Remembering M.G.S. Narayanan: A pioneer of Indian historical scholarship

Kerala and the wider Indian academic community are mourning the loss of Professor M.G.S. Narayanan, a highly esteemed historian. Narayanan leaves behind a towering legacy in Indian historiography through his meticulous scholarship and deep understanding of Kerala’s socio-political history.

M.G.S. Narayanan was born in 1932 in Ponnani, Kerala. He earned his PhD in history from the University of Kerala. His seminal thesis, later published as “Perumals of Kerala”, persists as an essential document for those studying early medieval South India. In it, Narayanan carefully restored Kerala’s political and cultural tapestry, drawing from inscriptions, temple records, and literary sources to present a refined understanding of the Chera dynasty and the region’s transition to feudalism.

Narayanan played influential roles in key institutions beyond his academic research. He served as the chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICRH) from July 4, 2001 to December 9, 2003. Later, he served as the head of the history department at the Calicut University. His leadership played a crucial role in advancing a more regionally focused and evidence-based interpretation of Indian history, capably challenging previous colonial and nationalist perspectives.

Among his many contributions, Narayanan was honoured for bringing attention to the Bhakthi movement in South India and temple-centred socio-political systems that moulded the foundations of the Kerala society. His work emphasised the fusion of historical, literary and archaeological sources, pioneering new norms for historical inquiry in India.

Academics, writers and political leaders have paid tribute to his immense influence. Historians have praised him as a scholar who upheld intellectual integrity and enhanced the field through critical, ground-level research rather than broad ideological narratives.

Narayanan’s death signifies the end of an era, yet his legacy of scholarship, varying from books like 'Foundations of South Indian Society and Cultures' to countless papers and edited volumes, will continue to inform and inspire generations of historians.

India