Mahamahopadhyaya (Sanskrit: महामहोपाध्याय) is an honorific title given to prestigious scholars by the Government of India. Prior to 1947, the title was bestowed by the British Raj, and before them, by the kings of ancient India. In ancient India, a scholar that wrote works based on topics related to the shastras was granted the title Mahopadhyaya.[1] The title Mahamahopadhyaya was bestowed on the best amongst the Mahopadhyaya scholars.[1]
Some of the notable recipients are:
- Ganganath Jha (1871-1941) - court librarian of Raj Darbhanga and later vice-chancellor of the University of Allahabad[2]
- Sri Sivayogi Mudigonda Nagalinga Sastri (1876-1948) - A great Samskrta scholar from the village of Tenali. Honoured for his works on Saiva Siddhanta, Vyakarna, Nyaya, Miamamsa, Agamas, Vedas and others. [3]
- Kaviraja Shyamaldas (1836-1893), one of the first modern Indian historian and author of Vir Vinod; Kaviraja and Dewan of Udaipur State[4][5]
- Kaviraja Muraridan (1830-1914), Diwan, Council Member, Judge of the Appellate Court, Officer of the Civil Court, General Superintendent, and the Magistrate of the princely state of Marwar[6]
- Rewa Prasad Dwivedi (1935-2021), Sanskrit scholar based in Varanasi, originally from Nadner on the banks of Narmada river in Madhya Pradesh[7]
- Haraprasad Shastri (1853–1931), Sanskrit scholar, archivist and historian of Bengali literature
- Peri Lakshmi Narayana Sastry (1875-1949)
- Pt. Sadashiva Jairam Dehadrai, Rao Bahadur (1861), Sanskrit scholar, Freedom Fighter and Professor of Sanskrit
- Pandurang Vaman Kane (1880–1963), Sanskrit scholar
- Jayamant Mishra (1925–2010), Sanskrit scholar
- Vedam Venkataraya Sastry (1853–1929), Sanskrit and Telugu poet, critic and dramatist
- Ram Avatar Sharma (1877–1929), Sanskrit scholar
- Datto Vaman Potdar (1890–1979), historian, writer, and orator
- Bishweshwar Nath Reu (1890–1966), historian, epigraphist, numismatist and Sanskritist
- Vasudev Vishnu Mirashi (1893–1985), Sanskrit scholar, in 1941
- Ramacharya Narsimhacharya Galagali (1892-1981), Sanskrit Scholar, Sanskrit Poet, Author of two incomplete Mahakavyam.[8]
- Pathani Samanta (1835–1904), Sanskrit/Odia astronomer and scholar
- Jagannath Mishra (Puri, Odisha), Sanskrit scholar
- Hathibhai Shastri, Sanskrit scholar, writer, and orator. High priest of the Kingdom of Jamnagar.[9][10]
- T. Ganapati Sastri, Received the Mahamahopadhyaya title in 1918[11]
- U Ve Swaminatha Iyer (1855–1942), Tamil scholar
- Pandithamani Kathiresan Chettiar, (1881-1953), Tamil and Sanskrit scholar, translator
- Gopinath Kaviraj (1887 – 1976) in 1934, Sanskrit scholar, philosopher, Padma Vibhushan (1964) [12]
- Acharya Gangaram Shastri (Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh and only one in history from the state to be conferred the honour), (1923 - 2014), Sanskrit and Hindi scholar
- Sri Dongare Veereswara Krishna Sastry, Sanskrit scholar
- Sri Remella SuryaPrakasa Sastry, Sanskrit scholar, Purva Mimamsa exponent from Rajahmundry Andhra Pradesh
- Sri Sannidhanam Lakshminarayana Murthy Sastry, Sanskrit Scholar, Purva Mimamsa exponent from Rajahmundry Andhra Pradesh
- Sri Pullela Sri Ramachandrudu, Sanskrit/Telugu Scholar, Director of Sanskrit Academy Osmania University, Hyderabad
- Sri Viswanatha Gopalakrishna Sastry, Sanskrit scholar, Nyaya exponent from Rajahmundry Andhra Pradesh
- Bhadreshdas Swami, Sanskrit scholar
- Yogacharya Dr Ashoke Kumar Chatterjee, World Kriyayoga Master, Conferred by Tirupati Sanskrit University with title of Mahamahopadhyaya on 6 March 2013, for His 6 decades of spiritual and literary contribution and inimitable contribution to Indology.
- Bidhushekhar Shastri (1878-1957) Sanskrit scholar and editor
- B. N. Krishnamurti Sharma (1909 - 2005) renowned Indian Sanskrit scholar, professor, Indologist and Dvaita Vedanta expert
- A. N. Jani (1921–2003) Sanskrit scholar and Indologist[13]
- Dr. Mani Dravid Sastrigal Sanskrit scholar, professor and Advaita Vedanta, Nyaya, Mimamsa and Vyakarana expert
- Shivji Upadhayaya Sanskrit scholar and Maha-Mantri of Śrī Kāśī Vidvat Parisad.
- Sri Viswanatha Gopalakrishna Sanskrit scholar and Advaita Vedanta, Nyaya and Mimamsa expert
- Shridharshatri Pathak
- VasudevShatri Abhyankar
- Kashinathshatrai Abhyankar
- Mahamahopadhyaya Shri Vashishta Tripathi Sanskrit scholar, Nyaya expert and President of Śrī Kāśī Vidvat Parisad.
References edit
- ^ a b Lalye, P. G. (1 January 2002). Mallinātha. Sahitya Akademi. ISBN 9788126012381.
- ^ Belvalkar, S.K. (1943). "Our Cordial Greetings to the Ganganath Jha Research Institute". Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute. 24 (3/4): 224–226. JSTOR 41688502.
- ^ "Srouta Saiva Siddhanta".
- ^ Cultural contours of India p37
- ^ Sharma, Dasharatha (1970) Lectures on Rajput history and culture p1 Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi
- ^ Gulerī, Candradhara Śarmā (1987). Gulerī racanāvalī (in Hindi). Kitābaghara.
- ^ "About | REWA PRASAD DWIVEDI". rewaprasaddwivedi.net. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
- ^ "Galagali Ramacharya | Karnataka Samskrit University". www.ksu.ac.in. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
- ^ http://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n81141805/ [bare URL]
- ^ http://www.mrmlonline.com/ap_eds_hathibhai_jamnagar_mahamahopadhyaya_shastri_swami_tirtha_trivikrama.html
- ^ The contribution of Kerala to Sanskrit Literature; K.Kunjunni Raja; University of Madras 1980; page 257
- ^ "Sri Sri Anandamayi Ma's Devotees". Anandamayi Ma. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
- ^ Dutt, Kartik Chandra, ed. (1999). Who's who of Indian Writers, 1999: A-M. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. p. 495. ISBN 978-81-260-0873-5.