Prof. K. S. Gupta

Prof. K. S. Gupta was an eminent historian, prolific writer and a senior academician, having expertise on the history of Rajasthan. He was the custodian of the Pratap Gaurav Kendra and also served as the HoD History of Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur. He authored 26 books during his lifetime.

Few sources for editing article : National Digital Library · archive.org · Google books · openlibrary.org

Dr. Krishna Swarup Gupta

Prof. Krishna Swarup Gupta

Birth place	Baneda, Bhilwara District, Rajasthan
Date of death	7th August, 2022
Profession	Historian; Academician; Author
Popular Books	Maharana Kumbha : Vyaktitva evam Krititva (ICHR); Mewar and Maratha Relations; Kumbhalgarh se Chavand
Death place	Udaipur, Rajasthan
Full Name	Krishna Swarup Gupta
Positions	Founding-Chair, Pratap Gaurav Kendra, Udaipur; National Vice-President, Akhil Bharatiya Itihaas Sankalan Yojna (2018-2022)
Date of birth	27th April, 1932

Prof. Krishna Swarup Gupta (27th April, 1932 - 7th August, 2022), popular in academia as Prof. K. S. Gupta, was an eminent historian, prolific writer and a senior academician, having special expertise on the history of Mewar and Rajasthan. He was the Founder President of the Vir Shiromani Maharana Pratap Samiti and later the Custodian of Pratap Gaurav Kendra, Udaipur. He also served as the Head of Department, Department of History, Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur. He authored more than 26 books during his lifetime.

Early Life

Prof. Gupta was born in Baneda, Bhilwara District, on 27th April, 1932. He completed his M.A. in 1955, LL.B in 1956 and was awarded his Ph.D in 1961 on the research topic - Mewar and Maratha Relations (1735-1818), that later was published & became a popular book. [ref]

Academic Career

After the completion of his studies, Prof. Gupta was selected for Higher Education Service of the Government of Rajasthan in 1957. He started his career as a lecturer at the Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur in 1965. He retired from the University as Professor and Head of Department, Department of History in 1992. [ref] After his retirement, he remained a visiting professor at Hari Singh Gaud University, Sagar and Rajasthan Vidyapeeth, Udaipur. [ref]

44 candidates had completed their research work for the award of Ph.D. degree under his supervision. [ref]

He was a prolific writer and was also a senior fellow at the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR). He was also the National Vice President of the Akhil Bharatiya Itihaas Sankalan Yojna serving from 2018 till his death. He also served on the advisory board of Itihas (Shodh Patrika), a hindi journal published by the ICHR. [ref]

He had also presided sessions dealing with Medieval history in the Punjabi History Congress Patiala and the Rajasthan History Conference Jodhpur. [ref]

Positions Held

Senior Fellow, Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR)
National Vice-President, Akhil Bharatiya Itihaas Sankalan Yojna (2018-2022)
Head of Department, Department of History, Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur
Founder President, Vir Shiromani Maharana Pratap Samiti (operator of Pratap Gaurav Kendra Rashtriya Tirth, Udaipur)
Custodian, Pratap Gaurav Kendra Rashtriya Tirth, Udaipur
Governing Council Member, Maharana Pratap Smarak Samiti, Moti Magra, Udaipur
President, Itihas Sankalan Samiti, Chittor Prant
President, Mewar Adhyan Evam Vikas Sansthan, Bhilwara

Works

Books

Prof. Gupta had authored 14 Historical Works that have earned recognition from historians.

Maharana Kumbha : Vyaktitva evam Krititva (Hindi) (ICHR, Delhi, 2021)
Mewar and Maratha Relations : 1735 - 1818 (English) (Gwalior, 2014)
Rajasthan ka Itihas : Ek Sarvekshan (Hindi) (Jaipur, 2014); Prof. K. S. Gupta & Dr. J. K. Ojha
Mewar Itihas ke Avismaryiya Prasang (Hindi) (Jaipur, 2005)
Dewair Vijay Anka (Hindi)
Rajasthan ke Itihaskar (Hindi)
Maharana Pratap Se Sambandhit Srot Evam Sthan : Bahuayami Rashtra Nayak Pratap (Hindi), Edited Prof. K. S. Gupta & L. P. Mathur
Kumbhalgarh se Chavand (Hindi)
Rajasthan ka Rajnitik Evam Sanskrit Itihas (Hindi)
Prarambik Madhyayugin Kaal se 1857 tak Rajasthan ke Itihaas ka Parichay : Rajasthan ke Itihas ke Srot (Hindi)
Selection from Banera Archives : Civil War in Mewar (English)
Banera Sanghralaya ke Abhilekh (Hindi)
Maratha Kalin Itihasik Dastavej : Banera Sangrah (1805-1818) (Hindi)

