INDIAN HISTORY - MEDIVAL INDIA

INDIAN HISTORY - MEDIVAL INDIA

Arab Conquest of Sindh
 During the Khaliphate of Omar, Arab forces made
fertile attempts to get Bombay
 Arabs captured Sindh in 712 AD.
 The Arab conquest of Sindh was led by
Muhammed Bin Kassim.
 Muhammed Bin Khasim was the nephew of Al-
Hajaj, the governor of the Arab province of Basra.
 Dahir, a Brahmin was the ruler of Punjab at that
time. He was killed by Kassim.
 The Arabs lost control over Sindh in 779 AD.
 Arab conquest of Sindh resulted in the spread of
Islam to North India.
 But Islam was first introduced in India by Malik
Ibn Dinar in Kerala in 644 AD.
Turkish Invasions
 Ghazni in Afghanistan was ruled by a Turkish
family called Gamini of Ghaznavid dynasty.
 Muhammed Ghazni was the first Turkish conqueror
of North India.
 Muhammad Ghazni’s father was Subu ktigin.
 He attacked India only for want of wealth.
 He attacked India seventeen times between 1000
and 1027 AD. He made all the raids in the guise of
Jihad.
 First Invasion was in 1001 AD.
 He defeated Jaipal and Anandpal of Shahi dynasty
in 1001 and 1009 respectively.
 The most important raid of Muhammed was the
Somanath expedition. It was in 1025. He completely
distroyed the temple. Somanath Temple was on
the sea coast of Gujarat.
 Muhammed Ghazni died in 30th April 1030.
 Later his son Masud attacked India and caputred
Kashmir.
 The famous Persian poet Firdausi who wrote
‘Shahnama’ (The Book of Kings) lived in his
court.
 Alberuni, an Arab Historian, who wrote Tarikhul-
Hind (Reality of Hindustan), accompanied
Muhammed Ghazni to India.
 Al-Firdausi is known as ‘Indian Homer’, ‘Persian
Homer’, or ‘The Immortal Homer of the
East’.
 Muhammed of Ghore attacked India betwen 1175
and 1206 AD.
 Muhammed Ghori made his first expedition to India
and captured multan in 1175 AD.
 In the First Battle Tarain in 1191 (near Taneswar)
Muhammed Ghori was defeated by the Rajput
forces under Prithviraj Chauhan III.
 In the Second Battle of Tarain (1192 AD)
Muhammed Ghori assisted by Qutub -ud-din
Aibek a slave, defeated Prithviraj Chauhan III and
killed him.
 In 1193 Muhamed Ghori attacked Jaichand, father
in law of Prithviraj . III at Kanauj, Jaichand
was defeated.
 Muhammed Ghori returned from India by intrusting
his territories in India in the hands of Qutub-
Uddin Aibak.
 After the death of Ghori in 1206 Aibek founded
the Slave Dynasty.
 Muhammed Ghoris Indian invasion resulted in
the foundation of Islamic rule in India.
Delhi Sultanate
 The five dynasties which founded subsequently
after the Turkish invasion were collectively known
as Delhi sulthanate. They are:
Slave Dynasty ..................... 1206 - 1290
Khilji Dynasty .................... 1290 - 1320
Tughlaq Dynasty ................. 1320 - 1412
Sayyid Dynasty ................... 1414 - 1451
Lodi Dynasty....................... 1451 - 1526
Slave Dynasty (1206 - 1290)
 Slave Dynasty was also called Ilbari Dynasty,
Yamini Dynasty or Mamluk Dynasty.
 Qutub-ud-din Aibak was a slave of Muhammed
Ghori and he founded the Slave Dynasty in 1206
AD.
 Aibak was the first Muslim ruler of India.
 The capital of Qutub-ud-din Aibak was at Lahore
Important Court Scholars
Kalidasa .......... Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya)
Banabhatta ............................ Harshavardhana
Alberuni ............................ Muhammed Ghazni
Firdausi ............................. Muhammad Ghazni
Amir Khusru ........................... Alauddin Khilji
Todarmal ...............................................Akbar
Tansen ..................................................Akbar
Birbal ....................................................Akbar
Mansingh .............................................Akbar
Abul Fazal .............................................Akbar
Ashva Ghosha ................................. Kanishka
Amara Simha ......................... Chandragupta II
Chand Bardai ...................... Prithviraj Chauhan
Revikirti ....................................... Pulikeshin II
Dhanwantari .......................... Chandragupta II
Harisen ................................... Samudra Gupta
Tenali Rama ........................ Krishnadeva Raya
 He was known as ‘Lakh Baksh’ or ‘giver of lakhs’
or ‘giver of favours’ for his magnanimity.
 Hasan Nizami was a famous historian in the court
of the Aibak.
 Qutub-ud-din Aibak started the construction of
Qutub Minar in 1199 in Delhi in memory of the
Sufi saint Quaja Qutub - ud-din Bhaktiar Kaki.
Its construction was completed by Ithumish. It is
a five storied building.
 Qutub-ud-din Aibak died 1210 by falling from
horseback while playing Polo.
 After the death of Qutubuddin, Aram Shah ascended
the throne but he was
deposed by Ilthumish and
crowned himself the Sulthan.
 During the period of Ilthumish
(1210-1236) Chengizkhan, the
Mongole conqueror attacked
India (1221). Chengizkhan
 Ilthumish is considered as the real founder of
Delhi Sulthanate.
 Ilthumish is considered as the real founder of
Delhi Sulthanate
 Ilthumish was the first Sulthan of Delhi to get
recognition of the Khalif of Bagdad.
 Ilthumish was also the first Sulthan to make Delhi
his capital.
 He issued a purely Arabic coinage of Silver and
was the first to do so.
 Coins introdued by Ilthumish, ‘Silver Thanka’
and ‘Copper Jital’ were the two basic coins of
the Sulthanate period.
 He organised the ‘Chalisa’ or the famous Turkish
forty to help him in the administration.
 Iltumish completed the construction of Qutub
Minar.
 The revenue system of the Sulthanate ‘Iqta system’,
was introduced by Ilthumish.
 Ilthumish was succeeded by his son Ruknuddin
Firoz Shah. But he was later executed and Razia
became the sulthan (daughter of Ilthumish)
 Sulthana Raziya, the only women ruler of, the
Sultanate came to power in 1236 and reigned till
1240.
 Sulthana Raizya rejected the Pardah, she adorned
the male dress and held open courts.
 In October 14, 1240 both Razia and Altunia who
earlier raised arms against Razia but later joined
with her were, beheaded at Kaithal.
 After Raizya Behran Shah (1240 - 42) Allaud-din-
Masudshah (1242 - 46) and Naziruddin
Muhammad (1246 - 1266) ruled and Balban, the
founder of the second Ilban dynasty, became the
Sulthan.
 Ghiasuddin Balban ‘a slave water carreer, huntsman,
noble, statesman became the Sulthan of Delhi
in 1266 and continued in power till 1686 AD.
 Balban is considered as the founder of Second
Ilbary Dynasty.
 Balban described himself as ‘shadow of God’ or
the ‘viceregent of God on Earth’ (Zil-i-illahi)
 Balban because of his autocratic rule is considered
as a ‘typical oriental despot’.
 The Chalisa or forty established by Ilthumish was
abolished by Balban.
 His policies are considered to be ‘Draconian’.
 He started the Iranian system of Sajda and Piabos.
 He was a patron of men of letters and showed
special favour to the poet Amir Khusrau.
 After Balban’s death in 1286, Kayqubad (1287 -90)
became the Sulthan.
 Madhavacharya of the Dwaita Philosophy got help
from Balban.
 Balban’s Tomb is situated in Delhi. It was constructed
by Balban himself.
 Kayqubad was the last Slave Sulthan. (Kayumars
who ruled for a term of three months was actually
the last Slave Sulthan. He was killed by Jalaluddin
Khilji) and founded the Khilji Dynasty.
Khilji Dynasty (1290 -1320)
 Khilji dynasty was founded by Malik Firoz in
1290 and assumed the title Jalaluddin Khilji (1290-
96)
 In 1292 the Mongols under Abdulla accepted defeat
from Jalaluddin Khilji.
 Alauddin Khilji, the nephew
of Jalaluddin Khilji, killed him
after his victory on Devagiri
in 1296.
 Alauddin Khilji’s early name
was Ali Gurushap.
 He became the Sulthan in
1296 AD and ruled till 1316
AD.
 In 1303 Alauddin Khilji attacked Chittor, the capital
of Mewar, to marry Padmini the wife of Chittor
king Ratna Singh.
 But Padmini and other Rajput women committed
Juhar (Juhar is a mass suicide by Jumping into
fire, committed by Rajput women to escape from
being polluted by others)
 Padmavat is a historical kavya about Padmini episode
written by Malik Muhammed Jayasi.
 Malik Muhammed Jayasi was the court poet of
Shersha Suri.
