NET HISTORY NOTES

PARWANA

 It was basically an order issued by an officer to his subordinate during the Mughal period of India history. It was more significant when such an order was issued by departmental heads such as Diwan-i-ala or Sadr-u-Sudur endorsing a grant of a jagir or madad massh land. Generally, it was an order for a higher authority to its subordinate which demanded execution. 

FARMAN

Farman was a royal order bearing the seal of the emperor during the Mughal period of Indian history. Every piece of official document was not a farman. A farman was an order directly from the Emperor.

MUQADDAM

As per the Persian documents of the Medieval India, Muqaddam was a headman of a village. He was ,by profession, a peasant of the village which he headed. He could sell and buy land for the village and settle the common treasury of the village in that position. His position was hereditary, however, it could also be bought and sold. He was never a government servant but a person holding that position could be dispossessed of his status by the revenue official.

In south India (Dakhin), a similar position was enjoyed by a ‘Patel’.

In Braj documents, the same Muqaddam was translated as ‘Panch’ or ‘panch mukadam’.

 CASTE

The Sociologists define a caste as follows:
A caste is a hereditary, endogamous, usually localized group, having a traditional association with an occupation and a particular position in the local hierarchy of castes. The relations between castes are governed, among other things, by the concepts of pollution and purity, and generally, maximum commensality occurs within the caste.

On spatial level, a caste is usually segmented into several sub-castes and each sub-caste is endogamous. This segmentation is probably the result of a long historical process in which groups continually fissioned off. As a result of this long process of development there has come into existence several cognate groups usually found scattered over a limited geographical region, each of which retains a sense of identity as well as its linkage with other similar groups. Hence, a perception that a caste has its limited social boundaries is limited view meant for a particular time and place only. It, under historic impact, keeps changing the social boundaries and even the spatial spread through the process of historic fission.

BUTLER COMMITTEE REPORT

Butler Committee was headed by Harcourt Butler. It was appointed by Viceroy of India, Irwin. It reviewed the question of Paramountcy. The Princes of India wanted to review the issue of Paramountcy while bargaining for their participation in Round Table Conference where the British government wanted them to be. Butler concluded, "Paramoutcy must remain paramount."
The judgement of the committee was not in favour of the Council of Princes. However, the main fear of the Princes was that if the Dominion Status was imparted to India, then there could a central government dominated by the Congress members. However, later, as the talks progressed, the idea of Federal government at centre was favoured and the issue of Dominion Status was just made silent. The features which were suggested under the Federal Structure in India were such that the Princes did not have to fear the Congress majority control at centre level.

DELHI STATEMENT

Delhi Statement was issued by Gandhi on November 2, 1928.
In tghe statement it was sugested that the proposed conference which Simon Commission was expected to propose would disciss the features of Dominion Status, in the conference, the Congress delegates would have majority and there would be discussed general amnesty and concilliation.
Gandhi met Irwin, the Viceroy of India of that time on November 23, 1928. The Viceroy rejected the offer given in 'Delhi Statement'.
Later, Gandhi signed Gandhi Irwin Pact in which the above offer were not taken up.

PADANUR BLACK HOLE (MASS MUDER)

During the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1920-21, the Moplahs in Malabar region also responded to the call of Gandhi for non-cooperation. The contemporary British government in India tried to suppress the rising with repression. It lead to numerous death. It was then, that 66 asphyxiated bodies of Moplah prisoners were found shut in a railway wagon. Some historians have termed it as Padanur Black Hole equating it to Black Hole Tregady of Fort Williams at Calcutta in 1757 reported by Dr. Holwell wherein 144 British people died when they were put in 18 feet by 14 feet room. In that incidence, it was reported that nearly 38 of them survived.

ANTI-NON-COOPERATION ASSOCIATION 1920

The Anti-Non-Cooperation Association 1920 was started by big businessmen of Bombay in 1920 against the Non-Cooperation/Khilafat Movement (1920-1921). It was established by Jamnadas Dwarkadas, Purshottamdas Thaukrdass, Cowasji Jehangir, Pheroze Sethna and Setalvad. The businessmen of Bombay felt that the movement would encourage the labour strikes which in Bombay Presidency turned out be violent at earlier occasion. Secondly, Gandhi did not have that acceptance in Maharashtra region which at that time was still remembered Bal Gangadhar Tilak.

SAMITIS MOVEMENT

Samitis Movement is also called national volunteer movement (Do not confuse it with Rashtriya Swyam Sang). It started somewhere before the Swadeshi Movement which was basically an Anti-Bengal Partition Movement. The membership of Smitis increased with the rise of Swadeshi Movement. They were mainly open bdoies engaged in phusical and moral trainings of the youth of Bengal. They also participated in numerous social welfare activities expecially during antural calamities like spread of epidemics or famines.

According to a police report of 1907, there were 19 Samitis in Clcautta. However, such associations were more active in East Bengal. Accoerding to another police report of June 1907, there were 8485 members voerall, associated with different Samities in East Bengal.

Some of the main Samitis were Anti Circular Soceity of Clacutta, Barisal Swadeshi Bandhave of Aswinkumar Dutt having 170 village branches by 1909, Dacca Anusilan of Pulin Das etc.

Some historians have termed their activities as terrorist activities. It is against the craft of history to transport a concept of one time over to other time. Terrorism as a tool in hands of anomly groups and paradigm belongs to 1960s when the Muslim Brotherhood activities increased the use of arms and bombs. Hence, it is wrong to term the activities before that period in concept of paradigms which developed latter.

