This article covers the linguistic and cultural links between India and Lithuania, cultural agreements and performances, the study of Indian languages in Lithuania, training and scholarships, and the Indian community in Lithuania. It is based on the MEA brief of June 2026. Training programmes are included here because the brief has too little development material for a separate article.

According to the MEA brief of June 2026, India and Lithuania have possible ancient links reflected in the similarity between the Lithuanian and Sanskrit languages. The brief states that more than 108 root words, and 10,000 derivatives, are common to the two languages.

Sanskrit became part of the academic curricula of Vilnius University in the 1970s, when Prof. Ricardas Mironas started teaching the language in the Department of Philology.

Indology at Vilnius University

The study of Indian languages, mainly Hindi and Sanskrit, has been carried out at Vilnius University for several decades. A separate centre of Indian studies, under the Department of Oriental Studies, was set up at the university in 1996. Vilnius University also hosted the 2nd Regional Conference of Central & Eastern Europe on Indian Studies (CEEIS) in August 2006, under the auspices of ICCR.

Prof. Vytis Vidunas of the university's Institute of Asian and Transcultural Studies visited India in October 2023 and delivered a series of lectures on Sanskrit and Lithuanian linguistic similarities in various fora and universities. The brief states that the lectures were well attended by linguistic experts, academia, members of civil society and a large number of students.

During his visit in May 2017, Minister of State for External Affairs Shri M.J. Akbar unveiled two plaques in Hindi and Sanskrit at Uzupis in the Vilnius old town and delivered a lecture at the Institute of International Relations and Political Science of Vilnius University. The Lithuanian Vice Minister of Education and Science, Mr. Rimantas Vaikus, visited India from 28 November to 1 December 2014.

Cultural agreements

An Agreement on Cooperation in Culture, Science and Education was signed in February 2001. The Lithuanian Minister of Culture, Sarunas Birutis, visited New Delhi from 8 to 12 March 2016 to attend the World Culture Festival, and the Cultural Exchange Program (CEP) for 2016-18 was signed on 11 March 2016.

The Cultural Exchange Program (CEP) for the years 2019-2022 was signed in Vilnius in August 2019, during the visit of the Vice President of India to Lithuania. The brief's list of agreements gives the period of this programme as 2019-21.

Performances and festivals

A number of ICCR sponsored troupes have performed in Lithuania. The brief records these performances and tours:

  • 1-6 July 2017: a Mizoram folk song and dance troupe took part in the VII International Folk Contest-Festival "Flowers of the Sun" at Siauliai and won the bronze medal in the competition.
  • An 83-member orchestra of the National Philharmonic Society of Lithuania gave two performances at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Mumbai, in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of bilateral relations.
  • 13-15 January 2018: the 10-member Vilnius University Folk Ensemble "Ratilio" participated in the 8th International Dance & Music Festival organised by ICCR at Kamani Auditorium, New Delhi, and also performed in Bangalore and Trivandrum with ICCR's assistance.
  • October 2023: the Lithuanian band Antikvariniai Kašpirovskio Dantys performed in various Indian cities during a three-week tour of India.
  • 24-31 May 2025: a 12-member Rajasthani folk-dance group led by Babu Khan performed across 6 cities in Lithuania: Vilnius, Klaipeda, Kaunas, Birstonas, Alytus and Silute.

Gandhi and Kallenbach

The Minister of State for Agriculture, Shri Mohanbhai Kundariya, and the Prime Minister of Lithuania jointly unveiled a sculptural composition of Mahatma Gandhi and his Lithuanian friend, Hermann Kallenbach, on 2 October 2015. The sculpture stands at Kallenbach's birthplace, Rusne.

Yoga

The International Day of Yoga is celebrated every year in Vilnius and several other cities in Lithuania.

Training and scholarships

  • ITEC: under the Indian Technical and Economic Co-operation Program (ITEC), Lithuanian nominees have attended courses since 1993 in areas including diplomacy, English, banking, mass communications, financial management, urban development management, IT and auditing. The brief states that the Lithuanian leadership at the highest level has expressed appreciation for the programme.
  • PCFD: several Lithuanian diplomats have attended the Professional Course for Foreign Diplomats (PCFD), conducted by the Foreign Service Institute of the Ministry of External Affairs, since 1993. In April 2024, one Lithuanian diplomat participated in the 71st PCFD.
  • Hindi scholarships: since 2008, several Lithuanian students have learned Hindi at Kendriya Hindi Sansthan in Agra under the "Propagation of Hindi Abroad" scholarship.

The Indian community in Lithuania

As of the brief of June 2026, there are around 7300 Indians in Lithuania. The brief describes the community as small and diverse, comprising students, professionals, businessmen and their families, and states that it has been growing steadily in recent years.

The majority are students pursuing higher education at Lithuania's universities, especially in ICT, Engineering and Life Sciences. During his visit in August 2019, the Vice President of India addressed members of the Indian community in Lithuania.