CHAPTER 1: Decoding India’s Historical Roots: Geography, Culture and Chronology
🔸What is History? Understanding Its Real Meaning
🔸The Many Names of India: A Story of Identity Across Time
🔸How India’s Geography Shaped Its History
🔸What is “Culture” in Archaeology?
🔸Understanding Historical Time: BCE, CE, and Timelines
🔸How Historians Divide Human History
🔸How Do We Study the Distant Past?
🔸Scientific Methods to Date the Prehistoric Past
CHAPTER 2: Reconstructing India’s Past: Institutions and Historical Methods
🔸Introduction
🔸Archaeological Sources
🔸Indian Literary Sources
🔸How Is History Constructed?
🔸Archaeological Survey of India (ASI): Guardians of Our Past
CHAPTER 3: Prehistoric Cultures and Early Transition
🔸 From Wildness to Wisdom: The Story of Early Humans
🔸 Origins of Universe, Earth & Human Evolution
🔸 The Stone Age: From Survival to Innovation
🔸 Birth of Expression: Prehistoric Art and Rock Paintings
CHAPTER 4: Chalcolithic Horizon in India
🔸 Introduction
🔸Chalcolithic Culture
CHAPTER 5: Harappan Civilisation
🔸Introduction to Harappan Civilisation
🔸Understanding Civilisation
🔸Indus Valley Civilisation
🔸Salient Features of Harappan Culture
🔸Important Harappan Sites
🔸End of the Harappan Civilisation
🔸Tracing the Harappan Civilisation
CHAPTER 6: Foundation of Vedic Thoughts and Aryan Society
🔸Overview of the Vedic Period
🔸The Vedic Period: A Civilizational Shift After Harappa
🔸Early Vedic Period (Rig Vedic Age): 1500–1000 BCE
🔸Later Vedic Period (1000-600 BCE)
🔸Understanding Vedic Literature
🔸Indian Philosophical Systems (Darshanas)
🔸Painted Grey Ware (PGW) Culture – 1200 to 600 BCE
CHAPTER 7: Age of Transition: From Early Vedic to Early Historic India
🔸 India in the Sixth Century BCE
🔸 Changes in Economic and Political Life
🔸 Changes in Social Life and Religious Ideas
🔸 Persian and Macedonian Invasions
🔸 Mahajanapadas
🔸 The Rise of Magadha – From a Kingdom to an Empire
CHAPTER 8: Jainism and Buddhism
🔸 Introduction: The Quest for Meaning in an Age of Upheaval
🔸 Emergence of New Religious Ideas in 6th Century BCE
🔸 Life of Gautama Buddha: The Enlightened One
🔸 Teachings of Gautama Buddha
🔸 Sangha and Monastic Life in Buddhism
🔸 Buddhist Literature: Tripitaka, Pali Texts, and Chronicles
🔸 Buddhist Councils and the Evolution of Sects
🔸 Spread of Buddhism
🔸 Symbolism, Decline, and Legacy of Buddhist
🔸 Important Buddhist Scholars
🔸 Important Buddhist Architecture
🔸 Jainism: Origin and Founder
🔸 Teachings of Jainism: Core Philosophy and Practice
🔸 Spread of Jainism: A Journey Across the Subcontinent
🔸 Jainism: Sects, Sub-sects, and Sacred Symbols
🔸 Jaina Literature: The Vast Ocean of Wisdom
🔸 Important Jaina Scholars
🔸 The 24 Tirthankaras of Jainism: Names & Symbols
🔸 Jain Art, Architecture, and Heritage: An Overview
🔸 Buddhism and Jainism: A Comparative Overview
🔸 Other Heterodox Ideas
🔸 Classical Indian Languages
CHAPTER 9: Mauryan Period
🔸 Introduction: The Story of the Mauryan Empire
🔸 Sources of Mauryan History
🔸 Chandragupta Maurya (321–297 BCE)
🔸 The Mauryan Administrative Machinery
🔸 Bindusara (297–272 BCE)
🔸 Ashoka (c. 272/268–231 BCE)
🔸 Ashoka’s Dhamma
🔸 Ashokan Inscriptions (Edicts of Ashoka)
🔸 End of the Mauryan Empire
🔸 Mauryan Art and Architecture
CHAPTER 10: Post-Mauryan Age: Regionalism, Invasions and Cultural Cross-roads
🔸The story of Post-Mauryan India
