HISTORY

PAPER I

1. Sources:

a. Archaeological sources: Exploration, excavation,

epigraphy, numismatics, monuments;

b. Literary sources: Indigenous: Primary and secondary;

poetry, scientific literature, literature, literature in

regional languages, religious literature.

c. Foreign accounts: Greek, Chinese and Arab writers.

2. Pre-history and Proto-history:

a. Geographical factors;

b. Hunting and gathering (Palaeolithic and Mesolithic);

c. Beginning of agriculture (Neolithic and chalcolithic).

3. Indus Valley Civilization:

a. Origin,

b. Date,

c. Extent,

d. Characteristics,

e. Decline,

f. Survival and significance,

g. Art and architecture.

4. Megalithic Cultures:

a. Distribution of pastoral and farming cultures outside

the Indus;

b. Development of community life, Settlements;

c. Development of agriculture, Crafts, Pottery, and Iron

industry;

5. Aryans and Vedic Period:

a. Expansions of Aryans in India.

b. Vedic Period: Religious and philosophic literature;

c. Transformation from Rig Vedic period to the later

Vedic period;

d. Political, social and economic life;

e. Significance of the Vedic Age;

f. Evolution of Monarchy and Varna system.

6. Period of Mahajanapadas:

a. Formation of States (Mahajanapada) :Republics and

monarchies;

b. Rise of urban centres; Trade routes;

c. Economic growth;

d. Introduction of coinage;

e. Spread of Jainism and Buddhism;

f. Rise of Magadha and Nandas.

g. Iranian and Macedonian invasions and their impact.

7. Maryann Empire:

a. Foundation of the Mauryan Empire, Chandragupta,

Kautilya andArthashastra;

b. Asoka;

c. Concept of Dharma;

d. Edicts;

e. Polity, Administration;

f. Economy;

g. Art, architecture and sculpture;

h. External contacts;

i. Religion and Spread of religion;

j. Literature.

k. Disintegration of the empire;

l. Sungas andKanvas.

8. Post - Mauryan Period (Indo-Greeks, Sakas, Kushanas,

Western Kshatrapas):

a. Contact with outside world;

b. Growth of urban centres, economy, coinage,

development of religions, Mahayana, social conditions,

art, architecture, culture, literature and science.

9. Early State and Society in Eastern India, Deccan and

South India:

a. Kharavela, The Satavahanas, Tamil States of the

Sang am Age;

b. Administration, economy, land grants, coinage, trade

guilds and urban centres;

c. Buddhist centres;

d. Sang am literature and culture;

e. Art and architecture.

10. Guptas, Vakatakas and Vardhanas:

a. Polity and administration, Economic conditions,

Coinage of the Guptas, Land grants, Decline of urban

centres, Indian feudalism, Caste system, Position of

women, Education and educational institutions;

b. Nalanda, Vikramshila andVallabhi, Literature, scientific

literature, art and architecture.

11. Regional States during Gupta Era:

a. The Kadambas, Pallavas, Chalukyas ofBadami;

b. Polity and Administration, Trade guilds, Literature;

c. growth of Vaishnava and Saiva religions.

d. Tamil Bhakti movement, Shankaracharya; Vedanta;

e. Institutions of temple and temple architecture;

f. Palas, Senas, Rashtrakutas, Paramaras, Polity and

administration;

g. Cultural aspects.

h. Arab conquest of Sind;Alberuni,

i. The Chalukyas of Kalyana,Cholas, Hoysalas,

Pandyas;

j. Polity and Administration;

k. local Govern-ment;

l. Growth of art and architecture, religious sects,

Institution of temple and Mathas,Agraharas, education

and literature, economy and society.

12. Themes in Early Indian Cultural History:

a. Languages and texts

b. major stages in the evolution of art and architecture,

c. major philosophical thinkers and schools

d. ideas in Science and Mathematics.

