Kaliprasanna Vidyaratna ( Bangabdo 255–1330 1849–1924 AD) was an Indian scholar of

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

, academician and author. He was the principal of the

Sanskrit College The Sanskrit College and University (erstwhile Sanskrit College) is a state university located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It focuses on liberal arts, offering both UG and PG degrees in Ancient Indian and world history, Bengali, English, Sa ...

between 1908 and 1910. Vidyarayna played an important role in the revival of Sanskrit language.

Early life

Vidyaratna was born in a Bhattacharya

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (gur ...

family of Ujirpur village, Barishal in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. His father was Biswambhar Bhattacharya. Vidyaratna learned Sanskrit in a ''Chatuspathi'' at Dhanuka village of

Faridpur district Faridpur District ( bn, ফরিদপুর জেলা) is a district in south-central Bangladesh. It is a part of the Dhaka Division. It is bounded by the Padma River to its northeast. The district was named after Farīd-ud-Dīn Masʿūd, ...

. He passed the entrance exam from Barishal and entered the

Scottish Church College Scottish Church College is a college affiliated by Calcutta University, India. It offers selective co-educational undergraduate and postgraduate studies and is the oldest continuously running Christian liberal arts and sciences college in A ...

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

. After completion of B.A. and M.A. he was appointed as a teacher at the

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city i ...

Jagannath College in 1881. He worked in Presidency College since 1901, thereafter becoming principal of Sanskrit College.

Works

Vidyaratna wrote and edited many books on Indian

Mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...

Vaisnavism Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...

, Puranas and

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

culture such as: ''Brihat Shiva Puran'', ''Sri Sri Krishna Charit'', ''Bedanta Darshanam'', ''Vrhadyamagita'', ''Brihaddharam Puran'', ''Shib Sanhita'', ''Sanjib Chandrer Granthabali'', ''Kali Kaivalyadayini'', ''Nimai-Sannyas Gitavinay'', ''Kalki Puran,'' ''Stab Kobochmala'', ''Kalitantra'' and others. Until 1918, he visited '' tols'' to encourage Sanskrit education in

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

and played a vital role in reviving the ''tol'' system. He became the president of 'Sanskrit Sahitya Parishad'. In 1911 Vidyaratna was awarded the 'Mahamohopadhya' title.

References

Bengali Hindus Bengali writers 19th-century Bengalis 20th-century Bengalis Bengali educators Hindu philosophers and theologians Indian Sanskrit scholars 19th-century Indian scholars 20th-century Indian scholars Indian academics Indian editors 19th-century Indian male writers Indian male non-fiction writers 20th-century Indian non-fiction writers 19th-century Indian non-fiction writers Indian religious writers Indian spiritual writers 19th-century Indian philosophers Indian theologians 20th-century Indian educators 19th-century Indian educators Educationists from India University of Calcutta alumni Academic staff of the University of Calcutta Sanskrit scholars from Bengal Scholars from Kolkata People from Barisal Scottish Church College alumni 1849 births 1924 deaths {{India-academic-bio-stub