DOCTRINE OF PASSIVE RESISTANCE

Doctrine of Passive Resistance is authored by Aurobindo Ghosh. It is based on a series of articles by Aurobindo Ghosh which were published in April 1907 in the journal Bande Matram. The articles were written when the Bengal was burning with indignation after its partition October 16, 1905 by Viceroy Curzon. The main theme of the articles is the methods and ideology which could be adopted in face of oppression and injustice as perpetrated by the contemporary British rule in India

DAWN SOCIETY

Dawn Society was established by Satishchandra Mukherji during the Swadeshi Movement against the partition of Bengal during the tenure of Lord Curzon as the Viceroy of the British Indian Empire. It was a progressive and constructive response different from the mendicant methods of protests of the Moderates generally identified with the members of the Indian National Congress. Under the society, Satishchandra Mukherji started educational institutions which aimed at imparting education to the Indians who were encouraged to leave the government or government aided schools and colleges as a protest against the parititon of Bengal.

LOUIS DANE'S MISSION

Louis Dane's Mission:
Louis Dane's Mission was a diplomatic mission to Afghanistan under direction of Lord Curzon who Viceroy of India. India was under the imperial rule of Great Britain. It was an attempt of Viceroy of India to direct the foreign policy around South Asia from Calcutta, which was seat of power in British Indian Empire.

BIJOLIA MOVEMENT

It was a pioneer agrarian movement in the Mewar State in present Udaipur District.

The Jagirdar of Bijolia was a Parmar Rajput having 96 villages in his jagir. There were 86 different taxes on peasants against which peasants revolted in 1905. The initial leadership was provided by Sitaram Das. The movement got linked to national movement. Vijay (Bijoy) Singh Pathik and Manik Lal Verma (future Chief Minister of Rajasthan) led a no tax movement in 1916. It was called Bijolia movement. The peasants refused to do begar and held back the taxes. The movement continued through 1920s and spread over to other States of Rajputana.

Important note: The no tax movement at Bijolia took place before the Champaran Indigo Satyagraha of Gandhi. Secondly, it was started in Princely States. 

SHADHDARSHANA OR DARSHANA

 

The Shadhdarshana means the six Doctrines or the Six systems of Salvation or the Six Schools of Philosophies of Hinduism. They are as follows.

Sr. no	Name of the Doctrine	Name of the Rishi/Apostle
1	Nayaya:Analysis	Akshapada Gautama
2	Vaisheshika: Doctrine of Individual Charateristics	Uluka Kanada
3	Sankhya: The Count	Kapila
4	Yoga: Now Most popular in West as a school of physical disciplining	Patanjali
5	Mimansa: Enquiry	Jamini
6	Vedanta, also Uttara Mimansa	Shankaracharya

VEDANGAS

Vedangas are treatises which form the part of Vedic literature. They are six in number. The etymological meaning of Vedanga means limbs of Vedas. It suggests that they are helpful in understanding the Vedas. It is written by an established scholar that ‘the study of Vedanga was necessary either for the reading, the understanding, or the proper sacrificial employment of the Veda.’ Hence, these six limbs or the six treatise or the six subjects are necessary for fully understanding the Vedas which are Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sam Veda and Atharva Veda.


Further, R. C. Majumdar, specifically emphasis that they should not be taken as mere six books but the six subjects which are to be understood to appreciate the contents of the Vedas. It should be further remembered that they are treatises. It means that they are work of the intellect and memory of human beings. They are product of the use of human faculties.


These six treatises are:

1.               Sikhsha (pronunciation)

2.             Chhandas (metre)

3.             Vyakarana (grammar)

4.             Nirukta (explanation of words; etymology)

5.              Jyotisha (astronomy {Kindly note, not the astrology as it is generally believed. That is other thing, that it is latter used for astrology far more than for executing Vedic ceremonies.})

6.             Kalpa (ceremonial).

R. C. Majumdar has emphasised that

the first two are considered necessary for reading the Veda, the two next for understanding it, and the last two for employing it at sacrifices.

Therefore, it means that Sikhsha and Chhandas, that are metre and grammar are used for reading the Veda. They are used merely for reading. The Vyakrana and Nirukta, that are grammar and etymology, are used for understanding the Vedas. Finally, Jyotisha and Kalpa, that are astronomy and ceremonial involve the operational aspect, action aspect, the activity aspect of the Vedas.

MAHAJANAPADAS

According to Anguttara Nikaya, a Buddhist source, the followings were the sixteen Mahajanapadas.

1.               Anga

2.             Magadha

3.             Kashi

4.             Kosala

5.              Vajji

6.             Malla

7.              Chedi

8.             Vatsa

9.             Kuru

10.      Panchala

11.         Matsya

12.       Sursena

13.       Assaks

14.       Avanti

15.        Gandhara

16.       Kamboja

According to Bhagwati Sutra, a Jain Source, the followings were the sixteen Mahajanapadas.

1.               Anga

2.             Banga (Vanga)

3.             Magadha

4.             Malaya

5.              Malava

6.             Achchha

7.              Vachcha

8.             Kachchha

9.             Padhan (Pandy) (Vatsa)

10.      Ladha (Lata)

11.         Sajji (Vajji)

12.       Moli (Malla)

13.       Kasi

14.       Kosala

15.        Avaha

16.       Sambhuttara