🇮🇳 State PSC (e.g. BPSC / UPPSC / MPSC) · subject

State PSC (e.g. BPSC / UPPSC / MPSC) History of India and the World Syllabus

The History of India and the World syllabus for State PSC (e.g. BPSC / UPPSC / MPSC) in full: 4 chapters, 23 topics and 33 sub-topics, every one listed below, plus 50 History of India and the World flashcards with answers.

4Chapters

23Topics

33Sub-topics

50Flashcards

History of India and the World syllabus: all 4 chapters

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics.

Ancient India
6 topics
- Prehistoric Cultures and the Harappan Civilization
  - Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic phases
  - Town planning, trade and decline of the Indus Valley Civilization
- Vedic Age and Later Vedic Society
  - Rigvedic polity, economy and religion
  - Varna system and emergence of janapadas
- Rise of Mahajanapadas, Jainism and Buddhism
  - Teachings and councils
  - Spread and royal patronage
- Mauryan Empire
  - Chandragupta and Kautilya's Arthashastra
  - Ashoka's Dhamma and edicts
- Post-Mauryan and Gupta Age
  - Sungas, Kushanas and Satavahanas
  - Gupta administration, art and the classical age
- South Indian Kingdoms and Sangam Age
  - Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas
  - Sangam literature and society
Medieval India
6 topics
- Early Medieval and Regional Kingdoms
  - Rajputs, Palas, Pratiharas and Rashtrakutas
  - Chola administration and temple architecture
- Delhi Sultanate
  - Slave, Khalji, Tughlaq, Sayyid and Lodi dynasties
  - Administration, iqta and revenue systems
- Bhakti and Sufi Movements
  - Nirguna and Saguna saints
  - Sufi silsilas and syncretic culture
- Vijayanagara and Bahmani Kingdoms
- Mughal Empire
  - Babur to Aurangzeb
  - Mansabdari, jagirdari and land revenue under Akbar
- Rise of the Marathas and Decline of the Mughals
  - Shivaji and Maratha confederacy
  - Later Mughals and successor states
Modern India and the Freedom Struggle
6 topics
- Advent of Europeans and British Expansion
  - Battles of Plassey and Buxar
  - Subsidiary alliance and Doctrine of Lapse
- Economic Impact of Colonial Rule
  - Drain of wealth and deindustrialization
  - Permanent, Ryotwari and Mahalwari settlements
- Revolt of 1857 and Early Resistance
- Socio-Religious Reform Movements
  - Brahmo Samaj, Arya Samaj and Aligarh Movement
  - Reformers and caste reform
- Indian National Movement (1885-1947)
  - Moderates, Extremists and Revolutionaries
  - Gandhian mass movements: NCM, CDM, Quit India
- Partition and Independence
  - Cabinet Mission, Mountbatten Plan and Indian Independence Act
World History
5 topics
- Renaissance, Reformation and Enlightenment
- American and French Revolutions
- Industrial Revolution and Its Consequences
- World Wars and the Inter-War Period
  - Causes and outcomes of the two World Wars
  - Russian Revolution and rise of fascism
- Decolonization and the Cold War

State PSC (e.g. BPSC / UPPSC / MPSC) History of India and the World flashcards — 50 questions with answers

