ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT

The Department of History was established in 1955 with a mission to offer post-graduate degree in history, and to project the history, culture and heritage of north Karnataka (the erstwhile parts of Mumbai and Hyderabad Karnataka) through research, to be able to assert the regional cultural identity and trace the evolution of Kannada culture. Until the establishment of Gulbarga University this Department catered to the needs of Post-graduate students of the entire North Karnataka region, including the region in the neighbourhood of the Tungabhadra valley. The old guards of the Department were known as much for their scholarship as for their commitment to the growth of the department.

The region’s art historical heritage, its inexhaustible epigraphical data, historical traditions and the infinite number of pre-historic sites provided a clear vision to the Department. Realizing the importance of archaeology and its contribution to the growth of historical knowledge, and that it had developed into a major discipline in the West, an integrated course was designed to impart combined education in history and archaeology. The department was reorganized as Department of History and Archaeology in 1972. Between 1985 and 1994 the Institute of Indian Art History, carried out major surveys, documentation and publication of works on art, architecture and religion. The Institute had built-up a library of its own, now with the KRI. The Government of Karnataka sponsored this Institute until it was merged with the Department of History and Archaeology in 1994.