A reputed, Mysuru-based professor in Psychiatry, has become a historian and has completed a PhD diploma in Ancient Indian History. Earlier, he had written a guide, in each Kannada and English, on Ganga emperor Sripurusha.

Dr B N Raveesh, head of division of Psychiatry, Mysore Medical College and Research Institute (MMC and RI), has pursued the PhD diploma from Selinus University that has a World Certification Institute (WCI) accreditation. It is a distance-learning institute for adults and professionals.

Besides his skilled training, expertise and analysis associated to his speciality, Dr Raveesh is an professional in regulation, human rights, forensics and hospital administration, associated to his medical career and advocacy. Earlier, he served as director of Dharwad Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences.

Earlier, in 2021, his Kannada guide Ganga Samrata Sripurusha was launched. Recently its English model Samrat Sripurusha has been launched. The books attempt to hint and revive the ethnicity and satisfaction of Gangas, particularly Sripurusha, whose memorial was traced and restored in 2020.

“I know, it is quite odd for a Psychiatrist to pursue his second PhD in Ancient Indian History. I did this with passion. It is a tribute to my ancestor Muttarasa Kongunivarma – Samrat Sripurusha of the Western Ganga dynasty,” mentioned Dr Raveesh.

“I am proud to know about my lineage, I have gained strong relationship more than the blood connections. I am proud to be a Western Ganga,” he mentioned.

“In 2019, the late T N Dasegowda of Talakad had organised a felicitation to achievers of T Narsipur taluk. In that function, a few persons ridiculed me, for not having chosen a foreign nation, to match my education, research and experience. Then, Dasegowda made me proud with his knowledge on history of Bannur, my birthplace. He said, Sripurusha, one of the great Ganga rulers, was from Bannur and most of the people in the region, including me, could be his descendants. This evoked pride in me, about my birthplace and the Gangas. Thus my quest as a history student began,” remembers Dr Raveesh.

“We had a physical training teacher at Christ the King Convent, in Mysuru, who used to engage theory classes, whenever we could not play, due to rains or hot climate. He used to tell us history of the places in the neighbourhood. Besides, my maternal grandmother Sannamma used to narrate the legends about temples we used to visit. She explained how Kodandaramaswamy temple in Bannur turned into a fort, for defence purpose. In Marimallappa’s School, names of our groups were from history — Chalukya, Kadamba, Wadiyar and Ganga. Once I was in Ganga group and tried to trace their emblem, from a book. When we changed groups in rotation, we used to study about the dynasties, their noteworthy kings and their achievements,” he remembers.

The subject of his thesis is: ‘The Western Ganga Dynasty Regimes Golden Age by King Sriprusha’.