History of India: Ancient and Medieval · HCS (Haryana)

What the official syllabus says

HCS Preliminary Examination, Paper I: General Studies:

History of India and Indian National Movement.
In History of India, emphasis will be on broad general understanding of the subject in its social, economic and political aspects.

Topics in detail

"History of India" covers the whole span from prehistory onward. This page takes it up to the decline of the Mughal Empire; the modern period and the national movement are on Modern India and the Indian National Movement. The emphasis asked for is social, economic and political understanding, so learn institutions, economy and society along with dynasties and dates.

Prehistory and the Harappan Civilisation

Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic cultures; Chalcolithic cultures
Harappan Civilisation: extent, town planning, major sites (Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, Lothal, Kalibangan, Dholavira, Rakhigarhi, Banawali), economy and trade, seals and script, religion, decline

The Vedic age and the age of the Mahajanapadas

Early Vedic (Rig Vedic) society, polity and economy; later Vedic changes: iron, agriculture, varna, kingship
Vedic literature: the four Vedas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas, Upanishads
The sixteen Mahajanapadas; rise of Magadha (Haryanka, Shishunaga and Nanda dynasties); republics (gana-sanghas)
Buddhism and Jainism: teachings, councils, sects, spread and contribution; other heterodox sects

The Mauryan Empire

Chandragupta Maurya, Bindusara and Ashoka; administration as described in the Arthashastra and by Megasthenes
Ashoka's Dhamma and his inscriptions (major and minor rock edicts, pillar edicts); Mauryan art
Economy and society; decline of the Mauryas

Post-Mauryan India

Shungas and Kanvas; Indo-Greeks, Shakas, Parthians and Kushanas (Kanishka); the Satavahanas
Trade with Rome, guilds, coinage, growth of towns
Gandhara, Mathura and Amaravati schools of art; Mahayana Buddhism
The Sangam age in South India: Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas, Sangam literature

The Gupta age and after

Gupta rulers (Chandragupta I, Samudragupta, Chandragupta II), administration, land grants
Gupta achievements in literature, science (Aryabhata, Varahamihira), art and temple architecture
Harshavardhana of Thanesar and Kannauj; the account of Hiuen Tsang; Banabhatta's Harshacharita
South India: Pallavas, Chalukyas of Badami, Rashtrakutas; the Cholas and their local self-government
The tripartite struggle among the Gurjara-Pratiharas, Palas and Rashtrakutas

Early medieval and the Delhi Sultanate

Rajput kingdoms; Arab conquest of Sindh; invasions of Mahmud of Ghazni and Muhammad Ghori; battles of Tarain (1191, 1192)
The Delhi Sultanate (from 1206): Slave, Khalji, Tughlaq, Sayyid and Lodi dynasties
Administration (iqta system), market reforms of Alauddin Khalji, experiments of Muhammad bin Tughlaq, public works of Firoz Shah Tughlaq
Vijayanagara and Bahmani kingdoms; provincial kingdoms
Bhakti and Sufi movements: saints, teachings and social effect (Kabir, Guru Nanak, Mirabai, Tulsidas, Chaitanya; Chishti and Suhrawardi orders)

The Mughal Empire and the Marathas

Babur and the first battle of Panipat (1526); Humayun and Sher Shah Suri's administration
Akbar: second battle of Panipat (1556), mansabdari system, revenue system (zabt), religious policy (Sulh-i-kul)
Jahangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb; Mughal architecture, painting and literature
Mughal economy and society; European trading companies
Rise of the Marathas under Shivaji; administration; the Peshwas; third battle of Panipat (1761)
The Sikh Gurus and the Khalsa (1699); Banda Singh Bahadur; decline of the Mughal Empire and successor states

Overlaps

Art, architecture and literature from ancient to modern times are also asked in Mains General Studies I and on Indian Culture.
Haryana's part in this story (Harappan sites, Thanesar, Tarain, Panipat) is detailed on Haryana: History.