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Dineshchandra Sircar (1907–1985), also known as D. C. Sircar or D. C. Sarkar, was an
epigraphist Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...
, historian,
numismatist A numismatist is a specialist in numismatics ("of coins"; from Late Latin ''numismatis'', genitive of ''numisma''). Numismatists include collectors, specialist dealers, and scholars who use coins and other currency in object-based research. Altho ...
and
folklorist Folklore studies, less often known as folkloristics, and occasionally tradition studies or folk life studies in the United Kingdom, is the branch of anthropology devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currenc ...
, known particularly in
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
and
Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mo ...
for his work deciphering inscriptions. He was the Chief Epigraphist 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 Alexand ...
(1949–1962),
Carmichael Professor of Ancient Indian History and Culture The Carmichael Chair of Ancient Indian History and Culture is a history professorship in the University of Calcutta, India; its holder is known as Carmichael Professor. The post was created by Ashutosh Mukherjee in 1912 after Baron Carmichael the ...
at the
University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a public collegiate state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered one of best state research university all over India every yea ...
(1962–1972) and the General President of the
Indian History Congress Indian History Congress is the largest professional and academic body of Indian historians with over 35,000 members. It was established in 1935. The name of any new applicant for membership needs to be proposed and seconded by existing Ordinary or L ...
. In 1972, Sircar was awarded the
Sir William Jones Sir William Jones (28 September 1746 – 27 April 1794) was a British philologist, a puisne judge on the Supreme Court of Judicature at Fort William in Bengal, and a scholar of ancient India. He is particularly known for his proposition of th ...
Memorial Plaque.


Early life and education

Sircar was born to a family of
Ayurvedic Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population repo ...
physicians at Krishnanagar. He graduated with Honours in Sanskrit in 1929 and obtained a First Class in his MA Examination in 1931 in Ancient Indian History and Culture with specialisation in Epigraphy and Numismatics from the
University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a public collegiate state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered one of best state research university all over India every yea ...
.


Selected bibliography

He authors more than forty books both in
Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
and
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
. Some of his best-known books include: * ''পাল-পূর্ব যুগের বংশানুচরিত'' ala-purva Yuger Vamsanucarita, Genealogy of Pre-Pala Age(in Bengali) * ''পাল-সেন যুগের বংশানুচরিত'' ala-Sena Yuger Vamsanucarita, Genealogy of Pala-Sena Age(in Bengali) * ''অশোকের বাণী'' soker Vani, Sermons of Asoka(in Bengali) * ''শিলালেখ-তাম্রশাসনাদির প্রসঙ্গ'' ilalekha-Tamrasasanadir Prasanga, On Stone and Copperplate Inscriptions(in Bengali) * ''প্রাচীন ইতিহাসের কাহিনী'' racin Itihaser Kahini, Story of Ancient History(in Bengali) * ''সাংস্কৃতিক ইতিহাসের প্রসঙ্গ'' anskritik Itihaser Prasanga, On Cultural History(in Bengali) (two volumes) * ''Select Inscriptions Bearing on Indian History and Civilisation'' (two volumes) * ''Indian Epigraphy'' (1965) * ''Indian Epigraphical Glossary'' * ''Inscriptions of Asoka'', * ''Epigraphical Discoveries in East Pakistan'' * '' Studies in the Geography of Ancient and Medieval India'' * ''Some Epigraphical Records of the Mediaeval Period from Eastern India'' * ''Studies in Indian Coins'' * ''Journal of Ancient Indian History'' (Ed. He has edited ''
Epigraphia Indica ''Epigraphia Indica'' was the official publication of Archaeological Survey of India from 1882 to 1977. The first volume was edited by James Burgess in the year 1882. Between 1892 and 1920 it was published as a quarterly supplement to '' The Ind ...
'' volumes XXVIII to XXXVI, three of them jointly and the others independently.Prominent Epigraphists, Archaeological Survey of India, http://asi.nic.in/asi_epigraphical_sans_epigraphists.asp


References


Further reading

* *


External links

*
Prominent epigraphists
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 Alexand ...
1907 births 1984 deaths 20th-century Indian historians University of Calcutta faculty Scholars from West Bengal Bengali historians Bengali writers Bengali Hindus 20th-century Bengalis Indian epigraphers Indian historians West Bengal academics {{India-historian-stub