Indian culture - salient aspects of art forms, literature and architecture from ancient to modern times.
Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues.
The freedom struggle — its various stages and important contributors/ contributions from different parts of the country.
Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.
History of the world will include events from 18th century such as
Industrial revolution, world wars, redrawing of national boundaries, colonization, decolonization, political philosophies like communism, capitalism, socialism etc.— their forms and effect on the society.
Salient features of Indian society, diversity of India.
Role of women and women’s organization, population and associated issues, poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and their remedies.
Effects of globalization on Indian society.
Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism.
Salient features of world’s physical geography
Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including south Asia and the Indian sub-continent); factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India).
Important geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, tsunami, volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location-changes in critical geographical features (including water bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.
ANCIENT INDIAN HISTORY
Pre-historic period.
Stone age.
Chalcolithic age.
Indus valley civilization (IVC).
Town planning.
Harappan society.
Characteristics of major centers.
Harappan art & architecture.
Decline of Harappan culture.
Vedic society.
Original home of Aryans.
Socio- economic characters of Vedic society
Vedic literature.
Social organization and varna system
Religion and thought
Mauryan empire.
Chandragupta and Bindusara.
Arthasastra (book by Kautilya).
Megasthenes.
Asoka and his successors.
Asoka's inscriptions and sites.
Asoka’ a Dhamma.
Mauryan administration, economy, society and art.
Decline of Mauryan empire.
Post-Mauryan india.
Arrival of Indo-Greeks, Shakas, Parthians & Kushana.
Satavahanas and other indigenous dynasties.
Schools of art: Gandhara; Mathura; Amravati.
Imperial Guptas.
Political history of Guptas
Gupta administration.
Development of art & culture
Age of golden age.
Economic conditions.
Urban centers in Gupta period.
Harshavardana.
Harshavardana.
Early life of Harsha.
Harsha’s administration.
Important officials of the empire.
Economy under Harsha.
Huen Tsang.
Society.
Religion..
The southern dynasties.
Satavahanas (230 bc to ad 225).
Pallavas (ad 330–796).
Chalukyas (ad 535–1190).
Pandyas of madurai (ad 590–1323).
Chola dynasty (ad 850– 1310).
Rashtrakutas (AD 753– 973).
MEDIEVAL HISTORY
Delhi sultanate.
Slave (Ghulam) or Mamluk dynasty.
Khilji dynasty.
Tughluq dynasty.
Sayyid dynasty
Lodi dynasty.
Struggle for empire in north India (Afghans, Rajputs and Mughals).
Mughals.
Mughals.
Humayun.
Jahangir.
Shah Jahan.
Aurangzeb.
Later Mughals.
Decline of Mughal Empire.
Sur dynasty.
Maratha Empire.
Deccan sultanate
Ahmednagar sultanate.
Bijapur sultanate.
Berar sultanate.
Golconda sultanate.
Bidar sultanate.
ART FORMS
Music.
Carnatic.
Carnatic.
Approach:
Harshavardana.
Early life of Harsha.
Harsha’s administration.
Important officials of the empire.
Economy under Harsha.
Huen Tsang.
Society.
Religion..
Dance.
Classical.
Folk.
Other forms.
Approach.
Types.
States.
Features.
Comparison.
Historical importance.
Influence on Indian society.
Music.
Carnatic.
Carnatic.
Approach:
Harshavardana.
Early life of Harsha.
Harsha’s administration.
Important officials of the empire.
Economy under Harsha.
Huen Tsang.
Society.
Religion..
Puppetry.
Types.
States.
Features..
Comparison.
Historical importance
Examples.
Influence on Indian society.
Paintings.
Indian murals.
Cave paintings.
Buddhist.
Jain.
Miniature.
Pala.
Mughal paintings.
Other regional paintings.
Modern paintings.
Raja Ravi Varma.
Bengal paintings.
Comparison.
Sculptures.
Gandhara.
Mathura.
Amaravathi.
North Indian sculpture.
Mourya.
Gupta.
Features.
South Indian Sculpture.
Pallava.
Chera.
Chola.
Pandya.
Vijayanagara.
Pala.
Odisha.
Literature.
Vedic literature.
Persons and their works..
Society and economy.
Features.
Mouryan literature.
Gupta literature.
Classic Sanskrit literature.
Persons and their works.
Medieval literature
Sangam literature.
Travel Accounts.
ARCHITECTURE
Cave architecture.
Buddhist caves.
Jain caves.
Gupta period caves.
Rock cut caves.
Temple architecture.
Evolution.
Nagara style.
Dravida style
Vesara style.
Temple architecture under different kingdoms:
Pllava.
Chalukya.
Nayaka.
Chola.
Hoysala.
Vijayanagara.
Indo Islamic architecture.
Sultanate.
Mughal.
Deccan.
Provincial/Regional.
Stupas.
Religious philosophies.
Orthodox..
Heterodox.
MODERN INDIAN HISTORY
Arrival of Europeans.