 Alauddin Khilji was the first Muslim ruler to at-
Alauddin Khilji
tack South India.
 Malik Kafur was Alauddin Khilji’s Commander
who attacked South India.
 Alauddin Khilji was the most famous ruler of the
Khilji Dynasty.
 Alauddin was the Sulthan of Delhi who banned
the use of liquor.
 Alauddin had a dream of a World Conquest so he
assumed the title ‘Sikhandar-i-sani’ or Second
Alexander.
 Demitrius a Bactrian ruler is popularly known as
Second Alexander.
 Alauddin abolished the Zamindari System and
imposed tax on cattle.
 He was the first muslim ruler of Delhi to introduce
measurement of land for tax assessment.
 His market regulations were to get goods at controlled
price to the people of Delhi.
 Alauddin Khilji was the first Sulthan of Delhi who
separated religion from politics.
 He was also the first to proclaim ‘‘I am the
Khalifa’’.
 Alauddin constructed Alai Darwaza the gate way
of Qutub Minar.
 He built the city of Siri, the second of the seven
cities of Delhi, near Qutub Minar.
 The first marriage between a muslim ruler and a
Hindu princess was between Alauddin and Kamala
Devi, the widow of the ruler of Gujarat.
 Alauddin Khilji was killed by his commander
Malik Kafur by poisoning.
 Amir Khusru was the court poet of Alauddin
 Amir Khusru is known as the ‘Parrot of India’
 He is considered as the father of Urdu language
and the inventor of Sitar.
 Laila Majnu and Tughlaq Nama are the famous
works of Amir Khusru.
 Alauddin khilji was the first Sulthan to maintain a
permanent standing army.
 Alauddin Khilji was responsible for the introduction
of postal system in medieval India.
 Mubarak shah khilji was the last ruler of the
khilji Dynasty.
IMPORTANT DYNASTIES
IN INDIAN HISTOY
MAURYAN EMPIRE.............. 322 BC - 185 BC
Chandragupta Maurya ........... BC 322 - 297 BC
Bindusara .............................. 297 BC - 274 BC
Ashoka ................................. 274 BC - 237 BC
KUSHANA EMPIRE .............. 20 AD - 225 AD
Kanishka ............................... 78 AD - 120 AD
Gupta Empire ........................320 AD - 606 AD
Chandragupta I ....................320 AD - 330 AD
Samudra Gupta .....................330 AD - 380 AD
Chandra Gupta II ..................380 AD - 413 AD
VARDHANA DYNASTY ......580 AD - 647 AD
Harsha Vardhana ..................606 AD - 647 AD
SLAVE DYNASTY ........... 1206 AD - 1290 AD
Qutubuddin Aibak .................. 1206 - 1210 AD
Ilthumish ................................ 1210 - 1236 AD
Raziya Sulthana ...................... 1236 - 1240 AD
Balban .................................... 1266 - 1286 AD
KHILJI DYNASTY ................ 1290 - 1320 AD
Alauddin Khilji ....................... 1296 - 1316 AD
TUGHLAQ DYNASTY .......... 1320 - 1412 AD
Muhammed Bin Tughlaq......... 1325 - 1351 AD
LODHI DYNASTY ................ 1451 - 1526 AD
Ibrahim Lodi ............................ 1517 -1526 AD
MUGHAL EMPIRE ...... 1526 - 1540, 1555-1857
Babar ..................................... 1526 - 1530 AD
Humayun .................1530-1540, 1555-1556 AD
Akbar ..................................... 1556 - 1605 AD
Jahangir ................................. 1605 - 1627 AD
Shahjahan ................................ 1628-1658 AD
Aurangazeb............................ 1658 - 1707 AD
Bahadurshah II ....................... 1837 - 1857 AD
 Khilji dynasty came to an end when the Mubarak
shah Khilji was killed by Khusrau Khan.
 Some historians consider Khusrau Khan as the
last Khilji Sulthan.
Tughlaq Dynasty (1320 - 1412)
 Tughlaq Dynasty was founded by Ghiazuddin
Tughlaq. His real name was Ghazi Malik.
 Ghiasuddin Tughlaq founded the dynasty after
killing Khuzru Khan in 1320.
 Ghiazuddin died by the collapse of a pavilion.
 He built the Tughlaqabad Fort in Delhi the third
city of Delhi to the east of Qutub complex.
 Ghiassudhin Tughlaq was the first Sulthan to start
irrigation works.
 GhiassuddinTughlaq was succeeded by his son
Jauna Khan, popularly known as Muhammed Bin
Tughlaq.
 Muhammed Bin Tughlaq is considered as the
single most responsible person for the decline of
Delhi Sulthanate.
 Muhammed Bin Tughlaq was known as a mixture
of opposites, wisest fool, Pagal padushah,
unfortunate idealogue and the predecessor of
Akbar in intellectual and religious matters.
 Ibn Batuta called him ‘‘an illstared idealist’’.
 He shifted his capital from Delhi to Devagiri
(Daulatabad) in 1327.
 In 1330 he introduced token currency of bronze
and copper.
 Moroccan Traveller Ibn Batuta visited India during
his period.
 Edward Thanas described him as ‘prince of
moneyers’.
 Muhammed Bin Tughlaq was succeeded by his
elderly cousin, Firoz Shah Tughlaq.
 Firoz Shah Tughlaq was the first Sulthan of Delhi
to impose Jaziya. It was a religious tax for the
freedom of worship. He imposed it only upon Brahmins.
 He built the city of Firozbad in Delhi. The Firoz
shah Kotla was also built by him. The gate way of
Firozshah Kottla is Khooni Darwaza, or blood
stained gate. It was constructed by Shersha Suri.
 He transplanted two Ashokan Pillars to Firozabad.
 He is the author of Fatuhat -i- Firozshahi
 After Firozshah Tughlaq Muhammed Shah
Tughlaq or Naziruddin Muhammed came to the
throne.
 It was during the period of his reign that Timur
the Lame or Tamerlain a Turkish conqueror of
Tartar tribe from Samarkhand attacked India in
1398.
 Timur appointed Khizr Khan, the governor of
Multan his authority in India.
Sayyid Dynasty (1414 - 1451)
 Sayyid Dynasty was founded by Khizr Khan in
1414.
 Last Sayyid Sulthan was Alauddin Alamshah or
Shah Alam I. He was killed by Bahalol Lodhi in
1451.
Lodhi Dynasty (1451-1526)
 Lodhi dynasty was founded by Bahlol Lodhi in
1451. The dynasty lasted upto 1526.
 Lodhi dynasty was the first Afghan dynasty or
first Pathan dynasty in India.
 Sikhandar Lodhi, who ruled from 1489 to 1517
shifted the capital from Delhi to Agra.
 Sikhandar Lodhi is considered as the Maker of
Agra City.
 Last Lodhi Sulthan or last Delhi Sulthan was
Ibrahim Lodhi. Rana Sangram Singh of Mewar
defeated him. His brother Daulat Khan Lodhi invited
Babar to India to defeat Ibrahim Lodhi in
1524.
 Babar defeated Ibrahim Lodhi in the First Battle
of Panipat in 1526 April 21.
 The title Sulthan was started by the Turkish rulers.
Muhammed Ghazni was the first to assume
the title Sulthan.
 The official language of the Delhi Sulthanate was
Persian.
Bahmani and Vijayanagara Kingdoms
 The decline of the Sulthanate of Delhi gave birth
to two mighty states in South India the Bahmani
Kingdom of Gulbaraga and the Vijayanagara Empire.
 The Bahmanis were Muslim rulers, while the rulers
of the Vijayanagar were Hindus.
 The Bahmani kingdom was founded by Zafar
Khan (Hassan) who took the title of Alauddin
Bahman Shah. He selected Gulbaraga as its capital
and renamed it Ahsanabad.
 There were total eighteen Sulthans and they ruled
from 1347 to 1527.
 Muhammed Gawan was the famous minister of
Bahmini kingdom.
 The last prince of the Bahmani Kingdom was
Kalimullah.
 By 1527, the Bahmani kingdom was split up into
five independent principalities.
 The Adil Shahis of Bijapur -founder - Yusuf
Adilshah (1489 - 90)
 The Nizam Shahis of Ahamadnagar - founder -
Malik Ahmad (1499)
 The Imadshahis of Berar - founder -Fateh Ulla
Imadshanti (1490)
 The Qutubshahi kingdom of Golconda - founder
- Qutabshah (1512)
 The Baridshahis of Bidar - founder - Amir Ali
Barid (1527).
Vijaya Nagara Empire
 The founders of Vijaya Nagar Empire were
Harihara and Bukka Rai, the revenue officers of
the Kakatiya ruler Pratap Rudra Deva II of
Warrangal.
 They founded the dynasty in 1336 with the capital
as Vijaya Nagara on the banks of Tungbhadra
river witht the help of Saint Vidyaranya.
 Vijayanagara kingdom lasted for 230 years and
produced four dynasties.
