Lokesh Chandra (born 11 April 1927 inAmbala,India) is a prominent scholar of theVedic period,Buddhism and the Indian arts. Between 1942 and 2004, he published 576 books and 286 articles.
He has also held many official positions in the Indian government and was twice a member of Indian Parliament (during the period 1974-1980 and in 1980-1986).
Lokesh Chandra was born on 11 April 1927 inAmbala,India. He is the son of the famousSanskrit scholar, linguist and politicianRaghu Vira. After obtaining a master's degree at theUniversity of the Punjab inLahore in 1947, he edited the Gavamayana portion of the Vedic work Jaiminiya Brahmana with the help of newly discovered manuscripts. Chandra went to the Netherlands to study Old Javanese with the IndologistJan Gonda atUtrecht University, where he obtained a Ph.D. with the dissertationJaiminiya Brahmana of the Samaveda II.1-80 in March 1950.[2] Among them are classics like hisTibetan-Sanskrit Dictionary,Materials for a History of Tibetan Literature,Buddhist Iconography of Tibet, and hisDictionary of Buddhist Art in 15 volumes.[3]
He is not only an eminent scholar, but has also held many official positions in the Indian government as a member of several committees: Education, Official Language, but also Tourism, Heavy Industry and many others, as his expertise was not limited to Buddhism and Indian Art, his favourite fields. He was also a member of the Indian Parliament twice (1974-1980) and (1980-1986).[4]
In 2006 he was conferred withPadma Bhushan by the Indian Government.[5]
Between 1942 and 2004, Lokesh Chandra published numerous books (alone or as co-author) and articles, totalling 862 publications.[7] While it is not possible to reproduce an exhaustive list, here are some of the most frequently cited.
Tibetan-Sanskrit Dictionary in 12+7 volumes, New Delhi, International Academy of Indian Culture and Aditya Prakashan, 1961, reprint in 1971, 1991, 1993ISSN0581-8532.
Nīlakaṇṭha Lokeśvara as the Buddhist apotheosis of Hari-hara, New Delhi, International Academy of Indian Culture, 1979, 18p.[8]
The Thousand-armed Avalokiteśvara, Volume 1, New Delhi, Abhinav Publications, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, 1988, 303 p.,ISBN9788170172475.[9]
Dictionary of Buddhist Iconography. Śata-pitaka series: Indo-Asian literatures in 15 volumes, New Delhi, Published by International Academy of Indian Culture and Aditya Prakashan, 1999–2005,ISSN0581-8532.
India's Contributions to World Thought and Culture (Collective work edited by Lokesh Chandra), Madras, Publishers: Vivekananda Rock Memorial Committee, 1971, 838 p.[10]
Transcendental Art of Tibet, New Delhi, Published by International Academy of Indian Culture and Aditya Prakashan, 1996, 234 p.ISBN9788186471890.
Cultural Horizons of India: Studies in Tantra and Buddhism, art and archaeology, language and literature (Śata-pitaka series :Indo-Asian literatures in 7 volumes n° : 361, 366, 370, 381, 388, 390, 391), New Delhi, Published by International Academy of Indian Culture and Aditya Prakashan, 1990-1998,ISBN8185179522 (ISBN of the 1st volume).[11]
Kāranda-vyūha-sūtra or The supernal virtues of Avalokiteśvara, New Delhi, International Academy of Indian Culture and Aditya Prakashan, 1999, 295 p,ISBN9788186471890.
With Raghu Vira,Gilgit Buddhist Manuscripts. Śata-pitaka series in 10 vol. Revised and Enlarged Compact Facsimile Edition. New Delhi: International Academy of Indian Culture, 1959–74, reprint in 1995 (3 volumes) by Sri Satguru Publishers,ISBN9788170304449 andISBN9788170304456.[12]
With Sharada Rani,Mudras in Japan,. Volume 243 of Śata-pitaka series :Indo-Asian literatures, New Delhi, 1978 (Reprint :Vedams eBooks in 2001), 302 p.ISBN9788179360002.[13]
^"Padma Bhushan Awardees".archive.india.gov.in. Government of India. Archived fromthe original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved26 July 2014. and 11 September 2021.
^Nīlakaṇṭha Lokeśvara as the Buddhist apotheosis of Hari-hara, read online :[1]. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
^The Thousand-armed Avalokiteśvara, Volume1, read online :[2]. Retrieved 9 September 2021. The book is also available onInternet Archive, read online:[3]. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
^India's Contributions to World Thought and Culture, read online :[4]. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
^Cultural Horizons of India: read online[5]. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
^Gilgit Buddhist Manuscripts. Front Cover[6]. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
^Mudras in Japan, read online[7]. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
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