State pays tribute to German historian Kulke

Bhubaneswar: Odisha on Tuesday mourned the passing away of German historian Hermann Kulke, who was widely regarded as one of the most authoritative scholars on Odisha’s religious and cultural evolution.Born in 1938, Kulke was Professor Emeritus of South and Southeast Asian History at Kiel University, Germany, and completed his DLitt on Gajapati kingship and the Jagannath cult from Heidelberg University in 1975. He was the founder member and coordinator, respectively, of the first two Orissa research projects of the German Research Council. For his pioneering work, Kulke was decorated with the Padma Shri in 2010.

Deputy chief minister KV Singh Deo said his pioneering research on Odisha’s history, culture, and politics will continue to inspire generations of scholars. BJD chief Naveen Patnaik also condoled Kulke’s death. Naveen said his demise is a profound loss to the world of history and Indology.Author Gourahari Das said Kulke wrote some wonderful essays on Odisha. He probably was the first German historian who brought places and deities like Maa Tarini of Ghatagaon to national narratives, Das said.