Synopsis The role of personalities in the growth of nations cannot be overemphasized. It is ultimately the human factor that makes civilizations and moulds societies. Indian culture is a result of the endeavours and sacrifices of the countless generations who laid the foundations of its institutions and germinated the ideas that have withered the vicissitudes of time. The present work, An Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Eminent Personalities (Ancient India), purports to furnish the biographical sketches of some of the greatest personalities who have given rise to a rich and varied heritage reflected in the various branches of knowledge. The life and work of administrators like Chandragupta Maurya, political scientists like Kautilya, poets like Kalidasa, mathematicians like Bhaskara, philosophers like Shankara and grammarians like Panini constitute a priceless possession by any standard, whatsoever.