Agehananda Bharati

Swāmī Agehānanda Bhāratī (अगेहानन्द भारती) (Vienna, April 20, 1923 – New York, May 14, 1991) was the monastic name of Leopold Fischer, professor of Anthropology at Syracuse University for over 30 years. He was an academic Sanskritist, a writer on religious subjects, and a Hindu monk in the Dasanami Sannyasi order.

Fischer was born in Vienna, Austria on April 20, 1923 to Hans and Margarete Fischer. Growing up, he joined the Indian Club and began to study Hindi and classical Sanskrit, which led to his decision to become an Indologist. Later, Fischer became a member of Adolf Hitler’s “Free India Legion” and converted to Hinduism, taking on the name Ramachandra.

Although he attended the University of Vienna, Bharati kept up his studies as a monk and took up teaching as well. Agehananda Bharati's travels were as extensive as his teachings were impressive. He was a professional expert in Cultural Anthropology, South Asian Studies, Linguistics, and Comparative Philosophy. Most of these subjects he taught in Delhi University, Banaras Hindu University, and Nalanda Institute in India. He also taught in a Buddhist Academy in Bangkok, Thailand where he first began his teachings on Comparative Religion. Bharati became a visiting professor on Indian philosophy in the University of Tokyo and Kyoto.

In 1956 Bharati came to the U.S. as a research associate for Washington University. A year later he transferred to Syracuse and joined the anthropology faculty. He settled down in Syracuse and became Ford-Maxwell Professor of South Asian Studies. It wasn't long before he became the chairman of his department. He was granted U.S. citizenship in 1968. Although he lived in Syracuse that didn't mean that he stopped traveling. He managed to go to Hawaii, Britain, Michigan, Soviet Union, Germany, and Ireland for research and as a visiting professor.

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