Prof. Dr. Choodamani Nandagopal is an internationally recognized art historian with extensive achievements in research, academic leadership, and cultural heritage preservation. She has received five international and two national fellowships, including the UK Visiting Nehru Fellowship at the Victoria & Albert Museum, a UNESCO Fellowship, and the Tagore National Senior Fellowship at the National Museum Delhi for 2019-2021.
Her pivotal role in the UNESCO Nomination Dossier led to the Ramappa Temple’s inscription as a World Heritage Site, a matter of national pride for her. Dr. Nandagopal directs Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath’s Centre of Excellence for Art and Culture and holds vice-chairmanship at the Indian Art History Congress. She serves as Honorary Director of the Karnataka Bharatagama Pratishthana and has founded the Art History Department at Bangalore University’s Chitrakala Parishath.
With over four decades of scholarly work, she has guided 20 Ph.D. and 20 M.Phil scholars, published 20 international books and over 100 research papers, and led major projects including museum design and bilateral cultural research. Dr. Nandagopal has received distinguished awards such as the Karnataka Kalashri Honorary Award and Rukmini Arundale Award, reflecting her commitment to restoration, research, and revival of Indian cultural heritage