MANTRAMS is a multi-institutional research project investigating mantras from their origins in early India to their global contexts today. Integrating historical and anthropological approaches, we examine these sacred formulas across sound, text, image, and digital media to chart their impact across millennia.
Funded by a 9.65-million-euro European Research Council (ERC) Synergy Grant, MANTRAMS is a six-year, interdisciplinary initiative hosted by the University of Oxford, the University of Vienna, and the University of Tübingen. Millions of people use mantras daily—whether chanted aloud, contemplated silently, inscribed as amulets, printed, or shared online. Launched in September 2024, the project brings together archival, sonic, visual, and textual research to trace how these sacred utterances expanded from South Asian traditions across South and Southeast Asia, shaping global spiritual practices today. The grant supports doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, conferences, and high-impact publications dedicated to building an extensive history and anthropology of mantras.
Featured
