UGC NET HISTORY SYLLABUS

UGC NET History Syllabus

Code No : 06

Subject : History

Note :

There will be two question papers; Paper – II and Paper – III ( Parts – A & B ). Paper – II will cover 50 Objective Type Questions ( Multiple choice, Matching type, True / False, Assertion-Reasoning type) carrying 100 marks. Paper – III will have two Parts – A and B ; Paper – III (A) will have 10 Short Essay Type questions (300 words ) carrying 16 marks each. In it there will be one question with internal choice from each unit ( i.e. 10 questions from 10 units ; Total marks will be 160 ). Paper – III (B) will be compulsory and there will be one question from each of the Electives. The candidate will attempt only one question (one elective only in 800 words ) carrying 40 marks. Total marks of Paper – III will be 200.

PAPER-II

1.    CONCEPTS, IDEAS AND TERMS

Bharatvarsha
Sabha and Samiti
Varnasrama
Purusharthas
Rina
Samskaras
Yajna
Doctrine of Karma
Dandaniti / Arthasastra
Saptanga
Dharmavijaya
Stupa / Chaitya
Nagara / Dravida / Vesara
Bodhisattva / Tirthankara
Alvars / Nayanars
Sreni
Kara / Vishti
Stridhana
Memorial stones
Agraharas
Khilafat
Sulah-i-kul
Maharashtra-dharma
Turkan-i-Chahlghani
Watan
Baluta
Iqta
Jizyah
Madad-i-maash Amaram Raya-Rekho Jangama
Chauth
Hundi ( Bills of Exchange)
Sarraf
Polygars
Jagir
Dastur
Mansab (Rank)
Deshmukh
Nadu
Pargana
Bengal Valshnavism
Altmagha
Shahna-i-Mandi
Mercantilism
Economic Nationalism
Indian Renaissance
Economic Drain
Colonialism
Paramountcy
Dyarehy
Federalism
Utitttarianism
Filtration Theory
Forward Policy
Doctrine of Lapse
Saiyagraha
Swadeshi
Revivalism
Communalism
Orientalism
De-industrialisation
Subsidiary Alliance
Evangelicalism
Bhudan
Panchsheel
Mixed Economy
Indian Left
Hindu Code Bill

2.   ANCIENT INDIAN HISTORY

Sources :

Archaeological Sources
Exploration, excavation, epigraphy, numismatics, monuments 
Literary Sources
Indigenous : Primary and Secondary – problems of dating, myths, legends, poetry, scientific literature, literature in regional languages, religious literature.
Foreign accounts : Greek, Chinese and Arab writers.

Pre-history and Proto-history

Man and Environment – geographical factors. Hunting and gathering (Paleolithic and Mesolithic ) .; Beginning of agriculture ( Neolithic and Chalcolithic).
Indus Valley Civilization – origin, date, extent, characteristics, decline, survival and significance.
Iron age ; Second urbanisation.

Vedic Period

Migrations and settlements ; dating the Vedic,-literary and archaealogical . evidences, evolution of social and political institutions ; religious and philosophical ideas, rituals and practices.

Period of Mahqjanapadas

Formation of States ( Mahajanapadas ) ; .Republics and Monarchies ; rise of urban centres ; trade routes ; economic growth ; introduction of coinage ; spread of Jainism and Buddhism ; rise of Magadha and Nandas.
Iranian and Macedonian Invasions and their impact.

Malayan Empire

Foundation of the Mauryan Empire, Chandragupta, Kautilya and Arthashastra ; Ashoka ; Concept of Dharma ; Edicts ; Brahmi and Kharosthi scripts.
Administration ; economy ; architecture and sculpture ; external contacts.
Disintegration of the empire ; Sungas and Kanvas.

Post-Mauryan Period (Indo-Greeks, Sakas, Kushanas, Western Kshatrapas )

Contact with outside world ; growth of urban centres, economy, coinage, development of religions, Mahayana, social conditions, art and architecture, literature and science.

Early state and society – in Eastern India, Deccan and South India

Kharavela, The Satavahanas, Tamil States of the Sangam Age. Administration ; economy, land grants, coinage, trade guilds and urban centres, Buddhist centres, Sangam literature and culture ; art and architecture.

Imperial Guptas and Regional States of India

Guptas and Vakatakas, Harsha, Administration, economic conditions, coinage of the Guptas, land grants, decline of urban centres, Indian feudalism, caste system, position of women, education and educational institutions – Nalanda, Vikramshila and Vallabhi, contact with neighbouring countries – Central Asia, South-East Asia and China, Sanskrit literature, scientific literature, art and architecture.

