Narratives and the making of history: Two lectures

by Romila Thapar

These two essays explore some facets of the interface between narrative and history. The first explores the versions of the story of Sakuntala. The second juxtaposes the data on the raid of Mahmuud of Ghazni on the temple of Somanatha.

53 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1999

About the author

Romila Thapar is an Indian historian and Professor Emeritus at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

A graduate from Panjab University, Dr. Thapar completed her PhD in the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.

Her historical work portrays the origins of Hinduism as an evolving interplay between social forces. Her recent work on Somnath examines the evolution of the historiographies about the legendary Gujarat temple.

Thapar has been a visiting professor at Cornell University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the College de France in Paris. She was elected General President of the Indian History Congress in 1983 and a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy in 1999.