Sondekoppa Srikanta Sastri (5 November 1904 – 10 May 1974) was an Indian historian,

Indologist Indology, also known as South Asian studies, is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent, and as such is a subset of Asian studies. The term ''Indology'' (in German, ''Indologie'') is of ...

, and

polyglot Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. More than half of all Eu ...

. He authored around 12 books, over two hundred articles, several monographs and book reviews over four decades in

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 ide ...

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native sp ...

, Telugu and

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 la ...

. These include "Sources of Karnataka History", "Geopolitics of India & Greater India", "Bharatiya Samskruthi" (a compendium on Indian culture and tradition) and "Hoysala Vastushilpa" (a study of temple architecture of the Hoysala period in Karnataka). S. Srikanta Sastri was a

well versed in fourteen languages spanning

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

Pali Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or '' Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of ''Theravāda'' Buddhi ...

Prakrit The Prakrits (; sa, prākṛta; psu, 𑀧𑀸𑀉𑀤, ; pka, ) are a group of vernacular Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were used in the Indian subcontinent from around the 3rd century BCE to the 8th century CE. The term Prakrit is usua ...

and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

among others. He was Head of the Department of

History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

Indology Indology, also known as South Asian studies, is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent, and as such is a subset of Asian studies. The term ''Indology'' (in German, ''Indologie'') is of ...

at Maharaja College,

University of Mysore The University of Mysore is a public state university in Mysore, Karnataka, India. The university was founded during the reign of Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV, the Maharaja of Mysore. The university is recognised by the University Grants Commissio ...

between 1940 and 1960. He was conferred the Kannada Literary Academy award in 1970 and was subsequently honoured by Governor of Karnataka

Mohanlal Sukhadia Mohan Lal Sukhadia (31 July 1916 – 2 February 1982) was an Indian politician, who served as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan state for 17 years (1954–1971). He became chief minister at the age of 38 and was responsible for bringing major ref ...

in 1973 during mythic society diamond jubilee function. A Festschrift was brought forth and presented to him during his felicitation function in 1973 titled "Srikanthika" with articles on History and Indology by distinguished scholars. His work on

Indus Valley civilization The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form 2600 BCE to 1900& ...

and town planning at

Harappa Harappa (; Urdu/ pnb, ) is an archaeological site in Punjab, Pakistan, about west of Sahiwal. The Bronze Age Harappan civilisation, now more often called the Indus Valley Civilisation, is named after the site, which takes its name from a mode ...

and

Mohenjodaro Mohenjo-daro (; sd, موئن جو دڙو'', ''meaning 'Mound of the Dead Men'; His Research articles on The Aryan Invasion theory, the date of Adi

Sankaracharya Shankaracharya ( sa, शङ्कराचार्य, , " Shankara-''acharya''") is a religious title used by the heads of amnaya monasteries called mathas in the Advaita Vedanta tradition of Hinduism. The title derives from Adi Shankara; t ...

, Oswald Spengler's view on Indian Culture,

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 ...

Epistemology, Proto-Vedic religion of Indus Valley Civilization and Evolution of the

Gandabherunda Gandaberunda () or Bheruṇḍa (Sanskrit: भेरुण्ड, lit. ''terrible'') is a two-headed bird in Hindu mythology, believed to possess immense magical strength. Later Vaishnava traditions hold it to be a form of Vishnu to fight Sharabh ...

insignia remain relevant today. __TOC__

Ancestry

S. Srikanta Sastri was born into the a Mulukanadu Brahmin family and a scholarly lineage. A paternal ancestor - Yagnapathi Bhatta was a famous court poet in the court of Kempegowda. His maternal ancestor Umamahesvara Sastri, a renowned court poet in the

Vijayanagara Vijayanagara () was the capital city of the historic Vijayanagara Empire. Located on the banks of the Tungabhadra River, it spread over a large area and included the modern era Group of Monuments at Hampi site in Vijayanagara district, Bellar ...

Kingdom had earned the title of "Abhinava Kalidasa" for his work "Bhagavata Champu". His uncles - Vidwan Motaganahalli Mahadeva Sastri, Vidwan Shankara Sastri and Asthan Maha Vidwan Ramashesha Sastri were eminent court poets in the Mysore Palace. Vidwan Ramshesha Sastri was the first person to translate "

Bhagavata The Bhagavata tradition, also called Bhagavatism, refers to an ancient religious sect that traced its origin to the region of Mathura. After its syncretism with the Brahmanical tradition of Vishnu, Bhagavatism became a pan-Indian tradition ...

