He was 89 and is survived by two sons and three daughters. His wife had pre-deceased him.
His body was consigned to the flames at the Satichoura crematorium in the city in the presence of persons from the literary field and well wishers.
A former principal of Christ College, Patnaik had served as president of Odisha Sahitya Akademi and received the Kendriya Sahitya Akademi Award in 2010 for his autobiography "Jeebanara Chalapatha".
He had written over 50 books on different aspects of literature, including short stories and poems. Utkal Sahitya Samaj, the oldest literary organisation of the state, had felicitated Patnaik with its Lifetime Honorary membership in 2015.