Reviving Indian Knowledge Systems: A Literature Review on Integration Strategies within Contemporary Education Frameworks

Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) encompass a rich corpus of indigenous philosophies, sciences, and arts that historically underpinned India’s holistic educational traditions. In the wake of colonial marginalization and the more recent National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, there is renewed interest in integrating IKS within contemporary curricula to foster cultural relevance, sustainability, and ethical reasoning. This review critically examines peer-reviewed studies, policy documents, and grey literature to address three core objectives: (1) to analyze the conceptual foundations and disciplinary scope of IKS; (2) to map integration strategies and pedagogical innovations across school and higher education; and (3) to identify persistent challenges, institutional barriers, and future research needs. Employing a systematic PRISMA-guided literature review with thematic categorization, the paper is structured around conceptual underpinnings, integration models, critical barriers, and concluding recommendations. Key themes include the epistemological basis of IKS (e.g., pramāṇas, guru-śiṣya model), policy-level interventions (NEP 2020, UGC/AICTE guidelines), curricular and technological innovations (interdisciplinary courses, MOOCs, AR/VR), and capacity-building for educators. Findings reveal promising pilot programs and digital platforms alongside systemic obstacles such as curricular rigidity, linguistic decline, and limited empirical evidence. The review highlights the need for standardized materials, longitudinal outcome studies, and inclusive frameworks that engage traditional practitioners. By synthesizing policy trends, pedagogical experiments, and critical gaps, this work offers an evidence-based roadmap for decolonizing education through IKS, suggesting targeted curriculum reform, multilingual resource development, and robust impact assessments to guide future scholarship and practice.