Sangama (1336 - 1485)
Saluva - (1485 - 1505)
Tuluva (1505 - 1565) and
Aravidu (1565 - 1672)
 Krishna Deva Raya (1509 -
1529) belonged to the
Tuluva dynasty. The Italian
traveller Nicolocont
visited his court.
 Krishnadeva Rayar is
known as ‘Andhra Bhoja’
 He wrote Ushaparinayam and Amuktamalyada
 Allasani Peddanna, a Telugu poet was a courtier
of Krishna Deva Raya. He is considered as the
‘‘Andra Kavita Pitamaha’’ the Grand Father of
Telugu poetry.
 ‘Ashtadiggajas’ was the famous Scholastic Assembly
in the court of Krishna Deva Raya.
 Vijayanagar Empire was visited by many foreign
travellers.
 Nicolo Conti - Venitian traveller, visited during
the reign of Devaraya I.
 Abdur Razzak : Ambassador of Sulthan
ShahRukh to the court of Devaraya II.
 Damingos Paes : He visited Krishna Devaraya’s
court.
 Ferona Nuniz : A Portuguese who visited during
Achyuta Raya’s reign.
 Durate Barbosa : A portuguese who visited
Krishnadeva Raya’s court.
 Athenasius Nikitin (1415) : He was a Russian,
who visited during Deva Raya I’s period He wrote,
‘Voyage to India’.
The Mughal Empire
 The Mughals were originally Turks.
 They belonged to the Chaghtai branch of the
Turkish race.
 Period of the Mughal empire is known as Second
Classical Age. First Classical Age is the period
Guptas.
 Mughal Empire is also known as Timurid Empire
because of its relation to Amir Timur.
 Mughal Emperors are 20 in number. They ruled
India from 1526 to 1857. Only six are considered
great They are:
 Zahiruddin Muhammed Babur (1526 - 1530)
 Naziruddin Mirza Muhammed Humayun (1530 -
40 & 1555 - 1556)
 Jalaluddin Muhammed Akbar - (1556 - 1605)
 Nuruddin Muhammed Jahangir (1605 - 1627) Krishnadeva Rayar
 Shahabuddin Muhammed Shah Jahan (1628 -
1658)
 Muhiyuddin Muhammed Aurangazeb Alamgir
(1658 - 1707)
Babur
 Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire, was
the fifth descendant of Timur
on Father’s side and the fourteenth
descendant of
Chengizkhan on mothers side.
 Babur was born in Farghana in
Turkey on 14 Feb. 1483 as the
som of Umer Sheik Mirza ad
Qulik Nigarkhanum.
 Babur’s father Umershiek Mirza was the grand
son of Amir Timur and the ruler of Farghana.
 Babur became the ruler of Samarkhand at the Age
of 11.
 He captured Kabul in 1504.
 Then Babur attacked India 5 times for want of
wealth.
 Babur’s first Attack of India was in 1519 Bhera
was the first place captured by Babur.
 In 1524 Daulatkhan, Ibrahim Lodhi’s brother invited
Babur to India.
 On 21 April 1526 Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodhi,
the last Lodhi Sulthan in the First Battle of
Panipat.
 On 16 March 1527 he defeated Rana Sangha of
Mewar, in the Battle of Khanwa.
 The Rajputs in 1528 under Medini Raj of Malwa
fought against Babur in the Battle of Chanderi,
but were defeated.
 In 1529 the Afghans under Muhammed Lodhi
fought against Babur in the Battle of Ghaghra
but were defeated.
 In 1530 December 26, Babur died and was cremated
at Kabul.
 Babur was the first to use Artillery in India.
 His memoirs or autobiography ‘Tuzuk-i-Baburi
or Baburnamah was written in Turkish language,
Babur’s mothertongue.
 Babur said ‘I dont like India and Indians’.
 Babur was the first Mughal ruler to keep in hand
the Kohinur Diamond.
 Babur was a contemporary of Krishnadeva Raya
of Vijaya Nagara Empire.
Humayun
 Humayun was born in 1507 in Kabul as the son of
Babur and Mahim Sulthana.
 He became the Mughal Emperor
on 29 December 1530 at
the age of 23.
 He divided the empire among
his brothers - Askari, Hindal
and Kamran.
 The word ‘Humayun’ means
‘fortunate’ But Human is considered
as the most unfortunate Mughal ruler.
 Human was an accomplished mathematician and
astronomer.
 In 1539 by the Battle of Chausa, Humayun was
defeated for the first time by Shershah Suri.
 In the next year (1540) Shershah completely defeated
Humayun in the battle of Kanauj and
founded the Sur dynasty.
 After the lapse of 15 years Humayun re-captured
the Empire by defeating the last Sur ruler
Sikhandar Shah Suri by the battle of Sirhindh in
1555, July.
 After the restoration Humayun ruled for only six
months.
 The period from 1540 to 1555 is known as the
period of temporary eclipse of the Mughal.
 Humayun died by an accidental fall from the
straicase of his Library ‘Shermandal’ at the
Puranakwila in Delhi on 24 January 1556.
 The Purnakwila was constructed by Humayun but
its construction was completed by Shershah.
 Humayun’s biography Humayun Namah was written
by Humayun’s sister Gulbadan Begum. The
language used to write this biography was a mixture
of Turkish and Persian.
Babur
Humayun
 In 1533 Humayun built the city of Dinpana (world
refuge) in Delhi.
 Humayun’s tomb is situated in Delhi (first building
in India having double domes)
 Humayun tomb is known as predecessor of
Tajmahal, because Taj was modelled after this,
also known as a dormitory of the house of Timur.
Mirak Mirza Ghias is its architect.
Akbar the Great
 Father - Humayun
 Mother - Hamida Bhanu Begum
 Step mother - Magam Anaga
 Guardian - Bairam Khan
 First Guardian - Munim Khan
 Akbar was born at Amarkot in
Sindh in 23 Nov. 1542.
 He came to the throne on February 14, 1556 at the
age of 14 at Kalanur.
 Hemu the Hindu Prime Minister of Muhammed
Adilshah of Bihar occupied Agra and accepted
the title Maharaja Vikramaditya.
 Akbar killed Hemu in the Second Battle of Paniput
in 1556 November 2.
 Akbar became an independent ruler at the age of
18 in 1560, after dismissing Bairamkhan.
 Later he married Bairam Khans widow Salima
Begum.
 In 1561 he defeated the musician Sulthan of
Malwa - Baz Bahadur.
 In 1562 Akbar married Joda Bhai, the daughter of
Raja Bharmal of Amber
 In 1564, he abolished the religious tax Jaziya.
Jaziya was impossed for the first time by Firozshah
Tughlaq.
 In 1572 he captured Gujarat and in memory of that
he built a new capital city Fathepur sikri (city of
Victory) near Agra.
 The early name of Fathepur Sikri was city of Sikri.
 Buland Darwaza is the gate way of Fathepur Sikri,
built by Akbar.
 In 1575 Akbar constructed a prayer house in
Fathepur Sikri known as Ibadatkhana.
 In 1579 he issued the Infallibility Decree by which
he made himself the supreme head in religious
matters.
 In 1580 the first Jesuit missionaries arrived at the
court of Akbar.
 In 1585 Ralph Fitch the first English man to reach
India, reached Akbar’s court.
 Ralph Fitch is known as pioneer English man or
torch bearer Englishman.
 In 1582 Akbar founded a new religion for universal
peace and monotheism known as ‘Din Ilahi’
means Divine Faith.
 In 1583 he started a new Calendar called Ilahi
Calendar.
 In 1576 Akbar defeated Maharana Pratap of
Mewar in the battle of Haldighat. Haldighat is a
mountain pass in the Aravally hills in Rajasthan.
 The Portuguese introduced tobacco for the first
time in India in the court of Akbar in 1604.
 Akbar was the Mughal Emperor when the English
East India Company was being founded in
1600 December 31.
 Akbar died in 1605.
 His tomb is situated at Sikhandra near Agra.
 Akbar was an illiterate person, but he was a patron
of men of eminence. He maintained a Scholastic
Assembly in his court. They included the
following personalities.
 Abul Fazal : Akbar’s court historian who wrote
Akbar’s biographical works Ain-i-Akbari and
Akbar Namah..
 Abul Faizi : Persian poet and brother of Abul
Fazal. He translated Mahabharata into Persian in
name ‘Razam Namah’ and Bhaskaracharya’s
mathematical work Leelavati into Persian.
 Mian Tansen : His original name was Ram Thanu
Pande. He was the court Musician of Akbar. He
composed a Raga, Rajdarbari in honour of Akbar.
 Birbal : His real name was Mahesh Das. He is the
court jester of Akbar.
Akbar
 Raja Todarmal : RajaTodarmal was Akbar’s finance
or revenue minister. He formulated Akbar’s
revenue system Zabti and Dashala systems. Raja
Todermal also translated Bhagavatapurana into
Persian.
 Maharaja Mansing : Akbar’s military commander.
