
30 St Giles
Oxford
OX1 3LE
Registered office: 15 Magdalen Street
Oxford
OX1 3AE
Bankers: Barclays Bank plc
P O Box 333
Oxford
OX1 3HS

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The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Trustees' report on the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024

The Trustees present their report and the audited financial statements of the Charity for the year ended 31 March 2024. The Trustees have adopted the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) “Accounting and Report by Charities” (FRS102) in preparing the annual report and financial statement of the Charity.

Structure, government and management

The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies (OCHS) is governed under a Trust Deed dated 1 February 1999 as amended by a Declaration of Trust dated 28th June 2006. Its registered charity number is 1074458. The Trustees of the Charity are shown on page 1.

Trustees’ meetings are scheduled each year, with extra meetings called if required. The Director deals with the day-to-day management of the OCHS.

All decisions concerning policies and appointment of advisors and Trustees are referred to the Trustees. The Trustees keep the activities of the OCHS under regular annual review, identifying risks and mitigating them through internal controls and insurance. They approve the risk register annually.

Objectives and activities of the Charity

The OCHS is an academy for the study of Hindu culture, society, philosophies, and languages, in all periods and in all parts of the world. The OCHS is dedicated to preserving India’s cultural heritage and promoting better understanding of it through a comprehensive programme of education, publishing and research. The OCHS is also a Recognised Independent Centre of Oxford University.

Achievements and performance of the charity

Teaching

Fellows of the Centre continued teaching students of the University, from undergraduates to doctorate students. Prof. Gavin Flood is currently supervising three DPhil students, Dr Jessica Frazier and Dr Bjarne WernickeOlesen are supervising two DPhil students each, and Dr Rembert Lutjeharms one DPhil student.

Dr Jessica Frazier gave the lectures for the paper Indian Philosophy and offered two lectures for Religion & Religions paper. She tutored for the Religion & Religions , Hinduism: Sources and Formations , Hinduism: Theology and Traditions , and Further Studies in Hinduism papers and supervised one Dissertation.

Dr Wernicke-Olesen continues to teach the Sanskrit and Pāli Prelims course for the Faculty of Theology & Religion, which had six students this year. Apart from his research leave in Michaelmas term 2023, he tutored for the Hinduism: Sources and Formations paper supervised two undergraduate theses and examined an Oxford DPhil candidate.

Professor Gavin Flood examined three Oxford DPhil candidates and one external PhD (SOAS). He gave undergraduate tutorials for the papers on Hinduism 1: Sources and Traditions and Hinduism 2: Modern Hinduism , Further Studies in Hinduism , and Nature of Religion . Professor Flood also gave series of tutorials on the History of Buddhist thinking , Buddhism , Mysticism, and Non Western Philosophy of Time .

Research

Below you can find an update on the developments on our research programmes and research projects.

The Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Research Programme

Project Leaders: Dr Måns Broo, Dr Rembert Lutjeharms, Prof. Kiyokazu Okita, and Dr Lucian Wong

This academic year, the Gauḍīya Research Programme continued to grow. The team was joined by a new Research Fellow, Dr Abhishek Bose (University of Calcutta, and a visiting fellow at the OCHS in Trinity Term). Two new research projects were also launched: one large collaborative project on mapping the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava world in Bengal and one on Mādhavendra Purī and the background of the Gauḍīya tradition. The other existing projects also continued to grow, as detailed below.

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The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Trustees' report on the accounts (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

Gauḍīya Patrikā Digital Database

Project Leaders: Dr Lucian Wong and Dr Sumantra Rudra

The Bhaktivedanta Research Centre (BRC), Kolkata, holds one of the richest standalone Bengali Vaiṣṇava periodical collections in the world. Dr Lucian Wong, co-director of the OCHS’s Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism Research Programme, and Dr Sumanta Rudra, Dean of Academic Affairs at the BRC, have been leading an initiative to build a state-of-the-art, fully text-searchable digital database of the BRC’s periodical collection in collaboration with Jadavpur University’s School of Cultural Text’s and Records (SCTR). The project has now entered the final stretch of Phase One of the project, which will culminate in the public launch of the database, showcasing with BRC’s periodical collection. To co-ordinate this, in April 2024, Dr Wong and Dr Rudra met with Dr Sukanta Chaudhury and the SCTR team he heads in Kolkata at Jadavpur University.

The Vaiṣṇava Sensorium: Experiencing the Divine in Eastern India

Project Leaders: Dr Ayesha Irani and Dr Lucian Wong

This project, led by Dr Ayesha Irani (University of Massachusetts, Boston) and Dr Lucian Wong (OCHS), brings together scholars from the fields of textual studies, literature, philosophy, anthropology, ritual studies, and art history, to share and inspire research that focuses on the sensorium as it is understood in Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava philosophy, poetry, drama, aesthetics, and practice. The project aims to produce an edited volume on the Vaiṣṇava sensorium that charts the new poetics of perception and experience of the divine among the Gauḍīyas and beyond. To this end, project members have been meeting monthly throughout this year as a group to present and discuss their research. Project leaders are currently in the process of organising a final project workshop, due to be held in February 2025 at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.

Mādhavendra Purī and the Caitanya Sampradāya

Project Leader: Prof. Abhishek Bose

The formation of a sampradāya – a community of praxis – is a curious threshold. There is a moment therein signifying a dichotomy of rupture and continuity, lending novelty and legitimacy to the sampradāya, respectively. The formation(s) identified today as Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism or the Caitanya sampradāya coagulating around the figure of Caitanya Mahāprabhu (1486-1533) had caused lasting transformations on ideological, socio-cultural and religious levels. Although, by and large, Caitanya himself is perceived as the point of origin for this discours, Mādhavendra Purī (c. fifteenth-early sixteenth century) is also recognised as one of the major initiators predating Caitanya Mahāprabhu in that sampradāya, and yet, he remains an enigmatic figure in their history and collective memory. During my search for the last few years, I have realised that Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s recognition of Mādhavendra as the first shoot of bhakti has to be revisited for more than one reason. Firstly, the majority of the key associates/ allies of Mahāprabhu can be traced back to the lineage or circle of Mādhavendra. Secondly, most of the ‘pilgrimage’ routes traversed by Caitanya follow in the footsteps of Mādhavendra and, moreover, all the sites established by Caitanya as important centres of the sampradāya can be shown to be operating from Mādhavendra’s times. Also, the cycle of stories involving Mādhavendra Purī displays a symptomatic predilection towards expressions of prema-bhakti, identified as the defining marker of Caitanya Mahāprabhu and the Caitanya sampradāya in general. By that Mādhavendra also anticipates the emotive experiential associations. The most controversial question is, of course, regarding the guru-lineage of Mādhavendra, both inside and outside the sampradāya. He has been variously identified as a Purī sannyāsī with allegiance to the Daśanāmī order said to have been established by Ādi Śankarācārya, and a Tattvav̄ adī Vaiṣṇava belonging to the Brahma or Mādhva sampradāya, among other things. Leaving aside the issues of veracity, what emerges from the debates is that in a way these contestations attest to the possibilities and multiplicities that become necessitated in the genesis of a sampradāya. Mādhavendra Purī thus connects all sorts of religiosities and geo-cultural distributions. He is important for Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism, for obvious reasons, but it does not end there. This research seeks to establish Mādhavendra as a node linking people from different communities and language worlds across the subcontinent. Therefore, the study of Mādhavendra as a moment becomes important to the understanding of bhakti – in all its heterogeneity, and also for medieval history, literature, culture, religion and so on.

The outcome primarily will be in the form of a book publication, in Bangla, and then, a counterpart in English.

