He was born in Khiching, the former capital of the Bhanj dynasty, in Mayurbhanj district, Odisha where his father Sagar Panigrahi was a priest in the Kichakeshwari Temple.
[1] Panigrahi was a research scholar specialising in pottery in the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) from 1937 to 1944.
He received the Padma Shri, an award by Government of India for his contribution to literature and education.
[2] He got award sahitya academy for his biography Mo samaya ra odisha".His famous Story is Puspabara re barshabarana.
Panigrahi authored a large number of articles and books on history and archaeology.