Himanshu Prabha Ray (born 15 August 1947) is a
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
scholar, historian, and archaeologist. Her interests areas are
marine archaeology
Maritime archaeology (also known as marine archaeology) is a discipline within archaeology as a whole that specifically studies human interaction with the sea, lakes and rivers through the study of associated physical remains, be they vessels, s ...
, history, and culture of
South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...
. Ray is a recipient of the
Anneliese Maier
Anneliese Maier (; November 17, 1905 in Tübingen, Germany – December, 1971 in Rome, Italy) was a German historian of science particularly known for her work researching natural philosophy in the middle ages.
Biography
Anneliese Maier was the ...
research award of the
Humboldt Foundation
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (german: Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung) is a foundation established by the government of the Federal Republic of Germany and funded by the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Ministry of Education and Resear ...
for collaborative research with the Distant Worlds Programme and an Honorary Professor of the Distant Worlds Programme,
Ludwig Maximilian University
The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich or LMU; german: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) is a public research university in Munich, Germany. It is Germany's sixth-oldest university in continuous operatio ...
in Munich, Germany. She has also served as a professor in the Centre for Historical Studies at
Jawaharlal Nehru University
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is a public major research university located in New Delhi, India. It was established in 1969 and named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. The university is known for leading faculties and r ...
in
New Delhi
New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...
, India. Ray was appointed as the Chairperson of the
National Monuments Authority, under the government of India, until 2015.
With her interdisciplinary approach, she has authored many books and research papers on history, world heritage, and archaeology and is a recipient of many awards from research institutions.
Ray notes, most of the historians focus on political dynasties of medieval South Asia and have neglected the history of the sea. In her recent project focusing on Indian coastal belt from
Goa
Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...
to
Mangalore
Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka–Ker ...
wherein, she intends to study the history of the sea through the historical monuments dated back to European time. Ray recommends that coastal history can not be isolated as only the history of India, instead, it has to be a study of the area covering the entire
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...
region. To preserve the degrading coastal heritage, she comments "we need to draw on rigorous research and blend history, archaeology, and heritage, especially
world heritage
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
".
Works
Among many books authored by Himanshu Prabha Ray, the following are some of her prominent works:
The Archaeology of Seafaring in Ancient South AsiaArchaeology and Buddhism in South AsiaArchaeology As History In Early South AsiaMonastery and guild: commerce under the SātavāhanasThe Return of the Buddha: Ancient Symbols for a New NationEarly Seafaring Communities of the Indian OceanMonuments
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ray, Himanshu Prabha
1947 births
20th-century Indian historians
20th-century Indian archaeologists
Historians of India
Living people
Indian archaeologists
Indian women archaeologists
20th-century Indian women