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The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Trustees' report on the accounts (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

Gauḍīya Study Programme

In September 2023, the Gauḍīya Study Programme held its first study weekend, at the Vedanta Centre in Lincoln, which was attended by students from the UK, Europe, and the USA. Over two days, the tutors—Dr. Kenneth Valpey, Dr. Måns Broo, Simon Haas, Prof. Ravi Gupta, and Dr. Rembert Lutjeharms—led discussions on issues of hermeneutics and epistemology, theology, ritual, and poetry within the Gauḍīya tradition. We also held an online study weekend aimed at youth in the USA, taught by Prof. Ravi Gupta, Simon Haas, and Anuradha Dooney.

The online tutorial programme, started in Trinity Term 2020, just saw its thirteenth cohort of students graduate. The programme introduces current academic research on Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism to Vaiṣṇava students from the UK, North America, India, Australia, and Asia. The programme is led by Dr. Rembert Lutjeharms, and includes among its teachers Dr. Måns Broo, Shaunaka Rishi Das, Anuradha Dooney, Prof. Ravi Gupta, Simon Haas, Dr. Kenneth Valpey, and Dr. Lucian Wong.

The Building of Vṛndāvana

The Building of Vṛndāvana: Architecture, Theology, and Practice in an Early Modern Pilgrimage Town , edited by Dr. Rembert Lutjeharms and Dr. Kiyokazu Okita was published in January 2024, by Brill (Leiden). The small town of Vṛndāvana is today one of the most vibrant places of pilgrimage in northern India. Throngs of pilgrims travel there each year to honour the sacred land of Kṛṣṇa’s youth and to visit many of its temples. This book, whose seeds were first planted at a 2017 conference held in Oxford, explores the complex history of this town’s early modern origins. Bringing together scholars from various disciplines to examine history, architecture, art, ritual, theology, and literature in this pivotal period, The Building of Vṛndāvana examines how these various disciplines were used to create, develop, and map Vṛndāvana as the most prominent place of pilgrimage for devotees of Kṛṣṇa. Most of the chapters in the book thus do not just explore the (physical) temples that were constructed there in the sixteenth century, but also examine how those temples—and the broader sacred landscape—were viewed by the various people associated with it: their founders and priests, their devotees, their royal patrons, as well as poets and theologians who had settled there. The contributors to the volume are Guy L. Beck, Måns Broo, David Buchta, John Stratton Hawley, Barbara A. Holdrege, Rembert Lutjeharms, Kiyokazu Okita, Cynthia D. Packert, and Heidi Pauwels.

Mapping Gaura-maṇḍala

In December 2023, Dr. Mans Broo, Prema Goet, Dr. Rembert Lutjeharms, Dr. Kiyokazu Okita, and Dr. Lucian Wong travelled through Bengal, visiting various historical centres of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava tradition, most of which were founded in the sixteenth century and comprise what is popularly referred to as the ‘gaura-maṇḍala’, ‘the region of Gaura [i.e., Caitanya]’. They met locally with various Goswamis, teachers, and scholars, discussing the history of place, as well as its communities, practices, and teachings.

The aim of the trip was not just to gain a sense of the history of these places, but also to begin mapping the networks of temples that span the Bengali speaking world today, and to see what remains of the traditional centres of learning, of their manuscript libraries, and of their archives. Among the places they visited were Kolkata, Shantipur, Kulinagram, Kardaha, Halisahara, Katwa, Baghnapada, Nabadwip, Mayapur, and Shrikhanda.

In April 2024, Dr. Lucian Wong and Prema Goet returned to Bengal to continue this work, revisiting some of those places, to further develop relationships that had been established on the first trip and to explore further possibilities of collaboration with local scholars and religious leaders.

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The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Trustees' report on the accounts (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

The Śākta Traditions Research Programme

Project Leaders: Dr Bjarne Wernicke-Olesen and Prof. Gavin Flood

The Śākta Traditions research project, which was officially launched in 2011 with a two-day international conference in Oxford and subsequent publication with Routledge, has developed into a research programme encompassing a number of interdisciplinary projects, publications, and a growing international research network. The research programme aims to carve out space for Śāktism as a major Hindu tradition within the South Asian religious context by defining its theology, textual lineages, historical evolution, and its relationship to parallel traditions such as Śaivism, Vaiṣṇavism, and Buddhism. It has produced several international symposia, workshops, and seminars in Oxford and elsewhere as well as numerous volumes and articles.

2023 saw the first publication of the Haṭhapradīpikā in Danish with Sanskrit text, glossary, illustrations, and extensive notes. An official book launch and panel discussion took place on 8th Feb 2024 in Aarhus, Denmark. Panelists were Prof. Jørn Borup, Prof. Marianne Fibiger, Dr Silje Lyngar Einarsen, Jens Toft Pedersen, and Dr Bjarne Wernicke-Olesen.

New projects include a translation project of the Ṣaṭcakranirūpana aiming at a full English and Danish translation along with an annotated edition of the text. The translation project is led by Dr Wernicke-Olesen and Dr Silje Lyngar Einarsen and forms part of the newly established Scandinavian Indological Society.

Dr Bjarne Wernicke-Olesen accepted two new Oxford DPhil students in 2023 as the main supervisor in the area of Śākta Studies: Sharvi Maheshwari (‘Śākta Rituals in Bhaktapur: The Navadurgā Dances as Practiced Among the Newars’) and Gonzalo Fernandez (‘An Examination of the Role of Yoginīs in Śākta Tantric Śaivism’). Professor Gavin Flood is co-supervisor for both students.

A contract has been signed with Oxford University Press for a new volume in the Oxford History of Hinduism on Śāktism and the Tantric Traditions. The volume is edited by Dr Wernicke-Olesen and contains two chapters by Prof. Alexis Sanderson on Śāktism from Kashmir and Beyond as well as contributions from other leading scholars in the field of tantric and Śākta Studies. It is anticipated to become a groundbreaking volume.

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The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Trustees' report on the accounts (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

Tantra in South Asia: Śākta and Śaiva Religion from Kashmir and Beyond

Project Leaders: Dr Bjarne Wernicke-Olesen, Prof. Alexis Sanderson, and Prof. Gavin Flood

In 2022, a high-profile research and publication project with Prof. Alexis Sanderson, Prof. Gavin Flood, and Dr Bjarne Wernicke-Olesen was added to the Śākta Traditions research programme. The Sākta and Śaiva tantric traditions are found in various places in India and Nepal. They form the ritual and philosophical core of many yogic and tantric traditions and movements that were exported to the rest of the world, and they have now become part and parcel of global religious history. An understanding of the Sākta Śaiva traditions, especially as they developed in Kashmir and beyond, is crucial for an understanding of the history of Indian religions as well as an understanding of modern yoga and tantra as it is practiced today in many places around the world.

These traditions can be traced back many centuries but until recently, tantric worship in Kashmir had been understood simply as ‘Kashmir Śaivism’, the worship of the god Śiva including all deities related to him. But it is now evident that this understanding does not suffice to describe the actual practices and forms of religion found in the texts and lived by people. At the core of Śaiva worship and Śaiva philosophy, we find that Śākta worship, or worship of the Goddess, plays a prominent role. This insight means that much in our understanding of Indian religions is about to change, and the publications included in this project will contribute to the rewriting of the history of Indian Religions that Prof. Sanderson’s work has precipitated. The Śākta and Śaiva Religion from Kashmir and Beyond project will therefore establish the OCHS as a central institution for Tantric and Śākta studies in the UK. The project outputs are:

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The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Trustees' report on the accounts (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

OCHS Kathmandu Office and Summer University in Nepal

In 2018, Dr Wernicke-Olesen and other affiliates of the research programme established a study and research centre for the Śākta Traditions programme in Kathmandu with a focus on manuscript digitisation and fieldwork. While the work in Nepal came to a halt in the spring of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the facilities have been secured and manuscript and fieldwork in Nepal has resumed, including visiting DPhil students and interns from Oxford. Gitte Poulsen continues as our Kathmandu Office Manager and Dr Rajan Khatiwoda as the office leader.

