Lokesh Chandra

Lokesh Chandra studied at University of the Punjab and Utrecht University. The recorded working language is Sanskrit, Hindi and English. The field of work recorded is Indian religions and translations from Tibetan. Positions recorded include member of Rajya Sabha. Distinctions recorded are Padma Bhushan.

• Name — Lokesh Chandra • Born — 11 April 1927 • Birthplace — Rawalpindi, Punjab, British India • Title — Ex-President, ICCR • Education — M.A., 1947, Ph.D., 1950 • Occupation — Scholar

Lokesh Chandra was born on 11 April 1927 in Ambala, India. He is the son of the famous Sanskrit scholar, linguist and politician Raghu Vira. After obtaining a master's degree at the University of the Punjab in Lahore 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 Indologist Jan Gonda at Utrecht University, where he obtained a Ph.D. with the dissertation Jaiminiya Brahmana of the Samaveda II.1-80 in March 1950. Among them are classics like his Tibetan-Sanskrit Dictionary, Materials for a History of Tibetan Literature, Buddhist Iconography of Tibet, and his Dictionary of Buddhist Art in 15 volumes. 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). In 2006 he was conferred with Padma Bhushan by the Indian Government. He was the president of Indian Council for Cultural Relations during 2014–2017. He has also served as a member of the Indian Rajya Sabha, vice-president of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, and Chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research.

Between 1942 and 2004, Lokesh Chandra published numerous books (alone or as co-author) and articles, totalling 862 publications. While it is not possible to reproduce an exhaustive list, here are some of the most frequently cited.

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