Socio-Cultural Aspects of Snan Melas
Ethnographic Study
Social congregations have long been at the heart of India’s cultural life. More than devotional gatherings, they are moments where faith, community, and shared memory come together creating spaces of collective renewal. Rivers and sacred spaces play a central role in sustaining these traditions, while also adapting them to the needs of changing times. CPRG is conducting an ethnographic study on the eco-cultural dimensions of riverfront congregations in Varanasi and Ayodhya, with a particular focus on the Shravan Snan Mela. The research highlights how such congregations continue to evolve, offering lessons on community resilience, ecological ethics, and cultural continuity in a changing world.
Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems & Applications (CIKSA)
Research Initiative
The Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems & Applications (CIKSA), an initiative of CPRG, is dedicated to reviving and reimagining India’s intellectual heritage for contemporary relevance. Anchored in four interlinked domains – oral learning traditions, temple economies, fairs and markets, and indigenous trade networks CIKSA explores how age-old practices can inform modern education, governance, and sustainable development. From studying mnemonic methods like Ghanas and Jata Pathas to examining temples as hubs of ecology and welfare, and from researching melas and guilds that sustained local economies to documenting indigenous trade networks, the Centre combines rigorous scholarship with practice-oriented outputs. Through academic publications, policy briefs, digital archives, exhibitions, and learning resources, CIKSA seeks to position India’s civilisational wisdom as a living resource for addressing global challenges in education, sustainability, and governance, transforming preservation into innovation.