History-Complete Study Note

History – Complete Study Note
Ancient History
• History Notes: Time Sequence of Ancient to Modern History in India
• Important Points You Should Know About Indus Valley Civilization
• Important Facts about Buddhism & Jainism
• Sikh Gurus and their achievements
• History Notes: Vedic Literature Part – I
• History Notes: Vedic Literature Part – II
• History Notes: Dynasties of Ancient India – Part I
• History Notes: Dynasties of Ancient India– Part II
• History Notes: All about Gupta Empire
• History Notes on Chalukas Dynasty and Pallava Dynasty
• Questions Asked in Previous Years Exam from Ancient History
Medieval History
• Medieval History Notes: Arab & Turkish invasions in India
• Medieval History Notes: Delhi Sultanate Part -1
• Medieval History Notes: Delhi Sultanate Part -2
• Medieval History Notes: Bahmani and Vijayanagara Kingdoms
• Medieval History Notes: All about Mughal Empire Part-I
• Medieval History Notes: All about Mughal Empire Part-II
• Medieval History Notes: All about Mughal Empire Part-IV
• Medieval History Notes: The Marathas
• Medieval History Notes: All about Shershah Suri
• List of Indian monuments and their builders
Modern History
• Modern History Notes on Advent of European in India
• Modern History Notes: The Revolt of 1857
• Modern History Notes: Viceroys of India
• History Notes: List of Indian monuments and their builders
• Important Events of Indian Freedom Movement
• GK Notes on Governor Generals of India
• Important Places from Freedom Struggle in Indian History
Time Sequence of Ancient to Modern History in India

Chronological order of Ancient to Modern History of India
Indian History can be classified into three periods:
• Ancient India
• Medieval India
• Modern India.
Ancient India (Pre-historic to AD 700)

There were activities of proto humans (Homo erectus) in the Indian subcontinent 20 lakh years (2 million years)
ago, and of Homo sapiens since 70,000 BC. But they were gathers/hunters.
• The first inhabitants of Indian subcontinent might have been tribals like Nagas (North-East), Santhals (East-
India), Bhils (Central India), Gonds (Central India), Todas (South India) etc.
• Most of them are speakers of the Austric, pre-Dravidian languages, such as Munda and Gondvi. Dravidians
and Aryans are believed to be immigrants who came later to the sub-continent.
• Ancient India can be studied under other heads like Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic and Chalcolithic
period – based on the type of stone/ metal tools people used.
Paleolithic Period (2 million BC – 10,000 BC)
• Fire
• Tools made up of lime stone
• Ostrich Eggs
• Important Paleolithic sites : Bhimbetka (M.P), Hunsgi, Kurnool Caves, Narmada Valley (Hathnora, M.P),
Kaladgi Basin
Mesolithic Period (10,000 BC – 8,000 BC)
• Major Climatic Change happened
• Domestication of animals ie Cattle rearing started
• Microliths found at Brahmagiri (Mysore), Narmada, Vindya, Gujarat
Neolithic Period (8000 BC – 4,000 BC)

• Agriculture Started
• Wheel discovered
• Inamgaon = An early village
• Important Neolithic Sites : Burzahom(Kashmir), Gufkral(Kashmir), Mehrgarh(Pakistan), Chirand(Bihar),
Daojali Hading(Tripura/Assam), Koldihwa(UP), Mahagara(UP), Hallur(AP), Paiyampalli(AP), Maski,
Kodekal, Sangana Kaller, Utnur, Takkala Kota.
• NB: Megalithic Sites: Brahmagiri, Adichanallur
Chalcolithic Period (4000 BC – 1,500 BC)

• Copper Age. Can be considered part of Bronze Age. (Bronze = Copper + Tin)
• Indus Valley Civilization(BC 2700 – BC 1900).
• Also cultures at Brahmagiri, Navada Toli (Narmada region), Mahishadal (W.Bengal), Chirand (Ganga
region)
Iron Age (BC 1500 – BC 200)
• Vedic Period (Arrival of Aryans ie. BC 1600 – BC 600) – Nearly 1000 years (Basic books of Hinduism, ie
Vedas were composed, might have written down later.)
• Jainism and Buddhism
• Mahajanapadas – Major Civilization after Indus Valley- On banks of river Ganga
• Magadha empire – Bimbisara of Haryanka Kula
• Sisunga dyanasy – Kalasoka (Kakavarnin)
• Nanda empire – Mahapadma-nanda, Dhana-nanda
• Persian- Greek : Alexander 327 BC
Mauryan Empire (321-185 BC)

Chandra Gupta Maurya, Bindusara, Asoka
Post Mauryan Kingdoms (Middle Kingdoms):
• Sunga (181-71 BC), Kanva (71-27BC), Satavahanas (235-100BC), Indo-Greeks, Parthians (19-45AD),
Sakas (90BC-150AD), Kushanas(78AD)
• South Indian Kingdoms – Chola, Chera, Pandyas (BC 300)
Gupta Kingdom (300AD – 800AD) : Classical Period

• Samudra Gupta (Indian Napoleon)
Post Guptas or Contemporary Guptas

• Harshvardana, Vakatakas, Pallavas, Chalukyas. Also, Hunas, Maitrakas, Rajputs, Senas and Chauhans.
Medieval India (AD 700 – AD 1857)

• AD: 800-1200: Tri partite struggle – Prathiharas, Palas and Rashtrakutas
• Attack of Muhammed Bin Kassim (AD 712)
• Rise of Islam and Sufism
• Mohammed Ghazni (AD 1000-27)
• Mohammed Ghori (AD 1175-1206)
* Kingdoms of South India During Medieval India – Bhamini and Vijayanagara

Delhi Sultanate (1206 AD – 1526 AD)
1. Slave Dynasty
2. Kilji Dynasty
3. Tuglaq Dynasty
4. Sayyid Dynasty
5. Lodi Dyanasty
Mughals (AD 1526 – AD 1857)
• Great Mughals
• Later Mughals
• Arrival of Europeans
• Other Kingdoms of North India – Marathas, Sikhs
Modern India (AD 1857 +)

• First War of Indian Independence (1857)
• Formation of Indian National Congress (1885)
• Formation of Muslim League (1906)
• Non Co-operation Movement (1920)
• Civil Disobedience Movement (1930)
• Quit India Movement (1942)
• Partition of India (1947)
• Constitutional Development of India (1946 – 1950)
• Economic Development of India
• Wars – India-Pak – Formation of Bangladesh; India- China
• New Economic Policy of 1991
• Nuclear, Space and Defense Development
Important Points You Should Know About Indus Valley Civilization

Indus Valley civilization
• John Marshall was the first scholar to use the term, ‘Indus Civilization’.
• The Indus Valley Civilization was an ancient civilization thriving along the Indus River and the Ghaggar-
Hakra River which is presently known as Pakistan and north-western India.
• According to radio-carbon dating, it spread from the year 2500 – 1750 BC.
• The most characteristic feature of the Harappan Civilization was its urbanization.
• Besides sheep and goats, dogs, humped cattle buffalo and elephant was certainly domesticated.
• Capital cities- Harappa, Mohenjodaro.
• Port cities- Lothal, Sutkagendor, Allahdino, Balakot, Kuntasi.
• The Indus-Valley people were well-acquainted with the use both of cotton and wool.
Social features:
• First urbanization in India.
• Town planning
• Grid pattern
• Drainage system
• Equality in society
Major Cities And Their Features:

• Mohenjodaro (Sind) is situated on the right bank of the Indus.
• Chanhudaro lies on the left bank of the Indus about 130 km south of Mohenjodaro.
• Kalibangan (Rajasthan) was on the banks of the river Ghaggar which dried up centuries ago.
• Lothal is at the head of the Gulf of Cambay.
• Banawali (Haryana) was situated on the banks of the now extinct Sarasvati
• Surkotada (Gujarat) is at the head of the Rann of Kutch.
• Dholavira (Gujarat) excavated is in the Kutch district
Economic features:
• Based on agriculture
• Trade/commerce.
• Export/import
• Production of cotton
• 16 was the unit of measurement (16, 64,160, 320).
• Weights and measures of accuracy existed in Harappan culture (found at Lothal).
• The weights were made of limestone, steatite, etc and were generally cubical in shape
• A dockyard has been discovered at Lothal.
Religious Features:
• Mother goddess – Matridevi or Shakti
• Sex organ (Yoni) worship.
• Pashupati Mahadeva – lord of Animals
• Yogic position structure.
• Nature worship.
• Animal worship – Unicorn, ox.
• Tree worship – Peepal.
• Fire worship- Havan Kund.
Important Facts about Buddhism & Jainism

Buddhism and Jainism are two branches of the Samana tradition
that still exist today. Buddhism and Jainism originated from the
prevailing pessimism of the time and both the creeds had some
common points. Jainism and Buddhism had largest number of
followers among the mercantile class. Both Mahavira and Buddha
preached their doctrines in the language of the people.
Some points in detail about Buddhism

• The Buddha also known as Sakyamuni or
Tathagata.
• Born in 563 BC on the Vaishakha Poornima Day at Lumbini (near Kapilavastu) in Nepal.
• His father Suddhodana was the Saka ruler.
• His mother (Mahamaya, of Kosala dynastry) died after 7 days of his birth. Brought up by stepmother
Gautami.
• Married at 16 to Yoshodhara. Enjoyed the married life for 13 years and had a son named Rahula.
• After seeing an old man, a sick man, a corpse and an ascetic, he decided to become a wanderer.
• Left his palace at 29 in search of truth (also called ‘Mahabhinishkramana’ or The Great Renunication) and
wandered for 6 years.
• Attained ‘Enlightenment’ at 35 at Gaya in Magadha (Bihar) under the Pipal tree.
• Delivered the first sermon at Sarnath where his five disciples had settled. His first sermon is called
‘Dharmachakrapracartan’ or ‘Turning of the Wheel of Law’
• Attained Mahaparinirvana at Kushinagar (identical with village Kasia in Deoria district of UP) in 483 BC
at the age of 80 in the Malla republic.
Buddhist Councils
• First Council: At Rajgriha, in 483 BC under the Chairmanship of Mehakassaapa (king was Ajatshatru).
Divided the teachings of Buddha into two Pitakas-Vinaya Pitaka and Sutta Pitaka.
• Second Council: At Vaishali, in 383 BC under Sabakami (King was Kalasoka). Followers divided into
Sthavirmadins and Mahasanghikas.
• Third Council: At Pataliputra, in 250 BC under Mogaliputta Tissa (King was Ashoka) In this, the third part
of the Tripitaka was coded in the Pali language.
• Fourth council: At Kashmir (Kundalvan), in 72 AD under Vasumitra (King was Kanishka, Vice-Chairman
was Ashwaghosha). Divided Buddhism into Mahayana and Hinayana sects.
Buddhist Literature
Buddhist Literature: In Pali language.
Vinaya Pitaka: Rules of discipline in the Buddhist monasteries.
Sutta Pitaka: Largest, contains collection of Buddha’s sermons.
Abhidhamma Pitaka: Explanation of the philosophical principles of the Buddhist religion
Some points in detail about Jainism

• Jainism founded by Rishabha.
• There were 24 Tirthankaras (Prophets or Gurus), all Kshatriyas. First was Rishabhnath (Emblem: Bull).
• The 23rd Tirthankar Parshwanath (Emblem: Snake) was the son of King Ashvasena of Banaras.
• The 24th and the last Tirthankar was Vardhman Mahavira (Emblem: Lion). He was born in
kundagram (Distt Muzaffarpur, Bihar) in 599 BC.
• His father Siddhartha was the head of Jnatrika clan.
• His mother was Trishla, sister of Lichchavi Prince Chetak of Vaishali.
• Mahavira was related to Bimbisara. Married to Yashoda, had a daughter named Priyadarsena, whose
husband Jamali became his first disciple.
• At 30, after the death of his parents, he became an ascetic.
• In the 13th year of his asceticism (on the 10th of Vaishakha), outside the town of Jrimbhikgrama, he
attained supreme knowledge (kaivalya).
• From now on he was called Jaina or Jitendriya and Mahavira, and his followers were named Jains. He
also got the title of Arihant, i.e.. worthy.
• At the age of 72, he attained death at Pava, near Patna, in 527 BC.
• Mahavira preached almost the same message as Parshvanath and added one more, Brahmcharya
(celibacy) to it.
Trick to Remember the names of all Sikh Gurus and their achievements
Sikhism
‘Sikh’ is a sanskrit word which means ‘desciple’
Guru Nanak(1469- 1539)
• Founded Sikh Religion.
• His teachings are composed in Adi Granth or Granth Sahib.
Guru Angad(1538-1552)
• Invented a new script called “Guru-Mukhi”.
Guru Amardas(1552-1574) –
• Started the Langar or Community Kichen.
• Led struggle against Sati and Purdah System.
Guru Ramdas(1574-1581)
• Founded Amritsar in 1577 on the land granted by Akbar.
Guru Arjun Dev(1581-1606)

