Pandurang Vaman Kane (pronounced Kaa-nay) (1880 – 1972) was a notable Indologist and Sanskrit scholar.
He received India's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna in 1963 for his scholarly work that spanned more than 40 years of active academic research that resulted in History of Dharmaśāstra: Ancient and Medieval Religious and Civil Law in India.
Published in five volumes, it is an encyclopedia of ancient social laws and customs. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi award for History of Dharmaśāstra, vol. IV for his research under the Sanskrit translation category. The richness in the work is attributed to his in-depth knowledge of Sanskrit.
He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha as a member of Parliament for his distinguished record in the field of academics.
Dr. Kane was bestowed with the title Mahamahopadhyaya ("The greatest among the great teachers"), usually shortened to MM as a prefix in the writings that refer to him.
He served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mumbai and was also enlisted for establishing Kurukshetra University in Indic studies. He was also an honorary member of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.