Irreverent History brings together essays in honour of Professor M.G.S. Narayanan, a historian who brought about a veritable shift in the paradigm of historiography in Kerala. As much of his work has been on the history of Kerala, the bulk of writing here is on the history and culture of that state. He has, however, made lasting contributions to other areas of Indian history and epigraphy and hence, another section of this volume is devoted to epigraphy and connected history. With contributions from Christophe Vielle, K.N. Ganesh, Manu V. Devadevan, Heike Moser, Rich Freeman, Krishna Mohan Shrimali, Daud Ali, Bhairabi Prasad Sahu, Upinder Singh, Elizabeth Lambourn, Noboru Karashima, Y. Subbarayalu, Venkata Raghotham and Nayanjot Lahiri, this volume is not merely a homage to a truly path-breaking academic; but it is also a monument to the influential nature of Professor Narayanan’s work. The volume contains articles on the history and culture of Kerala, epigraphy, anthropological analysis of temple festivals, caste, money trade, etc.
This volume will be useful for students of Kerala history and those who seek to understand the nuances that have shaped what is today called ‘God’s Own Country’.