Chakrapani Datta (Bengali:চক্রপাণি দত্ত) (c. 11th century) was aBengali scholar and practitioner ofAyurveda medicine.
In his lifetime, Datta was renowned for his significant contributions to the Ayurveda system of medicine, primarily through his academic commentaries on the primary texts on the field. He is considered to have had a notable impact onIndian medicine through his work.
Chakrapani Datta was believed to have been born in the latter half of the 11th century in the village ofMayureswar, located in what is nowWest Bengal.[1] He was aBrahmin and belonged to a nobleVaidya family,[2][3] with his father having served as a kitchen superintendent for thePala emperor,Nayapala.[4] His elder brother Bhanu is described as having been anAntaranga (learned physician).[5] A Pala courtier, Naradatta, acted as Datta's spiritual teacher.[6]
Datta began to gain prominence at a young age through his commentaries on the primaryAyurveda texts: theCharaka Samhita and theSushruta Samhita.[4] Among his most celebrated works areChikitsasamgraha (Collection of medical practices and procedures),Dravyaguna (Properties of plants), andSarvasarsamgraha (Collection of the essence of things).[6] These discussed therapeutic, surgical and physiological treatments to disease and have led to him being regarded as an authority in Ayurveda medicine.[7] His being the first to incorporate metallic recipes among his creed is also considered notable, with historian Durga Prasad Mazumder arguing that it "introduced a new era in medical science".[3][8]
Datta's accomplishments earned him the exalted titles ofCharaka Cheturanana,Sushruta Sahasranayana andMahamahopadhyaya.[3] His contributions toSanskrit grammar andNyaya philosophy are also considered to be noteworthy. They are most prominently shown through his compilation of theShabdachandrika dictionary and annotations on Gauatama'sNyāya Sūtras respectively.[6]
Through his work, Datta amassed a significant fortune, allowing his descendants to become prominentzamindars, a role they continued in into the 20th century.[4]