Prof. Gauri Mahulikar was the Gurudev Tagore Chair of Comparative Literature Professor, former Head of Department of Sanskrit at the Mumbai University and the former Dean and Officiating Vice Chancellor of Chinmaya vishwavidyapeeth.

She holds a Doctorate in Sanskrit on ‘Vedic Elements in Puranic Mantras and Rituals’. An author, who has published 8 books and more than 150 research articles in English, Hindi, Marathi,and Sanskrit, Dr. Mahulikar has mentored several doctoral students; eighteen of whom have successfully earned their doctorates.

She was invited for as a memeber of delegation for 16th World Sanskrit Conference held at Bangkok, Invited as Overseas Expert for lectures, conferences & workshops by Kelaniya University, Colombo, Sri Lanka and invited guest speaker at University of California Berkit, Pace University New York, Stanford University, Colombia University, Harvard University and others in USA.

She was instrumental in launching courses in Manuscriptology, Bhakti Literature and Mysticism in the Sanskrit Department, University of Mumbai and has coordinated a UGC funded project on ‘Digital Preservation of Palm Leaf Manuscripts’ (2010–2015).

Dr. Mahulikar was awarded the Maneckji Limji Gold Medal for her dissertation on ‘Ancient Greek Dramas and Bharata’s Natyasastra’ from Mumbai University. Some of the many awards that Dr. Mahulikar has been awarded are the ‘Ramakrishna Award’ by the Canadian Education Foundation, Ontario, for the propagation of Sanskrit (2003); Guru Gaurav Puraskar by Kalasadan, Mumbai (2011); Kavikulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit Sadhana Puraskar by Maharashtra State Government (2013); Adi Sankaracarya Puraskar awarded by H.H. Sri Jayendra Saraswati Mahaswamigal, the Shankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham (2014); Savitribal Phule Puraskar by Mumbai University (2015); and the Indira Behere Puraskar by Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, Pune (2015). Dr. Mahulikar was recently awarded the Adi Shankara Fellowship by the Government of Madhya Pradesh to work on the biography and mathamnaya tradition of Adi Shankaracharya.