Johannes Klatt's Jaina-Onomasticon

Abstract

The Indologist Johannes Emil Klatt (1852-1908) dedicated his short life to the study of the historical records of the Jainas. When he fell ill in 1892, Klatt left behind the monumental nearly completed manuscript of his magnum opus, the Jaina-Onomasticon, a collection of proper names (Greek: onoma) of Jaina authors, legendary figures, texts and place names with explanatory historical notes, handwritten in English, which is still unpublished. The article gives an account of Klatt's biography, and of the contents, scope and significance of the manuscript of his main work. It also offers a bibliography of Klatt's publications.