Gangadhar Sen Roy

Gangadhar Sen Roy (1798-1885) Ayurvedic physician, born at Magura in the district of Jessore. His father, Bhabaniprasad Sen Roy, was also an Ayurvedic physician. Gangadhar studied Ayurvedic medicine under Ramakanta Sen of rajshahi. At the age of 21 he went to Murshidabad and started practising there. He was so skilled that people started calling him the 'superb physician of Kaliyuga'.

Gangadhar also wrote several valuable books on Ayurvedic medicine, among them Arogyastotra. Other important books on Ayurveda include Jalpakalpataru (1879), a commentary on Charaksanghita, Nadivijvan and Prayogachandradaya. Apart from his writings on Ayurvedic medicine, Gangadhar also wrote books on Sanskrit grammar, rhetoric, art and literature. He also wrote poems and plays in Sanskrit. Among his books are Kavyaprabha (a book on rhetoric), Lokalokapurusiya (an epic, written in 17 volumes), Rajvijay (poem), Taravatisvayangvara (play), Pramadbhavjani (annotation on Manusanghita, 1882), Mugdhabodhamahavrtti (a commentary on Mugdhabodha's grammar), Taittiriyopanisadvrtti (a commentary on Taittiriyo Upanisad, 1884), Harsodaya (poeml lyric), and Tattvavidyakara (commentary on sada darshan, or the six Hindu schools of philosophy). A newspaper was briefly published in 1911 under the title Gabgadhar Manisa, to publish his writings. [Kanailal Ray]