Obituary Notices
By Kalidas Nag
Summary
The volume concludes with poignant obituaries of two eminent scholars. The first commemorates Alfred Hillebrandt, who passed away in 1927. A pupil of Martin Haug, Hillebrandt devoted his career to the study of ancient Indian rituals and Vedic mythology. He authored influential monographs on animal sacrifice and new‑moon and full‑moon rites and produced a monumental three‑volume work on Vedic mythology that catalogued the gods and rituals of the Rigveda. The obituary traces his academic journey from student in Breslau to professor in Breslau and notes his role in editing key ritual texts such as the Śāṅkhāyana Śrauta Sūtra. Hillebrandt’s meticulous method combined philological rigour with imaginative reconstruction, and his scholarship laid the foundation for subsequent Vedic studies. The second obituary honours Émile Senart, who died in 1928. Born in Reims and educated in Paris, Senart became one of France’s foremost Indologists. He is celebrated for deciphering and publishing Aśokan inscriptions and for his edition of the Dhammapada with a critical apparatus. Senart’s interests ranged widely: he produced studies on Indian epigraphy, translated Buddhist texts and investigated the origins of caste and Indian social institutions. The obituary recounts his leadership as president of the Société Asiatique and his role in establishing the École Française d’Extrême‑Orient. It also highlights his participation in archaeological missions in Central Asia and his mentorship of younger scholars. Both obituaries convey deep respect and affection, emphasising that Hillebrandt and Senart’s contributions were not limited to their publications but extended to nurturing the field of Indology through teaching and institutional development.
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Conclusion
These obituaries record the passing of two pioneering Indologists whose philological, epigraphic and mythological studies profoundly shaped modern understanding of ancient India. By recounting their lives and works, the journal honours their intellectual legacy and reminds readers of the human dedication behind scholarly progress.