One of the most eminent Indian historians, Jadunath Sarkar was born on this day. He was a specialist in Mughal history, especially the reign of Aurangzeb.
After studying English literature at Presidency College, Calcutta, and later at Calcutta University, Sarkar first taught English but later shifted to teaching history after joining Patna College.
His first book was India of Aurangzib (1901). He devoted the next 25 years of his life to complete his five-volume History of Aurangzib (1924) and another 25 years to his four-volume Fall of the Mughal Empire, completed in 1950.
Sarkar was appointed vice-chancellor of Calcutta University (1926-28) and knighted in 1929.
He passed away on May 15, 1958, at his Calcutta residence at 10 Lake Terrace (later Jadunath Sarkar Road).