" to

from

Early life

He had his preliminary schooling in the cities of

Kolar Kolar or Kolara is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Kolar district. The city is known for its milk production and gold mines. It is also known for Someshwara temple and Kolaramma temple. History The Weste ...

, Nanjanagud and

Chikkaballapur Chikkaballapur is the district headquarters of the newly created Chikkaballapur district in the state of Karnataka, India, which is carved out from Kolar district. It is located within 3 km of Muddenahalli (the birthplace of eminent engine ...

before moving to Mysore. After finishing his school, he pursued his Bachelor's and subsequently master's degree in History at

Maharaja's College, Mysore Maharaja's College, Mysore (1889) is a college affiliated to Mysore University. History The college finds its origins in the English-school known as "Maharaja Patashala" established by Maharaja of Mysore, Krishnaraja Wadiyar III in 1833, at t ...

. Here he came under the influence of S. V. Venkateswara (History) 'pictured'' J. C. Rollo,

B. M. Srikantaiah Belluru Mylaraiah Srikantaiah (3 January 1884 – 5 January 1946), was an Indian author, writer and translator of Kannada literature. Prominent Students * V. Seetharamaiah * K. V. Puttappa Works * ''Gadayuddha Natakam'' (ಗದಾಯುದ� ...

(English), V. L. D'Souza, H. Krishna Rao (Greek History), N. S. Subba Rao (Economics) and M. H. Krishna (Ancient History). During these years, he penned his first article titled "Conquests of Siladitya in the South" on the reign of King Harsa Siladitya in the "Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland" in July, 1926. On completion of his education, S. Srikanta Sastri secured the post of a tutor at Maharaja College, University of Mysore in the Department of History (1930) and subsequently became a lecturer in the Department in 1935. Contemporaneous at this time were K. V. Puttappa (

Kuvempu Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa (29 December 1904 – 11 November 1994), popularly known by his pen name Kuvempu, was an Indian poet, playwright, novelist and critic. He is widely regarded as the greatest Kannada poet of the 20th century. He was ...

), A. R. Krishna Sastri, Ralapalli Anantha Krishna Sharma, V. Seetharamaiah,

D. L. Narasimhachar Doddabele Lakshmi Narasimhachar (27 October 1906 – 7 May 1971) was a Kannada linguist, grammarian, lexicographer, writer, literary critic and editor who taught at the Department of Kannada Language Studies, University of Mysore between 1932 ...

, T. S. Shamarao and N. Anantharangachar.

Works

S. Srikanta Sastri authored about 12 books, 224 articles 00 in English, 114 in Kannada, 8 in Telugu, 1 in Sanskrit & Hindiand three monographs and book reviews in Kannada, English, Telugu and Sanskrit. Among his earliest essays were "Kannada Nayananda" and "Shivaganga Kshetra" - a treatise on the religious centre of Shivaganga. He published his first article in the "Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland" at the age of twenty two. He subsequently authored a small piece on King

Devaraya Deva Raya I (reigned 1406–1422 CE) was a king of the Vijayanagara Empire (of the Sangama Dynasty). After Harihara II died there was a dispute between his sons over the throne in which Deva Raya I eventually emerged victor. He was a very cap ...

Kingdom in the "Indian Antiquary". His earliest book "Sources of Karnataka History, Vol I" provides a list of resource material in the form of inscriptions, epigraphics and tablets enabling a detailed study of history of state of Karnataka over two millennia. His next work - "Geopolitics of India and Greater India" was on the evolving Geo-Political scene in Asia and India's role in the coming decades where he outlines a union of nations, coming together to complement each other's needs - a forerunner to the

Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP) or Treaty of Warsaw, formally the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist republi ...

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two Nor ...