The Kadambas, Gangas, Pallavas and Chalukyas of Badami – Administration, trade guilds, Sanskrit literature and growth of regional languages and scripts ; growth of Vaishnava and Saiva religions. Tamil Bhakti Movement, Shankaracharya – Vedanta ; Institutions of temple and temple architecture.

Varmanas of Kamrup ; Palas and Senas, Rashtrakutas, Pratiharas, Kalachuri-Chedis ; Paramaras ; Chalukyas of Gujarat;. Arab contacts – Ghaznavl Conquest, Alberuni.

The Chalukyas of Kalyana, Cholas, Cheras, Hoysalas, Pandyas – Administration and local Government, growth of art and architecture, religious sects, Institution of temple and Mathas, Agraharas, education and literature, economy and society, contact with Sri Lanka and South-East Asia.

3.    MEDIEVAL INDIAN HISTORY

Sources

Archaeological, epigraphic and numismatic materials and monuments. Chronicles.
Literary sources – Persian, Sanskrit and Regional languages. Archival materials. Foreign travellers’ accounts.

Political Developments

The Sultanate – the Ghorids, the Turks, the Khaljis, the Tughlaqs, the Sayyids and the Lodis.
Foundation of the Mughal Empire – Babur, Humayun and the Suris ; expansion from Akbar to Aurangzeb.
Decline of the Mughal empire – political, administrative and economic causes.
Later Mughals and disintegration of the Mughal empire.
The Vijayanagara and the Bahmanis – rise, expansion and disintegration.
The Maratha movement, the foundation of Swaraj by Shivaji ; its expansion under the Peshwas ; Maratha Confederacy – causes of decline.

Administration

Administration under the Sultanate – civil, judicial, revenue, fiscal and military.
Sher Shah’s administrative reforms ; Mughal administration – land revenue and other sources of income ; Mansabdari and Jagirdaii.
Administrative system in the Deccan – the Vijayanagara, the Bahmanis and the Marathas.

Economic Aspects

“Agricultural production – village economy ; peasantry. Urban centres and population.
Industries – cotton textiles, handicrafts, agro-based industries, organisation, factories, technology.
Trade and commerce – State policies, internal and external trade ; European trade, trade centres and ports, transport and communication.
Financing trade, commerce and industries ; Hundi ( Bills of Exchange ) and Insurance.
Currency.

Socio-religious Movements

The Sufis – their orders, beliefs and practices, the leading Sufi saints.
Bhakti cult – Shaivism and its branches ; Vaishnavism and its branches.
The Saints of the medieval period – north and south – their impact on socio-political and religious life.
The Sikh movement – Guru Nanak Dev and his teachings and practices, Adi Granth ; the Khalsa.

Society

Classification – ruling class, major religious groups, the mercantile and professional classes.
Rural society – petty chieftains, village officials, cultivators and non-cultivating classes, artisans.
Position of women.

Cultural Life

System of Educational and its motivations.
Literature – Persian, Sanskrit and Regional languages.
Fine Arts – Major schools of painting ; music.
Architectural developments of North and South India ; Indo-Islamic architecture.

4.    MODERN INDIAN HISTORY

Sources and Historiography:

Archival materials, biographies and memories, newspapers. Oral evidence, creative literature and painting.
Concerns in Modern Indian Historiography – Imperialist, Nationalist. Marxist and Subaltern.

Rise of British Power

European traders in India in the 17th and 18th centuries – Portuguese, Dutch, French and the British.
The establishment and expansion of British dominion in India.
British relations with and subjugation of the principal Indian Powers – Bengal, Oudh, Hyderabad, Mysore, Marathas and the Sikhs.

Administration of the Company and Crown

Evolution of central and provincial structure under the East India Company, 1773 – 1853.
Paramountcy, Civil Service, Judiciary, Police and the Army under the Company and Crown.
Local Self-Government
Constitutional changes, 1909 – 1935.

Economic History

Changing composition, volume and direction of trade ; The Tribute. Expansion and commercialisation of agriculture, land rights, land settlements, rural indebtedness, landless labour.
Decline of industries – changing socio-economic conditions of artisans ; De-urbanisation.
British Industrial Policy ; major modern industries ; nature of factory legislation ; labour and trade union movements.
Monetary policy, banking, currency and exchange, Railways and Road Transport.
Growth of new urban centres ; new features of town planning and architecture.
Famines, and epidemics and the government policy. Economic Thought – English utilitarians ; Indian economic historians ; the Drain theory.