Research Papers

He had contributed over 50 research papers in various journals and magazines. He had also presented research papers in more than 60 seminars and conferences.

Awards

Kumbha Award by Maharana Mewar Charitable Foundation, Udaipur
Gaurishankar Ojha Award by Gujarat Sahitya Sangam
Mewar Award by Mewad Adhyayan Evam Vikas Sansthan, Bhilwara
Rajendra Mohan Bhatnagar Smriti Puraskar [ref]

Legacy

Prof. Krishna Swarup Gupta passed away on the morning of 7th August, 2022 at a ripe old age of 90 years, leaving behind enormous work & thousands of scholars who he inspired through his lifetime.

Pratap Gaurav Kendra

Prof. K. S. Gupta was the founder President of the Vir Shiromani Maharana Pratap Samiti, that handles the operations of the Pratap Gaurav Kendra. He also served as the Custodian of the Pratap Gaurav Kendra until his death.

The Pratap Gaurav Kendra Rashtriya Tirth is a national pilgrimage and cultural centre located at Tiger Hills in the city of Udaipur, Rajasthan. It aims at disseminating authentic information on the innumerable glorious epochs of Mewar.

The center facilitates accurate, authentic and intricate information on the history and achievements of the 54th custodian of Mewar - Maharana Pratap Singh. The Tirth enables one to contemplate over Hindu Dharma & culture and revisit the inspiring life of great personages of our society. One can cruise through the awe inspiring history of Maharana Pratap; Mewar; its Maharanas - Bappa Rawal, Maharana Hammir, Maharana Sanga, Maharana Kumbha, Maharana Raj Singh; Rajasthan; and Bharat as a whole. [ref]

Reacting to the death of Prof. K. S. Gupta, Dr. B. L. Chaudhary, President, Vir Shiromani Maharana Pratap Committee said -

"An era in the discipline of historical studies has come to an end with the passing away of Prof. Gupta. His contributions in the field of study, research and refinement of Indian history shall be remembered for a long time."

According to Prof. Parmendra Dashora, General Secretary, Vir Shiromani Maharana Pratap Committee -

"Dr. Krishna Swarup Gupta was a brilliant historian, phenomenal teacher and an accomplished writer. His fame and stature was not only spread across India, but also at the world level. Today a resplendent constellation has set over in the field of historical studies."

Anurag Saxena, Director, Pratap Gaurav Kendra Rashtriya Tirth, Udaipur said -

"The passing away of Prof. K. S. Gupta is an irreparable as well as a personal loss to me. He was not only an authentic historian, but also a tactful, very easy-going by nature, humble and a wonderful man who always used to keep his laughter alive. His memories shall continue to live on in our hearts."

Historical India

Senior historian Prof. K. S. Gupta, even at an age of 90, presented an insightful and extensive discourse on Rajasthani sources as an imperative and indispensable material in terms of reconstructing medieval Indian history at the Third Lecture of the Historiography Series at Historical India on 25th June, 2022.

To redirect yourself towards the full video of the lecture, please tap on the reference here - [ref]. Historical India was honoured to have hosted Prof. Gupta's last lecture of his lifetime.

In the loving memory of late Prof. K. S. Gupta, Historical India observed a 2 min silence during the course of an book launch event they had hosted on 13th August 2022, remembering his life & times, works & contributions to the discipline of history. The condolences were led by Senior Historian Prof. Kapil Kumar, the author of the book 'Netaji, Azad Hind Sarkar and Fauj', Prof. Umesh Kadam, Member Secretary, Indian Council of Historical Research & Prof. Savita Roy, Principal, Daulat Ram College, University of Delhi.