SAARC The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of states in South Asia. Its member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan ...

and

BRICS BRICS is an acronym for five leading emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The first four were initially grouped as "BRIC" (or "the BRICs") in 2001 by Goldman Sachs economist Jim O'Neill, who coined the term ...

associations. His third book - "Early Gangas of Talakad" published in 1952 dealt with the rise and fall of Ganga Dynasty in Southern Karnataka. This received a favourable review by Emeritus Professor of Oriental Law J Duncan M Derrett in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland in July 1953. His fourth book "Bharatiya Samskruti" ( kn, ಭಾರತೀಯ ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿ) served to illuminate on cultural, traditional and historical aspects of India spanning over three millennia. S. Srikanta Sastri's study on the Nayaka rulers of

Chitradurga Chitradurga is a city and the headquarters of Chitradurga district, which is located on the valley of the Vedavati river in the central part of the Indian state of Karnataka. Chitradurga is a place with historical significance which is locate ...

in his research article "Capitulation of Chitradurga" (1928) describes the decline and fall of Palegars in early eighteenth century. His Collection of English writings have been brought forth as two hard bound volumes titled "ŚRÌKAŅŢHAYÁNA" in 2016. In 2021, S. Srikanta Sastri's Kannada work "Bharathiya Samskruthi" was translated into English under the title of "Indian Culture" by S. Naganath.

List of books

* ''Sources of Karnataka History, Vol I'' (1940) * ''Geo-Politics of India and Greater India'' (1943) * ''Iconography of Vidyarnava Tantra'' (1944) * ''Proto-Indic Religion'' (1948) * ''Roman Chakradipatya'' (1949) * ''Early Gangas of Talakad'' (1952) * ''Bharatiya Samskruti'' (1954) * ''Prapancha Charithreya Rupa Rekhegalu'' (1957) * ''Purathatva Shodhane'' (1960) * ''Hoysala Vastushilpa'' (1960) * ''Festschrift Volume – Srikanthika'' (1973) * ''Samshodhana Lekhanagalu'' (1975) * ''Srikanteshwara Shatakam'' (1975)

Recognition

Srikanta Sastri was the second person to receive a D. Litt degree from the University of Mysore (in 1949). In 1958, S. Srikanta Sastri presided over the Kannada Literary Conference ( kn, ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ ಸಮ್ಮೇಳನ ಕಲಾಗೋಷ್ಠಿ) at

Bellary Bellary, officially Ballari, in the eponymous Bellary district, is a city in the state of Karnataka, India. History Bellary was a part of Rayalaseema ( Ceded Districts) which was part of Madras Presidency till 1 November 1956. The Balla ...

, Karnataka. He was conferred the Kannada Literary Academy ( kn, ಕನ್ನಡ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ ಸಮ್ಮೇಳನ) award in 1970. During the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of Mythic Society, Karnataka Governor Mohanlal Sukhadia (''pictured'') honoured S. Srikanta Sastri for Lifetime Contribution to Historical Research & Studies. The University of Mysore brought forth a Festschrift Volume titled "Srikanthika" ( kn, ಶ್ರೀಕಂಠಿಕ) with articles on History and Indology by distinguished scholars. In 1994, S. Srikanta Sastri's portrait was unveiled in The Daly Hall of Fame at Mythic Society, Bangalore during The South Indian Numismatics Conference - 1994. In 2004, to mark his birth centenary, a two-day National Seminar was conducted, where several papers were presented in honour of S. Srikanta Sastri. The Mythic Society, Bangalore has published "Centenary Commemoration Volume" containing these papers presented during this occasion. The Government of Karnataka as part of celebrations marking fifty years of statehood brought forth a reprint of "Bharatiya Samskruti" in 2008. The Mythic Society under the Editorship of

T. V. Venkatachala Sastry Togere Venkatasubbasastry Venkatachala Sastry, commonly known as T. V. Venkatachala Shastry, is a Kannada-language writer, grammarian, critic, editor and lexicographer. He has authored in excess of 100 books, translations and has edited collecti ...

and P. N. Narasimha Murthy brought forth a collection of S. Srikanta Sastri's works in English titled "ŚRÌKAŅŢHAYÁNA" in 2016.

