Eminent historian K.N. Panikkar passes away

Eminent historian, academic and public intellectual K.N. Panikkar, widely regarded as one of India’s foremost scholars of modern history, passed away in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, on Monday (March 9, 2026). He was 89.

Panikkar breathed his last at a private hospital after age-related ailments.

A distinguished historian of modern India and a prominent defender of secular and critical historiography, Panikkar leaves behind a legacy that shaped generations of students, scholars and public discourse on history, culture and politics.

Panikkar was widely known for his rigorous, evidence-based historical writing and his consistent critique of communal interpretations of Indian history. Through decades of scholarship, he argued that history must be written with intellectual integrity and free from ideological distortions.

He had had a distinguished academic career spanning several decades. After teaching in institutions, including the University of Rajasthan and the Indian Institute of Public Administration, he joined Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in 1972. At JNU, he served as Professor of History, Head of the Centre for Historical Studies, and later Dean of the School of Social Sciences.

Beyond teaching, Panikkar held important academic and institutional roles. He served as Vice-Chancellor of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, and later as Vice-Chairman of the Kerala State Higher Education Council. He also chaired the Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR).

His death comes just as the KCHR was preparing to mark his 90th birthday (on April 26) with special programmes.

In 2008, he was elected President of the Indian History Congress, the country’s largest body of professional historians. He was also the founding president of the Kerala History Congress.