Hem Chandra Raychaudhuri
Encyclopedia
Hem Chandra Raychaudhuri (8 April 1892 – 4 May 1957) was an India
n historian, known for his studies on ancient India.
, and his wife Tarangini Devi. Always a brilliant student, he completed his schooling at Brajamohan Institution in Barisal, which had been founded by Ashwini Kumar Datta. He passed the University of Calcutta's entrance examination in 1907, standing first among all the students of East Bengal and Assam. He then joined Scottish Church College, Calcutta
and after that Presidency College, Calcutta, standing First in the First Class in his B.A. (Hons.) examination in 1911. For his outstanding achievements in this examination he was awarded the Eshan Scholarship. He again stood First in the First Class in his M.A. examination in 1913 and was awarded the Griffith Prize in 1919.
(1913–14). Soon after he joined the Bengal Education Service and was posted at Presidency College, Calcutta from (1914–16). In 1916 he was transferred to Government College, Chittagong. Around this time Sir
Ashutosh Mookerjee
offered him a Lecturership at the Department of Ancient History and Culture, University of Calcutta
in 1917. He was awarded a Ph.D. in Ancient Indian history from Calcutta University in 1921. In 1928 he acted as Reader in the Department of History of the University of Dacca. In 1936 he succeeded D.R. Bhandarkar as the Charmichael Professor of Ancient Indian History and Culture at Calcutta University from where he retired in 1952.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n historian, known for his studies on ancient India.
Early life and education
He was the son of Manoranjan Raychaudhuri, the Zamindar of Ponabalia in the present-day Jhalokati District in BangladeshBangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, and his wife Tarangini Devi. Always a brilliant student, he completed his schooling at Brajamohan Institution in Barisal, which had been founded by Ashwini Kumar Datta. He passed the University of Calcutta's entrance examination in 1907, standing first among all the students of East Bengal and Assam. He then joined Scottish Church College, Calcutta
Scottish Church College, Calcutta
The Scottish Church College is the oldest continuously running Christian liberal arts and sciences college in India. It is affiliated with the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education , the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education for the awarding of baccalaureate and post baccalaureate...
and after that Presidency College, Calcutta, standing First in the First Class in his B.A. (Hons.) examination in 1911. For his outstanding achievements in this examination he was awarded the Eshan Scholarship. He again stood First in the First Class in his M.A. examination in 1913 and was awarded the Griffith Prize in 1919.
Career
He taught as a Lecturer in Bangabasi College, CalcuttaBangabasi College
Bangabasi College is a Kolkata based liberal arts, commerce and sciences college. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses of the University of Calcutta. It was founded by Acharya Girish Chandra Bose, the eminent educationist, social reformer and agriculturist in 1887...
(1913–14). Soon after he joined the Bengal Education Service and was posted at Presidency College, Calcutta from (1914–16). In 1916 he was transferred to Government College, Chittagong. Around this time Sir
Sir
Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
Ashutosh Mookerjee
Ashutosh Mukherjee
Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee, CIE was a prolific Bengali educator and the first Indian Vice Chancellor of the University of Calcutta from 1906 to 1924. Perhaps the most emphatic figure of Indian education, he was a man of great personality, high self-respect, courage and towering administrative ability...
offered him a Lecturership at the Department of Ancient History and Culture, University of Calcutta
University of Calcutta
The University of Calcutta is a public university located in the city of Kolkata , India, founded on 24 January 1857...
in 1917. He was awarded a Ph.D. in Ancient Indian history from Calcutta University in 1921. In 1928 he acted as Reader in the Department of History of the University of Dacca. In 1936 he succeeded D.R. Bhandarkar as the Charmichael Professor of Ancient Indian History and Culture at Calcutta University from where he retired in 1952.
Works
- Materials for the Study of the Early History of the Vaishnava Sect, Calcutta: University of Calcutta (1920)
- Political History of Ancient India: From the Accession of Parikshit to the Extinction of the Gupta Dynasty, Calcutta: University of Calcutta (1923)
- Studies in Indian Antiquities , Calcutta: University of Calcutta (1932)
- Vikramaditya in History and Legend, Vikrama-volume, Scindia Oriental Institute (1948)
- An Advanced History of India (Madras, 1946; last reprint in 1981) (authored with R.C. Majumdar and Kalikinkar Datta)
Further reading
- Panda, Harihar (2007). Prof. H.C. Raychaudhuri: as a Historian, New Delhi:Northern Book Centre, ISBN 8172112106