Sitakant Mahapatra (born September 17, 1937) is a notable Indian poet and literary critic in Oriya as well as English. He has also been a part Indian Administrative Service (IAS) since 1961, retiring as Secretary of Culture to the Government of India. He has published over 15 poetry collection, 5 essay collections, a travelogue, over 30 contemplative works, apart from numerous translations. His poetry collection have been published in several Indian languages. His notable works are, Sabdar Akash (1971) (The Sky of Words), Samudra (1977) and Anek Sharat (1981). He was awarded the 1974 Sahitya Akademi Award in Oriya for his poetry collection, Sabdar Akash (The Sky of Words). He was awarded India's highest literary honour, the Jnanpith Award in 1993 "for outstanding contribution to Indian literature" and in its citation the Bharatiya Jnanpith noted, "Deeply steeped in western literature his pen has the rare rapturous fragrance of native soil"; In 2002, the President of India conferred on him India's civilian award, the Padma Bhushan.
