page_title: Paramananda Acharya
section_title: Career
hierarchical_section_title: Paramananda Acharya / Biography / Career
caption_attribution_description: English: Temple of Ananta Vasudeva,Bhuvaneshwar
context_page_description: Pramananda Acharya was an Indian archaeologist known for his notable archaeological research on the history of Odisha. He was honoured by the Government of India in 1964, with the award of Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award for his services to the nation.
context_section_description: His initial posting was at Khiching with the responsibility of preserving the temples and historical sites in the area. In 1925, he underwent advanced training at Paharpur excavation site (presently in Bangladesh). During the next few years, he visited the neighbouring cities and states but returned to Khiching and started collecting sculptures, artifacts and antiquities from the medieval period. These finds were stored in Khiching temple premises which later became the Khiching Museum in 1928 and Acharya was appointed as the Senior Archaeologist of the museum. In 1930, when the Maharaja ordered the excavation of the Old Palace site in Hariharpur, Acharya was given the responsibility. During this project, he arranged for the dismantling of the dilapidated temples of Chandra Sekhar and Kutei-Tundi situated at the Palace site and restored them. He also restored the temple of Hara during this period.
  Acharya participated in the first International Congress of the Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences, in 1934 and the trip to London helped him to gather copies of records related to Mayurbhanj and Ananta Vasudeva Temple of Bhubaneswar. A plaster copy of one of the inscriptions he brought is on display at the Odisha State Museum. In 1939, an expedition led by Acharya and E. C. Worman (Jr.) of Harvard University discovered Kuliana site near Mayurbhanj. Three years later, he was deputed to Khandapada, Banesvaranasi, Champesvar, Bhattarika, Simhanath and Ramchandi which resulted in the discovery of a temple at Ramchandi with a unique style of architecture. It was during this period, he undertook the reconstruction of Khichingesvari temple which was completed in 1942. Later, he discovered the Anantasayi Vishnu image at Saranga and Bhimkund. He also conducted surveys of archaeological relics at Vaitarani, Brahmani, and Mahanadi valleys.
caption: Ananta Vasudeva Temple
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