Pratipal Bhatia (1936-2024) was an Indian historian and

numismatist A numismatist is a specialist, researcher, and/or well-informed collector of numismatics, numismatics/coins ("of coins"; from Late Latin , genitive of ). Numismatists can include collectors, specialist dealers, and scholar-researchers who use coi ...

, specialising in the coins of early medieval India. She was Professor of History at

Delhi University The Delhi University (DU, ISO 15919, ISO: ), also and officially known as the University of Delhi, is a collegiate university, collegiate research university, research Central university (India), central university located in Delhi, India. It ...

Biography

“Her doctoral thesis was published in 1970 as ''The Paramaras''; it remains the standard historical reference for this central Indian dynasty.” – John Deyell After completing her PhD on the

Paramaras The Paramara Dynasty (IAST: Paramāra) was an Indian dynasty that ruled Malwa and surrounding areas in west-central India between 9th and 14th centuries. They belonged to the Parmar (clan), Paramara clan of the Rajputs. The dynasty was establi ...

at Delhi University in 1962, Bhatia did post-doctoral studies at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

(1964-65) and the

School of Oriental and African Studies The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS University of London; ) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury area ...

, London (1967-69). She then returned to Delhi University and took up a position in the Department of History, eventually rising to Professor and Head of Department (1974-2001). After retirement, she became a fellow of the Asia Research Institute in Singapore (2002-2003), and a Senior Fellow of the History Department of the

National University of Singapore The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national university, national Public university, public research university in Singapore. It was officially established in 1980 by the merging of the University of Singapore and Nanyang University ...

(2004-2012).Obituary by John Deyell, ''Journal of the Oriental Numismatic Society'' 258 (Winter 2024), p. 26 She was a member of many societies: honorary member of the

International Numismatic Council The International Numismatic Council (INC), formerly the International Numismatic Commission, is the international co-ordinating body set up to aid cooperation between numismatists and institutions within the field of numismatics, or related areas ...

, and a fellow of the

Royal Numismatic Society The Royal Numismatic Society (RNS) is a learned society and charity based in London, United Kingdom which promotes research into all branches of numismatics. Its patron was Queen Elizabeth II. Membership Foremost collectors and researchers, bo ...

Royal Asiatic Society The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, commonly known as the Royal Asiatic Society, was established, according to its royal charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the encourag ...

American Numismatic Society The American Numismatic Society (ANS) is a New York City-based organization dedicated to the study of coins, money, medals, tokens, and related objects. Founded in 1858, it is the only American museum devoted exclusively to their preservation ...

, Oriental Numismatic Society, and a life member of the

Indian History Congress Indian History Congress is the largest professional and academic body of Indian historians with over 35,000 members. It was established in 1935. The name of any new applicant for membership needs to be proposed and seconded by existing Ordinary or ...

and the

Numismatic Society of India The Numismatic Society of India (NSI) is the foremost numismatic society in India. It was founded in 1910 by a group of (mainly) expatriate Englishmen associated with British rule in India. The founding members were Rev. G.P. Taylor, Sir Richard Bu ...

. Her memorial was held at Gurudwara Shri Rakab Ganj Sahib, in New Delhi, on 10 August 2024.

Selected publications

* ''The Paramāras, c. 800-1305 A.D.'' (New Delhi, Munshiram Manoharlal, 1970).
Emily Eden collection of Sasanian, Kushano-Sasanian, Kidarite and Indo-Sasanian type coins (British Museum, London)
, ''Journal of the Oriental Society of Australia'', 48, 2016, 7134. * "Indo-Sasanian – An unpublished hoards of Indo-Sasanian type coins in the Allahabad Museum", ''Journal of the Oriental Numismatic Society 208'' (2011), pp. 21-28. * "Medieval India – An important unpublished Adivaraha coin in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford", ''Journal of the Oriental Numismatic Society'' 205 supplement (2010), pp. 39-44.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhatia, Pratipal 1936 births 2024 deaths Indian numismatists Women numismatists Delhi University alumni University of Pennsylvania alumni Alumni of SOAS University of London