
Eminent historian, archaeologist and numismatist Dr A.V. Narasimha Murthy died at a private hospital in Mysuru on Sunday after a brief illness. He was 91. The former professor of Ancient History and…
Eminent historian, archaeologist and numismatist Dr A.V. Narasimha Murthy died at a private hospital in Mysuru on Sunday after a brief illness. He was 91. The former professor of Ancient History and Archaeology at the University of Mysore is survived by his wife Kamalamba, son A.N. Santosh Kumar (Vice-Chancellor of JSS Science and Technology University), daughter A.N. Savitha, grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.
Murthy, who held a PhD from Andhra University and a Fulbright scholarship from Harvard, wrote more than 50 books and guided over 48 doctoral students. His honours include the Karnataka Rajyotsava award, Karnataka Puratathva Ratna, and the Numismatic Society of India Silver Medal. He served as Chairman of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mysuru, for over two decades. His last rites will be performed at Harishchandra Ghat on Monday at 3 pm.
In an age of viral hot takes, a scholar who spent decades on coins and inscriptions may seem quaint. But Murthy's 50-odd books and 48 PhD students built the bedrock of Karnataka's history. The temptation to eulogise him as a 'living treasure' risks missing the point: his real legacy is the rigour he insisted on. The question is not how many awards he won, but how many of his students now lead departments and museums.
Sources (2): thehindu.com, deccanherald.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.