Which Harappan site, located in Gujarat, is famous for its dockyard and is considered an important port/trade centre?
Lothal.
What metal was unknown to the people of the Harappan (Indus Valley) Civilization?
Iron. They used copper, bronze, gold and silver but not iron.
Name the system of town planning used in Harappan cities for their streets.
The grid system, where streets crossed each other at right angles.
Which Harappan site is known for the Great Bath, and in which present-day country is it located?
Mohenjo-daro, located in Pakistan (Sindh province).
What is the name of the earliest and most sacred Veda, and which type of literature does it contain?
The Rigveda, a collection of hymns (mantras) addressed to gods.
In the later Vedic period, which assemblies of the Rigvedic age declined in importance?
The Sabha and Samiti declined as the king's power increased.
What was the fourfold division of society called in the Vedic age, and what were its four classes?
The Varna system: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras.
Which river is most frequently mentioned in the Rigveda, indicating the core region of early Vedic settlement?
The Sindhu (Indus). The Saraswati is the most praised river.
How many Mahajanapadas existed around the 6th century BCE according to Buddhist texts, and which one eventually became most powerful?
Sixteen (Solasa) Mahajanapadas; Magadha became the most powerful.
Who founded Jainism's final form as the 24th Tirthankara, and what is the central principle of Jainism?
Mahavira (Vardhamana), the 24th Tirthankara; the central principle is Ahimsa (non-violence).
What are the Four Noble Truths the foundation of in Buddhism, and where did Buddha deliver his first sermon?
They are the foundation of Buddhist teaching; the first sermon was at Sarnath (Dharmachakra Pravartana).
Name the three jewels (Triratna) of Jainism.
Right Faith (Samyak Darshana), Right Knowledge (Samyak Jnana), and Right Conduct (Samyak Charitra).
Who founded the Mauryan Empire and in which year (approx.) did he overthrow the Nanda dynasty?
Chandragupta Maurya, around 321 BCE.
Which Mauryan emperor converted to Buddhism after the Kalinga War, and in which year was the war fought?
Ashoka; the Kalinga War was fought around 261 BCE.
What is the title of the treatise on statecraft written by Chanakya (Kautilya), advisor to Chandragupta Maurya?
The Arthashastra.
In Ashoka's administration, what were the welfare officers called who were appointed to spread Dhamma?
Dhamma Mahamatras (Mahamattas).
Which dynasty succeeded the Mauryas, founded by Pushyamitra Shunga?
The Shunga dynasty.
Which foreign king is associated with the Milindapanho (a dialogue with monk Nagasena), and what was his Greek name?
King Menander, an Indo-Greek ruler (Greek name Menander I).
Which Kushana ruler is most famous, convened the Fourth Buddhist Council, and patronized the Gandhara art school?
Kanishka.
Who is regarded as the founder of the Gupta Empire's greatness with the title Maharajadhiraja, founding the dynasty's imperial line?
Chandragupta I (Sri Gupta founded the line, but Chandragupta I began the imperial phase).

