After BHU, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham introduces online course on Hinduism

NEW DELHI: Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham or Amrita University has launched an online certificate programme on Hinduism titled “Introduction to Hinduism.” The course will be delivered by the International Centre for Spiritual Studies at the University.

The duration of the course is six months and the course fee is Rs 10,000. Any student over the age of 16 years can enroll in the programme through the official link amrita.edu/ahead/introduction-to-hinduism/. The first batch of the course starts from April 2022.

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During the programme, more than 30 scholars will give lectures that will offer students deep insights into the texts, traditions, philosophical schools, and worldview of Hinduism. This includes expert faculty from Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, senior academicians who collaborate with the university, professors from various universities across India as well as traditional Brahmachari and Sannyasi scholars from the Mata Amritanandamayi Math, said an official statement from the university.

The students will have the opportunity to interact with the scholars through live interactive sessions and group discussions. The course is divided into five units including Introduction, Fundamentals, Literature, Philosophy and Practical Aspects of Hinduism.

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Amrita Darshanam

Amrita Darshanam department is also offering a 6-week online certificate programme in “Mahabharata Upanayanam” and a 4-week programme in “Essence of Hinduism”. Around 170 students have enrolled so far for the course on Mahabharata and 120 students for “Essence of Hinduism”. Of this, at least 30-40 students are foreigners.

The International Centre for Spiritual Studies is a Centre of Excellence for study and research around spiritual studies with a focus on Indian philosophy, arts, literature, culture, tradition, and society. The Centre offers complimentary courses of education for undergraduate students of all disciplines on topics such as Indian culture. It offers a postgraduate programme, MA in Philosophy and PhD programmes in philosophy, spirituality, and interdisciplinary studies.

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Brahmachari Achyutāmṛta Chaitanya, dean, Amrita Darshanam, said that while it is not possible to explore the depths of Hinduism in a 6-month course, the topics covered touch upon almost all its aspects. “The aim of the programme is to awaken youth to the profound worldview offered by Hinduism. We have selected topics and condensed them in a way that they can be served to the students in a limited time, and they will be asked to explore the topics further on their own,” he said.