Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission
Syllabus For Indian History Preliminary Examination (Optional)

INDIAN HISTORY ( CODE NO. 14 )

PART - I

(1) Sources of Ancient Indian History.
(2) Prehistoric cultures in India (lower palaeolithic, Mesolithic and upper palaeolithic)
(3) Harappan civilization and culture.
(4) Vedic society; Polity, Economy, Culture and Religion, vedic and laterVedic (period). Social Developments - Ashram, Varna, Jati, Sanskar, Purusharth.
(5) Rise of Religious movement in North India - Buddhism and Jainism and their cultural contribution.
(6) The Mauryan empire - Chandragupta; Megasthenes, Ashok and his inscriptions, his Dhamma, administration, culture, art. Kautilya's Arthashastra.

(7) Post Mouryan India (B.C. 200- AD 300) - Polity, administration, society, economy, culture and religion (with special reference to the Sunga, Kushan, Sathavahans.) Gandhar art & Mathura art. Sangam Era: Literature, Society, Culture)

(8) The Guptas and their successor (550 AD) - changes in political organization of empire, Economy, Society, Literature, Science and Arts.

(9) Post Gupta period - Political Institutions of Chola, Chalukya, Pallava and Vardhan Empire, Economy, Land grants & Agrarian expansions, Inter regional and maritine Trade.

(10) Origin of Rajputs - Kalchuris, Pratiharas, Parmaras, Chandelas, Chauhan's etc.
(11) Arab Invasion in India.

PART - II

1. Sources of Medieval Indian history.

2. (1) The Turkish Invasion in India.
(2) Foundation of the Delhi sultanate and their consolidation - Slave dynasties, Khilji dynasty, Tughlaq dynesty, Sayyed and Lodi dynasty.

3. Culture, art, Literature, Bhakti and Sufi movement during the Sultanate period.
4. Decentralization of Sultanate and rise of provincial dynasties - Bengal, Gujrat, Malwa, Bahamani and Vijayanagar.
5. First phase of the Mughal period - Babar, Humayuan, the Suriempire and administration of Shershah Suri.

6. The Mughal Empire (1556-1707), Akbar; Jahangir, Shahjahans and Aurangzeb; Expansion of Empire, Religious Policies. Art, Architecture, literature and culture under the Mughals, Decline of Mughal Empire.

7. Rise of Marathas - Shivaji, Shambhaji, RajaRam, Tarabai and Maratha Empire under Peshwas.

PART - III

1. The Advent of the Europeans in India.
British expansion - The Karnataka Wars, conquest of Bengal (Battle of Plassey and Buxer).
2. Anglo-Mysore Relations, Anglo - Maratha Relations, Anglo- Sikhs Relations.

3. British colonialisum expansion and consolidation - Wellesley's Subsidiary Alliance, Establishment of the British paramountcy- Lord Dalhousie's Doctrine of Lapse and its impact.

4. British Land revenue settlements - Permanent settlement, Zamidari, Ryotwari and Mahalwari, administration, Impact of British Economic policies.

5. Freedom Movement of 1857 - Causes, Nature, Events and Results.
6. Indian Renaissance - Social and religious reform’s movement - RajaRam Mohan Roy, Swami Dayanand Saraswati, Vivekanand, Annie Besant.

7. Queen Victoria's Proclaimation and Act of 1858, Internal administration of Lord Lytton and Ripon.
8. British policies towards neighbouring states - Afghan, Nepal, Burma, Sindh.

9. Rise of the Indain Nationalism and foundation of the Indian National Congress, the Moderates, Extrimist, The Partition of Bengal, Surat Split 1907, Government of India Act 1909, Government of India Act 1919.

10. Gandhian Era - Khilafat Movement, Non-Cooperation movement, Swarajists, Simon Commission, Lahore Congress, Civil Disobedience Movement, Round Table conferences.

11. Government of India Act, 1935 and Provincial Autonomy.
12. Quit India movement, Cripps Mission, Cabinet Mission, Subhash Chandra Bose and INA (Indian National Army), Communal Politics and Partition of India. Sardar Patel and Integration of Indian States.

13. Main features of the Indian constitution, Nehru era - Economic development of India, Foreign Policy - Bandung conference, Panchsheel, Non-Alignment, Border conflict with China, Indo- Pak War and Taskand Declaration. Indo-Pak War 1971 and Rise of Bangladesh.