DAVIES, John. 1812? — London 18.9.1890. Rev. British Indologist and Welsh Scholar (?). From Salford. From 1838 studies at Cambridge (St.John’s College, B.A. 1842, M.A. 1845). Ordained priest 1842. Curate of Smallwood in 1853-57, Rector of Walsoken, Norfolk 1857-71, then retired from church service and moved to London. Married 1846…
DAVIES, Cuthbert Collin. Narbeth, Pembrokeshire 16.4.1896 — 5.11.1974. British (Welsh) Historian of South Asia. Son of David Collins Davies. Studied at University of Wales in Aberystwyth (B.A.). Ph.D. 1926 Cambridge (Peterhouse). Served as officer in Indian North-West Frontier in WW I and in the third Afghan war. In 1926-36 Lecturer in…
DAVIDSON, John. India 28.8.1845 — Menton, France (?) 9.9.1917. British Colonial Officer in India. Son of the physician Alexander D. and Mary Anne Blundell. Educated at Winchester College, joined the army in 1863 and the Punjab Cavalry in 1866. From 1875 assistant adjutant-general in Pañjab Frontier Force. Served in the Jowaki-Afridi…
DAVID-NÉEL, Alexandra (née Louise Eugènie Alexandrine Marie David). St.Mandé (Seine) 24.10.1868 — Digne (Basses-Alpes) 8.9.1969. French Bauddha and Traveller. The only child of Louis Pierre David, a huguenot freemason and ardent republican, also journalist and teacher , and Alexandra Borleman, a Catholic Belgian. From 1873 grew up in Belgium. At…
DAUMAL, René. Boulzicourt (Ardennes) 16.3.1908 — Paris 21.5.1944. French Poet interested in India. Educated at Lycée de Reims and Lycée Henri-IV, studies at Sorbonne. Born in rural milieu he became a socialist and active anticlerical, but at the same time he was also against materialism. In the late 1920s he…
DARMESTETER, James. Château-Salins (Meurth, Lorraine) 28.3.1849 — Maisons-Laffitte near Paris 19.10.1894. French Iranian Scholar. Professor in Paris. Son of Calmann D., a Jewish bookbinder, and Rosalie Brandeis, younger brother of the philologist Arsène D. (1846–1888). Educated in Paris, matriculated from Lycée Concordet in 1866. Then studied philology (lic. 1868) and…
DAPPER, Olfert. Amsterdam baptized 6.1.1636 — Amsterdam 29.12.1689. Dutch Physician and Geographer. Son of a linen weaver (d. 1644) and his wife Trintje Heeren. From 1658 studies at Utrecht, in 1659 Med.Dr. Then living in Amsterdam, where he became friend with mayor Nicolaas Witsen (1641–1717, known as cartographer) and engaged himself…
DANTINNE, Jean. Liège 1930 — 1996. Belgian Buddhist Scholar (Sanskrit, Chinese, Tibetan). Studies of Buddhist philology, Chinese and Japanese at Louvain (i.al. under Lamotte) 1964-66, also Indology at Liège. From 1975 Lecturer in Modern and Classical Chinese at Liège, then Professor (?) at Louvain-la-neuve (1983). If he was born in…
DANIELSSON, Olof August. Häradshammar, Östergötland 15.10.1852 — Uppsala 10.7.1933. Swedish Linguist. Professor in Uppsala. Son of Daniel D., a shoemaker, and Anna Brita Olofsdotter. From 1870 studied at Uppsala, M.A. 1874, Ph.D. 1880 there. Learnt Sanskrit from Erdman, then further studies under Windisch and Lindner at Leipzig in 1881-82. Prepared…
DANIÉLOU, Alain (nom-de-plume Shiva Sharan). Neuilly-sur-Seine (Seine) 4.10.1907 — Lonay, Switzerland 27.1.1994. French Musicologist deeply interested in India. Son of Charles D. (1878–1953), an anticlerical Breton journalist and politician, and Madeleine Clamorgan, an ardent catholic, his brother Jean D. (1905–1974) was a jesuit and cardinal. Educated at Institution de Sainte-Croix…