Romila Thapar (born 1931) is a historian mainly writing on Ancient India. She did her doctorate at London University in 1958. Later she worked as Professor of Ancient Indian History at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. She later moved to London.

Her major works are Asoka and the Decline of the Maurya, Ancient Indian Social History: Some Interpretations, Recent Perspectives of Early Indian History (Edited by her) and A History of India Volume One by Penguin Books.

In January 2005, she refused to accept the Padma Bhushan. In a letter to President A P J Abdul Kalam, she said she was "astonished to see her name in the list of awardees because three monts ago when I was contacted by the HRD ministry and asked if I would accept an award, I made my position very clear and explained my reason for declining it". Thapar had refused the Padma Bhushan on an earlier ocassion, in 1992. To the President, she explained the reason for turning down the award thus: "I only accept awards from academic institutions or those associated with my professional work, and not accept state awards."

External links

• "Romila rejects Padma award" (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1003072.cms) - Times of India article dated January 27, 2005