Parmeshwari Lal Gupta (P. L. Gupta) (1914 – 2001) was an Indian

numismatist A numismatist is a specialist in numismatics ("of coins"; from Late Latin ''numismatis'', genitive of ''numisma''). Numismatists include collectors, specialist dealers, and scholars who use coins and other currency in object-based research. Altho ...

who collated previous research on Indian

Numismatics Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals and related objects. Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also includ ...

in the post-Independence era. His collated work was published as 'COINS', a book by the National Book Trust in 1969.

Early life and education

Born on 24 December 1914 in Azamgarh in the

United Provinces of Agra and Oudh The United Provinces of Agra and Oudh was a province of India under the British Raj, which existed from 1902 to 1921; the official name was shortened by the Government of India Act 1935 to United Provinces (UP), by which the province had been ...

, his education took place at Wesley High School in his hometown. His education was disrupted as he was expelled from his school in 1930 for joining a local political agitation. He turned to Hindi journalism for local newspapers. During this period, he was introduced to the study of Indian Numismatics by an acquaintance, Adv. Rama Shankar Rawat, a local collector of Indian antiquities. He soon pursued a Masters in Ancient Indian History & Culture at the

Banaras Hindu University Banaras Hindu University (BHU) IAST: kāśī hindū viśvavidyālaya IPA: /kaːʃiː hɪnd̪uː ʋɪʃwəʋid̪jaːləj/), is a collegiate, central, and research university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and founded in 1916 ...

, Varanasi after finishing his Intermediate and B.A. at the same university.Indian Numismatics, History, Art and Culture - Essays in Honour of Dr. Parmeshwari Lal Gupta, eds. D. W. McDowall, Savita Sharma & Sanjay Garg, 1992

Career in museums and numismatics

After completing his Masters at Banaras Hindu University, Gupta worked as an Assistant Curator at the

Bharat Kala Bhavan Bharat Kala Bhavan is a university museum located in Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. It has been instrumental in the dissemination of knowledge on Indian art and culture. It is one of the important touristic attractions in the Banara ...

from 1950 till 1954. During this period, he began pursuing his doctoral studies on

Punch-marked coins Punch-marked coins, also known as ''Aahat coins'', are a type of early coinage of India, dating to between about the 6th and 2nd centuries BC. It was of irregular shape. History The study of the relative chronology of these coins has successful ...

of ancient India under Prof. V. S. Agrawala's guidance. He got his doctorate in the subject based on his thesis in 1960 while working as the Curator of Numismatics at Bombay's

Prince of Wales Museum Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, (CSMVS) originally named Prince of Wales Museum of Western India, is a museum in Mumbai (Bombay) which documents the history of India from prehistoric to modern times. It was founded during Briti ...

which he joined in 1955 and worked until 1962. Later, he joined the

Patna Museum Patna Museum is the state museum of the Indian state of Bihar. Started on 3 April 1917 during the British Raj to house the historical artefacts found in the vicinity of Patna, it is in the style of Mughal and Rajput architecture and is known ...

in 1963 and worked there until 1972. Later, he joined the Indian Institute of Research in Numismatic Studies, Anjaneri, Nasik as its first director in 1980.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gupta, P. L. 1914 births 2001 deaths Indian numismatists People from Azamgarh Banaras Hindu University alumni