Amarnath Jha

{{Short description|Vice-Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| office = Vice-Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University

| order = 5th

| appointer = Lord Mountbatten

| country = India

| termstart = 27 February 1948

| termend = 5 December 1948

| predecessor = Sir Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

| succeeded = Pandit Govind Malaviya

| image = Amarnath Jha VC-BHU.jpg

| awards = Padma Bhushan

| honorific_suffix =

| image_size = 120

}}

{{Use Indian English|date=November 2015}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}

Amaranath Jha (25 February 1897 – 2 September 1955) was the Vice Chancellor (VC) of the University of Allahabad and the Banaras Hindu University.{{Cite web |url=http://www.allduniv.ac.in/index.php/about-us/introduction/ex-vc-list |title=Ex- Vice Chancellor |publisher=University of Allahabad |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130107021420/http://www.allduniv.ac.in/index.php/about-us/introduction/ex-vc-list |archivedate=7 January 2013 |url-status=dead |access-date=30 December 2016}}[http://bhu.ac.in/history1.htm says ""Dr. Amarnath Jha was the VC of Banaras Hindu University (27.2.1948 -5.12.1948)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121230131328/http://www.bhu.ac.in/history1.htm |date=30 December 2012 }}. Banaras Hindu University history from official web page[https://www.allduniv.ac.in/index.php/academics/faculties/faculty-of-arts/political-science. " Dr. Tara Chand succeeded Professor Amarnath Jha as Vice-Chancellor as recorded in Political Science Department of the Allahabad University web page"]. Professor A N Jha's reference He was the son of Mahamahopadhyay Dr. Sir Ganganath Jha, a great scholar of Sanskrit Amaranath Jha was reputed as the ablest professor of English literature in India of his time.{{Cite web |url=http://yabaluri.org/TRIVENI/CDWEB/dramarnathjhaatributeoct55.htm |title=Dr. Amarnath Jha: A Tribute |first=K. K. |last=Prasad |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011214211/http://yabaluri.org/TRIVENI/CDWEB/dramarnathjhaatributeoct55.htm |archivedate=11 October 2012 |url-status=dead |access-date=30 December 2016}} He was Head of the Department of English at the University of Allahabad for a long time, being appointed to the post at the young age of thirty-two. He succeeded his father as Vice-Chancellor of the Allahabad University and then became vice chancellor of the Banaras Hindu University in succession to Dr. Radhakrishnan.

He worked as Vice Chairman of the committee for the project leading to the establishment of the National Defence Academy.[http://nda.nic.in/history.html " Dr Amarnath Jha was appointed Vice Chairman of the committee that worked on the project from 23 July 1945 to 12 November 1946"]. National Defence Academy He was one amongst eminent dignitaries associated with the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sanstahan, Allahabad.[http://gnjhacampusrsks.org/aboutus.html " Dr. Amarnath Jha was amongst eminent dignitaries associated with the institutions in the Univwersity Campus :Ganganath Jha Research Institute (Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan)."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130626064252/http://gnjhacampusrsks.org/aboutus.html |date=26 June 2013 }} Ganganath Jha Research Institute is now called Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan official web page’s section about the Sansathan says At the end of his academic career, he was made the Chairman of the Bihar Public Service Commission (1 April 1953 – 1 September 1955).[http://bpsc.bih.nic.in/History.htm " Bihar Public Service Commission official web page]