 Badauni : a historian who translated Ramayana
into Persian - Tarjuma -1-Ramayan.
 Tulasidas : Hindi poet who
wrote Ramacharitamanas.
 Akbar’s military system was
known as Mansabdari system,
which included Ranks from 10
- 7000
 Akbar was also responsible
for the introduction Persian as
the official language of
Mughals.
 He divided the Mughal Empire into 12 Subahs
(provinces) for the administrative conveniences.
 Akbar was also the first ruler to organise Hajj.
Pilgrimage at the government expense. The Port
Cambay in Gujarat is known as the ‘Gate way to
Mecca from Mughal India’.
 Akbar was an accomplished Sitar player.
 Mughal - Rajput friendly relation began during
the period of Akbar.
Jahangir
 Early name of Jahangir was Salim. Akbar called
him Sheika Baba.
 Jahangir came to the throne in
1605.
 Jahangir was the son of Akbar
and Jodabai.
 He married Mehrunnisa, an
Afghan widow in 1611 Later he
gave her the titles, Noor Mahal
(light of the palace) Noor Jahan (light of the world)
and Padusha Begum.
 In 1606 Jahangir executed fifth Sikh Guru Guru
Arjun Dev, because he helped Jahangir’s son
Prince Khusru to rebel against him.
 In 1609, Jahangir received William Hawkins, an
envoy of King James I of England, who reached
India to obtain trade concession.
 In 1615 Sir Thomas Roe reached the court of
Jahangir as the first ambassador of James I of
England in the court of Jahangir. As a result of
his efforts first English factory was established
at Surat in Gujarat.
 Period of Jahangir is considered as the Golden
Age of Mughal Painting. Jahangir himself was a
painter. Ustad Mansur and Abul Hassan were famous
painters in the court of Jahangir.
 Jahangir built Shalimar and Nishant Gardens in
Srinagar.
 Jahangir suspended a chain of Justice known as
Zndiri Adal infront of his court.
 Anarkali was Jahangair’s lover. Mughal-i-Asam
directed by K. Asif is a famous film which tells
the love story of Jahangir and Anarkali.
 Jahangir wrote his autobiography Tuzukh -i-
Jahangiri in Persian language.
 Jahangir died in 1627 and was cremated at
Shahdhara in Lahore.
Shah Jahan
 Shah Jahan was born on 5th January 1592 at
Lahore.
 His mother was Jagat Gosain
and his childhood name was
Khurram.
 He married Arjumand Benu
Begum, daughter of Asaf Khan,
brother of Noor Jahan. She later
came to be known as Mumtaz
Mahal which means beloved of the Palace.
 Shahjahan destroyed the Portuguese settlements
at Hoogly.
 Shah Jahan’s period is considered as the Golden
Age of Mughal Architecture and Shah Jahan is
known as the Prince of Builders.
 In 1631 he started the construction of Tajmahal
in memory of his wife and completed in 1653. It is
Tulasidas
Jahangir
Shah Jahan
situated on the banks of Yamuna river in Uttar
Pradesh. Utad Iza a Turkish/ Persian was its architect.
British administrator Furgurson called it
‘a love in marble’. Now Sulphur Dioxide, emitted
by oil refinaries in Madhura after mixing with moisture
in the atmosphere forms Sulphuric Acid and
damages the marble of Tajmahal.
 In 1638 Shah Jahan built his new capital Shah
Jahanabad in Delhi and shifted the capital from
Agra to there.
 In 1639 he started the construction of Red fort in
Delhi on the model of Agrafort built by Akbar. Its
construction was completed in 1648. The Diwani-
Am, Diwan-i-Khas and the Moti Masjid are situated
inside the Red fort. The Mothi Masjid in
Agra was constructed by ShahJahan.
 The INA Trial in 1945 was conducted at the Red
Fort.
 The Gateway of Redfort is the Lahore Gate. It is
here at the Lahore Gate that the Prime Minister of
India hoists the National Flag and addresses the
nation on the independence day.
 In 1656 ShahJahan constructed the Juma Masjid
in Delhi. It is the biggest masjid in India. First
masjid in India was constructed at Kodungallur
in Kerala (Cheraman Palli) in 644 AD by Malik Ibn
Dinar.
 Shah Jahan’s period is known as the Golden Age
of Mughal Empire.
 The Portuguese introduced European painting in
India during the reign of Shah Jahan
 In 1658 Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son
Aurangazeb and he died in 1666, after eight years.
His daughter Jahan Ara was also kept in prison
along with him at the Agra fort.
 Shah Jahan’s son Dhara Shukoe was a famous
scholar. He translated Bhagavat Gita and Sixty
Upanishads into Persian. He also wrote a book
titled Mujm-ul-Behrain (Mingling of the Oceans)
He also translated Atharva Veda into Persian.
 ShahJahan was a famous Lyricist. He wrote Lyrics
in Hindi.
 The famous Peacock Throne was built by Shah
Jahan. It was abducted from here by Nadirsha in
1739 during his Indian invasion (Persian conqueror).
Now it is kept at the London Tower Museum,
Britain.
 French travellers Bernier and Tavernier and Italian
traveller Manucci visited India during
ShahJahan’s period.
Aurangazeb
 Aurangazeb imprisoned his father and made himself
the Padushah in 1658. But his actual coronation
was conducted in 1659.
 Alamgir was the name
adopted by Aurangazeb when
he became the Padusha.
 Aurangazeb is known as
‘Zinda Pir’ or living saint because
of his simple life.
 He banned music and dance.
 He ousted all the artists from
his court. At the same time he was an accomplished
Veena player.
 Aurangazeb was the last great Mughal Emperor.
 In 1675 he executed 9th Sikh Guru Guru Tej
Behadur because of his reluctance to accept Islam.
 Teg Behadur was executed at the Chandni Chauk.
 In 1679 Aurangzeb constructed the tomb of his
only wife Rubiad Daurani at Aurangabad in
Maharashtra. It is known as Bibi ka Makabara. It
is otherwise known as Mini Tajmahal as it was
the blind imitation of Tajmahal. In the same year
he reimpossed Jasya upon all the non Muslims,
which was earlier abolished by Akbar.
 Aurangazeb called Shivaji a ‘mountain rat’ and
gave him the title Raja because of his guerilla tactics.
 In 1660 he entrusted Shaisthakhan to defeat
Shivaji.
 Later in 1665 the treaty of Purandar was signed
between Maharaja Jaisingh of Amber and Shivaji
Jaisingh was deputed by Aurangazeb.
Aurangazeb
 The Mughal Rajput relation became worse during
the period of Aurangazeb.
 Aurangazeb was the only Mughal Emperor who
was not a drunkard.
 Aurangazeb is considered as religiously fanatic.
He was also a temple breaker. He persecuted the
Hindus and imposed prohibition against the free
exercise of Holi and Divali.
 Aurangazeb died in 1707 February 20,at
Ahmednagar. Aurangazeb’s tomb is situated at
Daulatabad in Maharashtra.
Later Mughals
 Bahadurshah I came to the throne after the death
of Aurangazeb. His real name was Muassam.
 In 1739 Nadirshah Quli the Persian conqueror
attacked India during the period of the Mughal
Emperor Muhammed Shah or Rustan Khan
(1719-1748) and took away ShahJahan’s famous
Peacock Throne and Kohinoor Diamond.
 Ahmedshah’s (1748 -1754) period saw the mighty
invasion of Ahmed Shah Abdali of Afghanistan.
 Akbar Shah II (1806 - 1837) conferred the title
‘‘Raja’’ upon Ram Mohan Roy.
 Bahadurshah II (837-1862) was
the last Mughal emperor. On
17th May 1857 Bahadurshah II
was declared the independent
Emperor of India by the Mutineers.
He was surrendered to
LtW.S.R. Hodson at Humayun’s
Tomb in Delhi. In 1859 he was
deported to Rangoon in December where he expired
on Nov. 7, 1862. The Tomb of Bahadurshah
II is in Pwin Manah, the capital of Myanmar.
 Bahadurshah II was also a famous Urdu Poet.
 Bahadurshah II was also known as Bahadurshah
Zafar Zafar means gifted poet.
Shershah Suri
 Shershah’s original name was Farid.
 He was born in Hissar Firosa.
 His father was Hassan Khan
 His family came to India from Afghanistan.
 He entered the service of Baharkhan Lohani of
Behar from whom received the title of Sherkhan,
for killing a lion single handed.
 Later he became a member of the Mughal court of
Babur.
 In 1539 by the battle of Chausa, Sherkhan defeated
Humayun for the first time and assumed
the name Shershah.
 Later in 1540 he completely defeated Humayun in
in the battle of Kanauj and founded the Sur dynasty.
 While directing the operations of his artillery at
Kalanjar against the ruler of Bundelkhand Raja
Kirat Singh, Shershah was seriously wounded by
a sudden fire from his own artillery and died on
May 22, 1545.
