M. G. S. Narayanan

Muttayil Govinda Sankara Narayanan (20 August 1932 – 26 April 2025) was an Indian historian, academic and political commentator. He headed the Department of History at Calicut University (Kerala) from 1976 to 1990, and served as the Chairman (2001–03) of the Indian Council of Historical Research.

Early life Muttayil Govindamenon Sankara Narayanan was born to Govinda Menon at Ponnani, Malabar district on 20 August 1932.

He had his early education at Parappanangadi, Ponnani, Calicut and Thrissur. He later moved to Madras (present day Chennai) to pursue his master's degree in history from Madras Christian College. Narayanan married Premalatha in August 1965. He was awarded a Ph.D. by the University of Kerala in 1973. His study relies on interpreting inscriptions and the literature from that period.

Career M. G. S. Narayanan worked at the Kerala University, University of Calicut and retired in 1992 as Dean of Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, a post he held from 1970. With Veluthat, Narayanan proposed that Bhakti movement brought together "kings, Brahmanas and the common people" in harmony between 6th and 10th-century, but more as an "illusion of equality", writes Karashima. Other scholars have proposed different views, noting certain defects in his model.

Narayanan died on 26 April 2025, at the age of 92.