Yashwant Singh Kathoch

Yashwant Singh Kathoch is a scholar of the history, archaeology, art and architecture of the central Himalaya. He was named for the Padma Shri in 2024 in the field of literature and education, from Uttarakhand ^[1].

Teacher and scholar

He was born on 27 December 1935 in Mason village, Pauri Garhwal district ^[2]. He earned a master’s degree in ancient Indian history, culture and archaeology from Agra University in 1974, topping his class, and a PhD in history and archaeology from Garhwal University ^[2]. He worked as a teacher and retired as a principal in the state education service in 1995 ^[2].

Uttarakhand Shodh Sansthan

In 1973 he was among the founders of the Uttarakhand Shodh Sansthan, a research institute where he later served as vice-chairman and director and long edited its journal ^[2]. Over 55 years he has written widely in Hindi on the region’s archaeology, art and architecture, military traditions and history, including Garhwal ka Itihas, Uttarakhand ka Naveen Itihas and a critical study of E. T. Atkinson’s Himalayan Districts ^[2]. His books are on university syllabi ^[2].

He has served on state and central committees on heritage and archives, including with the Archaeological Survey of India ^[2]. In his late eighties he was writing a new book on the inscriptions of the central Himalaya ^[2].