The highly successful OCHS Summer University in Kathmandu (summeruni.co.uk) took place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel from the 31st of July to 13th of August 2023. Around 20 international students went and many of the participants were Oxford students who were or have been taught and supervised by Fellows of the OCHS. The course will also be taking place in August 2024.

The course explores topics in Śākta Hinduism, tantric traditions, and goddess worship in the Kathmandu Valley. It combines lectures with excursions to local religious sites, rituals, and traditional local practices. The course bridges theory and practice, building understanding through participation. The course offers unique fieldwork opportunities to students, and for Graduate attendees has greatly contributed to their ongoing research endeavours. The course has attracted students across disciplines beyond religious studies (history, sociology, languages, politics, etc.)

Lecturers and tutors include Prof. Gavin Flood (Oxford), Dr Bjarne Wernicke-Olesen (Oxford), Dr Rajan Khatiwoda (Heidelberg), Dr Silje Lyngar Einarsen (Oslo), Dr Ulrik Lyngs (Oxford), Gitte Poulsen (Aarhus and Oxford), and Laura Anderson (Oxford) as well as local scholars including Prof. Kashinath Nyaupane from the Nepal Sanskrit University and Manish Manandhar, a local architect in Kathmandu. The Summer University is ECTS accredited through a collaboration and Memorandum of Understanding with the MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion, and Society facilitated by Dr Silje Lyngar Einarsen and Tanja Louise Jakobsen. The Summer University is managed by Gitte Poulsen and Laura Anderson with Dr Wernicke-Olesen and Tanja Louise Jakobsen as consultants.

Amṛtānanda’s Saubhāgyasudhodaya and Cidvilāsastava

Project Leader: Dr Silvia Schwarz Linder

This research project delves into the work of Amṛtānanda (South India, ca. 1325-1375), an erudite exponent of the Tantric Śākta tradition of Tripurā, also known as Śrīvidyā. Information about Amṛtānanda is scarce. Within the lineage of the gurus of this tradition, he identifies himself as a disciple of Puṇyānanda (ca. 1300-1350), the author of the Kāmakalāvilāsa. Amṛtānanda’s primary work is his commentary (Dīpikā, “The Lamp”) on one of the seminal sources of the Srīvidyā, the Yoginīh daya (Kashmir, 11th century CE). He elucidates and interprets the speculative, esoteric teachings of this work in the context of the Śākta-Śaiva dynamic non-dualism of the Trika system. Additionally, Amṛtānanda authored two brief works: the Saubhāgyasudhodaya and the Cidvilāsastava. He might also be identified as the author of the Alaṅkārasaṅgraha, a treatise on poetics likely composed around 1350. A first annotated translation of the Cidvilāsastava (Eulogy of the Playful Manifestation of [the Supreme] Consciousness) has been published by S. Schwarz Linder in H. Matsuoka, S. Moriyama, T. Neill (eds.), To the Heart of Truth: A Felicitation Volume for EliFranco on the Occasion of His 70thBirthday,WSTB 104.1,Arbeitskreis für Tibetische und Buddhistische Studien Universität Wien, Vienna 2023. Similar to Abhinavagupta’s hymns, the Cidvilāsastava can be categorized as a speculative stotra. Comprising forty verses, with its concise allusions to doctrinal and ritual elements of the Śrīvidyā, this work appears to be written by an erudite initiate, intended for his peers. It would be worth studying also the other extant work of this author, the Saubhāgyasudhodaya (The Rising of the Nectar of Happiness), a paddhati of 142 verses divided into six chapters. Exploring these two works would enrich our understanding of Amṛtānanda’s contribution to the South Indian Śrīvidyā textual tradition.

The intended output of this research is the publication of a volume containing the annotated translation of the Saubhāgyasudhodaya and a revised version of the annotated translation of the Cidvilāsastava.

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The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Trustees' report on the accounts (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

The Phenomenology of Religion as Philosophical Anthropology

Project Leader: Prof. Gavin Flood

This programme has continued weekly during term time with the reading group, Readings in Phenomenology . Professor Flood’s publications continue to contribute to it (chapter 5 of The Concept of Mind in Hindu Tantra (Routledge, at press)). Professor Flood is planning a third conference for 2026 entitled: ‘Religion and the Transformation of Society: Perspectives from the Phenomenology of Religions.’

Network of Hinduism in Dialogue

Project Leader: Dr Melanie Barbato

The “Network of Hinduism in Dialogue” had its launch event and first panel at the European Academy of Religion’s Annual Conference in St. Andrews, Scotland. The launch event took place on June 21, 2023, at the University of St. Andrews in the Stewart Room of the historic Younger Hall. At the two-hour launch event, the coordinators Melanie Barbato and Shruti Dixit, together with Communications Coordinator Ihsan Altintas, presented the vision for the network and invited all who attended to discuss future possibilities for cooperation.

The five-hour panel on the general theme of “Hinduism in Dialogue” was the first network event. Eleven junior and senior scholars from around the world related aspects of different religions to Hindu philosophy, religion and culture. Among other topics, the presentations ranged from conversations on cultured meat to interfaith harmony through devotional songs.

In May 2023 network coordinator Melanie Barbato was invited to speak on the topic “The way forward: prospects and possibilities” at the meeting on “Hindus and Christians in Europe: Building together a ‘fraternity based new humanism’” that was organized in Rome by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Dialogue in collaboration with The Hindu Forum of Europe, the Italian Hindu Union, and the Office for Interreligious Dialogue and Collaboration at the World Council of Churches.

The “Network of Hinduism in Dialogue” facilitates collaboration and dialogue among academics with shared interest in interreligious relations involving Hinduism. Membership is free and open to those studying Hinduism in relation to other religions at postgraduate level or above. The network has started issuing a newsletter, which will inform members of relevant academic news and opportunities for collaboration.

Rethinking Hinduism in Colonial India Research Project

Project Leaders: Dr Arun Brahmbhatt, Dr Avni Chag, and Dr Lucian Wong

The Rethinking Hinduism in Coloinial India project is a dedicated platform for the consolidation and coordination of research that critically investigates intellectual, ritual, social, and other kinds of development within sampradāyic Hindu formations across colonial India. Dr Brahmbhatt and Dr Wong have continued to work toward the publication of an edited volume, based on research at the project’s 2022 virtual conference, sets out to explore key social, intellectual, legal, and ritual developments in sampradayic contexts across regional boundaries in colonial India.

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The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Trustees' report on the accounts (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

The Bhāgavata Purāṇa Research Project

Project leaders: Prof. Ravi Gupta and Dr Kenneth R. Valpey

In the past year, the Bhāgavata Purāṇa Research Project has made progress in several areas:

Comparative Philosophy Projects

Project leader: Dr Jessica Frazier

Indian Philosophy has continued to thrive at the OCHS and in Oxford more generally. Throughout 2023-4, Jessica Frazier continued the Senior Seminars in Indian Philosophy with a thriving community of graduates and finalists, and papers from Alex Watson, John Nemec, Rembert Lutjeharms, and graduates from across the Philosophy, AMES and Theology Faculties. In the coming year the seminars will continue, and group is planning symposia on Extreme Phenomenology: Unusual Structures of Consciousness in Indian Philosophy, and Problems of Time and Causation in Indian Philosophy , as well as participating in Birmingham University’s July conference on Divinity as the Ground: Exploring the Structure of Reality across Eastern and Western Traditions with Mohammad Saleh Zarepour, Graham Priest and others. Alan Herbert and Ricardo Silvestre also organised a very successful international conference funded by the John Templeton Foundation and in association with the OCHS, exploring the relationship between God and Consciousness in Indian thought.

