It is a pleasure to welcome you to the Department of History webpage at Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla. The Department of History is one of the oldest academic departments in the University, having been established in 1971. Since its inception, the Department has made significant strides as a centre of excellence in both research and teaching. The strong foundation for the department in terms of its strength in teaching and research were laid down by former professors and eminent historians like Professor S.R. Mehrotra, Professor Ravinder Kumar (later appointed as Director, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi), Professor Laxman S Thakur (presently Professor Dr Y S Parmar Chair) and Professor Chetan Singh (later appointed as Director, Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla). In recognition of the valuable services rendered by the teachers of the Department, Professor Chetan Singh, Professor Laxman S Thakur and Professor Amrit V. Gandhi were honoured by the Himachal Pradesh University with the “Best Teacher” awards in respective years.
Apart from being involved in post-graduate teaching and research guidance, the faculty of the History Department has been actively engaged in wide-ranging research activities covering a large number of national and regional subjects. The faculty has made a substantial number of publications and this has been recognized both nationally and internationally.
The HPU history community benefits from close proximity to the Department of State Archives, Himachal State Museum, Department of Language and Culture (all at Shimla) and the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), Shimla that is the leading research institution of country focusing on the humanities and social sciences. Some members of the department have been closely associated either as fellows, editors or members of academic and administrative committees of the IIAS, Shimla. Faculty members have been, and are, also associated with other universities and various State and Central government organizations e.g., Archaeological Survey of India, SCERT, NCERT, etc.
Department is building upon a proud past. What has long been so good at History Department will never be abandoned: academic and research excellence. Those were–and those are–the strengths of the Department. Our responsibility is to create new ways to use those strengths to meet present and emerging challenges. The overall mission of the Department is to educate students, and provide them with the necessary academic tools in their respective disciplines in order to function effectively in the competitive global environment. The syllabus is geared to inculcate a deep interest, among its students, of the origins, growth and development of human societies and cultures. Our coverage has always been worldwide for we believe that there is no human culture whose history cannot contribute to a deeper understanding of human development.
Students in our Department enjoy and benefit from a mentoring environment that allows them to reach their full potential and place them in a better position to be successful.
History is always exciting at Himachal Pradesh University!
Sincerely,
Name: Dr. Ankush Bhardwaj
Designation: Chairman, Department of History