• Founded the Swarna Mandir or Golden Temple at Amritsar.
• Composed Adi Granth in 1604.
• Executed by Jehangir on charges of helping prince Khusrau with money and Prayer.
Guru Hargovind(1606-1645)
• Transformed the Sikh into a militant community.
• EstablishednAkal Takht and fortified Amritsar.
Guru Har Rai (1645-1661)

Guru Har Kishan(1661-1664)
• He is the youngest Sikh Guru
Guru Teg Bahadur(1664-1675)

• He was executed at Delhi by Aurangazeb for not embracing islam.
• He called himself “Sachcha Badshah”.
• Guru Govind Singh(1675-1708)
• He founded the Khalsa in 1699.
• Introduced a new rite “Pahul”.
• He made his headquarter at Makhowal or Anandpur. He compilled a supplementary Granth.
• He joined Bahadur Shah’s camp as a noble.
TRICK To Remember Name : Nanak Angdan kr Amar ho Ram ke pass chale gaye lekin Arjun ne Govind ki
Rai li or kitni baduri se Kudh Govind ban gaye.
• Guru Nanak ………………………… 1469-1538
• Guru Angad ..……………………. 1538 – 1552
• Guru Amardas …………………… 1552 – 1574
• Guru Ramdas …………………….. 1574 – 1581
• Guru Arjundev ………………….. 1581 – 1606
• Guru Hargovind …………………. 1606 – 1645
• Guru Har Rai ……………………… 1645 – 1661
• Guru Har Kishan ………………….. 1661-1664
• Guru Teg Bahadur.……………….. 1664-1675
• Guru Govind Singh …………….. 1675 – 1708
History Notes: Vedic Literature Part – I

The Vedic literature was composed in Sanskrit. To begin with the Vedas were recited and not written. They were taught by
oral method. Hence they were called as Sruti (heard) and Smriti (memorized). But later on they were reduced to writing
after the invention of scripts.
The major literary and religious works of Vedic Period are the four Vedas and the Upanishads. These works still
continue to hold immense authority in the sphere of spiritual and religious literature. The idea and principles of
Karma (action) and Moksha (spiritual liberation) are widely accepted by the people belonging to Hindu faith.
Four Vedas
Veda is a sanskrit word. It means “knowledge“. There were four Vedas :
1. The Rig Veda
2. The Sama Veda
3. The Yajur Veda and
4. The Atharva Veda.
1. The Rig Veda

• Collection of hymns
• Oldest of all vedas
• Associated of 1017 hymns or Suktas after adding “Blhilya Sukta” number in 1028
• Compiled in 10 ‘mandalas‘ & 8 ‘Akhtaks’.
• Also contains the famous Gayatri Mantra
• II, III, IV, V, VI & VII are oldest mandalas
• I, VIII, IX, X are latest mandalas.
• The Tenth “Mandalas” or chapter which has the “Purushasukta” hymn, was probably added later.
• Mandala IX is completely devoted to ‘Soma‘.
• Mandala II to VII were created by Grita Samada, Vishwamitra, Vamadeva, Atri, Bharadwaj, Vashistha, VIII
Kanwa and Angira, IX Soma
2. Samveda
• Rhthmic compilation of hymns for Rigveda
• “Book for Chants” contains 1,549 hymns, meant to be sung at the ‘soma’ sacrifice by a special class of
Brahmanas called Udgatris. But the Samaveda has very little original value.
• Has only 75 fundamental hymns
3. The Yajur Veda

• Book of sacrifical prayers
• Rituals of yajnas
• Is sung of priest “Adhavaryu”
• Its mantras tell us how the sacrifices were to be performed and what part the “Adhvaryus”- the Brahmanas
who performed the manual work in the arrangement of sacrifice were to play at the time of sacrifice.
• Has been compiled in “fourth path”
• Has been divided into, Krishna(black) Yajurveda & Shukla(white) Yajurveda
• Prose text
4. Atharvaveda
• Mantras for magic spells
• Populate ritualistic system & superstitions
• Associated with “Saunkiya” and “Paiplad” community
• Collection of 711/731/760 hymns
• Not included in ‘Trai‘
• Has been divided in 20 “Kandas“
• 18th, 19th & 20th ‘Kandas’ are later works
• Provides freedom from evils spirits.
• Oldest text on Indian Medicine.
History Notes: Vedic Literature Part – II

The vast literature of the Aryans is divided into two parts –
• Sruti
• Smriti
1. Sruti Literature: The word Veda has been divided from the Sanskrit word Ved, which means ‘spiritual
knowledge’. The Vedas are four in number – Rig Veda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, and Atharvaveda. The Rig Veda
contains a references only to the first three Vedas, which suggests that the fourth Veda was composed at some later
date.
The Vedic literature is usually divided into three periods:-
1. The Mantra period when the Samhitas were composed
2. Brahaman period when the Brahamanas, Upanishads and Aranyakas were composed
3. the Sutra period.
• Brahmanas are massive prose text which contain speculation of the meaning of the hymns, give precepts
for their application, relate stories of their origin in connection with sacrificial rites and explain the secret
meaning of the later.
• The Aranyakas are the concluding parts of the Brahamanas. It doest not lay much stress on rites, rituals and
sacrifices, but merely contain the philosophy and mysticism. The lead with the problems of soul, origin and
elements of universe and the creation of universe.
Aranyaka:-
• Literarily, it means ‘Jungle‘
• Provides description of Moral Science and Philosophy
• Provides details of hermits and saints who lived in Jungles
• Give stress on meditation
• Protests the system of ‘Yajnas‘
It would be appropriate to describe Upanishadas as mystic writings. There are 108 Upanishads in all, the most
prominent of them being Ish, Prasana, Aitareya, Taittiriya, Chhandogaya, Kathoupanishad, Ishopanishad,
Brehadaranyaka, etc.
Upanishada
• Literary meaning is ‘Satra‘ (to sit near masters feet) in which Guru offers band of knowledge to their
disciples
• Is a combination of Tatva-mimansa and philosophy
• They are also called “Vedanta”
• Primitive upanishada are “Brahadaranyaka” and “Chandogya”
• Later Upnishada like “Katha” and “Swetaswatar” have been written in poetic forms.
• Brahma is the summary of philosophy, which is the only a ‘truth’ in the world.
• Knowledge awards salvation says Upanishadas
• Oldest possibility Narsinghpurvatapani
• Latest possibility Allopanishada in Akbar’s reign
2. Smriti Literature: Smriti is traditional knowledge and designates almost the entire body of post-Vedic classical
Sanskrit literature. Smriti literature generally includes the following overlapping subjects:-
1. The Vedangas: They refer to certain branches of post-Vedic studies regarded as auxiliary to the Vedas. The
Vedangas are conventionally divided into six heading namely:-
(i)Kalpa or the ritual canon, including the dharma shastras or legal codes,
(ii)Jyotisha or astronomy,
(iii) Siksha or phonetics,
(iv)Chhanda or metre
(v) Nirukta or etymology
(vi)Vyakarana (Grammer)
1. The Shad-Darsana: Six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy, namely Nyaya, ‘Vaiseshikha’, Sankhya,
Yoga, Mimamsa and Vedanta.
2. Itihasa: Legendary or semi-legendary works, specifically the Ramayana and Mahabharata and often
extended to the Puranas.
3. Puranas: Being a fairly late description of ancient legends, they are heavily coloured with the superstitions.
The Puranas represent the most corrupt form of Hinduism. They are 18 in number
• The Eighteen Puranas
• Brahma Purana
• Vishnu Purana
• Shiva Purana
• Padma Purana
• Shrimad Bhagwat Purana
• Agni Purana
• Narad Purana
• Markandey Purana
• Bhavishya Purana
• Ling Purana
• Varah Purana
• Vaman Purana
• Brahm Vaivertya Purana
• Shanda Purana
• Surya Purana
• Matsya Purana
• Garuda Purana
• Brahmand Purana
Upaveda: Also known as the auxiliary Vedas, they deal with medicine, architecture, erotics, archery and various
arts and crafts. These were partly derived from original Vedic texts and were traditionally associated with one or
other of the Vedas.
Tantras: Tantras are the writings of Shakta or Shaivite sects and also of certain antinomian Buddhist scholars
Agamas: They are scriptures of sectarian Hindus like Vaishnavites, Shaivites and Shaktas.
Upangas: They are a generic name for any collection of treatises although traditionally confined to the
philosophical systems of ‘Nyaya’ and ‘Mimansa’ – the ‘Dharma Sutras’ the ‘Puranas’ and the ‘Tantras’
Epics
Some historians regard the Later Vedic Period as the Period of Epics. The Mahabharata and the Ramayana are the
two great epics of this period.
Ramayana: It is said to have been composed by the sage, Valmiki. The incident related in it precedes
the Mahabharata by about a hundred and fifty years. The story of Ramayana is of indigenous origin and had
existed in ballad form in Prakrit, in more than one version. It was rewritten in Sanskrit and augmented with many
‘Shlokas’. The epic was given a Brahmanical character which was not visible in the original work. It is also known
as Adi Kavya. Evidence places the oldest part of the Ramayana to before 350 BC. The reference in the epic to the
mingled hords of Yavanas and Shakas suggests that it received accretions in the Graeco-Scythian period and may
have acquired its final shape by about AD 250.
Mahabharata: The Mahabharata is the bulkiest epic consisting of 100,000 verses and is divided into 18 paravas
(books). This book is usually assigned to Rishi Ved Vyas, but scholars have expressed doubts if such a great work
could have been accomplished by one single person. The story itself occupies only about one-fourth of the poem. It
is a tale about conflict between Aryans-Kaurava and Pandava.
The rest is episodical comprising cosmology, theogony, state craft, the science of war, ethics, legendary history,
mythology, fairy tales and several digressional and philosophical interludes, of which the best known is
the Bhagavad Gita.
Vedic Period and the Aryans
Vedic Period and the Aryans

• The Aryans were semi-nomadic pastoral people and originated from area around the Caspian Sea in Central
Asia(Many historians have given various theories regarding their original place). The Central Asian theory
is given by Max Muller.
• Entered India probably through the Khyber Pass(Hindukush mountain) around 1500 BC.
Early Vedic or Rig Vedic Period(1500- 1000 BC)

Political Organization
• Monarchial form. Tribe was known as Jan and its king as Rajan.
• Family was the basic unit of society. The family was patriarchal in nature.
Economy
• Aryans followed a mixed economy i.e pastoral and agricultural in which cattle played a predominant part.
• Standard unit of exchange was Cow. At the same time coins were also there.
Religion
• The Aryans personified the natural forces and looked upon them as living beings.
• The most important divinity was Indra who played the role of warlord(breaker of forts-Purandar)
Later Vedic Period(1000- 600 BC) (Painted Gray Ware Phase)

Political Organization
• Tiny tribal settlements were placed by strong kingdoms.
Social
• The four fold division of society became clear, initially based on occupation, which later became
hereditary: Brahmins(priests), Kshatriyas(warriors), Vaishyas(agriculturists, cattle- rearers,
traders), Shudras(servers of the upper three).
• The institution of the gotra appeared for the first time in this age.
Religion
• Indra and Agni lost their importance. Prajapati(the creator) became supreme. Vishnu came to be conceived
as the preserver and protector of the people.
The Vedic Literature
The Vedas
The word Veda comes from the root “vidi” signifying knowledge. They are four in all – Rig Veda, Sama Veda,
Yajur Veda and Athrava Veda.
(1) Rig Veda

• Oldest religious text in the world.
• Contains 1,028 hymns and is divided into 10 mandalas.
(2) Sama Veda

• Derived from the root Saman i.e “melody”. It is a collection of melodies.
(3) Yajur Veda

• Deals with the procedure for the performance of sacrifices.
(4) Atharva Veda

• Mostly dealing with magic( along with personal problems of people).
The Upanishads
• Called Vedanata
• They are the main source of Indian Philosophy, 108 in numbers.
The Brahmins
• They explain the meaning of sacrifices and also the methods of performing them.
• Shatpath Brahmin on Yajur Veda is the largest among brahmins.
The Aranyakas
• These Granths were studied in the forest.
• These are the books of instructions.
Epics
Mahabharata
• It was written in sanskrit by Ved Vyas
• It describes about a war between Kauravas and Pandavas of 950 BC in Kurukshetra.
• Translation of “Mahabharat” in persian is called Rajm nama done by Badauni.
Ramayana
• It was written by Valmiki in sanskrit.
• It has 24000 shloks, also known as Aadi-kavya.
• Its persian translation is done by Badauni and Tamil translation by Kamban.
• Ramcharitmanas is written by Tulsidas.
Puranas
• Puranas are 18 in number.
• It was written during Gupta Age in AD 4th Century.
• Matasya Purana is the oldest Purana.
Dynasties of Ancient India – Part I
Dynasties of Ancient India