A number of publications in Indian Philosophy have emerged in the last year including Ashwini Mokashi’s book Sapiens and Sthitiprajñā on Greek and Indian conceptions of philosophical wisdom in Hindi translation, and Jessica Frazier’s chapters ‘Ex Deo’ in Philosophers on God: Talking about Existence (Jack Symes ed., Bloomsbury) along with Daniel Dennett, Richard Dawkins, Richard Swinburne and others, ‘Emotion as Indian Philosophy of Value: Beyond Pleasure and Pain’ in Global Dialogues in the Philosophy of Religion (Yujin Nagasawa and Mohammad Saleh Zarepour eds. Oxford University Press), and ‘Roots of Reality: The Philosophy of Foundation in Spinoza’s and Śrīnivāsa’s Monisms’ in Panentheism in Indian and Western Thought (Benedikt Gocke and Swami Medhananda eds.,Routledge). She has four further papers in press for publication this Autumn on divine attributes, omnipresence, metaphysical nihilism, ‘play’ as a concept in Indian thought, and Vedānta’s debate with Vaiśeṣika and Madhyamaka, for Philosophy Compass, Sophia, a number of edited volumes, and a plenary issue of the Neue Zeitschrift für Systematische Theologie und Religionsphilosophie based on her 2023 lecture ‘Against Infinite Nothingness’ in Munich, with responses from Peter Adamson, Kerry McKenzie and Mohammad Saleh Zarepour. Silvia Schwarz Linder’s project ‘From the Greek Art of Living to Indian Liberation in this Life’ also continues with extensive readings in texts across both traditions.

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The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Trustees' report on the accounts (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

A Philosophical Approach to the Vaiṣṇava Concept of God

Project Leaders: Prof. Benedikt P. Göcke, Dr Alan C. Herbert, Prof. Ricardo Silvestre Project Duration: 1st October 2020 – 30th April 2023

Divinity in some Indian religions, such as Vaiṣṇavism, Śaivism and Śaktism, is often conceived monotheistically, as a supreme OmniGod (much like Western accounts of God.) However, due to the plurality of concepts of God in India, we might ask: are Indian theistic traditions really monotheistic? Or, to put it in conceptual terms, is their concept of God a monotheistic one? Or, is their concept of divinity theistic at all?

Accepting that there are different conceptions of divinity among the Indian religious and philosophical traditions, we can then pose this question: how can these concepts of God be philosophically characterized? Are the Indian traditions’ concepts of God really monotheistic in the Western sense of the term? Or are they closer to panentheism, henotheism or polytheism? What divine properties do the traditions ascribe to their respective divinity? What is their relationship with Western philosophical accounts of God?

The following proposed outputs have been completed:

Publications:

Three Articles:

Website: www.logicandreligion.com/vaishnava-concept-of-god

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The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Trustees' report on the accounts (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

Concepts of God and the Variety of Theisms in Indian Traditions: Towards a Theistic Theory of Consciousness

Project Leaders: Prof. Ricardo Sousa Silvestre, Prof. Benedikt Paul Göcke; Indian Studies lead researcher: Dr. Alan Herbert

Duration of Grantee’s work on the Project: October 1, 2023 - June 30, 2026 This project is a continuation and expansion of the project “A Philosophical Approach to the Vaiṣṇava Concept of God”, funded by John Templeton Foundation, which culminated last year having fulfilled all the projected goals.

The project is an initiative that has as general goals (1) to philosophically reconstruct concepts of God in Indian theistic (or theistically inclined) traditions such as Vaishnavism, Shaivism and Shaktism, and (2) to investigate the extent to which issues explored by these traditions can contribute to the philosophy of consciousness. It is supported by funding totalling $260,000 from the John Templeton Foundation.

The project has promised to publish five articles, a handbook and, and two journal special issues as well as organize three conferences (Oxford, Delhi, Brazil), non-academic roundtables, and a paper incubator meant to help early career researchers produce high quality publishable papers on our research themes and questions. The project will help consolidate cross-cultural research within the analytic philosophy of religion that takes seriously the contributions and insights of underrepresented religions, such as those of the Indian subcontinent. It will also help sensibilize religious studies scholars about the usefulness of analytic philosophy and analytic theology.

The following proposed outputs have been completed or are in progress:

Publications:

Website: https://www.god-and-consciousness.com/

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The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Trustees' report on the accounts (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

From the Greek Art of Living to the Indian Liberation in This Life

Project Leader: Dr Silvia Schwarz Linder

This research project deals with certain ideals of human existence propounded in different cultural traditions, namely, the ancient Greek philosophical teachings about the art of living, and the Indian concepts of liberation while still alive (jīvanmukti).

The research takes its primary inspiration from the work of Pierre Hadot, who shows how for certain philosophical schools of the Greco-Roman late Antiquity—particularly Stoicism and Epicureanism—philosophy consisted not so much in the elaboration of theoretical systems or textual exegeses, as in a way of life itself; the aim of these ancient philosophers was to teach the art of leading a good and virtuous life, with the help of spiritual exercises envisaged as a therapy for the soul. Some scholars have discussed the possibility of applying Hadot’s model of interpretation to certain Buddhist schools, and have highlighted—particularly the former—the limits and difficulties of adopting Hadot’s perspective in these fields of Indian thought. In fact, unlike his Greek counterpart, the Buddhist philosopher is not concerned with the present life and the occurrence of death, his vision and final goal being projected beyond the circuit of mundane existence.

The working hypothesis of this research is that Hadot’s interpretative method may have some bearing on the Tantric ideal of jīvanmukti propounded by the non-dualistic ŚāktaŚaiva traditions. The latter may provide a more appropriate touchstone for the relevant Greek philosophical schools: in fact, the jīvanmukta, who has recognized the ultimate identity between his own self/soul and the supreme Self/Soul, thereby attaining the liberating knowledge, is nonetheless an individual active in the real world, who continues to take part in ordinary life, while maintaining an attitude of detachment and equanimity. In particular, it will be highlighted how the combination of non-dualism and realistic idealism characterizing the Śākta-Śaiva traditions—unlike the illusionistic Advaita Vedānta which envisages jīvanmukti in a world devoid of ontological substance and value—enables the reconciliation and harmonization of the spiritual state of final emancipation with a fulfilled human life in this world.

Digital Humanities & Hindu Studies

Project Leaders: Dr Bjarne-Wernicke Olesen and Dr Lucian Wong; Consultant & Data Science Lead: Dr Ulrik Lyngs

The Digital Humanities and Hindu Studies project was founded by Dr Bjarne Wernicke-Olesen and Dr Ulrik Lyngs and has developed the new OCHS Manuscript Database. The project is now led by Dr Bjarne WernickeOlesen and Dr Lucian Wong. Dr Ulrik Lyngs (Department for Computer Science, Oxford University) is the Digital Lead and will continue as Digital Consultant for the project after the official launch of the OCHS Manuscript Database in Michaelmas Term 2024. Michael Elison (MPhil, Oxon) and Utsa Bose (DPhil candidate, Oxford) will continue as Digital Curators, and the researchers Dr Rajan Khatiwoda and Dr Silje Lyngar Einarsen will continue working on the Śākta dimension of the database. The Bengal database dimension is led by Dr Lucian Wong and is currently being developed with several digital curators and a large digital collection of Vaiṣṇava manuscripts donated by Tokyo University and facilitated by Dr Kiyokazu Okita.

The research project aims at establishing a state-of-the-art open-access database, providing a new and original user interface for browsing and interacting with manuscript materials. A new focus and aim for the project is creating AI models for handwriting and text recognition in South Asian manuscripts, which has groundbreaking potential.

The Śākta database that forms part of the OCHS Manuscript database aims at establishing the primary research material for Śākta traditions in South Asia as an emerging field of studies. It makes the core texts of the traditions as well as large amounts of unknown research material widely available and searchable for the first time. A new collaboration with the Muktabodha Indological Research Institute has been initiated and their digital collection of tantric E-texts (the result of 22 years of digitalisation work) will be shared on the OCHS database in combination with metadata and manuscript images providing an ideal case scenario of what is possible.

