Top Indian History Books for Competitive Exams

CONTENTS

ANCIENT HISTORY

Chapter 1. Sources of Ancient Indian History

• Archaeological Sources
• Literary Sources
• Foreign Accounts
• Modern Historians of Ancient India

Chapter 2. Pre-Historic Cultures

• Division of Ancient Indian History
• The Neolithic Age: Food Producers
• Chalcolithic Age
• Megalithic Culture or Iron Age

Chapter 3. Indus Valley Civilisation

• Origin and Geographical Extent
• Phases of Indus Valley Civilisation
• Cities of Indus Valley Civilisation
• Important Sites of Indus Valley Civilisation
• Economic Conditions
• Social Conditions
• Art and Craft
• Religious Practices
• Decline of Indus Valley Civilisation
• Contribution of Indus Valley Civilisation

Chapter 4. The Vedic Age

• Advent of the Aryans in India
• Vedic Literature
• Vedic Age (1500-1000 BC)
• Later Vedic Age (1000-600 BC)

Chapter 5. Religious Movements

• Rise of New Religious Sects
• Jainism
• Buddhism
• Other Heterodox Religious Movements
• Bhagavatism
• New Dynamic Force: Islam

Chapter 6. Mahajanapadas

• Emergence of Mahajanapadas
• Sixteen Mahajanapadas
• Republics in the Sixth Century AD
• Foreign Invasion

Chapter 7. Mauryan Empire

• Sources of Mauryan Dynasty
• Rulers of Mauryan Dynasty
• Chandragupta Maurya
• Bindusara
• Ashoka
• Mauryan Administration System
• Mauryan Art and Architecture
• Decline of Mauryan Empire

Chapter 8. Post-Mauryan Period

• Indigenous Kingdoms
• Shunga Dynasty
• Kanvas Dynasty
• Satavahana Dynasty
• Foreign Kingdoms
• Post-Mauryan Administration

Chapter 9. The Age of the Guptas

• Gupta Empire
• Rulers of Gupta Empire
• Society and Administration
• Decline of the Gupta Empire

Chapter 10. Post-Gupta Era

• Harshavardhana
• Spread of Civilisation in Eastern India
• Other Dynasties in Post-Gupta Era
• Pala Dynasty
• Gurjara Pratihara Dynasty
• Rashtrakuta Dynasty
• Economic Life
• Art and Architecture

Chapter 11. History of South India

• Sangam Age
• Megalith Culture
• Three Early Kingdoms
• Organisation of New Kingdoms in Deccan
• Imperial Cholas

MEDIEVAL HISTORY

Chapter 12. Arab and Turk Conquest in India

• Arabs in India
• Turkish Conquest in India
• Effects of Turkish Invasion

Chapter 13. Delhi Sultanate

• Establishment of Delhi Sultanate
  • Mamluk Dynasty
  • Khilji Dynasty
  • Tughlaq Dynasty
  • Sayyid Dynasty
  • Lodi Dynasty
• Mongol Invasion in Delhi Sultanate

Chapter 14. Delhi Sultanate: Administration, Economy, Society and Arts

• Administration in Sultanate Period
• Economy in the Sultanate Period
• Social Life in the Sultanate Period
• Literary Works
• Architecture

Chapter 15. Vijayanagara and Bahmani Empire

• Vijayanagara Empire
  • Sangama Dynasty
  • Tuluva Dynasty
  • Aravidu Dynasty
  • Vijayanagara Administration
• Bahmani Kingdom
• Decline of Bahmani Empire

Chapter 16. Rise of Provincial Kingdoms

• Reasons for the Rise of Provincial Kingdoms
• Eastern, Western, North-West and North Indian Kingdoms

Chapter 17. Bhakti and Sufi Movements

• Bhakti Movement
• Bhakti Saints
• Saguna Saints
• The Vaishnavite Movement
• Bhakti Movement in Maharashtra
• Sufi Movement
• Important Sufi Saints

Chapter 18. The Mughal Empire and Its Decline

• Rulers of Mughal Empire
• Babur
• Humayun
• Sur Empire
• Sher Shah
• Akbar
• Jahangir
• Shah Jahan
• Aurangzeb
• Decline of Mughal Empire

Chapter 19. Mughal Administration, Society, Economy and Arts

• Mughal Administration
• Society During Mughal Period
• Economy
• Mughal Paintings
• Literature
• Music
• Mughal Art and Architecture

Chapter 20. Emergence of Maratha Empire

• Rise of Marathas
• Maratha Rulers
• Rise of the Peshwas
• Maratha Confederacy
• Decline of Maratha Empire

MODERN HISTORY

Chapter 21. Later Mughals

• Disintegration of Mughal Empire
• Later Mughal Rulers
• Causes for the Decline of the Mughal Empire

Chapter 22. Arrival of European Powers in India

• Advent of Europeans in India
• Portuguese, Dutch, English, Danes, French

Chapter 23. Rise of New and Autonomous States

• Successor States
• Independent Kingdoms
• Socio-Economic Conditions
• Development of Art and Architecture

