Dwijendra Narayan Jha: Iconoclast Par Excellence

It was a sunny afternoon on 29 December 1970 on the campus of the University of Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh) as established in 1956 but renamed Rani Durgavati Vishwavidyalaya on 7 June 1983 (to honour the well-known valorous Gond Queen of Garha Mandla). The 32 nd Annual Session of the Indian History Congress (hereafter, IHC) had already been inaugurated on the previous day. This was my first session and I had decided to present my first research paper entitled ‘Buddhism under the Palas: A Study Based on Taranatha’ (Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, 32 nd Session, Vol. I, pp. 187–95). Professor Radhakrishna Choudhary was in the Chair. I was quite nervous and jittery. The Chair was indeed quite generous and gave me sufficient time to make my full presentation. I felt relieved. However, on completion of the session, I was quite surprised to receive a very complimentary pat on my back from a dhoti–kurta-clad, tall, fair and
robust gentleman.