Panchanan Mitra

Who was Panchanan Mitra?

Dr. Panchanan Mitra was the first professor of anthropology in India. He was among the first Indians to study at Yale University and conducted several anthropological expeditions in India and abroad. He was the head of the Department of Anthropology of the University of Calcutta and is most known for his works Prehistoric India, History of Ameri-can Anthropology and Indo-Poly-nesian Memories. He was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland and today the Asiatic Society awards an annual ‘Panchanan Mitra Memorial Lectureship’ for outstanding contributions to anthropology.