Legacy

S. Srikanta Sastri taught history for more than three decades (1926 - 1960) at Maharaja College, Mysore. He delivered over twenty lectures on the state radio at Mysore, Bangalore and

Dharwad Dharwad (), also known as Dharwar, is a city located in the north western part of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of the Dharwad district of Karnataka and forms a contiguous urban area with the city of Hubballi. It was merge ...

radio stations of Akashavani. He reviewed books in popular newspapers of his time. He penned numerous Forewords and Introductions to various books. As a founding Professor of Department of Indology at University of Mysore, he was instrumental in developing the course material. His students include G. Venkatasubbaiah,

U. R. Ananthamurthy Udupi Rajagopalacharya Ananthamurthy (21 December 1932 – 22 August 2014) was an Indian contemporary writer and critic in the Kannada language. He was born in Thirtahalli Taluk and is considered one of the pioneers of the Navya movement. In 19 ...

M. Chidananda Murthy M. Chidananda Murthy (10 May 1931 – 11 January 2020) was a Kannada writer, researcher and historian. He was a well-known scholar in Karnataka specializing in the history of Kannada language and ancient Karnataka. He was also known for his cam ...

, S. R. Rao,

R. K. Narayan Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami (10 October 1906 – 13 May 2001) was an Indian writer known for his work set in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi. He was a leading author of early Indian literature in English along with M ...

, R. K. Laxman, H. Y. Sharada Prasad and Y. G. Krishnamurti. He died on 10, May 1974 at the age of sixty nine in Bangalore.

Notes

Bibliography

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Krishnamurti, Y. G. (1942). Jawaharlal Nehru: The Man and His Ideas (1st ed.) Bombay: The Popular Book Depot. pp;XXXVI

Krishnamurti, Y. G. (1943). Independent India and a New World Order (1st ed.) Bombay: The Popular Book Depot. pp;XVIII

* ttp://dli.serc.iisc.ernet.in/handle/2015/66222 Krishnamurti, Y. G. (1944). The Betrayal of Freedom (2nd ed.) Bombay: The Popular Book Depot. pp;VI (Author's Note)
Krishnamurti, Y. G. (1945). Back to Sanity (1st ed.) Mysore: M. P. Basrur. pp.;XIV

Krishnamurti, Y. G. (1947). Freedom in an age of revolution (1st ed.) Madras: C. M. Manavalan, Literary Agent. pp.;123

Krishnamurti, Y. G. (1949). Gandhism will survive (1st ed.) Patna: Acharya Ramlochan Saran. pp;52

Felicitation Committee (1973). श्रीकंटिक (SRIKANTHIKA) - Festschrift Volume Mysore pp. 405 - 465

Subba_Rao,_T._R._(Ta._Ru._Su.)_(1960)._ಶಿಲ್ಪಶ್ರೀ_[Śilpaśrī
/nowiki>_-_A_Historical_Novel.html" ;"title="�ilpaśrī">Subba Rao, T. R. (Ta. Ru. Su.) (1960). ಶಿಲ್ಪಶ್ರೀ �ilpaśrī">Subba_Rao,_T._R._(Ta._Ru._Su.)_(1960)._ಶಿಲ್ಪಶ್ರೀ_[Śilpaśrī
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. * Nagaraj Rao, H. M. (2013). ಚಿತ್ರ - ಚೌಕಟ್ಟು (ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಚಿತ್ರ ಮಾಲೆ) (1st ed.). Mysore: Tara Prints. pp. 54–62.
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Iyengar, H. S. Krishnaswamy (1998). Belaku cellida baduku : 'Sudhā' vārapatrikeyalli prakaṭavāda vyakti citragaḷa sankalana". Publisher: Maisūru : Taḷukina Veṅkaṇṇayya Smāraka Granthamāle.
* Hegde, Nagpathi. K. S. (2020)."ಭಾರತೀಯ ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿ ಮತ್ತು ಪರಂಪರೆ - ಒಂದು ಕಿರುಪರಿಚಯ" (1st ed.) Bangalore. pp. 256
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Lakshminarasimha Sastry, Hurugalavadi (2021). "ಶೃಂಗೇರಿ ರತ್ನಸಂಪುಟ - ೩" (Sringeri Ratnasamputa). Publisher: Bharathi Prakashana (1st ed). Mysore. pp. 402 - 403.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sastri, S. Srikanta Scientists from Karnataka 1904 births 1974 deaths University of Mysore faculty Indian Indologists Kannada people Maharaja's College, Mysore alumni 20th-century Indian historians People from Mysore district Writers from Karnataka Indian male writers Indian social sciences writers 20th-century Indian essayists Historians of India Indian political writers Indian religious writers Scholars from Karnataka