13. Early Medieval India, 750-1200:-

a. Polity: Major political developments in Northern India

and the Peninsula, origin and the rise of Rajputs

b. The Cholas: administration, village economy and

society-

c. Indian Feudalism

d. Agrarian economy and urban settlements

e. Trade and commerce

f. Society: the status of the Brahman and the new social

order

g. Condition of women

h. Indian science and technology

14. Cultural Traditions in India, 750-1200:-

a. Philosophy: Skankaracharya and Vedanta, Ramanuja

and Vishishtadvaita, Madhva and Brahma-Mimansa

b. Religion: Forms and features of religion, Tamil

devotional cult, growth of Bhakti, Islam and its arrival

in India, Sufism

c. Literature: Literature in Sanskrit, growth of Tamil

literature, literature in the newly developing languages,

Kalhans Rajtarangini, AlberunisIndia

d. Art and Architecture: Temple architecture, sculpture,

painting

15. The Thirteenth Century:

a. Establishment of the Delhi Sultanate: The Ghurian

invasions

b. factors behind Ghurian success

c. Economic, social and cultural consequences

d. Foundation of Delhi Sultanate and early Turkish

Sultans

e. Consolidation: The rule of Iltutmishand Balban

16. The Fourteenth Century: -

a. The Khalji Revolution

b. Aladdin Khalji: Conquests and territorial expansion,

agrarian and economic measures

c. Muhammad Tughluq: Major projects, agrarian

measures, bureaucracy of Muhammad Tughluq

d. Firuz Tughluq: Agrarian measures, achievements in

civil engineering and public works, decline of the

Sultanate, foreign contacts and IbnBattutas account

17. Society, Culture and Economy in the Thirteenth and

Fourteenth Centuries:

a. Society: composition of rural society, ruling classes,

town dwellers, women, religious classes, caste and

slavery under the Sultanate, Bhakti movement, Sufi

movement

b. Culture: Persian literature, literature in the regional

languages of North India, literature in the languages of

South India, Sultanate architecture and new structural

forms, painting, evolution of a composite culture

c. Economy: Agricultural production, rise of urban

economy and non-agricultural production, trade and

commerce

18. The Fifteenth and Early Sixteenth Century Political

Developments and Economy:

a. Rise of Provincial Dynasties: Bengal, Kashmir (Zainul

Abedin), Gujarat, Malwa, Bahmanids

b. The Vijayanagra Empire

c. Lodis

d. Mughal Empire, First phase: Babur and Humayun

e. The Sur Empire: Sher Shahsadministration

f. Portuguese Colonial enterprise

g. Bhakti and Sufi Movements

19. The Fifteenth and early Sixteenth Century Society and

Culture:

a. Regional cultural specificities

b. Literary traditions

c. Provincial architecture

d. Society, culture, literature and theatres in Vijayanagara

Empire.

20. Akbar:

a. Conquests and consolidation of the Empire

b. Establishment of Jagir and Mansab systems

c. Rajput policy

d. Evolution of religious and social outlook, theory of

Sulh-i-kul and religious policy

e. Court patronage of art and technology

21. Mughal Empire in the Seventeenth Century:-

a. Major administrative policies of Jahangir, Shahjahan

and Aurangzeb

b. The Empire and the Zamindaris

c. Religious policies of Jahangir, Shahjahan and

Aurangzeb

d. Nature of the Mughal State

e. Late Seventeenth century crisis and the revolts

f. The Ahom Kingdom

g. Sivaji and the early Maratha Kingdom.

22. Economy and Society in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth

Centuries:

a. Population, agricultural production, craft production

b. Towns, commerce with Europe through Dutch, English

and French companies: a trade revolution

c. Indian mercantile classes, banking, insurance and

credit systems

d. Condition of peasants, condition of women

e. Evolution of the Sikh community and the Khalsa Panth

23. Culture in the Mughal Empire:

a. Persian histories and other literature

b. Hindi and other religious literature

c. Mughal architecture

d. Mughal painting

e. Provincial architecture and painting

f. Classical music

g. Science and technology

24. The Eighteenth Century:

a. Factors for the decline of the Mughal Empire

b. The regional principalities: NizamsDeccan, Bengal,

Awadh

c. Maratha ascendancy under the Peshwas

d. The Maratha fiscal and financial system

e. Emergence of Afghan Power, Battle of Panipat:1761

f. State of politics, culture and economy on the eve of

the British conquest

PAPER II

1. European Penetration into India:

a. The Early European Settlements;

b. The Portuguese and the Dutch;

c. The English and the French East India Companies;

d. Their struggle for supremacy;

e. Carnatic Wars;

f. Bengal -The conflict between the English and the

Nawabs of Bengal;

g. Siraj and the English;

h. The Battle ofPlassey;

i. Significance of Plessey.

