Niharranjan Ray (1903–1981) was an Indian

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 ...

historian, well known for his works on the history of art and Indian history.

Early life and education

He was born on 14 January 1903 at Kayetgram village of

Mymensingh District Mymensingh ( bn, ময়মনসিংহ) is a district in Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh, and is bordered on the north by Meghalaya, a state of India and the Garo Hills, on the south by Gazipur District, on the east by the districts of Ne ...

in Bengal province of

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 ...

(in the present-day

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 ...

). He completed his initial studies from the Mrityunjaya School and

Ananda Mohan College Government Ananda Mohan College is a higher secondary school and National University, Bangladesh affiliated college in Mymensingh, Bangladesh. One of the oldest educational premises in South Asia, the institute was established in 1883 by Anan ...

in Mymensingh. In 1924, he passed his B.A. examination in History from

Murari Chand College Murari Chand College ( bn, মুরারিচাঁদ কলেজ) (usually referred to as MC College) was the first college in the Sylhet Division. It was established in 1892, making it the seventh oldest college in Bangladesh. Since then i ...

Sylhet Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট) is a metropolitan city in northeastern Bangladesh. It is the administrative seat of the Sylhet Division. Located on the north bank of the Surma River at the eastern tip of Bengal, Sylhet has a subtropical climate ...

. In 1926, he stood first in the M.A. examination in Ancient Indian History and Culture 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 ...

. He received the ''Mrinalini Gold Medal'' in the same year for his ''Political History of Northern India, AD 600-900''. In 1928, he received the Premchand Roychand Studentship. In 1935, he passed his diploma in Librarianship from the London University College. He married Manika and had two sons and one daughter. His son, Pranabranjan Ray, is a historian. He died 30 August 1981 at the age of 78 in Kolkata, West Bengal India.

Career

He was appointed the Chief Librarian in the Central Library of Calcutta University in 1936. In 1946, he was appointed Bageswari Professor of Fine Arts in Calcutta University and retired from the post in 1965.Chakrabarty, Ramakanta (ed.) (2008). ''Time Past and Time Present'', Kolkata: The Asiatic Society, p.28 He was the General Secretary of the

Asiatic Society The Asiatic Society is a government of India organisation founded during the Company rule in India to enhance and further the cause of "Oriental research", in this case, research into India and the surrounding regions. It was founded by the p ...

, Calcutta from 1949 to 1950. In 1965, he became the First Director of the

Indian Institute of Advanced Study The Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS) is a research institute located in Shimla, India. It was set up by the Ministry of Education, Government of India in 1964 and started functioning from 20 October 1965. History and establishment The ...

Shimla Shimla (; ; also known as Simla, the official name until 1972) is the capital and the largest city of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared as the summer capital of British India. After independence, ...

and remained in office till 1970. He was a member of the Third Pay Commission from 1970 to 1973.Ray, Niharranjan (1993). ''Bangalir Itihas: Adiparba'', Kolkata: Dey's, , pp.761-3

Political views

He was a nationalist and participated in the

Quit India movement The Quit India Movement, also known as the August Kranti Movement, was a movement launched at the Bombay session of the All India Congress Committee by Mahatma Gandhi on 8th August 1942, during World War II, demanding an end to British rule in ...

and was imprisoned from 1943 to 1944.

Major works

His magnum opus in

, ''Bangalir Itihas: Adiparba'' (History of the Bengali People: Early Period) was initially published in 1949. Later, an enlarged and revised edition was published by the ''Saksharata Prakashan'' in two volumes in 1980. His other significant works include: * ''Brahmanical Gods of Burma'' (1932) * ''Sanskrit Buddhism in Burma'' (1936) * ''Rabindra Sahityer Bhumika'' (An introduction to the works of Rabindranath Tagore) (1940) * ''Theravada Buddhism in Burma'' (1946) * ''An Introduction to the Study of Theravada Buddhism in Burma'' (1946) * ''Maurya and Śuṅga Art (1947) (a revised and enlarged edition of the work was published in 1976 as ''Maurya and Post-Maurya Art'') * ''Art in Burma'' (1954) * ''An Artist in Life; A Commentary on the Life and Works of Rabindranath Tagore'' (1967) * ''Nationalism in India'' (1972) * ''Idea and Image in Indian Art'' (1973) * ''An Approach to Indian Art'' (1974) * ''Mughal Court Painting: A Study in Social and Formal Analysis'' (1974) * ''The Sikh Gurus and the Sikh Society'' (1975) * ''Eastern Indian Bronzes'' (1986)

Awards and honors

*First recipient of the

Rabindra Puraskar The Rabindra Puraskar (also Rabindra Smriti Puraskar) is the highest honorary literary award given in the Indian state of West Bengal. This award is named after the famous Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore and is administered by the Government of W ...

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...

(for his ''Bangalir Itihas: Adiparba'' in 1950). *

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

, 1969. *

Sahitya Akademi award The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the ...

(''An Artist in Life'').

Early life and education

Career

Political views

Major works

Awards and honors

Notes

Further reading