Department of South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies

Following our recent website relaunch, we are continuously expanding our English content. Some pages are currently available in German only.

Following our recent website relaunch, we are continuously expanding our English content. Some pages are currently available in German only.

ISTB -
Department of South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies

Over 150 years of research and teaching on South Asia, Tibet, and Buddhism.

Photo of the University Campus lecture hall, with a tree in bloom in the foreground

The Department of South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies (ISTB) at the University of Vienna explores the languages, cultures, religions and societies of South Asia and Tibet, as well as the diverse traditions of Buddhism. Our research and teaching combine philological, cultural and interdisciplinary approaches to address historical and contemporary topics. Discover our degree programmes, research projects, events and latest activities.

Department Studies Research News & Events Contact

Latest News and Events from the ISTB

EURASIA SUMMER ACADEMY - Vienna Summer School on the Cultural and Intellectual History of Asia

06.07.2026 Summer Academy

Bazaar art, mid-1900s, public domain

Mantras Between Language, Ritual, and Materiality

Sanskrit Buddhism in Dvāravatī Art

30.06.2026 Public lecture

Runde Steinplatte mit strahlenförmigem Relief um ein zentrales Loch und dekorativen Ringen

Piriya Krairiksh

The Kathmandu Valley, Nepal and the Eastern Himalayas. Ethnogenesis and Ethnolinguistic Prehistory

25.06.2026 CIRDIS lecture

Teil eines Plakates des Vortrags mit Titel und Vortragendem. Im Hintergrund ein Bild mit Menschen aus Nepal vor einem historischen Gebäude.

George van Driem | Institut für Sprachwissenschaft, Universität Bern

Vajrayāna Inner Alchemy and the Emergence of Haṭhayoga in Tibet

18.06.2026 ISTB Thursday lecture

Detail of Vajradhāra with Eighty-Five Great Adepts (Mahasiddhas)

Giacomella Orofino | University of Naples “L’Orientale”

Zwischen Abgrenzung und Integration. Buddhismus in Nepal im Austausch mit anderen Traditionen

11.06.2026 ISTB Thursday lecture

Amoghasiddhi SBhcaitya cropped with naga hoods.

Alexander von Rospatt | Department of South and Southeast Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley

The “Sixteen Spheres of the Kadampa”: A Unique Adaptation of the sādhana Format

28.05.2026 ISTB Thursday lecture

Maṇḍala of the Bka’ gdams thig le bcu drug

Ulrike Roesler | University of Oxford

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