2. British Expansion in India:

a. Bengal Mir Jafar and Mir Kasim;

b. The Battle of Buxar;

c. Mysore;

d. The Marathas;

e. The three Anglo-Maratha Wars;

f. The Punjab.

3. Early Structure of the British Raj:

a. The early administrative structure;

b. From diarchy to direct control;

c. The Regulating Act (1773);

d. The Pitts India Act (1784);

e. The Charter Act (1833);

f. The voice of free trade and the changing character of

British colonial rule;

g. The English utilitarian and India.

4. Economic Impact of British Colonial Rule:

a. Land revenue settlements in British India;

b. The Permanent Settlement;

c. Ryotwari Settlement;

d. MahalwariSettlement;

e. Economic impact of the revenue arrangements;

f. Commercialization of agriculture;

g. Rise of landless agrarian labourers;

h. Impoverishment of the rural society;

i. Dislocation of traditional trade and commerce;

j. De-industrialisation;

k. Decline of traditional crafts;

l. Drain of wealth;

m. Economic transformation of India;

n. Railroad and communication network including tele-

graph and postal services;

o. Famine and poverty in the rural interior;

p. European business enterprise and its limitations.

5. Social and Cultural Developments:

a. The state of indigenous education, its dislocation;

b. Orientalist-Anglicist controversy, The introduction of

western education in India;

c. The rise of press, literature and public opinion;

d. The rise of modern vernacular literature;

e. Progress of science;

f. Christian missionary activities in India.

6. Social and Religious Reform movements in Bengal and

Other Areas:

a. Ram Mohan Roy, The Brahmo Movement;

b. Devendranath Tagore;

c. Iswarchandra Vidyasagar;

d. The Young Bengal Movement;

e. Dayanada Saraswati;

f. The social reform movements in India including Sati,

widow remarriage, child marriage etc.;

g. The contribution of Indian renaissance to the growth of

modern India;

h. Islamic revivalism the Feraizi andWahabi

Movements.

7. Indian Response to British Rule:

a. Peasant movements and tribal uprisings in the 18th

and 19th centuries including the Rangpur Dhing

(1783), the Kol Rebellion (1832), the Mopla Rebellion

in Malabar (1841-1920), the Santal Hul(1855), Indigo

Rebellion (1859-60),Deccan Uprising (1875) and the

Munda Ulgulan (1899-1900);

b. The Great Revolt of1857 - Origin, character, causes of

failure, the consequences;

c. The shift in the character of peasant uprisings in

thepost-1857 period;

d. The peasant movements of the 1920s and 1930s.

8. Freedom Struggle I

a. Factors leading to the birth of Indian Nationalism;

b. Politics of Association;

c. The Foundation of the Indian National Congress;

d. The Safety-valve thesis relating to the birth of the

Congress;

e. Programme and objectives of Early Congress;

f. The social composition of early Congress leadership;

g. The Moderates and Extremists;

h. The Partition of Bengal (1905);

i. The Swadeshi Movement in Bengal;

j. The economic and political aspects of Swadeshi

Movement;

k. The beginning of revolutionary extremism in India.

9. Freedom Struggle II

a. Rise of Gandhi;

b. Character of Gandhian nationalism;

c. Gandhis popular appeal;

d. Rowlatt Satyagraha;

e. The Khilafat Movement;

f. The Non-cooperation Movement;

g. National politics from the end of the Non-cooperation

movement to the beginning of the Civil Disobedience

movement;

h. The two phases of the Civil Disobedience Movement;

i. Simon Commission;

j. The Nehru Report;

k. The Round Table Conferences;

l. Nationalism and the Peasant Movements;

m. Nationalism and Working class movements;

n. Women and Indian youth and students in Indian

politics (1885-1947);

o. The election of 1937 and the formation of ministries;

p. Cripps Mission;

q. The Quit India Movement;

r. The Wavell Plan;

s. The Cabinet Mission.