Two major dynasties of India, the Maurya Empire (321 BC- 185 BC) and Gupta Empire (240 BC-550 AD), were
originated from Magadha.
Apart from Maurya and Gupta dynasties, there were other dynasties which were started from Magadha,
• Haryanka dynasty (544-413 BC)
• Shishunaga dynasty (413-345 BC)
• Nanda dynasty (424-321 BC)
Haryanka dynasty :-
• Haryanka is the name of a new dynasty founded in Magadha by Bimbisara.
• Bimbisara founded the dynasty by defeating the Brihadrathas.
• Bimbisara was a contemporary of Buddha.
• Pataliputra and Rajagriha were the capitals of Magadhan kingdom. Magadha falls in the Patna region of
Bihar.
Shishunaga Dynasty:-
• Haryankas were overthrown by Sisunaga and he founded the Sisunaga dynasty there.
• Kalasoka the son and successor of Sisunaga was succeeded by Mahapadma Nanda and he founded the
Nanda dynasty.
• Ajatasatru’s successor Udayin was the founder of the city of Pataliputra.
Nanda Dynasty:-
• The Nanda Empire was an ancient Indian dynasty originated from Magadha and was established in 424
BC.
• Mahapadma Nanda was the founder and the first king of the Nanda dynasty.
• He overthrew the Magadha dynasty and established the new Empire.
• Initially Nanda Dynast inherited a large kingdom of Magadha and subsequently the boundaries of Nanda
Dynasty were expanded in all directions by its rulers.
• Nandas formed a vast army, including 200000 infantry, 20000 cavalry, 2000 war chariots and 3000 war
elephants.
• At its peak, the Nanda Empire expanded from Bengal in the east to Punjab in the west.
• In the southern side it extended to the Vindhya Range.
• Dhana Nanda was the last ruler of Nanda Dynasty.
• In 321 BC, Chandragupta Maurya defeated him and founded the Maurya Empire.
MAURYAN DYNASTY (321 – 185 BC):-

List of Mauryan Emperors:
1. Chandragupta Maurya (321 BC-298 BC)
2. Bindusara (298 BC-272 BC)
3. Ashoka Maurya (269-232 BC)
4. Dasaratha Maurya
5. Samprati
6. Salisuka
7. Devavarman
8. Satadhanvan
9. Brihadratha Maurya
Origin of Mauryan Empire:-
• The Mauryan Empire, started from Magadha was founded in 321 BC by Chandragupta Maurya.
• Pataliputra,the modern day Patna was the capital city of Mauryan Empire.
Expansion of Mauryan Empire:-

• Mauryan Empire was one of the world’s largest empires of that time and expanded to an area of 5,000,000
km2.
Ashoka:-
• Ashoka ascended the throne in 273BC and ruled upto 232 BC. He was known as ‘Devanampriya
priyadarsi the
• beautiful one who was the beloved of Gods.
• He was known as ‘Devanampriya priyadarsi the beautiful one who was the beloved of Gods.
• Ashoka fought the Kalinga war in 261 BC Kalinga is in modern Orissa. Ashokan inscriptions were
deciphered by James Princep.
• After the battle of Kalinga Ashoka became a Buddhist, being shocked by the horrors of the war.
• Ashoka was initiated to Buddhism by Upagupta or Nigrodha a disciple of Buddha
• For the propagation of Buddhism Ashoka started the institution of Dharmamahamatras.
• The IV Major Rock Edict of Ashoka tells about the practice of Dharma
• The Major Rock Edict XII of Ahoka deals with the conquest of Kalinga.
• Ashoka held the third Buddhist council at his capital Pataliputra in 250BC under the presidentship of
Moggaliputa Tissa.
• He sent his son and daughter to Sri Lanka for the spread of Buddhism (Mahendra and Sanghamitra)
• Ashoka spread Buddhism to SriLanka and Nepal. He is known as the Constantine of Buddhism.
• In his Kalinga Edict he mentions ‘‘All man are as my children’’.
• Ceylones ruler Devanmpriya Tissa was Ashoka’s first convert to Buddhism. Ashoka ruled for 40 years and
died in 232 BC.
• The emblem of the Indian Republic has been adopted from the four lion capital of one of Ashokas pillars
which is located in Saranath.
• Rock-cut architecture in India made a beginning during Ashoka’s reign.
Chanakya the architect of Mauryan Empire:-

• Chanakya,also known as Kautilya was the teacher of Chandragupta Maurya.
• He was originally a teacher of Takshashila University.
• He is considered to be the main architect in the establishment of the Maurya Empire by defeating the
powerful Nanda Empire.
• His original name was Vishnugupta.
Important points about Mauryan Empire:-

• Major sources for the study of Mauryan Empire are the Arthasastra of Kautilya and Indika of
Megasthenes.
• Chandragupta Maurya was the founder of Mauryan Empire. It is also said that his mother was Mura a
women of lower birth hence got the name Maurya.
• ChandraGupta Maurya was converted to Jainism, abdicated the throne in favour of his son Bindusara,
passed his last days at Sravanabelagola (Near Mysore) where he died in 298 BC.
• Bindusara was a follower of Ajivika sect.
• Bindusara was known as Amitragatha.
• Megasthenese the first foreign traveller to India mentions about the existence of seven castes in India during
the Mauryan period. Stanika in Mauryan administration refers to tax collector.
Dynasties of Ancient India– Part II
Indo Greeks
• First to invade India were the Greeks who were called Indo-Greeks.
• The most famous Indo-Greek ruler was Menander with his Capital at Sakala in Punjab (Modern Sialkot)
• The Indo-Greeks were the first to issue gold coins in India.
• Menander was converted into a Buddhist by Buddhist monk Nagasena (Nagarjuna)
• Demitrius, the king of Bacteria invaded India about 190BC. He is considered as Second Alexander (But
the Indian ruler who accepted the name second Alexander (Sikandar-i-sani) was Alauddin Khilji) Indo-
Greeks were the first to introduce military
governorship in India.
Kushan Empire
• Kujula Kadphises is considered to be the founder of Kushan Empire. He established the kingdom by
unifying the disparate Yuezhi tribes of ancient Bactria in the early 1st century AD and expanded its
territory of present day Afghanistan, Pakistan, southern Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
• He established the capital of Kushan Empire near Kabul.
• During the period of first to mid-third centuries AD, Kushan expanded rapidly and represented as a major
power in Central Asia and northern India.
• The most famous Kushana ruler was Kanishka. He became the ruler in 78 AD and started Saka Era in
78 AD.
• The Capital of Kanishka was Peshawar or Purushapura. Kanishka convened the fourth Buddhist
council in Kashmir.
• The Gandhara School of Art received royal patronage under the Kushans. Kanishka patronised Mahayana
form of Buddhism.
• The first month of Saka era is Chaithra and the last month is Phalguna.
• Vasudeva was the last great king of Kushana Dynasty.
• Kushana school of art is also referred to as the Mathura school.
Sunga Dynasty
• Sunga dynasty was established by Pusyamitra Sunga in 185 BC after assassinating the last Mauryan
emperor Brihadratha.
• The capital of Sunga Dynasty was Pataliputra of ancient Magadha.
• Kalidasa’s drama Malavikagnimitram is about the love story of Pushyamitra’s son Agnimitra and
• Last King of sunga dynasty was Devabhuti. he ruled the kingdom from 83 to 73 BC
• Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and Mahabhasya were composed in this period. The ancient Sanskrit grammar,
Ashtadayayi by Panini was composed during the period of Sunga Period.
Kanva Dynasty
• Kanva dynasty was founded by Vasudeva Kanva in 72 BC after defeating the last Sunga ruler Devabhuti.
• This dynasty ruled for a period of 45 years.
• Vasudeva, Bhumimitra, Narayana and Susuman were the rulers of Kanva dynasty.
Satavahana Dynasty
• Satavahanas were the most powerful ruling dynasty after the Mauryas.
• Satavahanas were also known as Andhras.
• Satavahanas were the Indian rulers who prefixed their mother’s name along with their names.
• Most important Satavahana ruler was Gautamiputra Satakarni. Satavahanas were Brahmanas.
• Nagarjuna Konda and Amaravati in Andhrapradesh became important seats of Buddhist culture under the
Satavahanas.
• The two common structures of Satavahanas were the temple called Chaitya and the monastery called
Vihara.
• The official language of the Satavahanas was Prakrit
The Cholas
• Vijayalaya was the founder of the Chola empire. He was a feudatory of the Pallavas of Kanchi.
• Raja Raja I (985 – 1014) adopted the titles of Arumudivarman, Mammudichodadeva, Jaykonda,
Marthanda Chola, Mamudichola etc. He built the Brihadeshwara temple at Tanjavur. which is called the
RajaRajeswara temple.
• Rajendra I led an expedition to North India, defeated the Pala ruler Mahipala I and adtoped the title,
Gangaikondachola and established a new Capital, Gangai Konda Cholapuram. Cholas maintained a well
established local – self government system. Ur, Sabha or Mahasabha – and Nagaram were the assemblies
for local administration.
• The Uttaramerur inscription of Dantivarman Pallava gives details about the local self government.
All about Gupta Empire
Gupta Empire
• The start of Gupta Empire is considered by many historian from the reign of Maharaja Shrigupta.
• Chandragupta-I was the first powerful ruler of Gupta Empire and ascended the throne in 320 AD.
• The Gupta Period from 320 AD to 550 AD is also known as the Golden Age of India.
• In the Gupta period India attained the peak of glory in every aspects starting from science, art, literature,
mathematics, astronomy and philosophy.
Emperors of Gupta Empire
• Shrigupta and Ghatotkacha. The reign of Maharaja Shrigupta (240 AD to 280 AD) is considered by many
historians to be the starting point of Gupta Empire.
• Ghatotkacha succeeded his father Shrigupta and ruled from 280AD to 319 AD.
Chandragupta I
• Chandragupta I was the son of Ghatotkacha and succeeded his father. He was the first powerful king of
the dynasty. He ruled the Empire from 320 AD to 335 AD.
• Chandragupta I adopted the title of Maharajadhiraja: meaning King of Kings.
• He married princess Kumaradevi of neighboring kingdom Lichchhavi and gained the control of the
territory of north Bihar.
• The starting of the reign of Chandragupta-I is considered by many historians as the beginning of Gupta era.
Samudragupta and Chandragupta II

• Samudragupta,succeeded his father Chandragupta I and ruled the Gupta dynasty for about 45 years from
335 AD to 380 AD. He is also known as ‘Napolean of India’.
• Many historians believe that Chandragupta II was nominated by his father Samudragupta as the next heir of
Gupta Empire.But Ramagupta,the eldest son of Samudragupta succeeded his father and became the
emperor.
• Chandragupta II killed him and ascended the throne. He was an extremely powerful emperor. Chandragupta
II is most commonly known as Vikramaditya,ruled the Gupta Empire from 380 AD to 413 AD.
Other Emperors
• Kumaragupta I,the son of Chandragupta II succeeded his father and ruled the dynasty till 455 AD. After
Kumaragupta I, Skandagupta succeeded his father.
• He is considered to be the last of the great Gupta emperors.
• He also adopted the title of Vikramaditya.
• After Skandagupta, the Gupta dynasty didn’t get any powerful ruler and finally the dynasty was
overpowered by the Vardhana ruler Harshavardhana.
Note:Some of the weak rulers who ruled after Skandagupta were, Purugupta, Kumaragupta
II, Budhagupta, Narasimhagupta, Kumaragupta III, Vishnugupta, Vainyagupta and Bhanugupta.
Fa-hien’s India Visit
• Fa-hien was the first Chinese pilgrim who visited India during the reign of Gupta emperor Chandragupta II.
Nine Gems or Navaratnas

• At the time of Vikramadityas reign, the glory of Gupta Empire reached its peak.
• A circle of famous nine persons known as Nine Gems or Navaratnas were present in the court of
Vikramaditya.
The group comprised of
• Kalidasa
• Vetala Bhatta
• Varahamihira
• Vararuchi
• Amarasimha
• Dhanvantari
• kshapanak
• Shanku
• Ghatakarpura
Kalidasa
• Kalidasa was a famous Sanskrit writer and poet in the court of Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya).
• Kalidasa was the author of three famous plays.
• Abhijnanasakuntalam : tells the story of King Dushyanta and Shakuntala
• Malavikagnimitram tells the story love of King Agnimitra with Malavika
• Vikramorvasiyam tells the love story of King Pururavas and celestial fairy Urvashi
• Kalidasa was also the author of two famous Sanskrit epic poems:
• Raghuvamsa (“Raghu Dynasty “) and
• Kumarasambhava.
Vetala Bhatta
• Vetala Bhatta was a Brahmin in the court of Vikramaditya.
• He is known for his contribution of “Nitipradipa “.
Varahamihira
• Varahamihira was an Indian astronomer, astrologer and mathematician of Gupta era.

