Shri Jagannath Dham is one of the most Prominent Dham of four Dhams of  Hindu culture of India, which situated at holy Puri. In the beginning, A Sanskrit TOL (Teaching Oriental Languages) was established by the relentless efforts of Mahamahopadhyaya Acharya Harihara Dash during the year of 1865 here in this city to promote Shri Jagannath culture.

Late Pandit Sri Harihar Das of Sriramchandrapur village traveled on foot to meet Maharaja Sir Digvijay Singh Bahadur K.C.M.I. of Balrampur State in the Kingdom Ayodhya to request him to establish a Sanskrit Institute in Puri dham. Maharaja Digvijay Singh was kind enough and deposited Rs. 5,500 immediately with the Government and requested the Commissioner of Cuttack, Sir R.N. Shore esqr, Puri P.I. and the members of the local committee to establish a Sanskrit Institute. Accordingly, a Sanskrit class and a Sanskrit library were opened in the premises of Puri Zilla School under the supervision of its Headmaster in 1865. Vyakarana and Kavya were used to teach here in the beginning. The King of Puri and His Successors used to donate Rs.1300 annually for the development of the study of Sanskrit and Students. This custom was stopped from 1949 due to the abolition of landlordism. A few days later, the said Sanskrit Class was drawn back from the supervision of the Headmaster of Puri Zilla School. instead developed into a separate Sanskrit School and the department of Nyaya was opened along with inception of School. At that time, there were three teachers and a peon.

In 1888, a committee was formed with the District Collector, M.D., Civil Surgeon, Municipal Chairman and Deputy Inspector of Schools as members of committee and this committee took charge of this Sanskrit School.

Later on 11.04.1918, this Sanskrit School is modified into a College. The Sanskrit school became Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya. Mahamahopadhyaya Shri Sadashiva Mishra, Kabyakantha urged the Government of Bihar Odisha for the development of the college and strived always for the welfare and the development of this institution (Later this Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya is named after Mahamahopadhyaya Shri Sadashiva Mishra as Sadashiva Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya).

There were five classes/subjects namely Kavya (Poetry), Vyakarana (Grammar), Nyaya, Smriti and Vedanta are used to be taught by the time of its development/conversion into a College during April, 1918.  Later, within a month, Jyotish, Ayurveda and Odia classes were started. Panini Vyakarana, Sankhyayoga, Vaishnava Darshana (Vaishnavism) and English classes and Agam puran departments were started afterwards.

At that time, the students were finding it difficult to stay because there was no big hostel for staying. In 1925-26, the Bihar Odisha Government built a Pakka hostel and a wall to solve the problem. In 1938, the Swadeshi Mantrimandal established a Practical Department of Ayurveda and Gopabandhu Charity Hospital. In 1948, the Swadeshi Government raised the salary of teachers to Rs 100-180. In 1948, the Institution was freed from the Inspectorate and placed under the direct management of the Director of Education. An Ayurvedic Pharmacy was established during this year only. ``Pandita Samiti'' is formed on behalf of the college for the development of research. With its help, some books have been published and Sanskrit and Oriya texts have been prepared for publication. Later, in 1957, the Government accepted the petition of the teachers and raised their salary to Rs 175-350 at par with the sub-deputy scale, and later it has been increased to Rs 230-540. Although the college has got all the facilities at par with the English colleges, this college has not got the same prestige and status as the English colleges.

In addition, Rasashala and Indoor (In-Patient Wing) were opened for the growth of Ayurveda department.

Almost, poor students only come to this institute always. Therefore, the origin of this institute is from the charity and its status was depended upon the charity only. From the beginning of the college, apart from the donation of the King of Balrampur, “A Poor People Interest Fund” was created to help poor students and appeals/requests were made to the local educationists for donations. They kept their promises and sent pulses, rice and money to Hostel for many years. In addition, many students were kept in their monasteries. As a result, the number of students in the college was increasing. Later, after the endowment bill was introduced, the monastery of Hostel students was stopped. As a result, the number of students began to decrease. For this, after requesting the Government, the total grant was increased to Rs. 12,000 in 1945. Meanwhile, in 1949, the Grant from Balarampur state was stopped. As a result, the number of students in the college decreased drastically.

Seeing such a miserable condition of the Institution, prominent citizens like Acharya Harihar Das, RayaBahadur Shrijukta. Loknath Mishra requested the government in 1965 for release of scholarship. Then, the then Education Minister arranged a monthly stipend of one thousand rupees for forty hostel students. Due to this, the number of students in the college increased relatively.

After that in August 15, 1971, the Dept. of Education, Govt. of India, had taken it under its administration. So the Puri Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya, then Shri Sadashiva Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya was finally ornamented by the name of Shri Sadashiva Kendriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha . Again this institution was consented as Shri Sadashiva Campus ( Deemed University ) by the M.H.R.D Govt . of India on May 7th 2002. UGC had also given a conscent as Deemned University to this institution on June 13th, 2002 and its was inaugurated on July 3rd , 2002. Recently it is popular as Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan ( Deemed University ) Shri Sadashiva Campus , Puri . Inspite of so many hurdles in this mission, presently this institution has flourished into a huge shade and our eminent students and scholars have increasing its prestige by their talents, success and publications in all over the world. Shri Sadashiva Campus had celebrated the Golden Jubilee celebration in the year 1968 to mark completion of 50 years and Centenary Celebrations to mark completion of 100 years in the year 2018. The Centenary Celebrations of the College was inaugurated by His Excellency, Shri Ramanath Kobind, the then Hon’ble President of India on 18.04.2018.

March 16, 2020 is another red-letter day in the chequered history of the Campus, when the Parliament of India passed the Central Sanskrit Universities Act 2020 through which Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan and its campuses (later Deemed Universities) were established as Central Sanskrit Universities.

Relevant Links:

The Central Sanskrit Universities Act, 2020

Please Click Here To See The History Of Shri Sadashiva Campus in Odia Language.

Names and tenure of principals at various times before being undertaken by Govt. Of India

SL.No	NAME	PERIOD
1	Shri Vishwanath Mahapatra, Kabyatirtha	1-11-1918
2	Shri Yogendra Mishra, Kavyavisharada	10-2-1919
3	Vedyaratna Sri Maguni Brahma	13-10-1919
4	Shri Shyamsundar Das Mahapatra, M.A., Kabyateerth	13-11-1919
5	Shri Radhakrishna Mohanty, B.A., D.Ed.	11-1-1926
6	Shri KarunakarKar, M.A., Kabyabyakarantirth	24-1-19 17
7	Shri Harekrishna Mohapatra, B.A.	27-6-1940
8	Shri Kishori Mohan Dwivedi, M.A.	1-8-1940
9	Sri Harekrishna Mohapatra, B.A.	14-9-1944
10	Shri Dambarudhar Das, M.A. D.Ed.	2-11-1944
11	Shri Padmalochan Upadhyay, M.A., B.L.	18-8-1947
12	Shri Ramachandra Mohapatra, M.A., LT.Kavyatirth	16-3-1949
13	Shri Sidheswar Hota M.A., Jyotsacharya	20-10-1954
14	Shri Anshakmani Mishra, Vyakaranacharya	2-7-1961
15	Shri Padmalochan Upadhyay	25-10-1961
16	Shri Padmanav Mishra, Vyakaranacharya	24-4-1962
17	Shri Basudeva Nanda, B.O.L., Sahityacharya	31-8-1962
18	Shri Radhamohan Mohapatra, M.A.	2-6-1965
19	Mr. Debarchan Bhoi
20	Ketaki Nayak	1968-71