Indian Society in Transition

Contact with Christianity – the Missions ; critique of Indian social and economic practices and religious beliefs ; educational and other activities.
The New Education – Government policy ; levels and contents .English language ; modern science ; Indian initiatives in education.
Raja Rammohan Roy ; socio-religious reforms ; emergence of middle class ; caste associations and caste mobility.
Women’s Question – Nationalist Discourse ; Women’s Organisations ; British legislation concerning women ; Constitutional position.
The Printing Press – journalistic activity and the public opinion.
Modernisation of Indian languages and literary forms – reorientation in painting, music and performing arts.

National Movement

Rise of Indian nationalism, social and economic bases of nationalism. Revolt of 1857 and different social classes. Tribal and peasant movements.
Ideologies and programs of the Indian National Congress, 1885-1920. Trends in Swadeshi movement.
Ideologies and programs of Indian revolutionaries in India and abroad.
Gandhian Mass Movements.
Ideology and program of the Justice Party.
Left Wing Politics.
Movement of the Depressed classes.
Communal politics and genesis of Pakistan.

Towards Independence and Partition.

India after Independence (1947 – 1964)

Rehabilitation after Partition.
Integration of the Indian States ; The Kashmir Question.
The making of the Indian Constitution.
The structure of Bureaucracy and the Policy.
The demographic trends.
Economic policies and the planning process.
Linguistic reorganisation of States.

Foreign policy initiatives.

World History : Concepts, Ideas and Terms

Pre-history
Burial Practices
Mother-Goddess
Law codes
Athenian Democracy
Imperial Rome
Slavery
Aristocracy
Confucianism
Manorial system
Black Death
Feudalism
Humanism
Enlightened Despotism
Divine Right
Supremacy of Church
Holy Roman Empire
Social Contract and General Will
Nation States
Renaissance
Reformation
Darwinism
Great Depression ( 1929 )
Feminism
Non-alignment Parliamentary Democracy
Nazism
Commonwealth
Imperialism
Socialism
Balance of Power
Apartheid
Rights of Man
Cold War
Post-modernism

Research in History

Scope and value of History
Objectivity and Bias in History
History and its auxiliary sciences
Area of research – proposed
Sources – Primary / secondary in the proposed area of research
Modern Historical Writing in the researchers area of research

PAPER – III (A)

( CORE GROUP )

Unit -1

From the Indus Valley Civilization to the Mahajanapadas

Age, extent and characteristics of the Indus Valley Civilization.
Vedic culture – Early and Late – Geography : Social and Political institutions, Economic conditions. Religious and Philosophical ideas.
Mahajanapadas, Republics, Economic growth – Emergence of Jainism and Buddhism – Rise of Magadha – Macedonian invasion and its effects.

Unit – II

History of India from 4th Century BC to 3rd Century AD

Foundation of the Mauryan Empire – Chandragupta, Asoka and his Dhamma, Mauryan administration, Economy, Art and Architecture, Disintegration of the Mauryan empire.
Sangam Age
Sungas, Satvahanas and Kushanas : Administration, religion, society, economy, trade and commerce, culture – Art and architecture, Literature.

Unit-III

India from the 4th century AD to 12th century AD
Gupta – Vakataka Age – Harsha-Pallavas – Early Chalukyas – Rashtrakutas-Cholas-Pratiharas-Palas – A brief survey of the history of the Paramaras, Kalachuris, Gahadavalas and Chauhans – Administration.
Feudalism. Society, Position of Women, Educational centres,’ Economy. Religious trends, styles of temple architecture, art, literature, An outline of scientific and technological developments.
India’s contacts with the outside world.

Unit – IV

India from 1206 to 1526

Expansion and Consolidation -; The Ghorids. The Turks. The Khaljis,
The Tughlaqs, The Sayyids and the Lodis.
Vijayanagar and Bahamani Kingdoms.
State and Religion – Concept of sovereignty, Religious movements and Sufism.
Economic Aspect – Urban Centres, Industries, Trade and Commerce, Land Revenue and Prices.
Mongol problem and its impact.
Administrative structure.
Art, Architecture and Literature,
Sources – Archaeological, Persian and non-Persian literature, Foreign travellers’ account.