🔸Post-Mauryan India: The Fragmented Rise
🔸Backdrop of Foreign Invasions: The Chain Reaction
🔸➡️Indo-Greeks
🔸➡️The Shakas (Scythians) in India (c. 1st c. BCE – 4th c. CE)
🔸➡️The Kushanas (c. 1st – 3rd Century CE)
🔸Impact of Central Asian Contacts (Post-Maurya Period)
🔸Post-Mauryan Developments
🔸➡️The Satavahanas: Empire Builders of the Deccan
🔸➡️Vakataka, Ikshvaku and Kadambas
🔸➡️ The Rise of Crafts, Trade, and Towns: Post-Maurya Period
CHAPTER 11: Gupta Empire
🔸 The Story of Gupta Empire
🔸 Background to the Rise of the Gupta Empire
🔸 Sources of Gupta History
🔸 Rulers of Gupta Empire
🔸 Gupta Administration
🔸 Gupta Period: Trade, Economy, and the Rise of Priestly Landlords
🔸 Gupta Society: Structure, Status, and Shifts
🔸 Religion in Gupta Age: Resurgence, Reforms & Rivalries
🔸 Gupta Period Art and Architecture: A Cultural Pinnacle
🔸 Literature during Gupta Period: The Age of Intellectual Brilliance
🔸 The Decline of the Gupta Empire: From Zenith to Fragmentation
CHAPTER 12: Post Gupta Period
🔸 Political Transitions in North India (500–1206 CE): An Overview
🔸 The Rise of Regional Dynasties After the Gupta Decline
🔸 The Pushyabhutis of Thaneswar (500–647 CE)
🔸 Tripartite Struggle: A Tug-of-War for Kanauj
🔸 Rise and Nature of Rajput States (c. 7th – 12th Century CE)
🔸 North Indian Kingdoms (Post-Gupta Era): Politics, Society & Culture
🔸 The Age of Conflict: Political Realignments from West to South Asia
🔸 Rise of the Ghurids and the Foundation of Turkish Rule in India
🔸 Al-Biruni and Firdausi: Glimpses of Cross-Cultural Scholarship
CHAPTER 13: History of South India
🔸 A Brief History of South India
🔸The Megalithic Period in South India (c. 1000 BCE – 2nd c. BCE)
🔸The Sangam Age (c. 300 BCE – 300 CE)
🔸➡️Three Early Kingdoms of Tamilakam: Cholas, Cheras, and Pandyas
🔸➡️Polity, Economy and Social Life: Sangam Age
🔸➡️Sangam Literature: The Jewel of Early Tamilakam
🔸Historical Landscape of Peninsular India (6th to 13th Century CE)
🔸Chalukyas (Sixth to Twelfth century CE)
🔸The Rashtrakutas (8th to 10th Century CE | 757 – 973 CE)
🔸The Pallavas (3rd to 9th Century CE)
🔸Imperial Cholas: An Introduction
🔸South Indian Kingdoms After the Twelfth Century
🔸Politics, Society, & Culture of South India (Post 12th c. CE)
🔸The Bhakti Movement in South India: Revival, Reform, and Reach
🔸Temple Architecture and the Bhakti Movement
🔸Vijayanagara Empire
🔸Bahmani Sultanate (1347 – 1526 CE)
CHAPTER 14: The Delhi Sultanate
🔸The Story of the Delhi Sultanate
🔸Beginning of the Delhi Sultanate
🔸Sources of the Delhi Sultanate
🔸The Slave (Mamluk) Dynasty [1206–1290 CE]
🔸The Khalji Dynasty (1290–1320 CE)
🔸The Tughlaq Dynasty (1320–1414 CE)
🔸Post Tughlaq phase
🔸Administration, Society, and Economy
CHAPTER 15: Mughal Empire
🔸The Story of the Mughal Empire
🔸Babur and the Foundation of the Mughal Empire
🔸Humayun: A Struggled Legacy and a Fragile Throne
🔸Sher Shah Suri (1540 – 1555 CE)
🔸Akbar (1556 – 1605 CE)
🔸Jahangir (1605–1627 CE)
🔸Shah Jahan (1627–1658 CE)
🔸Aurangzeb (1658–1707 CE)
🔸Later Mughal Emperors: Decline Begins
🔸Foreign Invasions and the Final Collapse
🔸Mughal Administration
🔸Decline of the Mughal Empire
CHAPTER 16: Maratha Empire
🔸Overview of Maratha Empire
🔸Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
🔸Maratha Administration under Shivaji Maharaj
🔸The Marathas after Shivaji
🔸The Peshwa Era