According to
Khushwant Singh, post-
World War I, research work by Indian scholars like Gupta,
Ganda Singh, Indubhusan Banerjee, and Sita Ram Kohli "gave a new and national orientation to Sikh history." Before that period, works of Indian Sikh Scholars were limited to
Punjabi language, while English works on
Sikhism were done by Englishmen. The main focus of Gupta's work was the Sikh history of 18th century. He planned to give a comprehensive account of multiple aspects of Sikhs via his multi-volume
History of the Sikhs. According to Gurmukh Singh, he planned six volumes for that purpose, while according Shiv Kumar Gupta, he intended to author seven volumes in that regard. But he completed four volumes and the fifth one was in print at the point of his death. His decade-long work on the then little-known period of Sikh history from 1708 to 1799 resulted in the
Studies in Later Mughal history of the Panjab and three other volumes. First published in 1944, the
Studies in the Later Mughal History of the Panjab (1707–1793) was reprinted in 1976 under the title of
Later Mughal History of the Panjab (1707–1793) by
Sang-e-Meel Publications of Lahore. Edited by Gupta,
Sir Jadunath Sarkar Commemoration Volume is a two-volume work in commemoration of the historian Jadunath Sarkar. When Gupta presented his idea to Sarkar regarding the commemoration volume in 1954, he rejected it by stating that he neither wanted any publicity nor endorsed any idea involving fundraising for him, although Gupta was able to persuade him. The
Life and Letters of Sir Jadunath Sarkar is the first volume of the work. It dedicates considerable space to excerpts from Sarkar's fifty-plus years of correspondence with his friend
Govind Sakharam Sardesai, who was a Marathi historian. It also contains write-ups and stories about Sarkar by Sardesai, Quanungo, and his other friends. The second volume titled
Essays Presented to Sir Jadunath Sarkar has around thirty essays authored by various scholars on the topics of their expertise. These volumes were published some weeks after the death of Sarkar in 1958. According to
K. A. Nilakanta Sastri, this work is "a worthy memorial to him from his pupils, friends, and admirers." According to by S.K. Gupta, these two volumes "are not only examples of his deep regard for historical scholarship but also reflect his qualities of keen observation, deep penetration and acute selection."
Panjab on the eve of first Sikh war is described by William T. Walker as "a noteworthy collection of essays on the prewar conditions in Punjab that contributed to the outbreak of hostilities." His writings on the current events of his time include his multi-volume book titled
India-Pakistan War, 1965. Gupta's
Marathas and Panipat describes the
Third Battle of Panipat. It is divided in three parts. According to Shiv Kumar Gupta, this work is an attempt by the author to cover Maratha history from the perspective of overall Indian history at that point in time, with appropriate Central Asian history references, although its main focus lies on Marathas. Its first part consists of thirteen chapters and covers the battle's background. The second part consists of six chapters, which describes the battle. The third part deals with the battle's future impacts and the factors which led to Maratha defeat. This part also has a chapter which describes the
Ala Singh's help to Marathas during the campaign.
The Asiatic Society acknowledged Gupta's work for the Punjab history by awarded him
Sir Jadunath Sarkar Gold Medal in 1949. He was honoured at the 23rd session of
Punjab History Conference in 1989. The
Hari Ram Gupta Memorial Lecture is annually organised in his commemoration by the History department of Panjab University. ==Selected works==