The Centre for Legal History of India (CLHI) in the Department European and Comparative Legal History at the Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory (mpilhlt) in Frankfurt/Main is dedicated to advancing research and academic collaboration in the field of Indian legal history. Its primary objective is to strengthen and professionalize the discipline by providing training, mentorship, and resources to doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, equipping them to produce high-quality scholarship.

Centre for Legal History of India (CLHI) - Scholarships and Guest Residencies

We invite doctoral students and post-doctoral researchers to visit the Institute for a number of months in order to use our library resources, take part in our events, and above all to discuss current questions of legal history and legal theory with us.

Scholarship holders are expected to pursue their own research project, which should relate to the Centre’s research agenda.


Please click here for detailed information on the visitor's programme.


Applications should be written in English and consist of the following documents:


  • Research proposal (up to 10,000 characters), including an explanation as to how the project relates to the Centre’s research activities
  • CV
  • List of publications
  • Three relevant publications of the last five years (as PDFs)
  • Names and contact details of two scholars who have agreed to provide references (upon request)


Please submit your application at least six months before your preferred period of stay.


The scholarships usually have a duration of either 3 or 6 months. Once the scholarship has been granted, changes of the date of the beginning will not be accepted. Scholarship holders will receive a monthly stipend of either €1,650 (doctoral students) or €2,700 (post-doctoral researchers). Additional income (for example from existing employment relationships) has to be set off against the amount awarded and will thus be taken into account when determining the exact amount of the stipend.