DAVIDSON, John. India 28.8.1845 — Menton, France (?) 9.9.1917. British Colonial Officer in India. Son of the physician Alexander Davidson (1797–1883) 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…
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 a journalist and teacher , and Alexandrine Borleman, a Catholic Belgian. From 1873 grew up in Belgium.…
DAUMAL, René. Boulzicourt (Ardennes) 16.3.1908 — Paris 21.5.1944. French Poet interested in India. Son of anticlerical socialist teacher Lon Daumal. 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…
DANTINNE, Jean. Liège 1930 — 1996. Belgian Buddhist Scholar (Sanskrit, Chinese, Tibetan). Studies of Buddhist philology, Chinese and Japanese at Louvain (Leuven, 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). But if he was…
DANIELSSON, Olof August. Häradshammar, Östergötland 15.10.1852 — Uppsala 10.7.1933. Swedish Linguist. Professor in Uppsala. Son of Daniel Danielsson, a shoemaker, and Anna Brita Olofsdotter. School in Norrköping. 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…
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 Daniélou (1878–1953), an anticlerical Breton journalist and politician, and Madeleine Clamorgan (1880–1956), an ardent catholic, his brother Jean Daniélou (1905–1974) was a jesuit and cardinal. Educated at Institution de…
DANDARON, Bidija Dandarovič. Kižinga, Buryatia 15.12.1914 — Vydrino, Buryatia 26.10.1974. Russian Buryat Lama, Tibetologist and Buddhist Scholar. Son of Dorji Badmaev, a Tantric practitioner, and Balžima Abudueva. In 1921 he was declared the heir of Lobsang Samdan and in 1924 succeeded him as formal head of the Vajrayānic Balagat movement.…
DAMES, Mansel Longworth. Bath 1850 — Guildford, Surrey 8.1.1922. British Civil Servant, Baluchi Scholar and Historian of India. Son of Captain George Longworth Dames (1808–1860, of Irish background) and Caroline Amelia Brunswick. Passed the I.C.S. examination in 1868 and 1870 joined Bengal Civil Service, first posted to the Punjab. Served…
DALTON, Ormonde Maddock. Cardiff 30.1.1866 — Holford, Somerset 2.2.1945. British Art Historian and Classical Scholar, a Specialist of Early Christian Art. Son of Thomas Masters Dalton, a lawyer, and Emily Mansford, educated at Harrow and at New College, Oxford. Travelled in France, Germany, Austria (studied under Strzygowski), and India. Served…
DALGADO, Sebastião Rodolfo. Assagão, Goa 8.5.1855 — Lisbon 4.4.1922. Monsenhor. Indo-Portuguese Indologist. Professor in Lisbon. Born in a Brahman family, his ancestors were called Desai. Son of Ambrose Dalgado, a landowner in Bardez, and Florinda Rosa de Souza. School in Mapuça, Goa, studies of theology at Rachol (also learned Latin,…