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History

The study of Sanskrit and Indian culture became established at various German universities at the beginning of the 19th century, first in Jena (1817) and Bonn (1818). The former  Bonn students, who had studied under August Wilhelm SCHLEGEL (1767-1845) and Christian LASSEN (1800-1876), were appointed to professorships a generation later. In Marburg, the first Sanskrit course was offered in the winter semester of 1843/44 by the philosopher Franz VORLÄNDER, who had studied in Bonn and Berlin.

Johannes GILDEMEISTER (1812–1890)

 A year later, in 1845, Johannes GILDEMEISTER (1812-1890), also a student of SCHLEGEL, was appointed to Marburg. The reason, however, was not related to his subject: GILDEMEISTER had denounced the Catholic veneration of relics in a book while still in Bonn and for this reason was appointed to the theology department of the old Protestant University of Marburg. He taught the Old Testament, oriental languages, and Sanskrit. As a philologist of the Bonn School, he taught students the ‘exact philological method’, which was supposed to lead ‘to the exact translation and full understanding of the writer’ being read.

Ferdinand JUSTI (1837-1907)

After Johannes GILDEMEISTER's return to Bonn in 1859, a professorship for comparative grammar and Germanic philology was established in Marburg in 1865, which was also realised as an orientalist professorship by the holder of the post, Ferdinand JUSTI (1837-1907), who had studied under GILDEMEISTER. JUSTI's interests lay in Iranian, but also in Indo-European and German studies. He also taught Indological subjects.

Albert THUMB (1865-1915)

Ferdinand JUSTI's professorship led to the Chair of Indo-European Linguistics, which was filled in 1901 by Albert THUMB (1865-1915), a student of BRUGMANN and OSTHOFF. During his time in Marburg, THUMB published his Handbuch des Sanskrit, which, in several revisions, is still suitable as an introduction to ancient Indo-European for Indo-Europeanists. In 1909, THUMB accepted an appointment as full professor at the University of Strasbourg.

Karl Friedrich GELDNER (1852-1929)

With the appointment of the already 55-year-old Karl Friedrich GELDNER (1852-1929), Indology was established at the highest level in Marburg in 1907. GELDNER laid the  foundations for a sizeable library, and after turning down a call to Kiel, he requested special funding, which he then divided between the three departments (Indology, Indo-European Studies, Semitic Studies). The teaching spectrum was greatly expanded and was strengthened by the private lecturer Max LINDENAU (1885-1980) from the winter semester of 1919/20. However, he soon left the university when doubts arose about his academic qualifications following an esoteric-occultist lecture he gave, which caused quite a stir in Marburg. Despite his reclusiveness, GELDNER achieved worldwide fame as a Vedist; the congratulations on his 75th birthday - he declined a commemorative publication - were signed by all the well-known Indologists of the time. The letter addressed to the signatories leaves no doubt that GELDNER was already considered an outstanding Indologist during his lifetime, as his colleague JACOBSOHN wrote in his obituary (Mitteilungen des Marburger Universitätsbundes 1929): ‘Geldner played a leading role in Indian philology, but especially in his special field, Veda research, and his reputation as a teacher and scholar is undisputed in Germany and abroad.’ He adds that GELDNER was better known in India and America than in Marburg itself.

Hanns OERTEL (1868-1952)

Hanns OERTEL (1868-1952), who had studied under WHITNEY and taught at Yale for a long time, was appointed GELDNER's successor as early as 1921. With his focus in Vedic studies, OERTEL fitted in very well with GELDNER's profile, but after just three years he was appointed to Munich. OERTEL was followed in Marburg by Jakob Wilhelm HAUER (1881-1962) for only a short time, 1925-1927, who, as a welcome partner of the famous Marburg theologian Rudolph OTTO, was even preferred to the superior competitor Helmuth VON GLASENAPP. HAUER was one of the Indologists in Germany who very readily embraced the aims of the Nazi regime, and his approach to Indology was sometimes too religious in outlook to be of academic value. When he received a call to Tübingen in 1927, where his teacher Richard GARBE had intervened in his favour, he left Marburg. In 1928, the emeritus GELDNER again represented Indology alone for some time.

Johannes NOBEL (1887-1960)

Johannes NOBEL (1887-1960) was appointed to the Chair of Indology on 26 March 1928. NOBEL had studied under PISCHEL, SCHULZE and SIEG. After PISCHEL's death, LÜDERS became his teacher, with whom he completed his doctorate in December 1911 with a thesis on Indian poetics. From poetry and poetics, NOBEL turned to the study of Buddhism. He had already learnt Tibetan in Berlin, then taught himself Chinese and Japanese. Unlike his predecessor HAUER, he did not pander to the Nazi regime, but safeguarded the continuity of Indology in Marburg. For a long time, NOBEL taught Indology on his own, holding courses in Sanskrit, Chinese, Tibetan and sometimes Japanese every semester. In the years 1941-44, he was supported by Junyu KITAYAMA in the East Asian area. KITAYAMA was a Buddhist monk who had completed his doctorate in Heidelberg under Karl JASPERS and also taught comparative religion as an honorary professor in Marburg. NOBEL taught until 1955 and it was in Marburg that he wrote his main scientific works on the ‘Goldglanz-Sūtra’. 

Wilhelm RAU (1922-1999)

Wilhelm RAU (1922-1999) studied with WELLER in Leipzig, then with NOBEL in Marburg and finally for two years in India. In 1957, RAU came to Marburg as NOBEL's successor, where he taught until 1988. He was once again appointed a recognised Vedist, albeit with a comprehensive spectrum within Indology. His other areas of specialisation included indigenous Indian grammar and realia studies, in which RAU made fundamental contributions. The subject was further expanded by the private lecturer Claus VOGEL (1933-2012), who was responsible for Tibetan from 1959 to 1976, and by the establishment of a lectureship for modern Indian languages, which was held by the Indian scholar Peri Sarveswara SHARMA (1926-2000) until 1991. With almost 20 successful dissertations under RAU's aegis, the small institute was characterised by a professionally sound and stimulating atmosphere.

RAU's successor, Michael HAHN (b. 1941), was a scholar with a high profile, particularly in the field of Indian poetry and Tibetology, who was able to maintain the intensive academic atmosphere. Bhikkhu PĀSĀDIKA (born 1939), who had been an honorary professor for many years, was also an enrichment for Marburg Indology and Tibetology. The astonishment was all the greater when it became known that the Marburg institute was to be closed after HAHN's retirement in 2006, despite his outstanding achievements in research.

After protests, Indology and Tibetology was re-established by the state government. In 2007, the position was filled by Jürgen HANNEDER (born 1964).