The OCHS Manuscript Database uses the advanced Mirador 3 viewer and a custom-made OCHS viewer. Compared to existing major manuscript databases such as the Cambridge Digital Library and the NGMCP, the OCHS database offers a more advanced interface allowing users to see transliterated and translated texts sideby-side with metadata, critical apparatus, notes, and images of the original manuscripts. It is possible to download specific views of text data in structured form (e.g. CSV), overlay text on top of the manuscript image to compare (e.g. transliteration or translation with the original Sanskrit text), and add comments or suggest corrections for text or image material.

- 21 -

The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Trustees' report on the accounts (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

The project has greatly expanded its manuscript and E-text volume. Agreements concerning online publishing of manuscripts are being made with the National Archives of Kathmandu and other institutions including the Muktobodha Indological Research Institute and the Matsya Digitization project resulting from an MoU with the Information Research Center, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Manuscript digitalisation of unknown source material in Nepal continues in 2023/2024 after the COVID-19 pandemic had caused a long pause to our work at the OCHS Kathmandu Office. In addition, the Prema Goet Nepal Manuscript collection is being digitised at the OCHS and added to the database together with the Sankhu collection and catalogue from Kathmandu.

The project has successfully entered the new phase producing:

Body and Embodiment in the Middle Bengali Imaginary

Project Leaders: Dr Robert Czyżkowski and Dr Lucian Wong

Body and Embodiment in the Middle Bengali Imaginary, co-directed by Dr Robert Czyżykowski (Jagiellonian University) and Dr Lucian Wong (OCHS), is a 2-year research project initiated in January 2023 and funded by €50,000 grant by Jagiellonian University’s Strategic Program Excellence Initiative, with supplementary funding from the OCHS. The project brings a team of specialists together to examine how ideas of body and embodiment take shape in early modern Bengal’s rich and multi-religious corpus of vernacular literature. Following its inaugural workshop in Krakow in January 2023 and double session panel at the annual conference of the EASR in September 2023, the project team came together at Jagiellonian University in June 2024 to workshop the volume of translations and critical essays it has been collectively working toward.

The Beginnings of the Hindu Temple: Material Foundations of Indian Culture in Early Historic Deccan Project Leader: Prof. Himanshu Prabha Ray

This academic year, the Beginnings of the Hindu Temple project has seen the following activities. Professor Ray curated the Buddhist Gallery at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), Mumbai, which opened to the public in July 2023. The gallery showcases some extraordinary early terracotta artworks of the northwest region in this newly created gallery space. Besides this, the Museum has received many rare and invaluable objects associated with Buddhism such as crystal and stone reliquaries from Pitalkhora and Gandhara, metal images from the Himalayan region, ivories from Kashmir, manuscripts not only from India but also from Southeast Asian countries, a small but significant set of stone relief panels from Gandhara, and a good number of porcelain.

Professor Ray has published The Buddha Within: Images of Piety and Devotion (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, 2023), a book that guides the reader through the Buddhist gallery of CSMVS, Mumbai.

In August 2023 Professor Ray presented a paper on ‘The Sun Temple at Gop in Context, Conference on Art and Architecture of Sun Temples in India, Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Gujarat, Gandhinagar.

- 21 -

The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Trustees' report on the accounts (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

The Intersection of Hinduism and Contemporary Society

Project Leaders: Dr. Ace Simpson and Dr. Alan Herbert Research Group Members: Dr. Ace Simpson, Dr. Angela Burt, Dr. Cecilia Bastos, Dr. Alan Herbert

Hindus live and work in the world while simultaneously maintaining a separation from it. Sociological issues they may encounter in this intersection include, among other things, those of identity, value, affiliation, and ethnicity. The aim of this project is to increase the latitude of Indian studies to incorporate these social experiences of contemporary Hindu communities and adherents as they navigate life within, without, and on the fringes of their religious institutions and host communities. The project looks to redress the paucity of research into the key causes of these tensions while also identifying opportunities for dialogue and conflict resolution.

Research methods include but are not limited to standard sociological tools, such as surveys (interviews and questionnaires), field work, participant observation, case studies, experiments, ethnographies, and secondary data analysis. The research is theory-rich and multi-disciplinary, incorporating, for instance, philosophy, theology, and philology. Rather than produce data and ethnographies, the research blends experience with theory so as to illuminate trends and tensions affecting the societal lives of present and former adherents as well as the Hindu traditions themselves.

Invited Speaker Series. Past Guest Lectures 2023-2024

Future Confirmed Guest Lectures 2024

- 21 -

The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Trustees' report on the accounts (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

Investment Strategy

These funds are managed on behalf of the OCHS by Sanderson Financial Limited. They are invested in a mix of equity, fixed income, and property funds. The investment adviser is mandated to recommend investments which conform to ethical investment principles as much as is possible and or available within specific asset classes and apply a cautious risk strategy to the overall portfolio, which over the long term provide steady positive income and capital growth.

The investment advisers approach to ethical investment principles is to try, as much as possible, within each asset class to recommend funds to the portfolio which undertake “negative screening” of their investments, thereby minimising the potential of the portfolio being invested in so called “sin stocks” such as companies which profit from the sale of tobacco, gambling and weapons.

Investment Performance and Target Returns

The Committee are happy to report that since the first investment made in October 2016 the Investment Portfolio has seen a net capital growth of 19.62%.

This capital growth has allowed the committee to distribute £61,825 of funds since 2019 to the OCHS to support its scholarship and research activities.

The committee aims to return 3.5% of the total Investment Portfolio on an annual basis to the OCHS to fund scholarships and research activities. This requires it to target annual net capital growth of 5%.

Public benefit

The Trustees have complied with their duty to have due regard to the guidance on public benefit published by the Charity Commission in exercising their powers and duties and have carried out an annual review of their activities in this regard.

Financial Review

A statement of financial activities (‘SOFA’) for the year has been produced on page 25 showing movements on unrestricted, restricted and endowment funds. The OCHS received donations of £246,498 (2023: £884,304) during the year. Fee income of £145,591 (2023: £159,872) was received and the charity had costs of £741,304 (2023: £630,974). The net deficit for the year was £284,318 (2023: net surplus of £670,023).

Funds and reserves policy

Unrestricted reserves at 31st March 2024 show a surplus of £780,474 (2023: £765,766) with designated reserves showing a surplus of £265,168 (2023: £278,880). After adjusting for fixed assets free reserves are - £192,897 (2023: £683,177). The OCHS has plans to increase this surplus with the acquisition of new premises, which will reduce costs and ensure the charity’s long term sustainability.

- 21 -

The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Trustees' report on the accounts (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

Future Plans

The OCHS continues to expand and the charity continues to campaign for funds to enable the purchase of new premises in Oxford. This will ensure the OCHS can continue to develop its facilities and increase its student numbers.

Statement of Trustees’ responsibilities

The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

The law applicable to charities in England & Wales requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charity (Accounts Reports) Regulations 2008 and trust deed. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the charity and financial information included on the charity’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Auditors

Wenn Townsend were re-appointed auditors to the OCHS at the Trustees’ meeting.

This report was approved by the Trustees on 23 January 2025

______ Shaunaka Rishi Das

- 22 -

The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Independent Auditor’s Report to the Trustees of The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies (the ‘charity’) for the year ended 31 March 2024 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, the Cash Flow Statement and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion the financial statements:

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other information

The trustees are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the trustees’ annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 require us to report to you if, in our opinion:

- 23 -

The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Independent Auditor’s Report to the Trustees of The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement set out on pages 20 and 21, the trustees are responsible for the preparation of financial statements which give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charity or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

We have been appointed as auditor under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and report in accordance with regulations made under section 154 of that Act.

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The specific procedures for this engagement and the extent to which these are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:

Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charity’s trustees, as a body, in accordance with Part 4 of the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charity’s trustees those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the charity’s trustees as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Ah-dl

Wenn Townsend Chartered Accountants, Statutory Auditor 30 St Giles Oxford 23 January 2025

Wenn Townsend is eligible to act as an auditor in terms of section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006.

