Annette Schmiedchen is a German author, scholar of Sanskrit

epigraphy Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...

, indologist, a researcher at the Humboldt University of Berlin and a member of faculty of Indology at Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg. She is the author of several articles on Indian heritage and Culture and the book, ''Herrschergenealogie und Religioses Patronat: Die Inschriftenkultur der Rastrakutas, Silaharas und

Yadavas The Yadava (literally, descended from Yadu) were an ancient Indian people who believed to be descended from Yadu, a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage. The community was formed of various clans, being the Abhira, Andhaka, Vrishni, and Satv ...

'', the 17th book released under the series, Gonda Indological Studies by

Brill Publishers Brill Academic Publishers (known as E. J. Brill, Koninklijke Brill, Brill ()) is a Dutch international academic publisher founded in 1683 in Leiden, Netherlands. With offices in Leiden, Boston, Paderborn and Singapore, Brill today publishes 27 ...

. The Government of India honoured her in 2015 with the award of Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award.

Biography

Annette Schmiedchen, born in Germany in 1966, did her studies on Indian History and Indology at the Humboldt University of Berlin and later at the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg. She obtained her doctoral degree from Humboldt University of Berlin in 1994 on the thesis, ''Grants of Villages, Land, and Money in Favour of Buddhist Monasteries in Northern India from the 5th to the 8th Centuries'' after which she submitted a Habilitation thesis on ''Epigraphical Culture and Regional Tradition in Early Medieval Maharashtra: Legitimizing Political Power and Official Religious Patronage under the Royal Dynasties of the Rastrakutas, Silaharas, and

from the 8th to the 13th Centuries'' to Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg in 2008 to secure a

Habilitation Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in many European countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellence in research, teaching and further education, usually including a ...

degree a year later. She works as a member of faculty of the Martin Luther University and pursues research on a

European Research Council The European Research Council (ERC) is a public body for funding of scientific and technological research conducted within the European Union (EU). Established by the European Commission in 2007, the ERC is composed of an independent Scientific ...

funded project on ''Medieval Foundations and Endowments'' at Humboldt University. Schmiedchen is a regular visiter to India since 1992 for her researches and has written several articles, in German and English, on Indian culture and Sanskrit epigraphy. Her maiden book, ''Herrschergenealogie und religiöses Patronat. Die Inschriftenkultur der Rastrakutas, Silaharas und

'', was released in 2014. She is an honorary Research Fellow of the

International Association of Sanskrit Studies The International Association of Sanskrit Studies (IASS) is an organisation whose primary purpose is to arrange the World Sanskrit Conference, which is usually held once every three years. Membership is open to all. The association was formed as a ...

and is associated with Jawaharlal Nehru University and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations who funded her first project in India. She is married to Rainer Schmiedchen who is the Consul General of Germany in Kolkata. The Government of India included her in the 66th Republic Day honours list, in 2015, for the civilian award of Padma Shri for her contributions to Sanskrit language and Indology.

Biography

See also

References

Further reading