 Shershah constructed the Grand Trunk Road from
Sohargaon to Attock (Calcutta to Amritsar)
 He introduced the National Highway concept for
the first time in India.
 Now the Grand Trunk Road is known as Shershah
Suri Marg. Its part from Delhi to Amritsar is
known as National Highway -1.
 Grand Trunk Road is also known a ‘Long Walk’.
 He was the first ruler to introduce Silver Rupiya
(one rupiya was equal to 64 dams) and gold coin
Ashrafi.
 He built the Purana Qila in Delhi (its Construction
was started by Humayun) and his own
Mousoleum (Tomb) at Sasaram in Bihar.
 He also constructed the Khooni Darwaza (blood
stained gate) the gate way of Firozshah Kotla in
Delhi.
 Hindi poet Malik Muhammed Jayasi completed
his Padmavat, during his reign.
 His Revenue system was excellent and hence
Akbar’s administrative reforms were modelled after
him. He is regarded as the forerunner of Akbar.
 Shershah was succeeded by his son Islam Shah.
Bahadurshah II
 The last Sur ruler was Sikkandar Shah Sur. Who
was defeated by Humayun in 1555 by the battle
of Sirhindh.
The Marathas
 The first great leader of the Marathas was
Chatrapathi Shivaji.
 The Marathas became prominent in the later half
of the 17th century.
 Shivaji belonged to the Bhonsle clan of the
Marathas.
 Shaji Bhonsle and Jiga Bai were the Parents of
Shivaji.
 He was born in 1627 February
19 at the fort of Shivner near
Junnar.
 His father was a military commander
under the Nizam Shahi
rulers of Ahmedanagar and
later of Bijapur.
 Shivaji’s tutor was Dadaji Kondadev.
 Shivaji received the help of Malavi tribe to capture
the territories of Bijapur Sulthan.
 Torna was the first place captured by Shivaji in
1646.
 Shivaji came to conflict with the Mughals for the
first time in 1657, during the period of Shah Jahan.
 In 1659 Bijapur Sulthan Ali Adilshah sent Afzal
Khan to kill Shivaji. But he killed Afsal Khan.
 In 1660 Aurangazeb deputed his viceroy of
Deccan, Shaisthakhan to kill Shivaji.
 1665, Shivaji signed the treaty of Purandar with
Raja Jai Singh of Ambher, who was deputed by
Aurangazeb.
 In 1666 Shivaji visited Aurangazeb in his court at
Agra. But he and his son Sambaji were imprisoned
by Aurangazeb in the Jaipur Bhavan.
 On 16th June 1674 Shivaji crowned himself an
independent Hindu king became the Chatrapathi
and assumed the title ‘Haidavadhasmodharak’.
 Shivaji died in 1680 at the age of 53.
 Shahu became the Chatrapathi in 1708 and his
period witnessed the rise of Peshwaship.
 Balaji Vishwanath (1712 - 1720) Baji Rao (1720 -
40) Balaji BajiRao I (1740 - 61) and Madhav Rao I
(1761 - 1772) were the Peshwas who ruled
Maharashtra.
 Baji Rao popularised the idea of Hindu
Padpadshahi or Hindu Empire.
 Balaji Baji Rao’s period witnessed the Third Battle
of Panipat in 1761. In this battle Ahmed Shah
Abdali of Afghanistan defeated the Marathas.
 Madhava Rao was the last great Peshwa.
 Last Peshwa was Baji Rao II.
 Madhava Rao’s period witnessed the disintegration
of the Maratha power and the formation of independent
kingdoms - Holkarofindor, Bhonsle of
Nagpur, Sindhya of Gwalior and Gaekwad of Baroda.
 Shivaji’s Council of Ministers was known as
Ashtapradhan. They were Peshwa, Pandit Rao,
Sumant, Sachiva, Senapathi, Amatya, Mantri and
Nyayadhyaksha.
 Peshwa was the Maratha Chief Minister.
 Chaudh and Sardesh Mukhi were two special laxes
collected by the Marathas.
 The first Maratha war (1775 -82) Swai Madhav
Rao Vs Raghunath Rao with English support.
 Second Maratha war 1803 - 05.
 Third Maratha war 1816 - 19.
 The last great Soldier and statesman of Maratha
was Nana Phadavnis (1800)
 The Maratha script was called Modiscript.
 Peshwaship was abolished in 1818
 Baji Rao was the ablest of the Peshwas.
 Shivaji did not allow women in his military camp.
 The Marathas were equipped with an efficient
naval system under Shivaji.
Sikhism
 ‘Sikh’ is a sanskrit word which means ‘desciple’
 Sikh religion was founded by
GuruNanak.
 Guru Nanak was born was born
at Talwandi in Lahore, belonged
to the Khatri Caste (Mercantile
Community)
 Nanak called his creed as
Gurumat or Guru’s wisdom.
Shivaji
GuruNanak
 GuruNanak was born in 1469 and died in 1538.
 He was the first Guru of the Sikhs.
 Nanak preached only in Punjabi.
 Nanak nominated Guru Angad as his successor.
 Guru Angad introduced Gurumukhi Script. He
also compiled Guru Nanak’s biography Janam
Sakis.
 Langar or free community dining was also introduced
by Guru Angad.
 Third Sikh Guru was Amar Das. He started the
Manji system ie, branches for the propagation of
Sikhs. He made Guruship hereditory.
 Guru Ramdas was the fourth Sikh Guru. He
founded the city of Amritsar. The place for the
city was donated by Akbar.
 Under the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjun Dev,
Sikhism became an organised religion. He compiled
the ‘Adi Grandh’ the sacred book of the
Sikhs. He built a temple at Amritsar , (later the
Golden Temple) Har Mandir Sahib. He helped
Jahangir’s son Prince Khusru to rebel against the
Emperor So he was executed by Jahangir at Lahore
in 1606 AD.
 The sixth Guru Hargovind, created a Sikh army
and turned against Shah Jahan. He founded a
palace opposite to Harmandir Sahib known as
‘Akaltakt’. He also adopted the title Sacha
Padusha, which means true ruler. (the title was
not adopted by Teg Bahadur)
 Seventh Guru was Har Rai. He was succeeded
by Guru Harkishan. Har Kishan became the Guru
at the age of five, hence he is the youngest Sikh
Guru.
 The 10th and the last Guru, Govind Singh formed
the Khalsa or the Sikh brotherhood.
 He introduced ‘Panchkakar’ of Sikhism -ie Kesh
(long hair) Kanga (Comb) Kripan (Sword), Kachha
(Underwear) and Kara (Iron bangk)
 He introduced baptism and wanted every Sikh to
bear community surname ‘Singh’ or lion.
 His aim was the establishment of a Sikh State after
overthrowing the Mughals. In 1708 he was
killed by an Afghan.
 ‘Vichithra Natak’ is the autobiography of Guru
Govind Singh.
Sikh Guru
Guru Nanak .............................. 1469-1538
Guru Angad ........................... 1538 - 1552
Guru Amardas ........................ 1552 - 1574
Guru Ramdas .......................... 1574 - 1581
Guru Arjundev ....................... 1581 - 1606
Guru Hargovind ...................... 1606 - 1645
Guru Har Rai ........................... 1645 - 1661
Guru Har Kishan ....................... 1661-1664
Guru Teg Bahadur ..................... 1664-1675
Guru Govind Singh ................. 1675 - 1708
 Kartarpur Dabir is the root form of Guru Grandh
Sahib.
 Govind Singh proclaimed the Grandh Sahib as
the eternal Guru.
Renjith Singh (1780 - 1836)
 Renjith Singh became the ruler of Punjab in 1799.
 He assumed the title Maharaja
in 1801.
 The 1809 the British and Renjith
Singh made the Treaty of
Amritsar during the period of
Lord Minto
 In 1809 Shah Shuja the grandson
of Ahmedshah Abdali presented
the Kohinoor diamond to Ranjith Singh.
 Later Punjab was annexed to the British territories
by Lord Dalhousie in 1849. Sir John Lawrence
became the first Chief Commissioner of Punjab.
 The Sikhs fought two wars against the English
First Anglo-Sikh War (1845- 1846) and the Second
Anglo-Sikh war (1848 - 1849)
The Bhakti Movement
 Love and devotion to one personal God is the
basic concept of Bhakti.
 The Alvars or Vaishanava saints and Nayanars
or Saivite, saints became the promoters of Bhakti
movement in South India.
 Ramanuja, a Vaishana saint of 12th century AD,
was born at Sriperumbathur and founded philosophy
of Vishistadvaita or qualified monism.
Renjith Singh
 The leader of Bhakti movement or Hindu revivalism
was Sankaracharya. His philosophy was
Advaita or pure monism. He wrote Commentary
on Brahmasutra and Upanishad. He founded four
matts- Sringeri, Dwaraka, Puri and Badrinath.
 Vallabhacharya promoted the philosophy of
Pushtimarga. He was the founder of Sudhadvaita.