- 24 -

The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Statement of financial activities

for the year ended 31 March 2024

----- Start of picture text -----
|||||||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |Note|Unrestricted|Designated|Restricted|Endowment|Total|Unrestricted Designated|Restricted|Endowment|Total| |Funds|Funds|Funds|Funds|Funds|Funds|Funds|Funds|Funds|Funds| |2024|2023| |£|£|£|£|£|£|£|£|£|£| |Incoming from:| |Donations| |-|Other donations|2|133,131|78,817|34,550|-|246,498|720,519|153,604|10,181|-|884,304| |-|Government grants|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-| |-|Legacy|-|-|-|-|-|265,000|-|-|-|265,000| |Charitable activities|3|145,591|-|-|-|145,591|159,872|-|-|-|159,872| |Investments|4|41,065|35|184|421|41,705|2,220|17|95|205|2,537| |──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|────── ──────| |Total income|319,787|78,852|34,734|421|433,794|1,147,611|153,621|10,276|205 1,311,713| |──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|────── ──────| |Expenditure on:| |Charitable activities|5|649,375|75,378|9,164|7,387|741,304|507,161|104,973|11,364|7,476|630,974| |──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|────── ──────| |Total expenditure|649,375|75,378|9,164|7,387|741,304|507,161|104,973|11,364|7,476|630,974| |──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|────── ──────| |Net gains/(loss) on investments|10|-|(3,727)|6,642|20,277|23,192|(2,488)|4,509|(3,128)|(9,609)|(10,716)| |Net income/expenditure|(329,588)|(253)|32,212|13,311|(284,318)|637,962|53,157|(4,216)|(16,880)|670,023| |Transfer between funds|344,296|(13,459)|(330,837)|-|-|13,237|(13,237)|-|-|-| |──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|────── ──────| |Net movement in funds for the year|14,708|(13,712)|(298,625)|13,311|(284,318)|651,199|39,920|(4,216)|(16,880)|670,023| |Total funds brought forward at 1 April 2023|765,765|278,880|400,671|203,045|1,648,361|114,566|238,960|404,887|219,925|978,338| |──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|────── ──────| |Total funds carried forward at 31 March 2024|780,473|265,168|102,046|216,356|1,364,043|765,765|278,880|400,671|203,045 1,648,361| |══════|══════|══════|══════|══════|══════|══════|══════|══════ ══════|

----- End of picture text -----

- 25 -

The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Balance sheet At 31 March 2024

Note 2024 2023
£ £ £ £
Fixed assets
Investments 10 339,944 298,304
Tangible assets 11 2,802,263 266,209
────── ──────
3,142,207 564,513
Current assets
Debtors 12 33,988 65,882
Cash at bank and in hand 59,848 1,097,086
────── ──────
93,836 1,162,968
Creditors
Amounts falling due
within one year 13 (138,838) (79,120)
────── ───────
Net current assets (45,002) 1,083,848
─────── ──────
Amounts falling due
after one year 14 (1,733,162) -
────── ───────
(1,733,162) -
Net assets 1,364,043 1,648,361
═══════ ══════
Funds
Unrestricted funds 780,473 765,765
Designated 15 265,168 278,880
Restricted funds 16a 102,046 400,671
Endowment funds 16b 216,356 203,045
─────── ──────
Total funds 1,364,043 1,648,361
═══════ ══════

These accounts were approved by the Trustees on 23 January 2025

Signed on behalf of the Trustees

Shaunaka Rishi Das, Director

- 26 -

The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Statement of Cash Flow for the year ended 31st March 2024

2024 2023
£ £
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net cash provided by operating activities (analysed below) 1,510,499 722,563
Cash flows from investing activities:
Interest/dividends received 7,572 2,537
Net cash (transferred in)/withdrawn from investment account (19,650) 174,372
Purchase of property, plant and equipment (2,536,659) (265,000)
─────── ───────
Net cash provided by/(used in) investing activities (2,547,737) (88,091)
Change in cash and cash equivalents in the reporting period (1,037,237) 634,472
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the reporting period 1,097,086 462,614
─────── ───────
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the reporting period 59,849 1,097,086
═══════ ═══════
Note:
Reconciliation of net movement in funds to net cash flow from operating activities
2024 2023
£ £
Net movement in funds for the reporting period (as per the statement of
financial activities) (284,318) 670,023
Adjustments for:
Interest/dividends received (8,241) (2,537)
Depreciation charges 605 2,825
(Gain)/loss on investments (23,194) 10,220
Gifted shares into investment portfolio - -
Investment management fees 1,872 2,922
Decrease/(increase) in debtors 31,896 1,577
(Decrease)/increase in creditors 1,792,880 37,533
─────── ───────
Net cash provided by operating activities 1,510,499 722,563
═══════ ═══════

- 27 -

The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024

1 Summary of significant accounting policies

a) General information and basis of preparation

These accounts have been prepared on an accruals basis and include income and expenditure as they are earned or incurred, rather than as cash is received or paid. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland issued in October 2019, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), the Charities Act 2011, and UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice.

The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note.

b) Fund accounting

The Charity's total funds consist of:

c) Incoming resources

All incoming resources are included in the statement of financial activities when the charity is entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. The following specific policies are applied to particular categories of income:

Voluntary income is received by way of donations and gifts and is included in full in the Statement of Financial Activities when receivable. Gifts donated for resale are included as income when they are sold. Donated assets are included at the value to the charity where this can be quantified and a third party is bearing the cost. The value of services provided by volunteers has not been included.

Income from charitable activities is CED online course fees.

Income from investments is included in the year in which it is receivable.

- 28 -

The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Notes to the accounts (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

1 Summary of significant accounting policies (continued)

d) Resources expended

Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis as a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes any VAT which cannot be fully recovered, and is reported as part of the expenditure to which it relates. Resources expended are recognised in the year in which they are incurred.

Resources expended comprise the following:

e) Tangible assets and depreciation

Fixtures, fittings and equipment - 20% straight line / 25% reducing balance
Motor vehicles - 25% reducing balance basis
Freehold and long leasehold property - Nil

f) Investments

g) Pension costs

h) Operating leases

i) Going concern

2 Donations

Unrestricted Designated Restricted Endowment
Funds
Funds
Funds
Funds
£
£
£
£
Deed of covenants
19,862
-
-
-
Individual donations
113,269
78,817
34,550
-
_
_
_
_
133,131
78,817
34,550
-
═════
═════
═════
═════		 2024
Total
£
19,862
226,636
_
246,498
═════		 2023
Total
£
20,392
863,912
_
884,304
═════

- 29 -

The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Notes to the accounts (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

3 Income from charitable activities

Unrestricted Designated
Restricted
Funds
Funds
Funds
£
£
£
Weekend Schools
6,842
-
-
BAP’s lunches
4,488
-
-
Online course
132,013
-
-
Book Publishing
2,248
-
-
_
_
_
145,591
-
-
═════
═════
═════
4
Income from investments
Unrestricted Designated
Restricted Endowment
Funds
Funds
Funds
Funds
£
£
£
£
Interest receivable
5,924
11
56
161
Dividends receivable
1,008
24
128
260
Property income
34,133
-
-
-
_
_
_
_
41,065
35
184
421
═════
═════
═════
═════
5
Charitable activities
Unrestricted Designated
Restricted Endowment
Funds
Funds
Funds
Funds
£
£
£
£
Staff costs
249,589
-
-
-
Lectures, scholarships and grants
133,810
69,962
8,750
6,000
Consultancy fees
27,115
-
-
-
Rent, rates and service charges
69,441
2,400
-
-
Insurance – professional indemnity
557
-
-
-
Insurance – general
5,792
-
-
-
Repairs and maintenance
6,272
2,517
-
-
Printing, postage and stationery
2,190
-
-
-
Telephone
1,624
-
-
-
Travelling and motor expenses
5,649
-
-
-
General expenses
18,777
430
-
-
Investment Management Charges
-
69
414
1,387
Interest and bank charges
90,760
-
-
-
Advertising and marketing
5,544
-
-
-
Professional fees
-
-
-
-
Governance costs (note 6)
32,255
-
-
-
─────
─────
─────
─────
649,375
75,378
9,164
7,387
═════
═════
═════
═════		 2024
Total
£
6,842
4,488
132,013
2,248
_
145,591
═════
2024
Total
£
6,152
1,420
34,133
_
41,705
═════
2024
Total
£
249,589
218,522
27,115
71,841
557
5,792
8,789
2,190
1,624
5,649
19,207
1,870
90,760
5,544
-
32,255
─────
741,304
═════		 2023
Total
£
19,480
3,479
135,616
1,297
_
159,872
═════
2023
Total
£
519
2,018
-
_
2,537
═════
2023
Total
£
235,717
267,456
-
58,654
541
2,572
1,087
1,097
1,336
3,742
18,607
2,922
2,926
7,297
-
27,020
─────
630,974
═════