Show the other 30 History of India and the World flashcards

Which Gupta ruler is called the 'Napoleon of India' for his extensive conquests, recorded in the Allahabad Pillar inscription?
Samudragupta.
The Gupta period is called the 'Golden Age'; name the famous astronomer-mathematician of this era who proposed Earth's rotation.
Aryabhata.
Which Chinese pilgrim visited India during the reign of Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya)?
Fa-Hien (Faxian).
Name the three early kingdoms of the Tamil Sangam Age in South India.
The Cheras, Cholas, and Pandyas.
What was the name of the literary academies of Tamil poets that gave the Sangam Age its name?
The Sangams (assemblies of Tamil poets, traditionally held at Madurai).
Which port was the main trade centre of the Cholas in the Sangam Age, mentioned in classical trade with Rome?
Puhar (Kaveripattinam).
Which dynasty built the famous Kailasanatha (Kailasa) temple at Ellora, carved from a single rock?
The Rashtrakutas (under Krishna I).
What was the 'Tripartite Struggle' in early medieval India, and which three powers fought it?
A contest for control of Kannauj fought between the Palas, Pratiharas, and Rashtrakutas.
Which Chola ruler conducted naval expeditions to Southeast Asia (Srivijaya), and who built the Brihadeshwara temple at Thanjavur?
Rajendra Chola I led the naval expeditions; Rajaraja Chola I built the Brihadeshwara temple.
Who founded the Delhi Sultanate's first dynasty (the Mamluk/Slave dynasty) in 1206?
Qutb-ud-din Aibak.
Which Delhi Sultan introduced market control (price regulation) reforms and repelled Mongol invasions?
Alauddin Khalji.
Which Sultan transferred the capital from Delhi to Daulatabad and introduced token (copper) currency?
Muhammad bin Tughlaq.
Who was the only woman to rule the Delhi Sultanate?
Razia Sultana (Raziyya), daughter of Iltutmish.
Which dynasty was the last to rule the Delhi Sultanate before the Mughals, and which battle ended it in 1526?
The Lodi dynasty; it ended at the First Battle of Panipat (1526).
What is the Bhakti movement, and name a saint who founded the Sikh tradition emerging from it.
A devotional movement emphasizing personal devotion to God; Guru Nanak founded Sikhism.
What is the Sufi term for the lineage/order of mystics, and name one major order active in India.
The 'Silsila'; the Chishti order (and Suhrawardi) were major orders in India.
Which Bhakti saint and poet of Maharashtra is associated with the Varkari tradition and devotion to Vithoba?
Sant Tukaram (also Jnaneshwar/Namdev).
Which Chishti Sufi saint is associated with Ajmer, and what is his shrine called?
Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti; his shrine is the Ajmer Dargah (Dargah Sharif).
Who founded the Vijayanagara Empire in 1336, and on which river's banks was its capital located?
Harihara and Bukka (Sangama brothers); the capital Hampi was on the Tungabhadra river.
Which is considered the greatest ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire, under whom it reached its peak?
Krishnadevaraya (of the Tuluva dynasty).
In which 1565 battle was the Vijayanagara Empire decisively defeated by the Deccan Sultanates?
The Battle of Talikota (Rakshasi-Tangadi).
Who founded the Bahmani Kingdom in the Deccan in 1347?
Alauddin Hasan Bahman Shah (Hasan Gangu).
Who founded the Mughal Empire, and in which battle did he defeat Ibrahim Lodi in 1526?
Babur; he defeated Ibrahim Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat (1526).
Which Mughal emperor introduced the Mansabdari system and the religious policy Din-i-Ilahi?
Akbar.
Which Mughal emperor built the Taj Mahal, and in whose memory?
Shah Jahan, in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.
Which Mughal emperor reimposed the Jizya tax and is associated with the empire's expansion to its greatest extent?
Aurangzeb (Alamgir).
What was the 'Mansabdari' system in Mughal administration?
A ranking system grading officials (mansabdars) by 'zat' (personal rank) and 'sawar' (cavalry obligation), determining status, salary, and military duty.
Who founded the Maratha Empire, and in which year was he formally crowned (coronation)?
Shivaji; he was crowned (Rajyabhishek) in 1674 at Raigad.
What were the two taxes levied by the Marathas on territories outside their direct control?
Chauth (one-fourth of revenue) and Sardeshmukhi (an additional one-tenth).
Which 1761 battle marked a major setback for Maratha power against Ahmad Shah Abdali, accelerating the decline of central Indian dominance?
The Third Battle of Panipat (1761).

State PSC (e.g. BPSC / UPPSC / MPSC) History of India and the World FAQ

What is in the State PSC (e.g. BPSC / UPPSC / MPSC) History of India and the World syllabus?

State PSC (e.g. BPSC / UPPSC / MPSC) History of India and the World is split into 4 chapters: Ancient India, Medieval India, Modern India and the Freedom Struggle and World History. Together they contain 23 topics and 33 sub-topics.

How many chapters are in State PSC (e.g. BPSC / UPPSC / MPSC) History of India and the World?

4 chapters, containing 23 topics and 33 sub-topics. The largest chapter is Ancient India, with 6 topics.

Are there flashcards for State PSC (e.g. BPSC / UPPSC / MPSC) History of India and the World?

Yes — a 50-card History of India and the World deck, printed in full in the flashcards section of this page and available in the Examius app with spaced repetition. The free plan covers one exam of your choice, including its flashcards; Examius Pro, a one-time purchase, unlocks every other exam and deck.