Historian, linguist and polymath Rajendralal Mitra was born on this day. He occupies a special place among Bengal Renaissance figures for his multifaceted scholarship and his diverse accomplishments, also in public life. Though he had little formal education, he became one of the leading advocates of the historical method in the writing of Indian history.
He was appointed librarian-cum-assistant-secretary of The Asiatic Society in 1846. In 1885, Mitra became the first Indian president of The Asiatic Society. He remained associated with the society till the end of his life, as he did with several other institutions and social causes. He wrote for numerous publications.
He was an editor and collaborator with the prestigious Bibliotheca Indica series brought out by The Asiatic Society.
Among Mitra’s major works are The Antiquities of Orissa and Buddha Gaya: The Hermitage of Sakya Muni. He was influenced by Orientalist scholarship, but his own work was distinct. He challenged James Fergusson’s assumption that stone architecture was introduced to India by the Greeks.
He himself was critiqued for giving historical status to a Hindu mythical genealogy.
But his scholarship towers over its shortcomings.
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