Ernst Waldschmidt

Ernst Waldschmidt ( born July 15, 1897 in Lünen; † 25 February 1985 in Göttingen ) was a German Indologist and Sanskritist.

Life

After Waldschmidt had initially worked in Berlin as a curator and professor at the Museum of Ethnology, 1936, he followed the call of the Chair of Indian Studies at the University of Göttingen.

On May 1, 1937 Waldschmidt joined the NSDAP, and on 1 January 1939 he was a member of the National Socialist German Federal lecturers.

Ernst Waldschmidt was a specialist in Indian philosophy and archeology of India and Central Asia. One focus of his work was the study of Sanskrit texts from Turfan finds and the creation of a Sanskrit dictionary. He made so Göttingen became a center of research on Buddhist literature.

With the establishment of Ernst Waldschmidt Foundation, he continues to support research and publications on Indian philology, art and archeology. There is also an Ernst Waldschmidt Prize, which is awarded by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation every five years.