 The North India the Bakti movement was promoted
by two sects of thought - the Saguna and
Nirguna schools.
 Ramanand, born at Prayag preached
Vaishnavaism. He was a followers of Ramanuja.
 Kabir (1398 -1458) a nirguna was born near
Benaras. His followers started the ‘Kabirpanthis’.
 Tulasi Dasa (1532 - 1623) a worshipper of Rama
compossed Ramcharithamanasa in Hindi. His
other works are Kavitavali and Gitavali.
 Mirabai (1498 - 1509) a Rajaput princess hailed
from the Sisodiya dynasty of Chittoor was a devotee
of Lord Krishna. Her lyrics were written in
Brijbhasha and in Rajasthani.
 Jnanadeva, Namadeva, Eknatha Tukaram and
Samarth Ram Das were the leading Maratha
saints of Bhakti movement.
 Jnanadeva founded the Maharashtra Dharma. His
famous work ‘Jnaneswari’ is a commendarel on
Bhagavatgita.
 Ekanath promoted the custom of singing
Kirthana and he composed ‘abhangas’ or typical
poems.
 Tukaram a contemporary of Shivaji was the promoter
of Maratha nationalism.
 Samarth Ramdas, the spiritual guide of Shivaji,
wrote ‘Dasabhodha’.
Sufism
 Mythical movement of the Muslims was known
as Suficism.
 Sufi movement first came to India in the wake of
Muhammed Ghazni’s invasion in the 11th century.
 Sufi orders are called Silsilahs.
 Chishti Silsilah was founded by Khawaja
Moinuddin Chishti of Ajmir.
 Sufism declined in the 17th Century.
Famous Personalities in Medieval
India
 Al Masudi - An Arabian traveller who came to
India in 10th century AD.
 Al Beruni - He came to India with Muhammed
Ghazni, his book, Tahrik-ul-Hindh.
 Abbas Khan Shervani : He was a historian of
Shershahs time. He wrote Tarikh-1-Shershahi.
 Abul Fazal : He was a a great scholar poet Historian
in the court of Akbar. He wrote Akbarnamah
and Ain-i- Akbari.
 Bhaktiyar Khilji : Commander of Muhammed
Ghori who conquered Bengal and crushed the
Sena dynasty.
 Bhar Mal : He was the Rajput ruler of Amber. His
daughter Jodabai was married to Akbar. Akbars
commanders Bhangavandas and Mansingh were
his son and grandson respectively.
 Chathaniya : He popularised ‘Bhakti’ in Bengal.
He was worshipper of Krishna.
 Chand Bibi : She was the daughter of Nizam Shai
ruler of Ahmed Nagar and was married to the Adil
Shahi ruler of Bijapur. As a widow she fought
with Mughals to save her dynasty.
 Bairam Khan : He helped Akbar to defeat Hemu.
 Firadusi : famous poet in the court of Muhammed
Ghazni He wrote Shah Namah (The book of kings).
He is known as Indian Homer or Persian Homer.
 Ibn Batuta : He was an African (Morocco) who
visited the court of Muhammed bin Tughlaq and
wrote the book ‘Rihala’.
 Hasan Gangu - founder of Bahmani dynasty under
the name Alauddin Bahamanshah.
 Jai Chandra - He was the ruler of Kanauj, belonged
to the Gahawala dynasty. He was defeated
in 1194 by Muhammed Ghori in the battle of
Chandwar.
 Khawaja Moinuddin Chisti : He was a sufi saint
of 12th century who started the Chishtia sect at
Ajmir.
 Islam Shah : Second Sur ruler, son of Shersha He
codified the law and introduced an impartial system
of Justice.
 Lalitaditya of Karkota dynasty : He ruled over
Kashmir from 724 to 760. The famous Martand
Mandir temple was built by him.
 Malik Kafur : He was an army commander of
Alauddin Khilji - who conquered south India for
him. He was converted to Islam from Hinduism.
 Muhamed Gawan : He was a minister to the
Bahmani rulers.
 Malik Amber : He was a Syrian slave who could
became the Prime Minister of Ahmed Nagar. He
administered the State very well fought against
the Mughals and Marathas.
 Mirza Ghias Beg : He was the father of Nur Jahan
and received the title Etmatuddaula. His tomb is
in Agra.
 Murshid Quli Khan : He was an independent
ruler of Bengal, who founded the city of
Murshidabad.
 Rana Kumbha : He was a Rajput ruler of 15th
century He built a kirti Stambh at Chittar.

INDIAN HISTORY- Pre-Historic Period

Pre-Historic Period

 The earliest traces of human existence in India so
far discovered is between 4,00,000 and 2,00,000
BC from Sohan valley (now in Pakistan)
 Neolithic settlements in Indian subcontinent are
not older than 4000 BC.
 Wheat and barley were the first cereals grown by
Indians.
 The name India was derived from the rivername
Sindhu which is also known as Indus.
 India was originally considered as a part of a larger
area called Jambu-dvipa (The continent of Jambu
tree)
 Krita, Treta, Dwapara and Kali are the four ages
of traditional Hindu thought.
Gulf of Cambut Culture
 The Gulf of Cambut culture which was discovered
recently from the Bay of Cambut in Gujarat
dates back to 7500 BC.
 This was found out by the National Institute of
Open Technology (NIOT).
Indus Valley Civilisation
 The Harappan culture spread over the whole of
Sind, Baluchistan, almost the whole of Punjab,
northern Rajasthan, Kathiawar and Gujarat.
 Harappa the first Indus site, was discovered by
Dayaram Sahni in 1921. It is situated in the province
of West Punjab, Montgeomery district in Pakistan.
 Harappa is located on the bank of river Ravi.
 Mohanjedaro was excavated in 1922 by R.D.
Banarjee. It is situated in the Larkhana district in
Sind on the right bank of river Indus (Now in
Pakistan)
 The Great Granery, the Great Bath a piece of
woven cotton, a beared man in steatite and a
bronze dancing girl are found from Mohanjedaro.
 An assembly hall was also discovered from
Mohanjodaro.
 The most important feature of Harappan
civilisation was town planning and urbanism.
 The word Mohanjedaro in Sindi language means
‘the mount of the dead’.
 Mohanjodaro was believed to have destructed
by flood.
 Harappans knew the art of growing cereals, wheat
and barley.
 Banawali is situated in Hariyana.
 Chanhudaro, discovered by N. Gopal Majundar
and Mackey, is situated in Sind on the bank of
river Indus.
 Kalibangan, another famous Indus city discovered
in 1953 by A Ghosh, is situated in Rajasthan
on the banks of River Ghaggar. Kalibangan stands
for black bangles.
 Lothal, first man made port in the world and dockyard
made of burnt bricks, was discovered in 1953
by S.R. Rao is situated in Gujarat on Bhogava
river near Gulf of Cambay.
 Ropar is the site situated in Punjab on the banks
of river Sutlej. It was discovered in 1953 by
Y.D.Sharma.
 Harappan people were the earliest people in the
world to grow cotton and rice.
 People cultivated rice at Lothal and Rangpur and
barley at Benawali.
 Harappan people domesticated oxen, buffaloes,
goats, camel, sheeps, domestic fowls and pigs.
Humped bulls were given special importance.
Horses were unknown to the Harappan people.
 Indus people had trade contacts with Persian Gulf
and Mesopotamia.
 The ancient name given to Indus region was
Meluha.
 Indus people used a gold - silver mixture called
Electrum.
 They used bronze and copper but iron was unknown
to them.
 Indus people were the first to use copper in India.
 Harappans used a system of weights and measures
based on 16 and its multiples.
 The chief male deity of the Indus people was
Pasupati Mahadeva (Porto Siva).
 Their Chief female deity was the Mother Goddess.
 They also worshipped fire, pipal trees and Unicorn.
 Harappan script was Pictographic in nature, which
has not been desciphered so far.
 Harappan seals were made of Terra - Cotta.
 Chess - like game of Harappans was called Sent.
 Indus Valley civilisation belongs to the
Chalcolithic period dated between 3000 BC and
1500 BC. It is a Bronze Age civilisation or a proto
Historic civilisation.
 The largest number of Harappan sites in post independent
India have been discovered from
Gujarat.
 Harappan civilisation extended from Jammu in the
North to Narmada in the South and from Makran
coast of Baluchistan in the West to Meerat in the
East.
 The Northern most point of Indus valley
civilisation was Gumla in Jammu and the Southernmost
was Daimbad.
 Floods and Earthquakes, change in the course of
river Indus, aridity of the area, or drying up of
river Ghaggar, the invasion of Aryans are the supposed
reasons for the decline of the civilisation
towards 1500 BC.
Vedic Age
 Vedic Age is the period of Aryans in India from
1500 - 500 BC.
 Most Probable Home of the Aryans is Central
Asia. This theory is of Max Muller.
 The word Aryan literally means high born, but it
generally refers to language.
 The word ‘Veda’ is derived from the word ‘vid’
which means knowledge.
