Dwijendra Narayan Jha is an Indian historian, specialising in ancient and medieval India. He was a professor of history at Delhi University and a member of the Indian Council of Historical Research.
Video D. N. Jha
Education
Jha completed his BA (Hons.) in History at Presidency College of the University of Calcutta and then his MA in History at Patna University where he was a student of Professor R.S. Sharma.
Maps D. N. Jha
Politics
Jha has repeatedly taken a position against Hindu nationalist ideology, arguing against what he claims is "communalism" and "saffronisation", especially during the 1998 to 2004 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of the Republic of India.
Publications
Works by D. N. Jha:
- 1980, Studies in early Indian economic history, Anupama Publications, ASIN: B0006E16DA.
- 1993, Economy and Society in Early India: Issues and Paradigms, ISBN 81-215-0552-6.
- 1997, Society and Ideology in India, ISBN 81-215-0639-5.
- 1997, Ancient India: In Historical Outline, ISBN 81-7304-285-3.
- 2002, Holy Cow: Beef in Indian Dietary Traditions; paperback (2004) ISBN 1-85984-424-3
- 2004, Early India: A Concise History, ISBN 81-7304-587-9
- 2009, Myth of the Holy Cow, ISBN 81-8905-916-5
As editor:
- 1988, Feudal Social Formation in Early India, ISBN 81-7001-024-1
- 1996, Society and Ideology in India: Essays in Honour of Professor R.S. Sharma (Munshiram Manoharlal, Delhi, 1996).
- 2000, The Feudal Order: State, Society, and Ideology in Early Medieval India, ISBN 81-7304-473-2; a collection of critical essays by 20 specialists on medieval Indian society, politics, ideology and religion.
Controversies
The Myth of the Holy Cow
Jha has received death threats over his book The Myth of the Holy Cow in which he outlines the practice of eating beef in ancient India as documented in Vedic and Post-Vedic texts. Since Hindus consider the cow holy, his book caused much controversy.
Californian textbook case
He has also spoken out against the changes in the context of the Californian Hindu textbook case.
Dispute with Arun Shourie
Jha was accused by Arun Shourie of deliberate distortion of the facts behind the destruction of Nalanda University by Islamic invaders in 12th Century AD. Shourie accused Jha of selective lifting of sources, obfuscation and intellectual compromise. In a signed article in the Indian Express, Jha stated that Shourie was distorting what he had said, and that Shourie's allegations of plagiarism are baseless. Jha also criticized Shourie's book Eminent Historians, saying that it contains "slander" and "has nothing to do with history."
References
External links
- Indian Council of Historical Research
- History Department, Delhi University
Source of article : Wikipedia
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