Rajaram Jain

Rajaram Jain is an Indologist and epigraphist who has spent more than 64 years recovering, editing and translating old Indian manuscripts. He was named for the Padma Shri in 2024 in the field of literature and education, from Uttar Pradesh ^[1].

Scholar

He was born on 1 February 1929 and earned a BA from Banaras Hindu University in 1951, followed by master’s degrees in Hindi and Prakrit and a PhD from Bihar University in 1967 ^[2]. He reads Prakrit, Pali, Apabhramsha, Sanskrit and Hindi ^[2].

In 1961 he joined Magadh University in Bodh Gaya as a lecturer in Sanskrit and Prakrit, and taught for more than 35 years ^[2]. He was director of the D. K. Jain Oriental Research Institute in Arrah, Bihar, from 1979 to 2003, president of the Nagari Pracharini Sabha, and chaired the All India Oriental Conference in 1976 ^[2].

Manuscripts

Jain has sought out unpublished manuscripts in remote parts of India and translated them into Hindi, publishing more than 11,000 pages ^[2]. His work includes a study of 22 rare Apabhramsha epics of the 14th-century poet Raidhu, a 15th-century text that throws light on India’s foreign trade, and a 12th-century work that sheds light on Delhi’s early history ^[2].

Honours

He received a President of India certificate of merit in 2000, an honorary DLitt in 2005, and the Colette Caillat Foundation award from the Institut de France in 2018 ^[2].