 Vedas are the oldest literary works of mankind.
Vedas are four in number, they are Rig Veda,
Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharva Veda. Rig veda
is the oldest veda.
 Vedas are collectively known as Sruti
 Vedangas are collectively known as Smriti
 Vedangas are six in number. They are,
Siksha - Phonetic
Kalpa - Ritual
Vyakarana - Grammar
Nirukta - Etymology
Chhanda - Metrics and
Jyotisha - Astronomy
 There are 1028 hymns in Rigveda. It is divided
into ten Mandalas (Chapters).
 Rig Vedic Hymns sung by priests were called
Hotris.
 ‘Sruti’ literature belonged to the Sathyayuga,
Smriti belonged to Treatayuga, Puranas belonged
to Dwaparayuga and Thanthra literature belonged
to Kaliyuga.
 Rigveda starts with the line ‘Agnimele Purohitam’
 Famous Gayatri Mantra is contained in the
Rigveda (It is believed to have composed by
Vishwamitra)
 Yajurveda deals with sacrifices and rituals.
 Yajurvedic hymns are meant to be sung by priests
called ‘Adhavaryu’.
 Yajurveda is derived into two: SuklaYajurveda
(White Yajurveda) and Krishna Yajur Veda (Black
Yajurveda)
 Sama Veda deals with Music.
 Sama Vedic hymns are meant to be sung by priests
called Udgatri.
 Atharva veda is a collection of spells and incantations.
Ayurveda is a part of Atharva Veda, which
deals with medicine.
 The saying, ‘‘War begins in the minds of men’’ is
from Atharva Veda.
 The 10th Mandala of Rigveda contain the
Purusha Sukta hymn which tells about the origin
of caste system.
 Upanishads are 108 in number. Upanishads are
philosophical works
 Upanishads are known as the Jnanakantas of
Vedas.
 The words ‘Sathyameva Jayate’ have been taken
from ‘Mundaka Upanishad’
 Brahdaranya Upanishad was the first to give the
doctrine of Transmigration of Soul and Karma.
 Puranas are the part of Smriti literature. They are
18 in number 6 vishnupuranas, 6 sivapuranas and
6 Brahmapuranas.
 Bhagvata purana is divided into 18 skandas The
10th skanda mentions about the childhood of Sri
Krishna.
 Skanda purana is considered as the largest
purana.
 Brahmapurana is also known as Adipurana.
 Adhyatma Ramayana is included in the
Brahmantapurana.
 Cattle was the chief measure of wealth of the vedic
period.
 Rigvedic tribe was referred to as Jana .
 Many clans (vis) formed a tribe.
 The basic unit of society was kula or the family
and Kulapa was the head of the family.
 ‘Visah’ was a cluster of gramas.
 Important tribal assemblies of the Rig Vedic period
were Sabha, Samiti, Vidhata and Gana.
 The Aghanya mentioned in many passages of
Rigveda applies to cows.
 The Rigvedic religion was primitive animism.
 Indra was the greatest God of Aryans and Agni
occupied second position.
 Varuna was God of water and Yama was the Lord
of dead.
 Savitri was a solar diety to whom the famous
Gayatri Mantra is attributed to.
 Prithvi was Earth Godess.
 The battle of ten kings mentioned in the Rig Veda
was fought on the division of water of river Ravi.
It was fought on the banks of River Ravi
(Purushni).
 Indra was known as Purandara.
 The people called Panis, during the Vedic period
were cattle breeders.
 The Vedic God in charge of truth and moral order
was Varuna.
 Indra Played the role of the Warlord. He is also
considered as the rain god.
 The two priests who played a major part during
the Rig Vedic period were Vasishta and
Visvamitra.
Later Vedic Period
 The period assigned to Later Vedic Phase is 1000
BC to 600 BC.
 Later Vedic people used particular type of pottery
called Painted Grey Ware (PGW)
 The Later Vedic Aryans were familiar with two
seas, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.
 Rice became the staple diet of Indian people during
the Later Vedic Period.
 The term ‘Rashtra’ which indicates territory first
appeared in the later vedic period.
 Mention of the word ‘Sudras’ - Rigveda 
Mandala)
 Mention of the ‘Gotra’ is found in the
Atharvaveda.
 Origin of Kingship is found in Aitareya
Brahmana.
 ‘Soma’ was an intoxicating drink mentioned in
the 9th Mandala of the Rig Veda.
 Mention of the word Varna is found in Rigveda.
 The fourfold division of the society is found in
the 10th Mandala of the Rigveda.
 Mention about the Varnashranadhrama is found
in the Jabla Upanishad.
 The Doctrine of Trimurti is found in the
Maitrayani Upanishad.
 Mention about the origin of Universe is found in
the Rig Veda (10th Mandala).
 Purohita Senani and Vrajapati were the important
functionaries who assisted the king in dayto-
day administration.
 The officer who enjoyed authority over the pasture
land was called Vrajapati.
 The king’s power increased during the Later Vedic
Period.
 First law giver of ancient India was Manu. He
wrote ‘Manusmrithi’.
 Manusmrithi was translated into English by William
Jones.
 Shyma Shastri translated Arthasastra into English
 Bali was a tax, which the king used to collect from
the people of the Vedic period.
 Aryans used iron for the first time India.
 Horse, Iron, Sugarcane, Pulses etc reached India
by the coming of Aryans.
 The God who occupied supreme position in the
Later Vedic Period was Prajapati.
 Rudra was regarded as preserver and protector
of the people.
 The most important functionary who assisted the
Vedic king was Purohita.
 Manarchy was the normal form of Government in
the vedic period.
 Each Tribal republic was headed by Ganapati or
Jyeshtha.
 The Vedic Education system revealed through
‘Frog Hymn’ in the Rigveda and ‘Wedding Hymn’
describe the oldest marriage rituals.
 Max Mullar was the first person to speak of ‘Aryans’
as a race.
Epics
 Hinduism has two epics Ramayana and
Mahabharata.
 Mahabharata was written by ‘Vyasa’.Mahabharata
is also known as Jayasamhita, Satasahasri
Samhita and the fifth veda.
 Mahabharata has 1,17,000 hymns in it.
 Mahabharata is divided into 18 Purvas, an appendix
Harivamsa is considered as 19th Purva.
 12th Purva is the largest and 7th is the smallest.
 It describes the 18 days battle of Kurukshetra.
 Stories of Sakuntalam, Pralayam, Ramcharitam,
Rishysringan, Satyavan Savitri,Nala and
Damayanthi etc are included in the Mahabharata.
 Valmiki is the author of Ramayana.
 Ramayana has 24000 hymns and is divided into
Seven Skandas (Kandas)
 Bhagavatgita is included in the Bhishma Purva of
Mahabharata. It is divided into 18 chapters and
has about 700 hymns.
Jainism
 Vardhamana Mahavira was believed to have born
in 540 BC in Kundala Grama in Vaishali the capital
Six systems of Indian Philosophy

 Samkya ................................ Sage Kapila
 Yoga ......................................... Patanjali
 Vaisheshika ..............................Kannada
 Nyaya ................... Akshapada (Gautama)
 Vedanta Gaudapada and Shankaracharya.
 Mimamsa.................................... Jaimini

of Vajji. Now it is in Mussafar district in Bihar.
 He belonged to Jnatrika Kshatriya clan.
 Mahavira’s family was connected with the royal
family of Magadha.
 The word ‘Jaina’ was originated from the word
‘Jina’ which means conqueror.
 Jainism speaks about 24 thinthankaras. Mahavira
was the 24th Thirthankara, who is considered as
the founder of Jainism.
 Rishabha was the first Thirthankara. Neminath
and Parswanatha were the 22nd and 23rd
Thirthankaras respectively.
 Bhagavatapurana, Vishnupurana, Vayupurana,
etc mentions about Rishabhadeva.
 Sidhartha, ruler of Nandadynasty which ruled
Kundalapuri, was the father of Vardhmana
Mahavira.
 Mahavira’s mother was Trissala and Yasodha was
his wife.
 Jameli was the daughter of Mahavira.
 Mahavira is also known as ‘Vaishalia’ as he was
born in Vaishali.
 He got Kaivalya at the age of 42 under a Sal tree
on the bank of river Rajpalika near Village
Jimbhrikagrama.
 At first Mahavira followed the practice of an ascetic
group called Nirgrandhas , which earlier led
by Parswanath.
 Makhali Gosala was a companion of Mahavira.
Who later founded the Ajivika sect.
 Mahavira attained Nirvana at the age of 72 at
Pavapuri near Rajagriha in 468 BC.
 Jains observe the day of his nirvana as Dipavali.
 Gautama Indrabhuti is considered as his first
desciple.
 Jain sacred texts are called Angas.
 Jain texts were written under Bhadrabahu in BC
296.
 Jain texts were written in the Prakrit language of
Ardhamagadhi.
 ‘Ahimsa Paramo Dharma’ is the sacred hymn of
Jainism.
