Rinchen Zangpo and His Legacy to Buddhism

Dr. O. C. Handa (born 2nd Oct. 1936 at Mandi (HP) is a well-known connoisseur of art and culture, having been in the field for more than half a century. He is an outstanding scholar of history and archaeology of India in general and of the Himalayan region in particular. He has been travelling extensively in all parts of India to have firsthand knowledge of the sociocultural life of the people and their creativeness, which underscores his zeal to acquire firsthand knowledge of their accomplishments. His writings vividly reflect that quality.

Dr. Handa holds a post-doctoral degree in History. Having come from the civil engineering background, he underwent training in Archaeology. He remained in-charge of Museums & Archaeology in Himachal Pradesh and Director of the International Roerich Museum Trust.

He has authored thirty-four books on various aspects of Indian culture, and contributed many papers to the national & international journals and the Encyclopaedia of Hinduism. Thus, he has more than five hundred papers to his credit. He has been participating in the international, national and regional seminars, lecturing at various forums in India and abroad and performing on the radio and TV.

He remained member of various expert committees of the Lalit Kala Akademi and of the Ministry of Tourism & Culture, Govt. of India. He remained a Fellow of the Himachal Academy of Art, Language & Culture, ICHR and IIAS, the US-based Infinity Foundation, Senior Fellow of e ICHR and a Senior Fellow of the Ministry of Culture as an outstanding person in the field of culture. He also remained Consultant, Infinity Foundation & Senior Editor, History of Indian Science & Technology (HIST) Series for many years.

The Government of Himachal Pradesh honoured him with the Prerana Strot Samman. Besides, several organisations have honoured him.