10. Constitutional Developments in the Colonial India

between 1858 and 1935

11. Other strands in the National Movement the

Revolutionaries:

a. Bengal

b. The Punjab

c. Maharashtra

d. U.P

e. The Madras Presidency

f. Outside India

g. The Left

h. The Left within the Congress: Jawaharlal Nehru,

Subhas Chandra Bose, the Congress Socialist Party

i. The Communist Party of India

j. Other left parties.

12. Final Developments before Independence

a. Politics of Separatism;

b. The Muslim League;

c. The Hindu Mahasabha;

d. Communalism and the politics of partition;

e. Transfer of power;

f. Independence.

13. Post-Independence I

a. Consolidation as a Nation;

b. Nehrus Foreign Policy;

c. India and her neighbours (1947-1964);

d. The linguistic reorganisation of States (1935-1947);

e. Regionalism and regional inequality;

f. Integration of Princely States;

g. Princes in electoral politics;

h. The Question of National Language.

14. Post-Independence II

a. Caste and Ethnicity after 1947;

b. Backward castes and tribes in post-colonial electoral

politics;

c. Dalit movements.

15. Post-Independence III

a. Economic development and political change;

b. Land reforms;

c. The politics of planning and rural reconstruction;

d. Ecology and environmental policy in post- colonial

India;

e. Progress of science.

16. Enlightenment and Modern ideas:

a. Major ideas of Enlightenment: Kant, Rousseau

b. Spread of Enlightenment in the colonies

c. Rise of socialist ideas (up to Marx);spread of Marxian

Socialism.

17. Origins of Modern Politics:

a. European States System.

b. American Revolution and the Constitution.

c. French revolution and aftermath,1789-1815.

d. American Civil War with reference to Abraham Lincoln

and the abolition of slavery.

e. British Democratic Politics, 1815-1850; Parliamentary

Reformers, Free Traders, Chartists.

18. Industrialization :

a. English Industrial Revolution: Causes and Impact on

Society

b. Industrialization in other countries: USA, Germany,

Russia, Japan

c. Industrialization and Globalization.

19. Nation-State System:

a. Rise of Nationalism in 19th century

b. Nationalism: state-building in Germany and Italy

c. Disintegration of Empires in the face of the emergence

of nationalities across the world.

20. Imperialism and Colonialism:

a. South and South-East Asia

b. Latin America and South Africa

c. Australia

d. Imperialism and free trade: Rise of neo-imperialism.

21. Revolution and Counter-Revolution:

a. 19th Century European revolutions

b. The Russian Revolution of1917-1921

c. Fascist Counter-Revolution, Italy and Germany.

d. The Chinese Revolution of 1949

22. World Wars:

a. 1st and 2nd World Wars as Total Wars: Societal

implications

b. World War I: Causes and consequences

c. World War II: Causes and consequence

23. The World after World War II:

a. Emergence of two power blocs

b. Emergence of Third World and on-alignment

c. UNO and the global disputes.

24. Liberation from Colonial Rule:

a. Latin America-Bolivar

b. Arab World-Egypt

c. Africa-Apartheid to Democracy

d. South-East Asia-Vietnam

25. Decolonization and Underdevelopment: Factors

constraining development: Latin America, Africa

26. Unification of Europe:

a. Post War Foundations: NATO and European

Community

b. Consolidation and Expansion of European Community

c. European Union.

27. Disintegration of Soviet Union and the Rise of the

Unipolar World:

a. Factors leading to the collapse of Soviet communism

and the Soviet Union, 1985-1991

b. Political Changes in Eastern Europe 1989-2001.

c. End of the cold war and US ascendancy in the World as the lone superpower.