Niharranjan Ray (14 January 1903 – 30 August 1981) was an Indian Bengali 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 District () is a district in Mymensingh Division Bangladesh, and is bordered in the north by Meghalaya, India and the Garo Hills, in the south by Gazipur District, in the east by the districts of Netrokona and Kishoreganj and in ...

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 in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

(in the present-day

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

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

Ananda Mohan College Ananda Mohan College () or Government Ananda Mohan College is a fully government-aided public college, affiliated to National University, Bangladesh and Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Mymensingh, Mymensingh Education Board in M ...

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

Sylhet Sylhet (; ) is a Metropolis, metropolitan city in the north eastern region of Bangladesh. It serves as the administrative center for both the Sylhet District and the Sylhet Division. The city is situated on the banks of the Surma River and, as o ...

. 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 (), is a Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Kolkata, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India. It has 151 affiliated undergraduate c ...

. 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 an 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 philologist Will ...

, Calcutta from 1949 to 1950. In 1965, he became the First Director of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study,

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 the summer capital of British India. After independence, the city ...

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 and was imprisoned from 1943 to 1944. ′

Major works

His magnum opus in Bengali, '' 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, West Bengal (for his ''Bangalir Itihas: Adiparba'' in 1950). *

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') 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 Januar ...

, 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

Awards and honors

Notes

Further reading