• He is famously known for his great work Pancha Siddhantika,a book on mathematical astronomy.
• His other important contribution to the Indian Sanskrit literature is the Brihat-Samhita, an encyclopedia of
astrology and other subjects of human interest.
Vararuci
• Vararuci was one of the nine Gems in the court of Chandragupta II of Gupta era.
Amarasimha
• Amarasimha was one of the nine Gems in the court of Vikramaditya of Gupta era.
• He is notably known for his famous Sanskrit thesaurus Amarakosha.
• It is also known as Namalinganushasana.
Dhanvantari
• Dhanvantari is regarded as one of the worlds first surgeons and medical practitioner from Gupta era.
• He is considered as the origin exponent of Ayurveda.
• He is also worshipped as the God of Medicine.
• Sushruta, the author of famous Sushruta Samhita was the student of Dhanvantari.
• He is also credited for the discovery of the antiseptic properties of turmeric and the preservative properties of
salt.
• Dhanvantri is considered to be the pioneer of modern plastic surgery.
Chalukas Dynasty and Pallava Dynasty

History Notes on Chalukas Dynasty and Pallava Dynasty
THE CHALUKYAS
History of the Chalukyas, the Karnataka rulers, can be classified into three eras:
1) The early western era (6th -8th century), the Chalukyas of Badami (vatapi);
2) The later western era (7th – 12th century), the Chalukyas of Kalyani;
3) The eastern chalukya era (7th – 12th century), the chalukyas of Vengi.
1) Pulakesin I (543-566) was the first independent ruler of Badami with Vatapi in Bijapur as his capital.
2) Kirthivarma I (566-596) succeeded him at the throne. When he died, the heir to the throne, Prince Pulakesin II,
was just a baby and so the king‘s brother, Mangalesha (597-610), was crowned the caretaker ruler. Over the years,
he made many unsuccessful attempts to kill the prince but was ultimately killed himself by the prince and his
friends.
3) Pulakesin II (610-642), the son of Pulakesin I, was a contemporary of Harshavardhana and the most famous of
the Chalukyan kings.His reign is remembered as the greatest period in the history of Karnataka. He defeated
Harshavardhana on the banks of the Narmada.
4) After conquering the Kosalas and the Kalingas, and eastern Chalukyan dynasty was inaugurated by
his(Pulakeshin II) brother Kubja Vishnuvardana.
5) By 631, the Chalukyan empire extended from sea to sea. However, Pulkeshin II was defeated and probably
killed in 642, when the Pallavas under Narsimhavarma I attack on their capital & captured the chalukyan capital at
Badami.
6) The Chalukyas rose to power once again under the leadership of Vikramaditya I (655-681), who defeated his
contemporary Pandya, Pallava, Cholas and Kerala rulers to establish the supremacy of the Chalukyan empire in the
region.
7) Vikramaditya II (733-745) defeated the Pallava king Nandivarma II to capture a major portion of the Pallava
kingdom.
8) Vikramaditya II‘s son, Kirtivarma II (745), was disposed by the Rastrakuta ruler, Dhantidurga, who established
the Rashtrakuta dynasty.
PALLAVA DYNASTY
1) The Pallava dynasty emerged in South India at a time when the Satavhana dynasty was on the decline.
2) Shivaskandavarman is said to have been the founder of the Pallava dynasty.
3) During their reign, the Pallava rulers made Kanchi their capital.
4) The noteworthy rulers during this period were:
Simhavarama I Sivaskkandavarma I, Veerakurcha, Shandavarma II, Kumaravishnu I, Simhavarma II, and
Vishnugopa.
Note: Vishugopa is said to have been defeated in battle by Samudragupta after which the Pallavas become
weaker.
5) It was Simhavishnu, the son of Simhavarma II, who eventually crushed the Kalabhras‘ dominance in 575 AD
and re-established his kingdom.
6) In 670, Parameshwaravarma I came to the throne and restricted the advance of the Chlukyan king Vikramaditya
I. However, the Chalukyas joined hands with the Pandya king Arikesari Maravarma, another promients enemy of
the Pallavas, and defeated Parameshwaravarma I.
7) Parameshwaravarma I died in 695 and was succeeded by Narasimhavarma II, a peace living ruler.He is also
remembered for building the famous Kailashanatha temple at Kanchi. He died grieving his elder son‘s
accidental death in 722.
8) His youngest son, Parameshwaravarma II, came to power in 722.He died in 730 with no heirs to the throne,
which left the Pallava kingdom in a state of disarray.
9) Nandivarma II came to power after some infighting for the throne among relatives and officials of the kingdom.
Nandivarma married the Rashtrakuta princess Reetadevi, and re-established the Pallava kingdom.
10) He was succeeded by Dantivarma (796-846) who ruled for 54 long years. Dantivarma was defeated by the
Rastrakuta king, Dantidurga, and subsequently by the Pandyas. He was succeeded by Nandivarma III in 846.
Questions Asked in Previous Years Exam from Ancient History
Previous Years Exam from Ancient History

1. The source of Swastika symbol – Indus Valley
2. Who is considered as the father of Indian archaeoloy – Alexander Cunningham
3. Meter scale has been discovered from ……… – Harappa
4. Weapon never used by the –Indus people – Sword
5. What was the major industry in Chanhudaro? – Bead making
6. The word ‘Sindhan’ used by the Indus people denoted – Cotton
7. Evidence of fractional burial has been excavated from – Harappa
8. The word ‘godhume’ used in the vedic period denote – Wheat
9. ‘Yava’ denoted – Barley
10.Term used to denote rice in the vedic text – Vrihi
11.Vedic term sita denoted – Ploughed field
12.Which veda mentions about wheel – Rigveda
13.Vedi terms ‘Urvara’ or ‘kshetra’ denoted – Cultivated field
14.The famous frog hymn in Rig Veda throws light to – Vedic education
15.Who was considered as the god of the vedas? – Varuna
16.Rigvedic term ‘Duhitri’ denoted – Milker of cows
17.Method used to calculate the number of cows in the Vedic period – Ashtakarni
18.Part of which veda has prose part – Yajur Veda
19.Who spread Aryan religion in South India – Agasthya
20.Vedic term ‘Aghanya’ denotes – Cows
21.The term ‘Bharata’ and ‘Bharatavarsha’ were first used in – Rig Veda
22.Upanishad which mentions the four Ashramas of Vedic period – Jabala Upanishad
23.Largest number of hymns in Rigveda a are in praise of – Indra
24.Edict which mentions about the relation between India and China – Nagarjunakonda
25.First town in the vedic period to use burned bricks – Kausambi
26.First reference about lending money for interest can be found in – Satpatha Brahmana
27.Rigvedic paintings have been discovered from Bhagvanpura. It is in which state – Haryana
28.Upanishad which mentions about police system – Brihadaranyaka Upanishads
29.God who was considered as God of Gods – Varuna
30.Community which was considered as untouchables by the Buddhists. – Chandalas
31.The language used by the Jains to spread their religion – Prakrit
32.Who is considered as the St.John of Buddhism – Ananda
33.Who is considered as Devil by the Buddhists – Mara
34.Three daughters of ‘Mara’ – lust, emotion and desire
35.The ruler who persecuted Buddhists – Pushyamitrasunga
36.Major philosophic school of Bhagvatism – Vishishtadvaita
37.Earliest reference about Srikrishna can be found in – Chandoghya Upanishad
38.Hindu God who found place in Greek literature – Sri Krishna
39.Jain Thirthankara, who was related to Sri Krishna — Rishabhadeva (Ist Thirthankara)
40.Tamil god of the Sangham age for War and Victory – Kottavai
41.Saint who founded the Saivism –Lakulisa
42.Tamil kingdom of the Sangham Age which sent an ambassador to the court of Roman Emperor – Augusts
Pandyas
43.First Sangham was founded by – Saint Agasthya
44.Famous poetess of the Sangham period – Avvaiyar
45.Greeco-Roman traders who visited South India during the Sangham period were denoted with the term
– Yavanas
46.Sangham work which describes about Buddhism – Manimekhalai
47.The word used by Ashoka to denote Buddha – Bhagavati
48.Ashokan inscriptions were desciphered by James prince in the year – 1837
49.Indo-Greek ruler who had his boundaries upto Pataliputra – Menander
50.Yuchi ruler who introduced gold coins for the first time – Vima Kadphesus
Medieval History
Arab & Turkish invasions in india
Arabs Invasions
• During the Khaliphate of Omar, Arab forces made fertile attempts to get Bombay
• Arabs captured Sindh in 712 AD.
• The Arab conquest of Sindh was led by Muhammed Bin Kassim.
• Muhammed Bin Khasim was the nephew of Al- Hajaj, the governor of the Arab province of Basra.
• Dahir, a Brahmin was the ruler of Punjab at that time. He was killed by Kassim.
• The Arabs lost control over Sindh in 779 AD.
• Arab conquest of Sindh resulted in the spread of Islam to North India.
• But Islam was first introduced in India by Malik Ibn Dinar in Kerala in 644 AD.
Turkish Invasions
• Ghazni in Afghanistan was ruled by a Turkish family called Gamini of Ghaznavid dynasty.
• Muhammed Ghazni was the first Turkish conqueror of North India.
• Muhammad Ghazni’s father was Subu ktigin.
• He attacked India only for want of wealth.
• He attacked India seventeen times between 1000 and 1027 AD. He made all the raids in the guise of Jihad.
• First Invasion was in 1001 AD.
• He defeated Jaipal and Anandpal of Shahi dynasty in 1001 and 1009 respectively.
• The most important raid of Muhammed was the Somanath expedition. It was in 1025. He completely
destroyed the temple. Somanath Temple was on the sea coast of Gujarat.
• Muhammed Ghazni died in 30th April 1030.
• Later his son Masud attacked India and captured Kashmir.
• The famous Persian poet Firdausi who wrote
• ‘Shahnama’ (The Book of Kings) lived in his court.
• Alberuni, an Arab Historian, who wrote Tarikhul- Hind (Reality of Hindustan), accompanied Muhammed
Ghazni to India.
• Al-Firdausi is known as ‘Indian Homer’, ‘Persian Homer’, or ‘The Immortal Homer of the East’.
Muhammed of Ghore attacked India betwen 1175 and 1206 AD.
• Muhammed Ghori made his first expedition to India and captured multan in 1175 AD.
• In the First Battle Tarain in 1191 (near Taneswar) Muhammed Ghori was defeated by the Rajput forces
under Prithviraj Chauhan III.
• In the Second Battle of Tarain (1192 AD) Muhammed Ghori assisted by Qutub -ud-din Aibek a slave,
defeated Prithviraj Chauhan III and killed him.
• In 1193 Muhamed Ghori attacked Jaichand, father in law of Prithviraj . III at Kanauj, Jaichand was
defeated.
• Muhammed Ghori returned from India by intrusting his territories in India in the hands of Qutub- Uddin
Aibak.
• After the death of Ghori in 1206 Aibek founded the Slave Dynasty.
• Muhammed Ghoris Indian invasion resulted in the foundation of Islamic rule in India.
Delhi Sultanate Part -1

Delhi Sultanate
The five dynasties which founded subsequently after the Turkish invasion were collectively known as Delhi
sultanate. They are:
• Slave Dynasty- 1206 – 1290
• Khilji Dynasty-1290 – 1320
• Tughlaq Dynasty- 1320 – 1412
• Sayyid Dynasty- 1414 – 1451
• Lodi Dynasty-1451 – 1526
Slave Dynasty (1206 – 1290)

