SANSKRIT EDUCATION IN BURDWAN DISTRICT: ANCIENT TIMES TO MODERN PERIOD

Abstract

From earliest period, Burdwan district had been under the so called civilization. With expansion of the Aryan territory from Saptasindhu area to eastern India and thereafter some parts of southern India, Sanskrit language became a language of people, belonging to rich and upper castes. Chandrabarma’s Sanskrit inscription of 4^th century A.D. on Susunia hill of Bankura district is the perhaps earliest proof of using Sanskrit in Burdwan region. During the reign of Sena dynasty in Bengal, Burdwan region saw a rise of using Sanskrit language which went on till nineteenth century with a large number of Sanskrit scholars flourished in this region and later by help of the local zamindar family of Burdwan. After independence of India, though Sanskrit language has been included in the syllabus and has been taught in schools, colleges and universities in Burdwan district along with other parts of West Bengal and India, apathy towards Sanskrit language has risen among students.