Ramesh Prasad Mohapatra (1 October 1939 – 14 January 1989) was an archaeologist and scholar on Odia Studies. He served as

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

for archaeology at the

Odisha State Museum Odisha State Museum is a museum in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. In its original form it was established in 1932 and later moved to the current building in 1960. The museum is divided into eleven sections, viz, Archaeology, Epigraphy, Numismatics, Armo ...

from 1963 to 1989 and made important contributions to historical research especially in the fields of

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

art history Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...

, religion, and other aspects of Odia cultural history.

Early life and education

Mohapatra was born in an orthodox

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 (guru ...

family with connections to the Royal family of Dhenkanal, something that greatly helped him in his later work on ''Military History of Odisha''.Das H. C., ''Tribute to Dr. R. P. Mohapatra'' in ''Tribute to Dr. Ramesh Prasad Mohapatra'', 1989, Bhubaneswar He was the eldest son of Sitanath Paramguru, then the

Zamindar A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as a ...

of the village, and Moti Devi and married to Kusum Mohapatra. Mohapatra received his master's degree in history from

Ravenshaw College Ravenshaw University, formerly known as Ravenshaw college, is a co-educational state university situated in Cuttack, Odisha on the eastern coast of India. Founded as Ravenshaw College in 1868, the institution became a university in 2006. The un ...

Cuttack, India Cuttack (, or officially Kataka ) in Odia is the former capital and the second largest city in the Indian state of Odisha. It is the headquarters of the Cuttack district. The name of the city is an anglicised form of ''Kataka'' which literall ...

and obtained a diploma from the Delhi School of Archaeology of the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexande ...

, New Delhi. He obtained his PhD for his work on the

Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves, formerly called Kattaka Caves or Cuttack caves, are partly natural and partly artificial caves of archaeological, historical and religious importance near the city of Bhubaneswar in Odisha, India. The caves are ...

from

Utkal University Utkal University (UU) is a Public university in Bhubaneswar, Khordha district, Khordha, Odisha, and is the oldest university in Odisha, the state, and the 17th-oldest university in India. It is a teaching-cum-affiliating university. The pre ...

Bhubaneswar Bhubaneswar (; ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Odisha. The region, especially the old town, was historically often depicted as ''Ekamra Kshetra'' (area (''kshetra'') adorned with mango trees (''ekamra'')). Bhubaneswar is ...

in 1976. His thesis outlines the importance of the twin caves of Udayagiri and Khandagiri in the development of Indian art and architecture, associated with the

Kalinga Kalinga may refer to: Geography, linguistics and/or ethnology * Kalinga (historical region), a historical region of India ** Kalinga (Mahabharata), an apocryphal kingdom mentioned in classical Indian literature ** Kalinga script, an ancient writ ...

emperor

Kharavela Kharavela (also transliterated Khārabēḷa) was a monarch of Kalinga in present-day Odisha, India, who ruled during the second or first century BCE. The primary source for Kharavela is his rock-cut Hathigumpha inscription. The inscription is ...

. These caves represent the earliest examples of

Jaina JAINA is an acronym for the Federation of Jain Associations in North America, an umbrella organizations to preserve, practice, and promote Jainism in USA and Canada. It was founded in 1981 and formalized in 1983. Among Jain organization it is ...

architecture in India. In 1979, Mohapatra obtained a DLitt from

for his work ''Jaina Monuments of Odisha'', presenting a systematic study of Jaina monuments of Odisha. Mohapatra was initiated to historical research by N. K. Sahu with whom he had worked in 1962 (Utkal University History of Odisha, vol I, 1964, preface). After joining the Odisha state museum as

for archaeology, he took up research in field archaeology and Odia art under the guidance of K. C. Panigrahi. Mohapatra's reference book ''Archaeology in Odisha''K. S. Behera, ''Passing away of a Great Scholar'', First Dr. R. P. Mohapatra Memorial Lecture, 1990, Dr. R. P. Mohapatra Memorial Committee, Bhubaneswar published in two volumes, presents details of prehistoric and historical archaeology in the thirteen districts of Odisha. His collection of art-treasures, antiquities, and archaeological artefacts collected in the course of his field work is now in the Odisha State Museum. Mohapatra served on many committees both nationally and internationally. He was nominated as a member of the Odisha Lalit Kala Akademi.

Books

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Selected articles

Note: O.H.R.J : Odisha Historical Research Journal

References

External links

Orissan Archaeology, Art, Architecture, Culture, History and Religion
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mohapatra, Ramesh Prasad 20th-century Indian archaeologists Indian art historians Historians of South Asia Scientists from Odisha 1939 births 1989 deaths Historians of Indian art