A.K. Narain
| A. K. Narain | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | Gaya, India |
| Residence | Varanasi, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Fields | Archaeology, History, Numismatics, Indology |
| Institutions | University of Wisconsin–Madison, Banaras Hindu University |
| Alma mater | Banaras Hindu University, SOAS, University of London |
| Known for | Research on the Indo-Greeks |
| Notable awards | Holker Guggenheim Rockefeller Ford Foundation Dayaram Sahni Gold Medal Chakravikrama Gold Medal |
Awadh Kishore Narain (A. K. Narain, 28 May 1925 – 10 July 2013) was an Indian historian, numismatist and archaeologist, who has published and lectured extensively on the subjects related to South and Central Asia. He was well known for his book, The Indo Greeks, published by Oxford University Press in 1956, in which he discussed the thesis of British historian Sir William Woodthorpe Tarn.
Professor Narain, was born in 1925 at Gaya in Bihar, India and died on 10 July 2013 in Varanasi, India that has been his home for most of his adult life. In 1947 he was awarded a Post Graduate Degree in Ancient Indian History, Culture (AIHC) and Archaeology from Banaras Hindu University (BHU) securing the first position in the University and claiming the Dayaram Sahni Gold Medal. He earned his PhD degree from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London in 1954.
In his long association with his Alma Mater he held many academic and administrative positions at BHU. He has been the Manindra Chandra Nandi Professor of AIHC & Archaeology; Head of the Department of AIHC & Archaeology; Principal, College of Indology; Dean, Faculty of Arts and Director of Archaeological Excavations and Explorations Programme of the University. In 1971, he became Professor of History and South Asian Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA, where he was also the Chair of the Buddhist Studies Program.
In 1987, he sought early retirement from UW–Madison, and returned to India to found the Bhikkhu J. Kashyap Institute of Buddhist and Asian Studies of which he was the first Director. He remained Professor Emeritus of History and of Languages and Cultures of Asia at UW-Madison.
Professor Narain was a Visiting Research Associate, School of Oriental and African Studies, London; Visiting Professor, Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota; Visiting Professor, Visvabharati, Shantiniketan; Fellow, Institute of Research in Humanities, University of Wisconsin; Fellow, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, Visiting Fellow at Columbia University and New York University.
He was the recipient of many notable awards, and research grants including the Holkar Fellowship, Chakravikrama Gold Medal, Rockefeller Grant, Ford Foundation grant and Guggenheim Fellowship. He is a Life Fellow of the Royal Numismatic Society, London and Honorary Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. He is also an Honorary Member of the International Association of Buddhist studies.
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