Unit-V

India from 1526 onward

Sources of Mughal period.
Mughal Expansion and Consolidation – Babur’s establishment of Mughal rule in India ; Humayun and Surs ; Akbar* Jahangir, Shahjahan and Aurangzeb.
Mughal relations with the nobility and the Rajputs.
Jahangir – the period of stability and expansion 1611-1621 ; the period of crises 1622-1627 – The Nurjahan Junta.
Decline of Mughal Empire ‘.Political, administrative and economic causes.
The Maratha Movement, the foundation of Swarajya by Shivaji — its expansion and administration, Maratha Confederacy and causes of decline.
Administration : Sher Shah’s administrative reforms, Mughal administration, land revenue and other sources of income, Mansabdari and Jagirdari.

Unit – VI

Socio-economic and cultural life under the Mughals

Village society and economy ‘
Art, architecture and literature
Trade and Commerce
Religious policy from Akbar to Aurangzeb
Urban centres and Industries
Currency
Position of women

Unit -  VII

Foundation of the British Rule .

Rise of European powers – Expansion and Consolidation of the British rule.
British relations with major Indian powers – Bengal, Oudh, Hyderabad, Mysore, Marathas and Sikhs.
Administration under the East India Company and Crown, Paramountcy, Civil Service, Judiciary. Police and Army.
Local Self-Government, Constitutional Development from 1909 to 1935.

Unit-VIII

Economic and Social Policies

Agrarian policy of the British, Land Revenue, Agriculture and Land Rights, Famine policy, Rural indebtedness.
Policy towards trade, and industries, Condition of Labour. Trade Union Movements, Factory Legislation, Banking, Transport, Drain Theory.
Indian Society in transition, Christian missions, Socio-religious reform movements, Status of women.
New educational policy, English language, Modern sciences, Journalism, Indian languages and literature.

Unit-IX

National Movement and Post-Independent India

Rise of nationalism, Revolt of 1857, Tribal and Peasant Movements, Ideologies and Programs of Indian National Congress, Swadeshi Movement, Indian Revolutionary Movement in India and abroad.
Gandhian Mass Movements, Ideologies and Programs of the Justice Party ; Left wing politics, Movement of the depressed classes, Genesis of Pakistan, India towards Independence, and Partition.
India after Independence, Rehabilitation after partition, Integration of Indian States, the Kashmir Question.
Making of the Indian Constitution, Structure of Bureaucracy and the police, Economic policies and the planning process, Linguistic reorganisation of the States, foreign policy initiatives.

Unit-X. (A)

World History — Concepts, Ideas and Terms

Renaissance, Reformation

Enlightenment, Rights of Man
Apartheid
Imperialism
Socialism
Nazism
Parliamentary Democracy
Commonwealth
Efforts at World Peace, Cold War
Post-modernism

Unit – X (B)

Research in History

Scope and Importance of History
Objectivity and Bias in History
Causation in History
History and its auxiliary sciences
Significance of Regional History
Recent trends of Indian History
Research Methodology
Area of Proposed Research
Sources – Primary / Secondary in the Proposed area of Research. Recent Historical writings in the Proposed area of Research.

PAPER-III (B)

( ELECTIVE / OPTIONAL )

Elective -I : Ancient Indian History

Stone-Age Cultures of India
Origin, date, extent and characteristics of the Indus Valley Civilization.
Evolution of social and political institutions in the Vedic period
Economic and religious developments in 6th century BC

Sources of Mauryan History – Megasthenes, Kautilya, Asokan edicts and Simhalese chronicles

Economy and trade during 2nd century BC – 3rd century AD – Schools of art – Development of Stupa and Chaitya architecture
Assessment of the Gupta Age
Ancient Indian Republics – History of Local Self-Government in India Indian feudalism
Indian contacts with the outside world in the ancient period
Contribution of Sankara and Ramanuja to religion and philosophy

Elective – II : Medieval Indian History

Sources on Medieval Indian History
North-West frontier and Deccan Policy of the Mughals
Society and Economy during Medieval period
Religion, Art, Architecture and Literature during Medieval period
Urban Economy, Trade and Commerce during Medieval period
Legacy of the Mughals
18th Century Debate
Significance of Regional History

Elective – III : Modern Indian History

The Establishment and Expansion of the British Dominion in India
Constitutional Development from 1858 to 1935
The British Agrarian Policies
The Relief Measures adopted by the British
Education and Social Reforms Under the British
Socio-Religious Reform Movements in the 19th Century
Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Congress
The Gandhian Era
Towards Independence and Partition
The Making of the Indian Constitution and its working