Odia Books

Paramananda Acharya was born in 1891,He was a great scholar in history, archaeology and in the study of Archives. He combined his historical insight and perception with his literary abilities to produce monumental works on the history, archaeology and literature of odisha. After his education in a village school he studied at Amarada M.E. School and ultimately passed B.Sc. in 1933 from St. Xavier’s College, Calcutta. He worked with Ramaprasad Chandra in the Archaeological Survey of Mayurbhanj and Kahiching. Later on in 1934, he accompanied the prince of Mayurbhanj to England.

While in England he studied the ancient inscriptions including those of Chandrika Devi in Royal Asiatic Society. He attracted public attention when he published his study on the inscription of Ananta Basudev temple. He was appointed by the odisha Government as Superintendent of Archaeological Department in 1950 and with a record achievement to his credit in the field of historical study of odisha, he retired from Government service in 1958. For his outstanding contributions in the historical and literary field he was awarded Padmashri by the Government of India in 1964.

His literary works include hundreds of articles on the medieval poets of odisha and research papers on the history of odisha. His publication Radhanatharke Ananya Prativa (The super talent of the poet Radhanath, the pioneer of modern odia literature) brought him instant appreciation in the literary circles of odisha. His translation of Mr. Mottee’s Travel Account into odia as Sambalpur Yatra is one of the important publications. His studies in the history, archaeology and archives of odisha established him as a pioneering scholar in the fields. Besides, at times he wrote short stories in odia journals.