German scholar Stietencron to get Indologist award

German scholar Heinrich Freiherr Von Stietencron, known for his work on the history of Indian religions, especially Hinduism, to get first “Distinguished Indologist” award, instituted by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

The prestigious award will be conferred on Stietencron by President Pranab Mukherjee at a three-day World Indology Conference, beginning here at Rashtrapati Bhavan from Saturday.
The award will carry US

$ 20,000 and a citation. A well known researcher, teacher, academician and epigrapher, the 82-year-old scholar has worked on various aspects of history of Indian religions, especially Hinduism besides research on Hindu epics and puranas. He was one of the founding members of the Orissa Project, which focuses on history and socio-cultural significance of Jagannath cult in Orissa.

For his contributions to the Indology, he was conferred Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2004.