Eminent archaeologist V.N. Misra passed away

Renowned archaeologist and pre-historian Professor Virendra Nath Misra on 31 October 2015 passed away due to old-age related problems. He was 80.

Born on 9 January 1935, Misra hailed from Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh. He completed his initial studies from the University of Lucknow, and then joined Deccan College and graduated from University of Pune.

After completing his studies in Sanskrit and Anthropology, Misra received guidance in archaeology from Professor HD Sankalia, who is considered to have pioneered archaeological excavation techniques in the country.

Misra is known worldwide for his research in Prehistory, Protohistory and Ethnoarchaeology. In addition, he is also noted for his studies in northern Rajasthan, western Madhya Pradesh and Maharastra. His most striking achievement is the excavations at the world heritage site of Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh and the 6000-year-old site of Balathal in Rajasthan.

Misra retired as a Professor of Prehistoric Archaeology in 1995. He had also served as the Director of Deccan College in 2000.

In 1977, Misra founded a dedicated society for pre-historic studies and started an international research journal, Man and Environment, which he edited from its inception till his death.

The noted archaeologist was conferred with the prestigious VS Wakankar Award by the Madhya Pradesh Government with for his contribution to pre-history.

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