- 30 -

The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Notes to the accounts (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

6 Governance costs

Governance costs
Unrestricted Designated Restricted
Endowment
Funds
Funds
Funds
Funds
£
£
£
£
Professional fees
25,263
-
-
-
Audit fees
6,388
-
-
-
Depreciation
605
-
-
-
_
_
_
_
32,255
-
-
-
═════
═════
═════
═════		 2023
Total
£
25,263
6,388
605
_
32,255
═════		 2023
Total
£
20,264
3,930
2,826
_
27,020
═════

7 Trustees and key management personnel remuneration and expenses

No Trustee received or waived any remuneration during the year (2023: £Nil).

The Trustees/director received reimbursement of expenses totalling £1,067 (2023: £1,052).

The Charity considers its key management personnel to comprise the Trustees and the Director, Mr Shaunaka Rishi Das.

Mr Shaunaka Rishi Das did not receive any remuneration during the year (2023: £Nil).

8 Taxation

The OCHS is a registered Charity and is not liable to income tax or corporation tax on income derived from its charitable activities as it falls within the various exemptions available to registered charities.

9 Employees

Number of employees

The average monthly numbers of employees (including the trustees) during the year, calculated on the basis of full time equivalents, was as follows:

Administration, Continuing Education and Academic Staff
Employment costs
Wages and salaries
National insurance contributions
Pension contributions		 2024
8
═════
2024
£
229,533
16,202
3,854
_
249,589
═════		 2023
8
═════
2023
£
216,294
15,864
3,559
_
235,717
═════

No members of staff received total employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) of more than £60,000 (2023: nil).

- 31 -

The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Notes to the accounts (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

10 Investments

----- Start of picture text -----
||||| |---|---|---|---| |Investment portfolio|Cash|Quoted| |Reserves|Investments|Total| |£|£|£| |Market value| |As at 1 April 2023|5,319|292,985|298,304| |Cash transferred in|28,350|-|28,250| |Cash withdrawn|(8,700)|-|(8,700)| |Net disposals|4,730|(4,730)|-| |Increase/(decrease) in market value|-|23,192|23,192| |Interest Received|238|-|238| |Dividends Received|432|-|432| |Management Charges|(1,872)|-|(1,872)| |─────|─────|─────| |As at 31 March 2024|28,497|311,447|339,944| |═════|═════|═════| |Market value of| |UK quoted investments|339,944| |Overseas quoted investments|-| |_| |339,944| |═════|

----- End of picture text -----

11 Tangible fixed assets

----- Start of picture text -----
|||||| |---|---|---|---|---| |Fixtures,| |Leasehold fittings and|Freehold| |property|equipment|Property|Total| |£|£|£|£| |Cost| |At 1st April 2023|265,000|44,543|-|309,543| |Additions|-|-|2,536,659|2,536,659| |───────|───────|─────── ───────| |At 31st March 2024|265,000|44,453|2,536,659|2,846,202| |───────|───────|─────── ───────| |Depreciation| |At 1st April 2023|-|43,334|-|43,334| |Charge for the period|-|605|-|605| |───────|───────|─────── ───────| |At 31st March 2024|-|43,939|-|43,939| |───────|───────|─────── ───────| |Net book value| |At 31st March 2024|265,000|604|2,536,659|2,802,263| |═══════|═══════|═══════ ═══════| |At 31st March 2023|265,000|1,209|-|6,384,815| |═══════|═══════|═══════ ═══════|

----- End of picture text -----

The library collection has been gifted to the Charity and has no cost or value in the financial statements. The Trustees deem the value of the library to total £200,000 but no formal valuation has been obtained as the Trustees feel that the cost of such a valuation would outweigh any benefit. No depreciation is provided on the charity’s leasehold property, which is held on a long lease, or freehold property as the residual value of the properties is equal or greater than their carrying value. The properties are maintained in good condition ensuring their value does not diminish.

- 32 -

The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Notes to the accounts (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

12 Debtors

Trade debtors
Prepayments and accrued income
13
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
Trade creditors
Other taxes and social security costs
Accruals and deferred income		 2024
£
12,480
21,506
_
33,986
═════
2024
£
38,868
21,091
78,879
_
138,838
═════		 2023
£
13,040
52,842
_
65,882
═════
2023
£
26,598
5,666
46,856
_
79,120
═════

Included within accruals and deferred income is £20,460 (2023: £6,805) relating to income received in advance for courses/events held in the year ended 31st March 2025.

14
Creditors: amounts falling due after one year
2024
£
Loans
1,733,162
_
1,733,162
═════		 2023
£
-
_
-
═════

- 33 -

The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Notes to the accounts (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

15 Designated funds

2024 1 April Incoming Outgoing Transfers 31 March
2023 2024
£ £ £ £ £
Shivdasani Fellowship - 17,764 (13,739) (4,025) -
Khaitan Fund - 20,000 (13,469) (6,531) -
Gopal & Elizabeth Krishna Fund 123,705 - - - 123,705
Gopal & Elizabeth Krishna Endowment 9,487 32 772 - 10,291
Gosvami India Trip Fund 1,000 - - - 1,000
Sakta Research Programme (2,989) 1,856 (4,836) (424) (6,393)
Library Equipment 340 2,400 (1,400) - 1,340
Janaui Judith Claudine Held Fund 15,856 - - - 15,856
Gosvami Project 34,581 10,899 (9,756) - 35,724
Research Funds Academics 3,709 - (700) - 3,009
CED Development Fund 30,627 (14,519) - - 16,108
Academic Research Endowment Fund 25,740 - (4,745) - 20,995
Journal of Hindu Studies Profit Share 6,150 4,959 - (2,479) 8,630
Bhagavata Purana Research Project 17,620 - - - 17,620
Oxford Kirtan Funds 285 - - - 285
Nepal Summer School 3,038 34,458 (28,792) - 8,704
Fellowship – Surender M Bahl 7,000 - - - 7,000
E & G Krishna Estate 2,456 - (2,517) - (61)
Nainka’s Bursary for Kashmiri Saivism
and Kashmir Hindu Studies 275 - - - 275
Estate of Late Dr Bharat Kumar Upadhyaya
-		 1,003 77 - 1,080
────── ────── ────── ────── ──────
278,880 78,852 (79,105) (13,459) 265,168
══════ ══════ ══════ ══════ ══════
2023 1 April Incoming Outgoing Transfers 31 March
2022 2023
£ £ £ £ £
Shivdasani Fellowship - 15,232 (10,330) (4,902) -
Khaitan Fund - 20,000 (15,228) (4,772) -
Gopal & Elizabeth Krishna Fund 123,705 - - - 123,705
Gopal & Elizabeth Krishna Endowment 10,408 (537) (384) - 9,487
Gosvami India Trip Fund 1,000 - - - 1,000
Sakta Research Programme 2,004 -- (4,994) - (2,989)
Library Equipment 141 200 - - 341
Janaui Judith Claudine Held Fund 15,856 - - - 15,856
Gosvami Project 11,720 22,862 - - 34,581
Research Funds Academics 5,808 - (2,099) - 3,709
CED Development Fund 23,627 7,000 - - 30,627
Academic Research Endowment Fund 20,677 5,063 - - 25,740
Journal of Hindu Studies Profit Share 4,389 7,125 (1,801) (3,563) 6,150
Bhagavata Purana Research Project 17,620 - - - 17,620
Oxford Kirtan Funds 605 180 (500) - 285
Nepal Summer School 1,400 38,974 (37,336) - 3,038
Fellowship – Surender M Bahl - 7,000 - - 7,000
E & G Krishna Estate - 34,757 (32,301) - 2,456
Nainka’s Bursary for Kashmiri Saivism
and Kashmir Hindu Studies - 275 - - 275
────── ────── ────── ────── ──────
238,960 158,130 (104,973) (13,237) 278,880
══════ ══════ ══════ ══════ ══════

