Sasanka Sekhar Panda Biography

Sasanka Sekhar Panda graduated from Sambalpur University with a First Class Honors Degree in History in the year 1974. Thereafter he received M.A. Degree in History and M.Phil. Degree in Buddhist Studies in 1977 and 1982 respectively from the University of Delhi. For higher studies then he went to the United States of America and did research for two years commencing from January 1996 in the University of Virginia at Charlottesville, VA. He has the experience of teaching Ancient Indian Temple Art and Architecture to the American students in the university as a teaching assistant.Being adjudged as the best scholar for the year 1997-98 he was awarded with the most prestigious Du Pont Fellowship. He has contributed substantially to the field of Temple Art of Odisha and has published sixty-two research articles in various national and international journals. He has also authored three Poetry Collections, one Short-stories Collection and also edited eight volumes on art, culture, literature, history and traditions in his native Odia language. He was successful in the Odisha Administrative Service Examination for the 1978 Batch. He entered government service as a district-level officer in the Information and Public Relations Department and after serving the government very devotedly as a Communication Administrator he retired from service in May,2014 as the Director (Technical) and Additional Secretary to the Government of Odisha.