Chapter 24. Administrative & Economic Policies Under British Rule

• Acts and Amendments
• Company Rule and Crown Rule
• Provincial Administration
• Economic Policies
• Banking System
• Civil Services
• Police System
• Transport and Communication

Chapter 25. Civil Uprisings, Peasant, Tribal & Labour Movements

• Civil and Peasant Uprisings
• Tribal Movements
• Movement of Working Class

Chapter 26. Socio-Religious Reform Movements in India

• Social Reform Movements
• Religious Reform Movements

Chapter 27. Development of Education and Press During British Rule

• Education Under East India Company
• Education Under Crown Rule
• Development of Press

Chapter 28. The Revolt of 1857

• Causes of the Revolt
• Course and Impact of the Revolt

Chapter 29. Indian National Movement: First Phase

• Emergence of Nationalism
• Moderate and Extremist Phases of Congress
• Revolutionary Activities
• World War I and Nationalist Response

Chapter 30. Indian National Movement: Second Phase

• Lucknow Pact
• Home Rule League Movement
• Gandhian Era
• Khilafat Movement
• Non-Cooperation Movement
• Simon Commission
• Civil Disobedience Movement

Chapter 31. Indian National Movement: Third Phase

• Government of India Act, 1935
• Quit India Movement
• Subhas Chandra Bose & INA
• Partition of India

Chapter 32. Governors, Governor-Generals and Viceroys

Chapter 33. India After Independence

ART AND CULTURE

Chapter 34. Indian Paintings

Chapter 35. Sculpture Art of India

Chapter 36. Indian Architecture

Chapter 37. Music, Dance and Theatre

Chapter 38. Indian Languages, Literature and Philosophy

Appendix

Section A: Ancient History

1. Sources of Ancient Indian History

   • Brahmanas and Vedic Literary Sources
   • Buddhist Literature
   • Sanskrit Texts
   • Jain Literature
   • Secular Literature
   • Sangam Literature
   • Archaeological Sources
   • Accounts of Foreign Travelers and Writers
   • Miscellaneous
   • Key Terms

2. Pre-Historic Period

   • Stone Age
   • Chalcolithic (Bronze) Age
   • Iron Age
   • Key Terms

3. Indus Valley Civilization

   • Discovery
   • Geographical Extent
   • Chronology of Harappan Civilization
   • Major Harappan Sites
   • Features of Harappan Civilization
   • Social Life
   • Decline of Indus Civilization
   • Influence of Scholars about Decline
   • Key Terms

4. The Vedic Age

   • Coming of the Aryans
   • Theories Related to the Ancestry of Aryans
   • Rig Vedic Age (1500-1000 BCE)
   • Later Vedic Period (1000-600 BCE)
   • Key Terms

5. Emergence of Mahajanapadas and Magadha

   • Various Mahajanapadas
   • Important Cities
   • Key Terms

6. Religious Revolution

   • Jainism
   • Buddhism
   • Hindu Revivalist Movement
   • Tantrism
   • Key Terms

7. Mauryan Empire

   • Sources of Mauryan Age
   • Chandragupta Maurya (322 BCE–298 BCE)
   • Bindusara (298 BCE–273 BCE)
   • Ashoka (273 BCE–232 BCE)
   • Post-Ashoka Period
   • Mauryan Administration
   • Key Terms

8. Post-Mauryan Period

   • Post Mauryan Period (200 BCE–300 AD)
   • Invasions from Central Asia
   • Key Terms

9. The Sangam Age

   • Sources
   • The Early Kingdoms
   • The Pandyas (Pre-Sangam Age)
   • Literature of Sangam Age
   • Key Terms

10. The Gupta Empire

• Rise of the Guptas (3rd – 5th Century CE)
• Rulers of Gupta Empire
• Administration
• Social & Economic Life
• Gupta Art & Culture
• Key Terms

11. Post-Gupta Period

• Hunas (450-560 CE)
• The Maitrakas of Vallabhi (475-776 CE)
• The Gaudas (6th-7th Century CE)
• Pushyabhutis/Vardhans of Thanesar (500-647 CE)
• Gurjara-Pratiharas (730-1060 CE)
• Key Terms

12. South India

• The Vakatakas (225-510 CE)
• The Chalukyas (6th-12th Century CE)
• The Pallavas of Kanchipuram (560-900 CE)
• The Rashtrakutas of Manyakhet (753-982 CE)
• The Cholas (9th-12th Century CE)
• The Hoysalas of Dwarasamudra (11th-14th Century CE)
• The Yadavas of Devagiri (850-1334 CE)
• The Kakatiyas of Warangal (12th-14th Century CE)
• The Kadambas of Banavasi (345-540 CE)
• Key Terms

Section B: Medieval History

1. Arab and Turkish Invasions in India

   • The Arab Conquest of Sindh
   • Turkish Invasion
   • Muhammad Ghori
   • Key Terms