• Slave Dynasty was also called Ilbari Dynasty, Yamini Dynasty or Mamluk Dynasty.
• Qutub-ud-din Aibak was a slave of Muhammed Ghori and he founded the Slave Dynasty in 1206 AD.
• Aibak was the first Muslim ruler of India.
• The capital of Qutub-ud-din Aibak was at Lahore
• He was known as ‘Lakh Baksh’ or ‘giver of lakhs’ or ‘giver of favours’ for his magnanimity.
• Hasan Nizami was a famous historian in the court of the Aibak.
• Qutub-ud-din Aibak started the construction of Qutub Minar in 1199 in Delhi in memory of the Sufi saint
Quaja Qutub – ud-din Bhaktiar Kaki.
• Its construction was completed by Ithumish. It is a five storied building.
• Qutub-ud-din Aibak died 1210 by falling from horseback while playing Polo.
• After the death of Qutubuddin, Aram Shah ascended the throne but he was deposed by Ilthumish and
crowned himself the Sulthan
• During the period of Ilthumish (1210-1236) Chengizkhan, the Mongole conqueror attacked India (1221).
• Ilthumish is considered as the real founder of Delhi Sulthanate.
• Ilthumish was the first Sulthan of Delhi to get recognition of the Khalif of Bagdad.
• Ilthumish was also the first Sulthan to make Delhi his capital.
• He issued a purely Arabic coinage of Silver and was the first to do so.
• Coins introdued by Ilthumish, ‘Silver Thanka’ and ‘Copper Jital’ were the two basic coins of the
Sulthanate period.
• He organised the ‘Chalisa’ or the famous Turkish forty to help him in the administration.
• Iltumish completed the construction of Qutub Minar.
• The revenue system of the Sulthanate ‘Iqta system’, was introduced by Ilthumish.
• Ilthumish was succeeded by his son Ruknuddin Firoz Shah. But he was later executed and Razia became
the sulthan (daughter of Ilthumish)
• Sulthana Raziya, the only women ruler of, the Sultanate came to power in 1236 and reigned till 1240.
Sulthana Raizya rejected the Pardah, she adorned the male dress and held open courts.
• In October 14, 1240 both Razia and Altunia who earlier raised arms against Razia but later joined with her
were, beheaded at Kaithal.
• After Raizya Behran Shah (1240 – 42) Allaud-din- Masudshah (1242 – 46) and Naziruddin
Muhammad (1246 – 1266) ruled and Balban, the founder of the second Ilban dynasty, became the Sulthan.
• Ghiasuddin Balban ‘a slave water carreer, huntsman, noble, statesman became the Sulthan of Delhi in
1266 and continued in power till 1686 AD.
• Balban is considered as the founder of Second Ilbary Dynasty.
• Balban described himself as ‘shadow of God’ or the ‘viceregent of God on Earth’ (Zil-i-illahi)
• Balban because of his autocratic rule is considered as a ‘typical oriental despot’.
• The Chalisa or forty established by Ilthumish was abolished by Balban.
• His policies are considered to be ‘Draconian’.
• He started the Iranian system of Sajda and Piabos.
• He was a patron of men of letters and showed special favour to the poet Amir Khusrau.
• After Balban’s death in 1286, Kayqubad (1287 -90) became the Sulthan.
• Madhavacharya of the Dwaita Philosophy got help from Balban.
• Balban’s Tomb is situated in Delhi. It was constructed by Balban himself.
• Kayqubad was the last Slave Sulthan. (Kayumars who ruled for a term of three months was actually the last
Slave Sulthan. He was killed by Jalaluddin Khilji) and founded the Khilji Dynasty.
Khilji Dynasty (1290 -1320)

• Khilji dynasty was founded by Malik Firoz in 1290 and assumed the title Jalaluddin Khilji (1290- 96)
• In 1292 the Mongols under Abdulla accepted defeat from Jalaluddin Khilji.
• Alauddin Khilji, the nephew of Jalaluddin Khilji, killed him after his victory on Devagiri in 1296.
• Alauddin Khilji’s early name was Ali Gurushap.
• He became the Sulthan in 1296 AD and ruled till 1316 AD.
• In 1303 Alauddin Khilji attacked Chittor, the capital of Mewar, to marry Padmini the wife of Chittor king
Ratna Singh.
• But Padmini and other Rajput women committed Juhar (Juhar is a mass suicide by Jumping into fire,
committed by Rajput women to escape from being polluted by others)
• Padmavat is a historical kavya about Padmini episode written by Malik Muhammed Jayasi.
• Malik Muhammed Jayasi was the court poet of Shersha Suri.
• Alauddin Khilji was the first Muslim ruler to attack South India.
• Malik Kafur was Alauddin Khilji’s Commander who attacked South India.
• Alauddin Khilji was the most famous ruler of the Khilji Dynasty.
• Alauddin was the Sulthan of Delhi who banned the use of liquor.
• Alauddin had a dream of a World Conquest so he assumed the title ‘Sikhandar-i-sani’ or Second
Alexander.
• Demitrius a Bactrian ruler is popularly known as Second Alexander.
• Alauddin abolished the Zamindari System and imposed tax on cattle.
• He was the first muslim ruler of Delhi to introduce measurement of land for tax assessment.
• His market regulations were to get goods at controlled price to the people of Delhi.
• Alauddin Khilji was the first Sulthan of Delhi who separated religion from politics.
• He was also the first to proclaim ‘‘I am the Khalifa’’.
• Alauddin constructed Alai Darwaza the gate way of Qutub Minar.
• He built the city of Siri, the second of the seven cities of Delhi, near Qutub Minar.
• The first marriage between a muslim ruler and a Hindu princess was between Alauddin and Kamala Devi,
the widow of the ruler of Gujarat.
• Alauddin Khilji was killed by his commander Malik Kafur by poisoning.
• Amir Khusru was the court poet of Alauddin
• Amir Khusru is known as the ‘Parrot of India’
• He is considered as the father of Urdu language and the inventor of Sitar.
• Laila Majnu and Tughlaq Nama are the famous works of Amir Khusru.
• Alauddin khilji was the first Sulthan to maintain a permanent standing army.
• Alauddin Khilji was responsible for the introduction of postal system in medieval India.
• Mubarak shah khilji was the last ruler of the khilji Dynasty.
• Khilji dynasty came to an end when the Mubarak shah Khilji was killed by Khusrau Khan.
• Some historians consider Khusrau Khan as the last Khilji Sulthan.
Delhi Sultanate Part -2

Tughlaq Dynasty (1320 – 1412)
• Tughlaq Dynasty was founded by Ghiazuddin Tughlaq. His real name was Ghazi Malik.
• Ghiasuddin Tughlaq founded the dynasty after killing Khuzru Khan in 1320. Ghiazuddin died by the
collapse of a pavilion.
• He built the Tughlaqabad Fort in Delhi the third city of Delhi to the east of Qutub complex.
• Ghiassudhin Tughlaq was the first Sulthan to start irrigation works.
• GhiassuddinTughlaq was succeeded by his son Jauna Khan, popularly known as Muhammed Bin
Tughlaq.
• Muhammed Bin Tughlaq is considered as the single most responsible person for the decline of Delhi
Sulthanate.
• Muhammed Bin Tughlaq was known as a mixture of opposites, wisest fool, Pagal padushah, unfortunate
idealogue and the predecessor of Akbar in intellectual and religious matters.
• Ibn Batuta called him ‘‘an illstared idealist’’.
• He shifted his capital from Delhi to Devagiri (Daulatabad) in 1327.
• In 1330 he introduced token currency of bronze and copper.
• Moroccan Traveller Ibn Batuta visited India during his period.
• Edward Thanas described him as ‘prince of moneyers’.
• Muhammed Bin Tughlaq was succeeded by his elderly cousin, Firoz Shah Tughlaq.
• Firoz Shah Tughlaq was the first Sulthan of Delhi to impose Jaziya. It was a religious tax for the freedom of
worship. He imposed it only upon Brahmins.
• He built the city of Firozbad in Delhi. The Firoz shah Kotla was also built by him. The gate way of
Firozshah Kottla is Khooni Darwaza, or blood stained gate. It was constructed by Shersha Suri.
• He transplanted two Ashokan Pillars to Firozabad.
• He is the author of Fatuhat -i- Firozshahi
• After Firozshah Tughlaq Muhammed Shah Tughlaq or Naziruddin Muhammed came to the throne.
• It was during the period of his reign that Timur the Lame or Tamerlain a Turkish conqueror of Tartar tribe
from Samarkhand attacked India in 1398.
• Timur appointed Khizr Khan, the governor of Multan his authority in India.
Sayyid Dynasty (1414 – 1451)
• Sayyid Dynasty was founded by Khizr Khan in 1414.
• Last Sayyid Sulthan was Alauddin Alamshah or Shah Alam I. He was killed by Bahalol Lodhi in 1451.
Other rulers of Sayyid Dynasty

• Mubarak Shah (1421-1434)
• Muhammad Shah (1434-1443)
• Alam Shah (1443-1451)
• Lodhi Dynasty (1451-1526)
Lodhi Dynasty (1451-1526)

Bahlol Lodhi (1451-1488)
• He founded the Lodhi dynasty by usurping the throne from the last of the Sayyid rulers.
• Bahlol belonged to the Shahu Khel clan of the Lodhi Pashtun tribe.
Sikandar Lodhi (1489-1517)

• He was the son of Bahlol Lodhi.
• In 1504, he founded the city of Agra and made it his capital.
• He introduced the Gaz-i-Sikandari
(Sikandar’s yard) of 32 digits for measuring cultivated fields.

Ibrahim Lodhi (1517-1526 AD)
• He was the last king of Lodhi dynasty and the last Sultan of Delhi.
• He was the son of Sikandar Lodhi.
• He was defeated and killed by Babur in the first battle of panipat in 1526 AD
Bahmani and Vijayanagara Kingdoms

Bahmani Kingdom
• The decline of the Sulthanate of Delhi gave birth to two mighty states in South India the Bahmani Kingdom
of Gulbaraga and the Vijayanagara Empire.
• The Bahmanis were Muslim rulers, while the rulers of the Vijayanagar were Hindus.
• The Bahmani kingdom was founded by Zafar Khan (Hassan) who took the title of Alauddin Bahman
Shah. He selected Gulbaraga as its capital and renamed it Ahsanabad.
• There were total eighteen Sulthans and they ruled from 1347 to 1527.
• Muhammed Gawan was the famous minister of Bahmini kingdom.
• The last prince of the Bahmani Kingdom was Kalimullah.
• By 1527, the Bahmani kingdom was split up into five independent principalities.
• The Adil Shahis of Bijapur -founder – Yusuf Adilshah (1489 – 90)
• The Nizam Shahis of Ahamadnagar – founder – Malik Ahmad (1499)
• The Imadshahis of Berar – founder -Fateh Ulla Imadshanti (1490)
• The Qutubshahi kingdom of Golconda – founder – Qutabshah (1512)
• The Baridshahis of Bidar – founder – Amir Ali Barid (1527).
• Muhammad Adil Shah built Gol Gumbaz, a tomb with world’s second largest Dome at Bijjapur
• Muhammad shah built the city of Hyderabad (Bhagyanagar)
• Berar stayed out of the Battle of Talikotta
Vijaya Nagara Empire

• The founders of Vijaya Nagar Empire were Harihara and Bukka Rai, the revenue officers of the Kakatiya
ruler Pratap Rudra Deva II of Warrangal.
• They founded the dynasty in 1336 with the capital as Vijaya Nagara on the banks of Tungbhadra river with
the help of Saint Vidyaranya.
• Vijayanagara kingdom lasted for 230 years and produced four dynasties.
• Sangama (1336 – 1485)
• Saluva – (1485 – 1505)
• Tuluva (1505 – 1565) and
• Aravidu (1565 – 1672)
• Krishna Deva Raya (1509 – 1529) belonged to the Tuluva dynasty. The Italian traveller Nicolocont visited
his court.
• Krishnadeva Rayar is known as ‘Andhra Bhoja’ He wrote Ushaparinayam and Amuktamalyada
• Allasani Peddanna, a Telugu poet was a courtier of Krishna Deva Raya. He is considered as the ‘‘Andra
Kavita Pitamaha’’ the Grand Father of Telugu poetry.
• ‘Ashtadiggajas’ was the famous Scholastic Assembly in the court of Krishna Deva Raya.
Vijayanagar Empire was visited by many foreign travellers:-

• Nicolo Conti – Venitian traveller, visited during the reign of Devaraya I.
• Abdur Razzak : Ambassador of Sulthan ShahRukh to the court of Devaraya II.
• Damingos Paes : He visited Krishna Devaraya’s court.
• Ferona Nuniz : A Portuguese who visited during Achyuta Raya’s reign.
• Durate Barbosa : A portuguese who visited Krishnadeva Raya’s court.
• Athenasius Nikitin (1415) : He was a Russian, who visited during Deva Raya I’s period He wrote, ‘Voyage
to India’.
All about Mughal Empire Part-I

The Mughal Empire
• The Mughals were originally Turks. They belonged to the Chaghtai branch of the Turkish race.
• Period of the Mughal empire is known as Second Classical Age. First Classical Age is the period Guptas.
• Mughal Empire is also known as Timurid Empire because of its relation to Amir Timur.
• Mughal Emperors are 20 in number. They ruled India from 1526 to 1857.
• Only six are considered great They are:
1. Zahiruddin Muhammed Babur (1526 – 1530)
2. Naziruddin Mirza Muhammed Humayun (1530 – 40 & 1555 – 1556)
3. Jalaluddin Muhammed Akbar – (1556 – 1605)
4. Nuruddin Muhammed Jahangir (1605 – 1627)
5. Shahabuddin Muhammed Shah Jahan (1628 – 1658)
6. Muhiyuddin Muhammed Aurangazeb Alamgir (1658 – 1707)
Babur (1526-1530) Facts:-

• Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire, was the fifth descendant of Timur on Father’s side and the
fourteenth descendant of Chengizkhan on mothers side.
• Babur was born in Farghana in Turkey on 14 Feb. 1483 as the son of Umer Sheik Mirza and Qulik
Nigarkhanum.
• Babur’s father Umershiek Mirza was the grand son of Amir Timur and the ruler of Farghana.
• Babur became the ruler of Samarkhand at the Age of 11.
• He captured Kabul in 1504. Then Babur attacked India 5 times for want of wealth.
• Babur’s first Attack of India was in 1519. Bhera was the first place captured by Babur.
• In 1524 Daulatkhan, Ibrahim Lodhi’s brother invited Babur to India.
• On 21 April 1526 Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodhi, the last Lodhi Sulthan in the First Battle of Panipat.
• On 16 March 1527 he defeated Rana Sangha of Mewar, in the Battle of Khanwa.
• The Rajputs in 1528 under Medini Raj of Malwa fought against Babur in the Battle of Chanderi, but were
defeated.
• In 1529 the Afghans under Muhammed Lodhi fought against Babur in the Battle of Ghaghra but were
defeated.
• In 1530 December 26, Babur died and was cremated at Kabul.
• Babur was the first to use Artillery in India.
• His memoirs or autobiography ‘Tuzuk-i-Baburi or Baburnamah was written in Turkish language,
Babur’s mothertongue. Babur said ‘I dont like India and Indians’.
• Babur was the first Mughal ruler to keep in hand the Kohinur Diamond.
• Babur was a contemporary of Krishnadeva Raya of Vijaya Nagara Empire.
All about Mughal Empire Part-II

Humayun
• Humayun was born in 1507 in Kabul as the son of Babur and Mahim Sulthana.
• He became the Mughal Emperor on 29 December 1530 at the age of 23.
• He divided the empire among his brothers – Askari, Hindal and Kamran.
• The word ‘Humayun’ means ‘fortunate’ But Human is considered as the most unfortunate Mughal ruler.
• Human was an accomplished mathematician and astronomer.
• In 1539 by the Battle of Chausa, Humayun was defeated for the first time by Shershah Suri.
• In the next year (1540) Shershah completely defeated Humayun in the battle of Kanauj and founded the
Sur dynasty.
• After the lapse of 15 years Humayun re-captured the Empire by defeating the last Sur ruler Sikhandar
Shah Suri by the battle of Sirhindh in 1555, July.
• After the restoration Humayun ruled for only six months.
• The period from 1540 to 1555 is known as the period of temporary eclipse of the Mughal.
• Humayun died by an accidental fall from the straicase of his Library ‘Shermandal’ at the Puranakwila in
Delhi on 24 January 1556.
• The Purnakwila was constructed by Humayun but its construction was completed by Shershah.
• Humayun’s biography Humayun Namah was written by Humayun’s sister Gulbadan Begum. The
language used to write this biography was a mixture of Turkish and Persian. In 1533 Humayun built the city
of Dinpana (world refuge) in Delhi.
• Humayun’s tomb is situated in Delhi (first building in India having double domes)
• Humayun tomb is known as predecessor of Tajmahal, because Taj was modelled after this, also known as a
dormitory of the house of Timur. Mirak Mirza Ghias is its architect.
Akbar the Great

• Father – Humayun
• Mother – Hamida Bhanu Begum
• Step mother – Magam Anaga
• Guardian – Bairam Khan
• First Guardian – Munim Khan
• Akbar was born at Amarkot in Sindh in 23 Nov. 1542.
• He came to the throne on February 14, 1556 at the age of 14 at Kalanur.
• Hemu the Hindu Prime Minister of Muhammed Adilshah of Bihar occupied Agra and accepted the title
Maharaja Vikramaditya.
• Akbar killed Hemu in the Second Battle of Paniput in 1556 November 2.
• Akbar became an independent ruler at the age of 18 in 1560, after dismissing Bairamkhan.
• Later he married Bairam Khans widow Salima Begum.
• In 1561 he defeated the musician Sulthan of Malwa – Baz Bahadur.
• In 1562 Akbar married Joda Bhai, the daughter of Raja Bharmal of Amber
• In 1564, he abolished the religious tax Jaziya. Jaziya was impossed for the first time by Firozshah Tughlaq.
• In 1572 he captured Gujarat and in memory of that he built a new capital city Fathepur sikri (city of
Victory) near Agra.
• The early name of Fathepur Sikri was city of Sikri.
• Buland Darwaza is the gate way of Fathepur Sikri, built by Akbar. In 1575 Akbar constructed a prayer
house in Fathepur Sikri known as Ibadatkhana.
• In 1579 he issued the Infallibility Decree by which he made himself the supreme head in religious matters.
• In 1580 the first Jesuit missionaries arrived at the court of Akbar.
• In 1585 Ralph Fitch the first English man to reach India, reached Akbar’s court.
• Ralph Fitch is known as pioneer English man or torch bearer Englishman.
• In 1582 Akbar founded a new religion for universal peace and monotheism known as ‘Din Ilahi’ means
Divine Faith.
• In 1583 he started a new Calendar called Ilahi Calendar.
• In 1576 Akbar defeated Maharana Pratap of Mewar in the battle of Haldighat. Haldighat is a mountain
pass in the Aravally hills in Rajasthan.
• The Portuguese introduced tobacco for the first time in India in the court of Akbar in 1604.
• Akbar was the Mughal Emperor when the English East India Company was being founded in 1600
December 31. Akbar died in 1605.
• His tomb is situated at Sikhandra near Agra.
• Akbar was an illiterate person, but he was a patron of men of eminence. He maintained a Scholastic
Assembly in his court. They included the following personalities.
• Abul Fazal : Akbar’s court historian who wrote Akbar’s biographical works Ain-i-Akbari and Akbar
Namah..
• Abul Faizi : Persian poet and brother of Abul Fazal. He translated Mahabharata into Persian in name
‘Razam Namah’ and Bhaskaracharya’s mathematical work Leelavati into Persian.
• Mian Tansen : His original name was Ram Thanu Pande. He was the court Musician of Akbar. He
composed a Raga, Rajdarbari in honour of Akbar.
• Birbal : His real name was Mahesh Das. He is the court jester of Akbar.
• Raja Todarmal : RajaTodarmal was Akbar’s finance or revenue minister. He formulated Akbar’s revenue
system Zabti and Dashala systems. Raja Todermal also translated Bhagavatapurana into Persian.
• Maharaja Mansing : Akbar’s military commander.
• Badauni : a historian who translated Ramayana into Persian – Tarjuma -1-Ramayan.
• Tulasidas : Hindi poet who wrote Ramacharitamanas.
• Akbar’s military system was known as Mansabdari system, which included Ranks from 10 – 7000
• Akbar was also responsible for the introduction Persian as the official language of Mughals.
• He divided the Mughal Empire into 12 Subahs (provinces) for the administrative conveniences.
• Akbar was also the first ruler to organise Hajj. Pilgrimage at the government expense. The Port Cambay in
Gujarat is known as the ‘Gate way to Mecca from Mughal India’.
• Akbar was an accomplished Sitar player.
• Mughal – Rajput friendly relation began during the period of Akbar.
All about Mughal Empire Part-IV

Aurangazeb
• Aurangazeb imprisoned his father and made himself the Padushah in 1658. But his actual coronation was
conducted in 1659.
• Alamgir was the name adopted by Aurangazeb when he became the Padusha.
• Aurangazeb is known as Zinda Pir’ or living saint because of his simple life.
• He banned music and dance.
• He ousted all the artists from his court. At the same time he was an accomplished Veena player.
• Aurangazeb was the last great Mughal Emperor.
• In 1675 he executed 9th Sikh Guru Guru Tej Behadur because of his reluctance to accept Islam.
• Teg Behadur was executed at the Chandni Chauk.
• In 1679 Aurangzeb constructed the tomb of his only wife Rubiad Daurani at Aurangabad in Maharashtra. It
is known as Bibi ka Makabara. It is otherwise known as Mini Tajmahal as it was the blind imitation of
Tajmahal. In the same year he reimpossed Jasya upon all the non Muslims, which was earlier abolished by
Akbar.
• Aurangazeb called Shivaji a ‘mountain rat’ and gave him the title Raja because of his guerilla tactics.
• In 1660 he entrusted Shaisthakhan to defeat Shivaji.
• Later in 1665 the treaty of Purandar was signed between Maharaja Jaisingh of Amber and Shivaji Jaisingh
was deputed by Aurangazeb. The Mughal Rajput relation became worse during
• the period of Aurangazeb.
• Aurangazeb was the only Mughal Emperor who was not a drunkard.
• Aurangazeb is considered as religiously fanatic. He was also a temple breaker. He persecuted the Hindus
and imposed prohibition against the free exercise of Holi and Divali.
• Aurangazeb died in 1707 February 20,at Ahmednagar. Aurangazeb’s tomb is situated at Daulatabad in
Maharashtra.
Later Mughals
• Bahadurshah I came to the throne after the death of Aurangazeb. His real name was Muassam.
• In 1739 Nadirshah Quli the Persian conqueror attacked India during the period of the Mughal Emperor
Muhammed Shah or Rustan Khan (1719-1748) and took away ShahJahan’s famous Peacock Throne and
Kohinoor Diamond.
• Ahmedshah’s (1748 -1754) period saw the mighty invasion of Ahmed Shah Abdali of Afghanistan.
• Akbar Shah II (1806 – 1837) conferred the title ‘‘Raja’’ upon Ram Mohan Roy.
• Bahadurshah II (837-1862) was the last Mughal emperor. On 17th May 1857 Bahadurshah II was declared
the independent Emperor of India by the Mutineers. He was surrendered to LtW.S.R. Hodson at Humayun’s
Tomb in Delhi. In 1859 he was deported to Rangoon in December where he expired on Nov. 7, 1862. The
Tomb of Bahadurshah II is in Pwin Manah, the capital of Myanmar.
• Bahadurshah II was also a famous Urdu Poet.
• Bahadurshah II was also known as Bahadurshah Zafar Zafar means gifted poet.
The Marathas
The Marathas
• The first great leader of the Marathas was Chatrapathi Shivaji.
• The Marathas became prominent in the later half of the 17th century.
• Shivaji belonged to the Bhonsle clan of the Marathas.
• Shaji Bhonsle and Jiga Bai were the Parents of Shivaji.
• He was born in 1627 February 19 at the fort of Shivner near Junnar.
• His father was a military commander under the Nizam Shahi rulers of Ahmedanagar and later of Bijapur.
• Shivaji’s tutor was Dadaji Kondadev.
• Shivaji received the help of Malavi tribe to capture the territories of Bijapur Sulthan.
• Torna was the first place captured by Shivaji in 1646.
• Shivaji came to conflict with the Mughals for the first time in 1657, during the period of Shah Jahan.
• In 1659 Bijapur Sulthan Ali Adilshah sent Afzal Khan to kill Shivaji. But he killed Afsal Khan.
• In 1660 Aurangazeb deputed his viceroy of Deccan, Shaisthakhan to kill Shivaji.
• 1665, Shivaji signed the treaty of Purandar with Raja Jai Singh of Ambher, who was deputed
by Aurangazeb.
• In 1666 Shivaji visited Aurangazeb in his court at Agra. But he and his son Sambaji were imprisoned by
Aurangazeb in the Jaipur Bhavan.
• On 16th June 1674 Shivaji crowned himself an independent Hindu king became the Chatrapathi and
assumed the title ‘Haidavadhasmodharak’.
• Shivaji died in 1680 at the age of 53.
• Shahu became the Chatrapathi in 1708 and his period witnessed the rise of Peshwaship.
• Balaji Vishwanath (1712 – 1720) Baji Rao (1720 – 40) Balaji BajiRao I (1740 – 61) and Madhav Rao
I (1761 – 1772) were the Peshwas who ruled Maharashtra.
• Baji Rao popularised the idea of Hindu Padpadshahi or Hindu Empire.
• Balaji Baji Rao’s period witnessed the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761. In this battle Ahmed Shah Abdali
of Afghanistan defeated the Marathas.
• Madhava Rao was the last great Peshwa.
• Last Peshwa was Baji Rao II.
• Madhava Rao’s period witnessed the disintegration of the Maratha power and the formation of
independent kingdoms – Holkarofindor, Bhonsle of Nagpur, Sindhya of Gwalior and Gaekwad of Baroda.
• Shivaji’s Council of Ministers was known as Ashtapradhan. They were Peshwa, Pandit Rao, Sumant,
Sachiva, Senapathi, Amatya, Mantri andNyayadhyaksha.
• Peshwa was the Maratha Chief Minister.
• Chaudh and Sardesh Mukhi were two special laxes collected by the Marathas.
• The first Maratha war (1775 -82) Swai Madhav Rao Vs Raghunath Rao with English support.
• Second Maratha war 1803 – 05.
• Third Maratha war 1816 – 19.
• The last great Soldier and statesman of Maratha was Nana Phadavnis (1800)
• The Maratha script was called Modiscript.
• Peshwaship was abolished in 1818
• Baji Rao was the ablest of the Peshwas.
• Shivaji did not allow women in his military camp.
• The Marathas were equipped with an efficient naval system under Shivaji.
All about Shershah Suri

Shershah Suri
• Shershah’s original name was Farid.