Later Mughals.
Regional powers in 18th Century.
Carnatic wars.
Battle of Plassey & Buxar.
Anglo-Mysore war.
Anglo Punjab war.
Socio-economic condition of people.
European penetration to India.
British conquest of India.
British policies & their impact:
Economic
Administrative
Socio-cultural.
Socio-cultural reform movements.
Brahma samaj.
Arya samaj.
Theosophical society.
Prarthana samaj etc.
Pre-1857 uprisings against British.
Tribal rebellions.
Peasant revolts.
Revolt of 1857.
Causes, leaders and nature.
Suppression of revolt.
Consequences of evolt.
Act of Good Governance 1858.
Growth of nationalism in India (1858-1905).
Political, economic & administrative unification of the country.
Role of western education.
Socio-religious reform movements.
Role of press.
Rediscovery of India’s past.
Early political movements.
Formation of INC.
Era of Moderates.
Growth of militant nationalism & revolutionary activities (1905-1918).
Swadeshi & Boycott Movement.
Surat split.
International Influence.
Morley – Minto Reforms.
Growth of communalism.
Beginning of mass nationalism (1919-1939).
Mahatma Gandhi – His ideas & leadership.
Montagu-Chelmsford reforms – 1909.
Rowlatt act.
Satyagrah and Jallianwala bagh massacre.
Non-cooperation & Khilafat movement.
Swarajists & No-changers.
Emergence of new forces – Socialistic ideas, youth & trade unionism.
Contribution by different sections:
Women.
Tribes.
Peasants.
Workers.
Foreigners.
South India.
North east India.
Princely states.
Revolutionary activity.
Simon commission & Nehru report.
Civil disobedience movement.
Round table conferences.
Communal award & Poona pact.
Participation in elections to central legislature (1934) & provincial assemblies (1937).
Government of India Act, 1935.
Towards freedom & Partition (1939-1947).
National movement during World War II.
August offer.
Individual satyagraha.
Growth of communalism..
Peasant movements.
State of people’s struggle
Cripps mission.
Quit India movement.
Wavell plan.
Subhash Chandra Bose and INA.
Cabinet mission.
Nationalist upsurge - Post-world war II.
Independence with partition.
Contributions by Governor generals.
Important personalities.
Gandhi.
Patel.
Ambedkar.
Nehru.
S C Bose
Tagore.
Ideologies and debates.
POST-INDEPENDENCE INDIA
Partition and consequences.
Consolidation of:
Princely states..
Tribal areas.
Linguistic regionalism in India.
Reorganisation of states.
Issue of official language.
Regional aspirations.
Foreign policy.
Non-Aligned Movement.
Panchsheel principles.
Wars with Pakistan & China.
Nuclear policy.
Economy
Planned development.
Green revolution and its effects.
Operation flood & cooperatives.
Agrarian & land reforms.
Industrial reforms.
LPG reforms polity.
Polity.
Era of One-party dominance.
Emergence of opposition parties.
Emergency: Crisis of democratic order.
Rise of regional parties.
Coalition era.
Popular movements.
Indian women since independence.
Issue of women.
Evolution of women movement.
Naxalism.
Science and Technology.
India’s policy in the field of the science and technology.
Impact of economic reform on the science and technology in India.
WORLD HISTORY
Beginning of the modern world.
Renaissance.
Tribal areas.
Reformation.
Counter Reformation.
Industrial revolution.
American Revolution.
European nations settle in North America.
Rise of slave trade.
American war of independence.
Foundation of American colonies.
The independence of United States of America.
The American revolutionary war
What was the impact of American revolution?
US civil war.
Impact of civil war on USA.
Global impact of US civil war.
Impact on India.
French Revolution.
Causes.
The revolution in France
France under Napoleon.
Impact of revolution
Significance of revolution.
Nationalism in Europe.
Rise of the nation- state system.
Unification of Italy..
Unification of Germany.
Rise of Capitalism, Colonialism & Imperialism.
Colonialism.
The age of imperialism (1870-1914).
Imperialism in Asia.
Analysis of colonialism.
World War I.
Causes of the war.
Scope & course of the war.
Russian revolution.
Major events in pre-revolution Russia.
Causes.
Course of revolution.
Consequences.
Aftermath of the war.
Post-Lenin Russia.
End of the war & peace treaties.
League of Nations.
The World between the Two Wars.
Europe after the war..
Fascism & Nazism.
The Great depression.
Emergence of Soviet Union.
Nationalist movements in Asia & Africa.
US as a strong power.
Europe after World War II
Fascist aggression & response of western democracies.
Outbreak of the war.
Theatres of the war.
US entry into the war.
Global nature of the war.
The Holocaust.
Resistance movements.
After-effects of the war.
Decolonialisation & Redrawing of national boundaries.
World War II.
Cold war.
Rise of Asia and Africa.
Developments in West Asia and North Africa.
Spread of communism.
Korean war.
Vietnam war.
