It is a trip from Poland to Puducherry, and the quest is to study paths to ‘immortality’ recorded in Siddha literature, besides Ayurveda.

Ilona Kedzia, a second year Ph.D scholar at the Department of Languages and Cultures of India and South Asia (Institute of Oriental Studies) at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland is fascinated by the literature of Vallalar and Tirumantiram, which ‘are closely connected with the Siddha tradition.’

“I could study Tamil during my B.A and M.A courses at Jagiellonian University. Though my specialisation is Sanskrit, I chose Tamil as an additional language,” she said.

“My Ph.D project is on medico-alchemical literature of Ayurveda and Tamil Siddha tradition. Recently, I began focusing on the Siddha part and was granted a scholarship by Ecole française d'Extrême-Orient in Puducherry to collect materials on the Siddha tradition,” Ms. Kedzia told The Hindu .

At Jagiellonian, students can choose Tamil as a second Indian language, and Tamil studies is popular with students of Indology and other disciplines, she said.

Theory of ‘deathlessness’

Sanskrit studies also have a long tradition at the university, since lectures in the language were initiated in the 19th century. Students now participate in lectures on the culture, art, linguistics, literature, religious traditions, cultural and social phenomena in both classical and contemporary India.

Ms. Kedzia says her research concentrates on those aspects of Siddha tradition that deal with practices aimed at ‘achieving immortality’, along with the underlying theory.

“I want to explore the ideas contained in Tirumantiram, since the work is widely accepted as authoritative by many Siddhas,” she said. The research scholar is focused on Siddha teachings which described use of certain materials and practices which are believed to promote longevity and achieve ‘deathlessness.’