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Dr S.Srikanta Sastri's writings often invited sharp criticism from certain intellectual quarters invariably culminating in heated debates, which on more than one occassion led to controversies.

Notable of these was, when he linked Purandaradasa to Vijayanagara empire’s fall. Equally controversial were his contentions regarding the actual time of Basaveshwara and the veracity of his miracles.

His contention that Chavundaraya had little to do with the construction of the monolithic statue of Bahubali at Shravanabelagola also invited mixed response from historians and intellectuals alike.

Probably, the most remembered was when, Dr S.Srikanta Sastri questioned Mysore State’s Sovereignty from the perspective of a Unified Indian Nation state. This line of questioning in pre-independent India, when the princely state of Mysore was still under the Maharaja’s rule invited criticism from the then Diwan, Sir Mirza Ismail. The Diwan went so far as to invite Dr S.Srikanta Sastri for clarification and is believed to have warned of dire consequences, if a retraction was not issued forth in earnest.  

Dr S.Srikanta Sastri being the steadfast proponent of truth, readily declined to offer any apologies and further challenged the Diwan to mete out the worst. Of course, nothing happened and Dr Srikanta Sastri stood his ground!  

Another instance of his daring scholarship was when he openly criticised Father Heras for linking Dravidian and Indus script (a view unfortunately encouraged by a particularly biased section of The-Hindu newspaper).  

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