Cuban crisis.
Collapse of Soviet Union
Political Philosophies.
Communism.
Capitalism.
Socialism.
Approach: Concept, types & social Impacts.
INDIAN SOCIETY
Diversity.
Types:
Caste.
Linguistic.
Social and religious.
Race.
Tribe and ethnicity.
Culture.
Challenges posed by diversity..
Unity.
Pluralism.
Unity in diversity.
Inequality and exclusion.
Family system.
Examples of above.
Role of women and women’s organization.
Women’s organizations in Indian history.
Types of women’s organizations.
Level of penetration:
19th century social reform movements and early women's organisations.
Agrarian struggles and revolt.
Participation in freedom struggle.
Women’s organization (with examples).
Problems faced by women’s organizations.
Role of SHGs in women empowerment.
Micro finance institution in women empowerment.
Population and associated issues.
Demography of India.
Population trends in India and their implications.
Causes and effects of over population.
Challenges of population explosion.
Changing age structure of Indian population.
Demographic dividend: boon or bane.
Population aging in India.
India's population policy & initiatives.
Poverty and developmental issues.
Concept of development and poverty.
Types of poverty.
Measurement of poverty – poverty line..
Causes of poverty.
Poverty as a social problem
Socio-economic spread of poverty.
Consequences of poverty.
Inequality.
Continuation of vicious cycle.
Who is worst affected by poverty?
Problem of rising urban poverty.
Policy shifts from “trickle down” economics to inclusive or pro-poor.
Development to reduce poverty.
Poverty alleviation initiatives.
Relation between poverty reduction and development: poverty-inequality.
Development nexus.
Urbanization.
Problems and remedies.
Trends in India and their implications.
Demographic and social dimensions.
Factors driving urbanisation.
State of service delivery and challenges posed by urbanisation.
Problems of urban areas.
Social consequences of urbanisation.
Impact of urbanisation in rural areas
Problems of slums.
Urban planning and role of urban local bodies (ULBs).
Reforms required and government initiatives taken so far
Globalization.
Understanding globalisation – its different dimensions.
Globalisation & culture.
Homogenisation vs. Glocalisation.
Factors driving globalisation
Globalisation & India
Impact of globalisation on India.
Socio-cultural.
Economic.
On women.
On Agrarian sector etc.
Does globalisation cause poverty?
Social empowerment.
Which are the socially disadvantaged groups?
Meaning and concept of social empowerment.
Dimensions of social empowerment.
Why do we need social empowerment?
Government initiatives to aide social empowerment.
Empowerment in reality and India’s experience.
Communalism.
Characteristics.
Communalism in India in the past.
Communalism in contemporary India.
Causes of communalism.
Measures to control & eradication.
Secularism as an antidote.
Regionalism.
Concept of region & regionalism.
Different forms.
Regionalism in India.
Causes.
Concept of 'sons of soil'.
Consequences.
Federalism & regionalism.
Role of regional parties.
Measures to prevent regionalism
Regionalism in the international sphere.
Secularism.
Concept of secularism.
Indian model of secularism.
Secularism in India.
Nature & practice of secularism in India.
Uniform civil code.
Challenges faced by secularism in India.
Measures to make India truly secular.
GEOGRAPHY - INDIA AND THE WORLD
Geomorphology.
Origin & evolution of earth.
Interior of the earth.
Distribution of continents & oceans.
Plate tectonic theory.
Distribution of earthquakes & volcanoes.
Rocks & rock cycle.
Geomorphic processes – endogenic & exogenic.
Landforms & their evolution
Geological time scale.
Oceanography.
Hydrological cycle.
Seafloor spreading.
Ocean floor configuration.
Temperature & salinity of oceans
Movement of oceans.
Waves.
Tides.
Currents.
Climatology.
Earth’s atmosphere – composition & structure.
Solar radiation, heat budget & temperature
Atmospheric circulation & weather systems.
World climate (examples).
Soil geography.
Soil & soil contents.
Process of soil formation.
Soil forming factors
Types of soils (examples).
Soil erosion & conservation.
Key natural resources.
Distribution - across the world (including south asia and the indian sub-continent).
Types of resources.
On the basis of:
Origin.
Ownership.
Exhaustibility etc
Land resources.
Land utilisation.
Land use pattern.
Land degradation & conservation forest resources.
Types & distribution – grasslands, forests etc.
Causes of depletion.
Conservation of forests.
Water resources.
Marine & freshwater.
Water scarcity & need for conservation
Integrated water resources management.
Mineral & energy resources.
Classification of minerals.
Ferrous & non-ferrous.
Occurrence of minerals.
Conservation of minerals.
Classification of energy resources.
Conventional & non-conventional.
Occurrence of energy resources.
Conservation of energy resources.
Agricultural resources.
Types of farming.
Cropping patterns.
Contribution to economy, employment & output
Food security.
Industries
Factors responsible for the location industries.
Classification of industries.
Location & distribution of the industries on the basis of:
