The Government of India has posthumously conferred the Padma Shri, one of the country’s highest civilian honours, on renowned French Indologist Shri Pierre-Sylvain Filliozat for his remarkable contributions to Literature and Education, particularly in the study and preservation of Sanskrit and Indian heritage.
Born in 1936, Filliozat was a scholar of exceptional depth and global influence. The son of the celebrated Indologist Jean Filliozat, he devoted his academic life to exploring Sanskrit literature, poetics, grammar, Indian temple architecture, and Saiva philosophy. A former director of the French Institute of Pondicherry, he was a key figure in fostering Indo-French cultural and academic exchange.
Over his distinguished career, he authored more than 20 books and 250 scholarly articles, including critical editions and translations of ancient Sanskrit texts such as the Pratāparudrīya and the Mahābhāṣya. His work on South Indian temples and Shaivism contributed significantly to global understanding of India’s spiritual and architectural traditions.
Filliozat served as a professor at the École pratique des hautes études in Paris and was associated with the École française d’Extrême-Orient, where he worked extensively in India, particularly in Pondicherry.
Throughout his lifetime, he received numerous accolades including the Ordre des Palmes Académiques and Légion d’honneur from the French government. In India, he was honoured with the Certificate of Honour for Sanskrit and the scholarly title Mahāmahopādhyāya, before being awarded the Padma Shri in 2024.
His passing in December 2024 was mourned by scholars and leaders across the world, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who praised him as “a guiding light in bringing India’s intellectual treasures to the world.”
Shri Pierre-Sylvain Filliozat’s Padma Shri award reflects the enduring global relevance of India’s classical knowledge systems and the importance of international scholarship in preserving and promoting them.