- 33 -

The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Notes to the accounts (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

15 Designated funds (continued)

Shivdasani Visiting Fellowship

The Shivdasani Visiting Fellowship is provided to the OCHS by a generous benefaction from Mr Azad Shivdasani, businessman and philanthropist.

The Shivdasani Visiting Fellowship was offered to support study in any area of the arts, humanities, or the social sciences relevant to the study of Hinduism.

This Fellowship was awarded to a scholar of Indian nationality and a holder of an academic position in an institute of higher education, in India or elsewhere; and the applicant needs to be working in an area relevant to the concerns and remit of the OCHS.

J.P. and Beena Khaitan Fellowship

The J.P. and Beena Khaitan Fellowship was provided to the OCHS by a generous benefaction from Mr Ajay and Mrs Mandira Khaitan in memory of Mr Khaitan’s late parents.

This Fellowship was given to scholars who furthered the research, publishing and teaching provided by the Centre and worked in an area relevant to the concerns and remit of the OCHS.

Gopal & Elizabeth Krishna Fund

The Gopal & Elizabeth Krishna Fund is provided to the OCHS by a generous benefaction from Mr Gopal and Mrs Elizabeth Krishna, who are long term supporters of the centre.

It is their desire that these funds are utilised by the centre in carrying out its academic, research and continuing education activities over the next several years.

- 34 -

The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Notes to the accounts (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

16a Restricted funds

2024
Scholarship
Bhumi project
New home for OCHS
Ramaiah Alagappan Bursary
Opportunity Scholarship
Parvathi Foundation
Tristan Elby
Tagore Centre
Dr. Charu Chandra Dasgupta Memorial Bursary		 1 April Incoming Outgoing Transfer 31 March
2023
2024
£
£
£
£
4,270
7,171
(6,150)
-
5,291
334
-
-
-
334
330,837
-
- (330,837)
-
9,570
967
(162)
0
10,375
13,500
-
-
-
13,500
35,167
16,137
(1,734)
0
49,570
6,993
851
(1,056)
-
6,888
-
5,317
(25)
-
5,292
-
10,933
(37)
-
10,896
_
_
_
_ _
400,671
41,376
(9,164) (330,837) 102,046
═════
═════
═════
══════════		 1 April Incoming Outgoing Transfer 31 March
2023
2024
£
£
£
£
4,270
7,171
(6,150)
-
5,291
334
-
-
-
334
330,837
-
- (330,837)
-
9,570
967
(162)
0
10,375
13,500
-
-
-
13,500
35,167
16,137
(1,734)
0
49,570
6,993
851
(1,056)
-
6,888
-
5,317
(25)
-
5,292
-
10,933
(37)
-
10,896
_
_
_
_ _
400,671
41,376
(9,164) (330,837) 102,046
═════
═════
═════
══════════
_
102,046
═════
2023
Scholarship
Bhumi project
New home for OCHS
Ramaiah Alagappan Bursary
Opportunity Scholarship
Parvathi Foundation
Tristan Elby		 1 April Incoming Outgoing Transfer 31 March
2022
2023
£
£
£
£
2,769
10,181
(8,680)
-
4,270
334
-
-
-
334
330,837
-
-
- 330,837
10,477
(523)
(384)
-
9,570
13,500
-
-
-
13,500
38,422
(2,013)
(1,242)
-
35,167
8,548
(497)
(1,058)
-
6,993
_
_
_
_ _
404,887
7,148
(11,364)
- 400,671
═════
═════
═════
═════ ═════		 1 April Incoming Outgoing Transfer 31 March
2022
2023
£
£
£
£
2,769
10,181
(8,680)
-
4,270
334
-
-
-
334
330,837
-
-
- 330,837
10,477
(523)
(384)
-
9,570
13,500
-
-
-
13,500
38,422
(2,013)
(1,242)
-
35,167
8,548
(497)
(1,058)
-
6,993
_
_
_
_ _
404,887
7,148
(11,364)
- 400,671
═════
═════
═════
═════ ═════
_
400,671
═════

The Scholarship fund and Ramaiah Alagappan Bursary represents monies collected to fund student bursaries and scholarships.

The Bhumi project fund represents monies collected to fund our Bhumi project.

The New home for OCHS fund represents monies donated to the Charity to contribute to the planned purchase of new premises.

The Opportunity Scholarship was established to support a doctoral or post-doctoral student.

- 35 -

The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Notes to the accounts (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

16b Endowment funds

2024 1 April Incoming Outgoing Transfers 31 March
2023 2024
£ £ £ £ £
Giri Scholarship 203,045 20,698 (7,387)
0		 216,356
═════ ═════ ═════ ═════ ═════
2023 1 April Incoming Outgoing Transfers 31 March
2022 2023
£ £ £ £ £
Giri Scholarship 219,925 (9,404) (7,476)
-		 203,045
═════ ═════ ═════ ═════ ═════

The Giri Scholarship is an endowment fund established with an initial donation of £200,000. Donations into the fund constitute a permanent and everlasting gift to the Centre towards establishing an endowed scholarship. It is intended that by 2041 the total donations to the Giri Scholarship fund will be £890,000.

17 Analysis of net assets between funds

2024 Unrestricted Designated Restricted Endowment
2024
Funds Funds Funds Fund
Total
£ £ £ £
£
Fund balances at 31 March 2024
were represented by:
Fixed assets 2,558,637 265,168 102,046 216,356 3,142,207
Current assets 93,836 - - -
93,836
Liabilities (1,872,000) - - - (1,872,000)
_ _ _ _
_
Total net assets 780,473 265,168 102,046 216,356 1,364,043
═════ ═════ ═════ ═════
═════
2023 Unrestricted Designated Restricted Endowment
2023
Funds Funds Funds Fund
Total
£ £ £ £
£
Fund balances at 31 March 2023
were represented by:
Fixed assets 266,209 33,241 62,018 203,045
564,513
Current assets 578,676 245,639 338,653 - 1,162,968
Liabilities (79,120) - - -
(79,120)
_ _ _ _
_
Total net assets 765,765 278,880 400,671 203,045 1,648,361
═════ ═════ ═════ ═════
═════

- 36 -

The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Notes to the accounts (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

18 Going concern

The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies is reliant on the continued support of its benefactors. The charity’s property fundraising campaign is continuing. The acquisition of new premises will reduce costs and help to ensure the long term sustainability of the charity.

19 Operating leases

A lease on the charity’s charitable premises at 13/15 Magdalen Street Oxford was signed on 8th April 2016, covering a period of 5 years from 24th June 2013, at an annual rate of £45,000. The charity’s total future minimum lease payments are as follows:-

A lease renewal was signed during the 19/20 financial year at an annual rate of £55,035 with a 3 year break clause.

Land & Buildings
<1 year
Between 2 and 5 years		 2024
£
45,749
-
_
45,749
═════		 2023
£
55,035
45,749
_
100,784
═════

- 37 -