Academy of Sanskrit Research, (ASR) Melkote, is an Autonomous Body, originally set up by the Government of Karnataka and registered under Karnataka Societies Registration act, 1960, in the year 1977.

The ministry of Science and Technology, Govt.of India, New Delhi has accorded the Academy a status of a Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (SIRO).

It is a matter of general serious concern in India that with the rapid pace of social and economic change, our ancient wisdom and culture is in danger of being lost.

The increasing impact of the mass media as the main source of knowledge and entertainment is likely to further contribute to this and the next generation may well lose contact completely with the well springs of our past.

The academy of Sanskrit Research was set up in Melkote in 1978 with the specific aim of promoting serious scholarship in Indian philosophy, particularly the Vedantic systems, by seeking to blend modern research methods with the traditional approach to these subjects. As an additional aim, the Academy also intends to embark on a systematic programme for making specific areas of Indian philosophy more accessible to the layman and in general promoting a serious awareness of our culture to all those who may be interested in it, but lack guidance in this respect. Thus the Academy intends to link the invaluable knowledge for suggesting ways and means of meeting the social and cultural challenges that are likely to increasingly dominate societies of the future.

Set in a beautiful, sylvan campus of 14 acres at the Southern end of Melkote town, the Academy has re - created a gurukula - like atmosphere for its 20 full - time traditional and modern research scholars who are also training 22 external students of the Academy. A library with over 19,000 volumes is a part of the facilities. Palm - leaf manuscripts are being collected, listed and scientifically preserved. Research work includes the 'Kriya' project where, in a fully equipped computer lab, work is being done on developing Sanskrit as a natural language for semantic processing. The Academy has also published several works on Upanishad Bhasyas, Sutra Bhasyas and conducts several seminars each year on topics covering a wide range of vedantic thought and their applications to modern living.

The Academy intends to shortly embark on a programme where it will serve as a source point of Indian culture and philosophy to all persons who may desire such a service. To this end, the Academy will guide people to the appropriate publications in their specific areas of interest, assist in procuring these works if required, and bring out popular works written by eminent persons on various aspects of Indian philosophy for the layman. Also on the anvil are services designed to provide interested persons with audio and video recordings of important religious festivals and traditional oral works complete with descriptive commentaries which will serve as important archival materials for universities, while at the same time representing a very valuable educative tool for the interested lay person.