• He was born in Hissar Firosa.
• His father was Hassan Khan
• His family came to India from Afghanistan.
• He entered the service of Baharkhan Lohani of Behar from whom received the title of Sherkhan, for killing
a lion single handed.
• Later he became a member of the Mughal court of Babur.
• In 1539 by the battle of Chausa, Sherkhan defeated Humayun for the first time and assumed the name
Shershah.
• Later in 1540 he completely defeated Humayun in the battle of Kanauj and founded the Sur dynasty.
• While directing the operations of his artillery at Kalanjar against the ruler of Bundelkhand Raja Kirat Singh,
Shershah was seriously wounded by a sudden fire from his own artillery and died on May 22, 1545.
• Shershah constructed the Grand Trunk Road from Sohargaon to Attock (Calcutta to Amritsar)
• He introduced the National Highway concept for the first time in India.
• Now the Grand Trunk Road is known as Shershah Suri Marg. Its part from Delhi to Amritsar is known
as National Highway -1.
• Grand Trunk Road is also known a ‘Long Walk’.
• He was the first ruler to introduce Silver Rupiya (one rupiya was equal to 64 dams) and gold coin Ashrafi.
• He built the Purana Qila in Delhi (its Construction was started by Humayun) and his own Mousoleum
(Tomb) at Sasaram in Bihar.
• He also constructed the Khooni Darwaza (blood stained gate) the gate way of Firozshah Kotla in Delhi.
• Hindi poet Malik Muhammed Jayasi completed his Padmavat, during his reign.
• His Revenue system was excellent and hence Akbar’s administrative reforms were modelled after him. He
is regarded as the forerunner of Akbar.
• Shershah was succeeded by his son Islam Shah. The last Sur ruler was Sikkandar Shah Sur. Who was
defeated by Humayun in 1555 by the battle of Sirhindh.
List of Indian monuments and their builders

Modern History
Advent of the Europeans
Portuguese
• Vasco-da-Gama reached the port of Calicut in 1498 during the reign of king Zamorin. (Hindu ruler of
Calicut)
• Sattlements Daman, Salsette, Chaul and Bombay (West coast), San Thome (near Madras) and at Hooghly.
• Alfonso de Albuquerque, the second Governor of India (first being Fransisco de Almeida) arrived in 1509
and captured Goa in AD 1510.
Dutch
• Dutch East India Company was formed in AD 1602.
• Dutch were defeated by English at the Battle of Bedara in AD 1759 and as per agreement, the Dutch
gained the control over Indonesia and the British over India, Sri Lanka and Malaya.
• Settlements They set-up their first factory at Masulipatnam in 1605. Their other factories were at Pulicat,
Chinsura, Patna, Balasore, Naga pattanam, Cochin, Surat, Karikal and Kasimbazar.
English
• The English East India Company was formed in 1599 under a charter granted by Queen Elizabeth in 1600.
Jahangir granted a farman to Captain William Hawkins permitting the English to erect a factory at Surat
(1613).
• In 1615, Sir Thomas Roe succeeded in getting an imperial farman to trade and establish factory in all parts
of the Mughal Empire by ruler Jahangir.
• In 1690, a factory was established at Suttanati by Jab Chrnock. In 1698, following the acquisition of
zamindari of three villages of Suttanati, Kalikata and Govindpur, the city of Calcutta was founded. Fort
William was set-up in 1700.
• In 1717, John Surman obtained a farman from Farrukhsiyar, which gave large concessions to the company.
This farman has been called the Magna Carta of the Company.
• Battle of Plassey (1757) English defeated Sirajuddaula, the nawab of Bengal.
• Battle of Buxar (1764) Captain Munro defeated joint forces of Mir Qasim (Bengal), Shujauddaula (Awadh)
and Shah Alam II (Mughal).
Danes
• The Danish East India Company was formed in 1616.
• The Danish colony ‘Tranquebar’ was established on Southern Coromondel coat of India.
• Settlements Serampur (Bengal) and Tranquebar (Tamil Nadu) sold their settlements to the English in 1845.
French
• The French East India Company was formed by Colbert under state patronage in 1664. The First French
factory was established at Surat by Francois Caron in 1668. A factory at Masulipatnam was set-up in 1669.
• French were defeated by English in Battle of Wandiwash (1760).
Modern History Notes: The Revolt of 1857

Political Causes
• The policy of Doctrine of Lapse
Economic Causes
• heavy taxation, evictions, Discriminatory Tariff Policy against Indian products and destruction of traditional
handicrafts that hit peasants, artisans and small zimindars.
• Military Discrimination as Indian soldiers were paid low salaries, they could not rise above the rank of
subedar and were racially insulted.
• Grievances of Sepays: The introduction of Enfield rifles, andits cartridge of which was greased with
• British social reforms ( widow remarriage, abolition of sati, education for girls, Christan missionaries).
Cause of Failure
• The Nizam of Hyderabad, the Raja of Jodhpur, Scindia of Gwalior the Holkar of Indore, the rulers of
Patiala, Sindh and Kashmir and the Rana of Nepal provided active support to the British.
• Comparative lack of efficient leadership.
Impact of the Revolt

• The control of indian administration was passed on to the British Crown by the Government of India Act,
1858.
• Reorgansiation of the army.
• After the revolt, the British pursued the Policy of Divide and rule.
Viceroys of India
Viceroys of India
Lord Canning (AD 1856-62) :
• The last Governor General and the first Viceroy. Withdrew Doctrine of Lapse.
• Revolt of 1857, Mutiny took place. Indian Penal Code 1860 was passed.
• Passed the Act, 1858, which ended the rule of the East India Company. The Universities of Calcutta,
Bombay and Madras were established in 1857.
Lord Elgin (AD 1862) :
• Wahabi Movement
Lord John Lawrence (AD 1864-69) :

• Established the High Courts at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras in 1865.
• Telegraphic communication was opened with Europe. Created the Indian Forest Department.
Lord Mayo (AD 1869-72) :

• Organised the Statistical Survey of India and for the first time in Indian history, a census was held in 1871.
• Started the process of financial decentralisation in India. Established the Department of Agriculture and
Commerce.
• Established the Rajkot College at Kathiawar and Mayo College at Ajmer for the Indian princes.
• He was the only viceroy to be murdered in office by a Pathan convict in the Andamans in 1872.
Lord Northbrooke (AD 1872-76) :

• Kuka Rebellion in Punjab, Famine in Bihar.
Lord Lytton (AD 1872-76) :

• Known as the ‘Viceroy of Reverse Character‘
• Royal Titles Act of 1876 and the assumption of the title of ‘Empress of India’ by Queen Victoria, the Delhi
Durbar in January 1877.
• Vernacular Press Act (also called the ‘Gagging Act’ to restrain the circulation of printed matter) and the
Arms Act (made it mandatory for Indians to acquire license in arms)of 1878.
Lord Rippon (AD 1880-84) :
• First Factory Act of 1881 (prohibited labour). Local Self-Government was introduced in 1882.
• Repealed the Vernacular Press Act in 1882. Finances of the centre were divided.
• Lord Rippon is regarded as ‘the founding father of local self governance’ in India.
• An Education Commission was appointed under Sir William Hunter in 1882 to improve primary and
secondary education.
• The Ilbert Bill Controversy (1883) enabled Indian district magistrates to try European criminals.
Lord Dufferin (AD 1884-88) :

• Third Burmese War (AD 1885-86). Establishment of the Indian National Congress in 1885.
Lord Lansdown (AD 1888-94) :

• Factory Act of 1891 granted weekly holiday and stipulated working hours for women and children.
• Civil services were divided into Imperial, Provincial and Subordinate Services.
• Indian Councils Act of 1892.
• The Durand Commission defined the Durand Line between British India and Afghanistan (now between
Pakistan and Afghanistan) in 1893.
Lord Elgin II (AD 1894-99) :
• Southern uprisings of 1899. Great famine of 1896-1897 and Lyall Commission on famine was established.
Lord Curzon (AD 1899-1905) :

• A Commission was appointed under Sir Thomas Raleigh in 1902, to suggest reforms regarding
universities, the Indian Universities Act of 1904 was passed on the basis of its recommendations.
• Ancient Monuments Preservation Act of 1994. Thus, Archaeological Survey of India was established.
• Agricultural Research Institute was established at Pusa in Delhi. Partitioned Bengal in 1905.
Lord Minto (AD 1905-10) :

• Swadeshi Movement (1905-08); foundation of Muslim League (1906); Surat Session and split in the
Congress (1907). Morley-Minto Reforms (1909).
Lord Hardinge (AD 1910-16) :
• Capital shifted from Calcutta to Delhi (1911); Delhi Durbar; Partition of Bengal was cancelled. The Hindu
Mahasabha was founded in 1915 by Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya.
Lord Chelmsford (AD 1916-21) :
• Gandhi returned to India (1915) and founded the Sabarmati Ashram (1916), Champaran Satyagraha,
Satyagraha at Ahmedabad (1981), Kheda Satyagraha (1918).
• August Declaration (1917) by Montague, the then Secretary of State, and Montford reforms or the
Government of India Act of 1919.
• Rowlatt Act (March, 1919) and the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (13th April, 1919).
• Khilafat Committee was formed and Khilafat Movement started (1919-20).
• Non-Cooperation Movement started (1920-22). Women’s University was founded at Poona (1916).
Lord Reading (AD 1921-26):

• Repeal of Rowlatt Act. Chauri-Chaura incident. RSS, founded in 1925. Suppreessed Non-Cooperation
Movment. Formation of Swaraj Party.
• Moplah Rebellion (1921) took place. Kokori Train Robbery on 1st August, 1925. Communal Riots of
1923-25 in Multan, Amritsar, Delhi etc.
Lord Irwin (AD 1926-31) :
• Simon Commission visited Indian in 1927. Convress passed the Indian Resolution in 1929.
• Dandi March (12th March, 1930). Civil Disobediene Movement (1930).
• First Round Table Conference was held in England in 1930. Gandhi-Irwin Pact.
• Lahore Session of Congress and Poorna Swaraj Declaration (1925).
Lord Willingdon (AD 1931-36) :

• Second Round Table Conference in London in 1931 and third in 1932.
• Government of India Act (1935) was passed. Communal Awards (16th August, 1932) assigned seats to
different religious communities. Gandhiji went on a epic fast to protest against this division.
Lord Linlithgow (AD 1936-43) :
• Congress Ministries resignation celebrated as ‘Deliverance Day’ by the Muslim League (1939), the Lahore
Resolution (23rd March, 1940) of the Muslim League demanding separate state for the Muslims. (It was at
this session that Jinnah propounded his Two-Nation Theory). Outbreak of World War II in 1939. Cripps
Mission in 1942. Quit India Movement (8th August, 1942).
Lord Wavell (AD 1943-47) :
• Cabinet Mission Plan (16th May, 1946).