2. The Delhi Sultanate

   • Foundation of the Delhi Sultanate
   • Background of Delhi Sultanate
   • Dynasties of Delhi Sultanate
   • Key Terms

3. Rise of Regional Kingdoms

   • Bengal
   • Malwa
   • Gujarat
   • Mewar
   • Kingdom of Jaunpur
   • Kashmir
   • Key Terms

4. Vijayanagar & Bahmani Empire

   • Origin of Vijayanagar Kingdom
   • Vijayanagar Dynasties
   • Bahmani Administration
   • Key Terms

5. Sufi and Bhakti Movement

   • The Sufi Movement
   • Bhakti Movement
   • Key Terms

6. The Mughal Empire

   • Major Events during Mughal Period
   • Mughal Administration
   • Socio-political Conditions in India
   • Decline of Mughal Empire
   • Key Terms

7. The Marathas

   • Shivaji (1627-1680)
   • Key Terms

8. Emergence of Sikhism & Sikh Empire

   • The Ten Gurus of Sikhism
   • Sikh Empire
   • The Sikh Army (1799-1849)
   • Key Terms

Section C: Modern History

1. Decline and Disintegration of the Mughal Empire

   • Later Mughals
   • Rise of Independent States in 18th Century
   • Key Terms

2. Arrival of European Powers and their Expansion in India

   • The Portuguese
   • The Dutch
   • The English
   • The French
   • Expansion of British Power in India
   • Nawabs of Bengal

3. Administration and Economy under Company Rule

   • The Regulating Act, 1773
   • Pitts India Act, 1784
   • The Charter Act of 1833
   • The Government of India Act, 1935

4. Peasants, Workers, Civil & Tribal Movements

   • Civil Uprisings in India
   • Santhal Rebellion (1855-1856)
   • Munda Ulgulan (1899-1900)

5. The Revolts of 1857

   • The 1857 Revolt
   • Key Terms

6. Socio-Religious Reforms Movement

   • Brahmo Samaj
   • Arya Samaj
   • Key Terms

7. Rise of Press and Education in India

   • The Role of Press
   • Education System in India
   • Key Terms

8. Governors, Governor-Generals & Viceroys of India

   • Governor-General of Bengal (1773-1857)
   • Viceroy of India (1858-1947)
   • Key Terms

9. Indian Freedom Struggle

   • Rise of Nationalist Movement
   • Formation of Indian National Congress (INC)
   • Partition of Bengal (1905)
   • Key Terms

10. The Gandhian Era (1915-47)

• Gandhian Activism in India
• Rowlatt Act, 1919
• Lahore Session of Congress (1929)

11. India After Independence

• Integration of Princely States
• Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)
• The Principles of Panchsheel
• Key Terms

Preface

• Importance of NCERT books for UPSC and other government exams
• Approach to reading NCERT Books for UPSC and other government exams

Class VI

1. What, Where, How, and When?
2. From Hunting-Gathering to Growing Food
3. In the Earliest Cities
4. What Books and Burials Tell Us
5. Kingdoms, Kings, and an Early Republic
6. New Questions and Ideas
7. Ashoka, the Emperor who Gave up War
8. Vital Villages, Thriving Towns
9. Traders, Kings, and Pilgrims
10. New Empires and Kingdoms
11. Buildings, Paintings, and Books

Class VII

1. Tracing Changes Through a Thousand Years
2. New Kings and Kingdoms
3. The Delhi Sultans
4. The Mughal Empire
5. Rulers and Buildings
6. Towns, Traders, and Craftspersons
7. Tribes, Nomads, and Settled Communities
8. Devotional Paths to the Divine
9. The Making of Regional Cultures
10. Eighteenth-Century Political Formations

Class VIII

1. How, When, and Where
2. From Trade to Territory: Establishment of Company Power
3. Ruling the Countryside
4. Tribals, Dikus, and the Vision of a Golden Age
5. When People Rebel: 1857 and After
6. Weavers, Iron Smelters, and Factory Owners
7. Civilising the “Native”, Educating the Nation
8. Women, Caste, and Reform
9. The Making of the National Movement: 1870s-1947
10. India After Independence

Class IX

1. The French Revolution
2. Socialism in Europe and the Russian Revolution
3. Nazism and the Rise of Hitler
4. Forest Society and Colonialism
5. Pastoralists in the Modern World

Class X

1. The Rise of Nationalism in Europe
2. Nationalism in India
3. The Making of a Global World
4. The Age of Industrialisation
5. Print Culture and the Modern World

Class XI

1. From the Beginning of Time
2. Writing and City Life
3. An Empire Across Three Continents – The Roman Empire
4. The Central Islamic Lands
5. Nomadic Empires
6. Changing Traditions: The Three Orders
7. Changing Cultural Traditions
8. Confrontation of Cultures
9. The Industrial Revolution
10. Displacing Indigenous People
11. Paths to Modernisation