Rajendralal Mitra
| Rajendralal Mitra রাজেন্দ্রলাল মিত্র |
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 Rajendralal Mitra |
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| Born | 15 February 1824 Kolkata, Bengal, British India |
| Died | 26 July 1891 (aged 67) Kolkata, Bengal, British India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Ethnicity | Bengali Hindu |
| Occupation | Orientalist |
| Religion | Hinduism |
Rajendralal Mitra (Bengali: রাজেন্দ্রলাল মিত্র) (1823/24-1891) was the first modern Indologist of Indian origin, and was a key figure in the Bengal Renaissance.[1][2] He was pioneer in scientific study of history and contributed substantially in the field of archaeology.[3] Eminent Historian Professor R.S. Sharma writes of him as, "A great lover of ancient heritage, he took a rational view of ancient society and produced a forceful tract to show that in ancient times people ate beef."[4] He was the author of Antiquities of Orissa (1872). In 1846 he was appointed librarian of the Asiatic Society, and to that society the remainder of his life was devoted—as philological secretary, as vice-president, and as the first Indian president in 1885.[1]
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Family history [edit]
The Mitra family is one of the oldest families of Bengal and received various honors from the Bengal Nawab. Raja Pitambar Mitra migrated to Oudh after the disaster at Palashi, and the family was settled there for many generations. When the family was under Ajodhyaram they received many honors from the Nawab Vizir of Oudh and the emperor at Delhi as well. Many members of the Mitra family were well known in literary circles. Pitambar and his grandson, Janmejay Mitra wrote Brajabuli poems. Remarkably, Janmejay was an Urdu poet of distinguished standing as well. Rajendralal Mitra, third son of Janmejay Mitra, was the first Indian President of The Asiatic Society and one of the pioneers of the Indian Renaissance
Works [edit]
Apart from very numerous contributions to the society's journal, and to the series of Sanskrit texts entitled "Bibliotheca indica," he published three separate works:
- The Antiquities of Orissa (2 vols, 1875 and 1880), illustrated with photographic plates
- a similarly illustrated work on Bodh Gaya (1878), the hermitage of Sakya Muni.[1]
- Indo-Aryans (2 vols, 1881), a collection of essays dealing with the manners and customs of the people of India from Vedic times.[1]
See also [edit]
Notes [edit]
- ^ a b c d "Rajendra Lala Mitra". Based on Britannica 1911 edition. Classic Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2007-04-24.
- ^ Mitra, (Raja) Rajendralal (1823/24-1891) Banglapedia.
- ^ Sengupta, Subodh Chandra and Bose, Anjali (editors), 1976/1998, Sansad Bangali Charitabhidhan (Biographical dictionary) Vol I, (Bengali), p. 471, ISBN 81-85626-65-0
- ^ Sharma, R.S. (2005). India's Ancient Past. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-568785-9.
References [edit]
- Dr. Jayanta K DasUnsigned Article. The Aberrant Achiever. 175 years Commemorative Volume of Medical College Bengal (in press at present. Page no can not be given now.
External links [edit]
- Raja Rajendralal Mitra)
- Rajendralal Mitra Endowment Lecture at Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata (IACS)
- Prehistoric India (1923), Calcutta University (Calcutta)
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