Dineshchandra Sircar


Dineschandra Sircar was an epigraphist, historian, numismatist and folklorist, known particularly in India and Bangladesh for his work deciphering inscriptions. He was the Chief Epigraphist of the Archaeological Survey of India, Carmichael Professor of Ancient Indian History and Culture at the University of Calcutta and the General President of the Indian History Congress. In 1972, Sircar was awarded the Sir William Jones Memorial Plaque.

Early life and education

Sircar was born to a family of Ayurvedic physicians at Krishnanagar. He graduated with Honours in Sanskrit in 1929 and obtained a First Class in his MA Examination in 1931 in Ancient Indian History and Culture with specialisation in Epigraphy and Numismatics from the University of Calcutta.

Selected bibliography

He authors more than forty books both in Bengali and English. Some of his best-known books include:
He has edited Epigraphia Indica volumes XXVIII to XXXVI, three of them jointly and the others independently.