• First meeting of the Constituent Assembly was held on 9th December, 1946.
• Arranged the Shimla Conference on 25th June, 1945 with the failure of the Indian National Congress and
Muslim League.
• Election to the Constituent Assembly were held and an interim government was appointed under Nehru.
Lord Mountbatten (March to August, 1947) :

• Last Viceroy of British India and the first Governor-General of free India.
• Partition of India decided by the 3rd June Plan or Mountbatten Plan.
• Retired in June, 1948 and was succeeded by C Rajagopalachari, the first and the last Indian Governor-
General of Free India.
• Indian Independence Act was passed by the British Parliament on 4th July, 1947, by which India became
independent on 15th August, 1947.
Important Events of Indian Freedom Movement
The important movements of the Gandhian phase:-

Khilafat Movement: The Khilafat movement was launched as the communal movement in defense of the Turkish
Khalifa and save his Empire from dismemberment by Britain and other European powers. The chief cause of the
Khilafat Movement was the defeat of Turkey in the First World War. The harsh terms of the Treaty of Sevres (1920)
was felt by the Muslims as a great insult to them. The Muslims in India were upset over the British attitude against
Turkey and launched the Khilafat Movement. Ali brothers, Muhammad Ali, Shaukat Ali, Maulana Abul Kalam
Azad and Dr. M. Ansari, among others, started the movement. October 17, 1919 was known as Khilafat Day when
the Hindu united with Muslims in fasting and observed a hartal on that day. The Khilafat Movement merged with
the Non-cooperation Movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi in 1920.
Non-cooperation Movement: The Indian National Congress, under the leadership of Gandhi, launched his first
innovative protest, the Non-cooperation Movement on 1 August, 1920. It involved surrender of all titles, honorary
offices and nominated posts in local bodies. British courts, offices and all kinds of government-run educational
institutions were boycotted.
Chauri-Chaura Incident (1922): During the Non-cooperation Movement, being provoked by some policemen, a
section of the crowd attacked them. The police opened fire. In retaliation, the entire procession killed 22 policemen
and set the police station on fire. A stunned Gandhi decided to withdraw the movement.
Civil Disobedience Movement: Civil Disobedience Movement was launched in 1930 under Gandhi’s leadership
with the violation of the Salt Law after Dandi Salt March.
The Dandi march (Salt Satyagraha) started from Sabarmati Ashram and ended at Dandi (a place in Gujrat). This
was followed by a lot of agitation all over the country. This angered the British government which resulted in the
imprisonment of Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi. On March 1930, Gandhi signed the Gandhi-Irwin Pact
with the Viceroy Lord Irwin to call off the Movement but it finally came to an end on 7th April 1934.
The Individual Satyagraha (August 1940): Mahatma Gandhi launched in Individual Satyagraha. It was limited,
symbolic and non-violent in nature. Acharya Vinoba Bhave was the first Satyagrahi and he was sentenced to three
months imprisonment. Jawaharlal Nehru was the second Satyagrahi and imprisoned for four months. The
individual Satyagraha continued for nearly 15 months.
Quit India Movement: The Quit India Movement, also called the August Movement, launched on 8th August,
1942. It was a result of Gandhi’s protest against the return of Sir Stafford Cripps. He wanted to negotiate with the
British government for the independence of India through this movement. He gave slogan – ‘Do or Die. On
9th August leaders of the Congress like Abul Kalam Azad, Vallabhbhai Patel, Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal
Nehru were arrested. The movement can be divided into four phases :
• In the first phase of the Quit India Movement, there were processions, strikes and demonstrations
• The second phase of the movement saw raids on the government buildings and municipal houses. Along
with this, post offices, railway stations and police stations were set on fire.
• The third phase of Quit India movement began in September 1942. Mobs bombed police in places like
Bombay, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
• Gradually, the movement gained back its peaceful form and continued till Mahatma Gandhi was released on
May, 1944. This was the fourth phase of the movement.
Some other Important Events of Indian Freedom Struggle:-
The Home Rule Movement (1916): The release of Tilak after 6 years of jail is Mandalay (Burma) moderated the
launching of Home Rule Movement by Tilak and Mrs. Annie Besnat, both of whom decided to work in close co-
operation to launch the movement to attain concessions, disillusionment with Morley – Minto Reforms and
Wartime miseries.
Rowlatt Act (March 1919): As per this Act, any person could be arrested on the basis of suspicion. No appeal or
petition could be filed against such arrests. This Act as called the Black Act and it was widely opposed.
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (13 April, 1919): On the Baisakhi day (harvest festival), a public meeting was
organized at the Jallianwala Bagh (garden) to support the Rowlatt Satyagraha. General Dyer marched in and
without any warning opened fire on the crowd. According to official report 379 people were killed and 1137
wounded in the incident.
The Swaraj Party (Jan, 1923): The suspension of the Non Cooperation Movement led to a split within Congress
in the Gaya session of the Congress in December 1922. On 1 January 1923 leaders like Motilal Nehru and
Chittranjan Das formed a separate group within the Congress known as the Swaraj Party to contest the council
elections and wrecked the government from within.
Simon Commission (Nov, 1927): Simon Commission was appointed in the chairmanship of Sir John Simon by the
British Conservative government to report on the working of the Indian constitution established by the Government
of India Act of 1919. All its seven members were Englishmen. As there was no Indian member in it therefore the
Commission faced a lot of criticism. Lala Lajpat Rai was seriously injured in the police lathi charge in a large anti-
Simon Commission demonstration on 30 October 1928 and he passed away after one month.
Poona Pact (1932): Poona pact was an agreement upon a joint electorate between the untouchables and the Hindus
which The Poona pact took place at Yerawada jail in Pune on 24th September, 1932.
Cripps Mission (1942): The British Government in its continued effort to secure Indian cooperation sent Sir
Stafford Cripps to India on 23 March 1942. This is known as Cripps Mission. The major political parties of the
country rejected the Cripps proposals. Gandhi called Cripp’s proposals as a “Post-dated Cheque”.
The Cabinet Mission (1946): Three members of the British Cabinet – Pathick Lawrence, Sir Stafford Cripps and
A. V. Alexander – were sent to India 15 March, 1946, under a historic announcement in which the right to self-
determination and the framing of a Constitution for India were conceded. This is known as the Cabinet Mission.
GK Notes on Governor Generals of India

Warren Hastings Plan 1772 – 1785 :
• Brought the Dual Govt, of Bengal to an end by the Regulating Act, 1773.
• The First Anglo – Maratha War (1776 – 82), which ended with the Treaty of Salbai (1782), and the Second
Anglo – Mysore War (1780 – 84), which ended with the Treaty of Mangalore (1784), were fought during
Hasting’s period.
Lord Cornwallis India (1786 – 1793) :
• Did the Permanent Settlement of Bengal (also called Zamindary System).
• The civil service was brought into existence.
Lord Wellesley in India (1798 – 1805) :

• Adopted the policy of Subsidiary Alliance a system to keep the Indian rulers under control and to make the
British the paramount power.
• He defeated the Mysore force under Tipu Sultan in the Fourth Anglo – Mysore War in 1799.
George Barlow (1805 – 1807)

Lord Minto I Governor General of India (1807 – 1813) :
• Concluded the treaty of Amritsar with Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1809). Charter Act of 1813 was passed.
Lord Hasting India (1813 – 1823) :

• The Anglo-Nepal War (1814 – 16) was fought during his reign which ended with the Treaty of Sagauli
(1816).
Lord Amherst (1823 – 1828)
Lord William Bentinck History (1828-1835)
• Carried out the social reforms like Prohibition of Sari (1829) and elimination of thugs (1830).
• Made English the medium of higher education in the country (After the recommendations of Macaulay
• Charter Act of 1833 was passed; made him the first Governor General of India.
Sir Charles Mercalfe History (1835 – 1836) : Abolished all restrictions on vernacular press (called Liberator of
the Press).
Lord Auckland 1842 (1836 – 1842)
• The most important event of his reign was the First Afghan War, which proved to be a disaster for the
English.
Lord Ellenborough (1842 – 1844)
Lord Hardinge I (1844 – 1848)
Lord Dalhousie Reforms (1848 – 1856) :
• Opened the first Indian Railway in 1853 (from Bombay to Thane).
• Laid out the telegraph lines in 1853 (First was from Calcutta to Agra).
• Introduced the Doctrine of Lapse and captured Satara (1848), Jaipur and Sambhalpur (1849), Udaipur
(1852), Jhansi (1854) and Nagpur (1854) through it.
• Established the postal system on the modern lines through the length and breadth of the country, which
made communication easier.
Important Places from Freedom Struggle in Indian History

Champaran
• In the year 1917, Gandhiji began his active involvement in India’s politics from this place in Bihar.
• At Champaran, the farmers were being forced to grow unremunerative indigo plant which yielded blue dye.
• Gandhiji was called upon by some activists to solve the problem of the cultivators.
• Gandhiji for the first time used the tool of nonviolence. He toured the villages and compelled the
government to pass the Champaran Agraria Law in 1918
Amritsar
• Jallianwala Bagh , On 13 April 1919 (Baisakhi Day), a crowd of about 20,000 people had gathered in the
small park, when troops surrounding the park were ordered by Brig Gen REH Dyer to open fire.
• The official figures put the casualty at 379, but unofficial figures have been much higher.
• Michael O’Dyer the Lt. Governor of Punjab was shot dead by Udham Singh 21 years later.
• In protest against the incident Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood bestowed upon him by the
British in 1915
Chauri chaura
• The Chauri Chaura incident occurred at Chauri Chaura in the Gorakhpur district of the United Province,
British India on 5 February 1922, when a large group of protesters participating in the Non-cooperation
movement turned violent, leading to police opening.
Kakori
• The famous Kakori Train Dacoity took place on 09 Aug 1925.
• Revolutionaries led by Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, Chandrasekhar Azad and others stopped a
train carrying British government money.
Poona
• Gandhi was imprisoned at Yerawada Jail in Pune.
• The famous Poona Pact was signed between Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi at Yerawada jail on
24 September 1932.
• The pact was a settlement arrived at as a result of Gandhiji’s protest at Ramsay Macdonald’s Communal
Award.
• Again, in 1942, when Gandhiji launched the Quit India Movement, he was arrested and imprisoned at Aga
Khan Palace in Pune.
• It was at this place that his wife, Kasturba Gandhi breathed her last.
Lahore
• The Lahore Session of Indian National Congress holds special significance in the history of India’s Freedom
Struggle.
• Jawaharlal Nehru unfurled the Indian National Flag on the midnight of Dec 31, 1929.
• A resolution demanding Poorna Swaraj meaning complete independence from the British was passed.
• Lahore was also the place where freedom fighter Jatin Das fasted to death in jail demanding better
conditions for prisoners.
• It was also in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail that Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were hanged by the
British on 23 March 1931
Dandi
• The place shot to world fame when Gandhiji led the famous Dandi March from Sabarmati Ashram near
Ahmedabad on 12 March 1930.
• On the 24th day, i.e. 06 April 1930, Gandhiji reached Dandi and made salt as a protest against the tax
imposed on salt by the British.
• The incident also marked the beginning of the Civil Disobedience Movement
I hope this is helpful for you
Thank You
Like our FB page :

www.facebook.com/ExamKaDarrNahi
Vist :
www.examkadarrnahi.tk
Our Educational Whatsapp Group

“8276808358”
Copyright © 2014-2016 Exam Ka Darr Nahi

History-Complete Study Note

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

History-Complete Study Note

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

History-Complete Study Note

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

History – Complete Study Note

Time Sequence of Ancient to Modern History in India

Ancient India (Pre-historic to AD 700)

Neolithic Period (8000 BC – 4,000 BC)

Chalcolithic Period (4000 BC – 1,500 BC)

Mauryan Empire (321-185 BC)

Gupta Kingdom (300AD – 800AD) : Classical Period

Post Guptas or Contemporary Guptas

Medieval India (AD 700 – AD 1857)

* Kingdoms of South India During Medieval India – Bhamini and Vijayanagara

Modern India (AD 1857 +)

Important Points You Should Know About Indus Valley Civilization

Major Cities And Their Features:

Important Facts about Buddhism & Jainism

Some points in detail about Buddhism

Some points in detail about Jainism

Guru Arjun Dev(1581-1606)

Guru Har Rai (1645-1661)

Guru Teg Bahadur(1664-1675)

History Notes: Vedic Literature Part – I

1. The Rig Veda

3. The Yajur Veda

History Notes: Vedic Literature Part – II

Vedic Period and the Aryans

Vedic Period and the Aryans

Early Vedic or Rig Vedic Period(1500- 1000 BC)

Later Vedic Period(1000- 600 BC) (Painted Gray Ware Phase)

(1) Rig Veda

(2) Sama Veda

(3) Yajur Veda

(4) Atharva Veda

Dynasties of Ancient India – Part I

Dynasties of Ancient India

MAURYAN DYNASTY (321 – 185 BC):-

Expansion of Mauryan Empire:-

Chanakya the architect of Mauryan Empire:-

Important points about Mauryan Empire:-

Dynasties of Ancient India– Part II

All about Gupta Empire

Samudragupta and Chandragupta II

Nine Gems or Navaratnas

• Varahamihira was an Indian astronomer, astrologer and mathematician of Gupta era.

Chalukas Dynasty and Pallava Dynasty

Questions Asked in Previous Years Exam from Ancient History

Previous Years Exam from Ancient History

Delhi Sultanate Part -1

Slave Dynasty (1206 – 1290)

Khilji Dynasty (1290 -1320)

Delhi Sultanate Part -2

Other rulers of Sayyid Dynasty

Lodhi Dynasty (1451-1526)

Sikandar Lodhi (1489-1517)

(Sikandar’s yard) of 32 digits for measuring cultivated fields.

Bahmani and Vijayanagara Kingdoms

Vijaya Nagara Empire

Vijayanagar Empire was visited by many foreign travellers:-

All about Mughal Empire Part-I

Babur (1526-1530) Facts:-

All about Mughal Empire Part-II