 Ahimsa, Satya, Asateya, Aparigriha and
Brahmacharya are the five major principles of
Jainism.
 Brahmacharya is the principle added by Mahavira.
 Mahavira taught the three Jewels of Jainism
(Triratna) - Right Faith, Right Knowledge and
Right Conduct.
 The Jains repudiated the authority or infallibility
of the vedas. The Jains rejected the concept of
Universal soul or a supreme power as the creator
and sustainer of the Universe.
 Jainism does not condemn the Varna system.
Mahavira believed that all individuals irrespective
of caste can strive for liberation through good
deeds and living.
 First Jain council was held at Pataliputra in the
fourth century BC under the leadership of
Stulabahu.
 Second Jain council was held at Vallabhipur in
third Century BC under the leadership of
Aryaskandil Nagarjuna Suri.
 Third Jain council was held at Vallabhipur in
Gujarat in 5th Century AD under the leadership
of Devardhi Kshamasramana.
 Jainism was divided into two sects Swetambaras
and Digambaras after the first Jain Council.
 Digambaras are sky-clad or naked and
swetambaras are clad in white.
 Gomateshwara statue is
situated in Sravana
belgola.
 ‘Syad Vada’ is a Jain philosophy
of Knowledge.
 Kharavela of Kalinga
gave patronage to
Jainism.
 Mahavir Jayanti and
Rakshabandan are the
festive occassions of
Jainism.
 Temple on the Mount Abu in Rajasthan is a famous
centre of Jain worship.
Gomateshwara
 Jain Temple at Sravanabelgola in Hassan district
in Mysore is known as ‘Kasi of the Jains’.
 Names of Rishabhadeva and Arishtanemi are also
mentioned in the Rigveda.
 Chandragupta Maurya the founder of the
Mauryan Empire, abdicated the throne towards
the end of his life, accepted Jainism reached
Sravanabelgola and died there.
Buddhism
 Buddhism originated in the 6th century BC.
 Gautama Buddha the founder of Buddhism was
born in Lumbini in Kapilavasthu on the border of
Nepal in 563 BC.
 Buddha’s mother
Mahamaya died seven
days after his birth. He
was brought up by his
aunt Mahaprajpati
Gautami, hence he got
the name ‘Gautama’.
 First Buddhist nun was
Gautami
 Budha’s birth place is
now known as Binla.
 Budhas orginal name was Sidhartha.
 Buddha belonged to the Sakhya clan of
Kshatriyas.
 His father was Subhodhana.
 Buddha’s wife was Yasodhara and his son was
Rahulan.
 Four sights changed his mind and initiated him to
spiritual life they were death, old age, sadness
and sufferings.
 He left home at the age of 29 along with his charioteer
Channa and favourite horse Kandaka. This
incident is known as Mahanishkramana.
 Buddha got enlightenment at Bodha Gaya, on the banks
of Niranjana river in Bihar at the Age of 35.
 After enlightenment Buddha came to be known
as ‘thadhagatha’. He is also known as
‘Sakhyamuni’.
1. Rishabhdev
2. Ajitnath
3. Sambhavnath
4. Abhinandan
5. Sumitnath
6. Padmaprabhu
7. Suparsavanath
8. Suridhi
9. Chandraprabh
10. Sheetal Nath
11. Shreyanshanath
12. Vasupujya
13. Vimalnath
14. Anandanath
15. Dharmanath
16. Shantinath
17. Kunthunath
18. Arnath
19. Mallinath
20. Munisuvrata nath
21. Neminath
22. Arishtanemi
23. Parshvanath
24. Mahavira
 Buddha made his first sermon after enlightenment
at a deer park at Saranath in Uttar Pradesh. This
incident is known as ‘Dharmachakra
pravarthana’.
 Buddha’s first teacher was Alara Kalama and second
teacher Udraka Ramaputra.
 During his first sermon at Sarnath, Buddha described
the ‘four noble truths’ and the eight fold
path.
 Buddha made his sermons in Pali language and
the early Buddhist texts were also written in Pali
language.
 Buddha died at the age of 80 in 483 BC at
Kushinagara in UP. This was known as
Parinirvana. Buddha died by consuming poisoned
meat or poisoned mushroom.
 Last meals of Buddha was served by a blacksmith
‘Chunda’.
 His last words were All composite things decay,
strive diligently.
 Four noble truths of Buddhism are:
life is full of misery, desire is the cause of misery,
killing desires would kill sorrows, Desire
can be killed by following the eight-told path.
 The eight fold path of Buddhism are:
Right Belief, Right Thought, Right Speech,
Gautama Buddha
Right Action, Right Living, Right Effort, Righ
Recollection, Right Meditation
 Buddhism does not recognise the existence of
God and Soul (Atman)
 Buddha accepted the traditional belief in transmigration
of the soul and law of Karma.
 The ‘three jewels’of Buddhism are – Buddha,
Dhamma and Sangha.
 The first Buddhist council was held in 483 BC at
Sattaparni (Rajagriha) under the presidentship
of Mahakashyapa and under the patronage of king
Ajatasatru of Magadha..
 Vinayapitaka and Suddhapitaka were codified at
the first council.
 Second Buddhist council was held in 383 BC at
Vaishali under the presidentship of Sabhakami
and under the patronage of king Kalashoka.
 At the second Buddhist council Buddhism was
divided into two Staviravadins and
Mahasankikas which later came to be known a
Hinayana and Mahayana respectively.
 Third council of Buddhism was held in 250 BC at
Pataliputhra under the presidentship of
Mogaliputta Tissa and under the patronage of
Ashoka the Great.
 Abhidhamma Pitika was codified at the third council.
 At the third council decision was also taken to
send missionaries to spread Buddhism.
 The fourth Buddhist council was held in the first
century AD at Kundalavana in Kashmir under
the President-ship of Vasumithra and Ashvagosha
and under the patronage of Kanishka.
 Clear division of Buddhism into Hinayana and
Mahayana tookplace at the fourth council.
 Upagupta converted Ashoka to Buddhism.
 Ashvagosha was the first biographer of Buddha
who wrote Budhacharitam in Sanskrit.
 Vasubandu is known as Second Buddha.
 Ashoka is known as the Constantine of Buddhism.
 Ashoka accepted Buddhism after the battle of
Kalinga in BC 261.
5 SYMBOLS OF BUDDHA
Birth ....................................... Lotus and Bull
Renunciation ........................................Horse
Enlightenment ................................ Bodhitree
First Sermon ......................... Dharma Chakra
Nirvana (Death) ............................ Foot prints
 Buddhist worshipping centre is known as Pagoda.
 Viharas are the Buddhist monastries.
 Vajrayana was a sect of Buddhism which believed
in achieving salvation through Mantras and
spells.
 ‘Jataka stories’ describe the stories related to
the birth of Buddha. They are 500 in number.
 Holy book of Buddhism is Tripitika- Vinayapitika,
Suddhapitika and Abhidhamapitika are collectively
known as Tripitika.
 Bimbisara of Magadha was a contemporary of
Buddha.
 Kanishka who worked to spread Buddhism like
Ashoka is known a Second Ashoka.
 Ashoka sent his son and daughter, Mahendra
and Sanghamitra to SriLanka to spread Buddhism.
 Sri Buddha is known as the ‘Light of Asia’ He
was named as such by Edvin Arnold.
 Edvin Arnold’s ‘Light of Asia’ was translated into
Malayalam by Nalappad Narayanamenon.
 Hinayanism is wide spread in Sri Lanka.
 The Bodhi tree at Gaya was cut down by Sasanka,
a Bengal ruler.
 The chief Buddhist monastery was at Nalanda,
which was under the patronage of Pala kings.
 Previous Buddhas are known as ‘Bodhisatvas’.
 Milandapanho a book of Nagasena describes how
Greek king Menandar accepted Buddhism.
Sangham Age
 First five centuries of the Christian Era are commonly
known as Sangham Age.
 Sangham was an Assembly of literature held at
Madhurai.
 References to the Sangham Age can be found in
the inscriptions of Ashoka, and Kharavela of
Kalinga and in the Indica of Megastenese.
 The literature of the Sangham Age was written
mostly in the form of Poetry.
 In the Sangham Age, the most common form of
government was hereditary monarchy. The village
was the fundamental unit of administration.
 Small village Assemblies during the Sangham Age
were known as Arai.
 Tradition refers to three sangham lasting for 9,900
years.
 Language of the Sangham literature was Tamil
 People of the Sangham Age mainly worshiped
‘Murugan’.
 The greatest work of the Tamil literature of the
Sangham Age is Tholkappium written by
Tholkappiyar.
 Tholkappium is considered as the earliest surviving
Tamil literary work. It is a book on Tamil
grammar.
 The Capital of the Pandyas was at Madhurai.
 Uraiyur was the capital of Cholas, known for cotton
trade.
 Vanchi was the capital of Cheras.
 Silappadigaram, Manimegalai and
Jeevakachintamani are the three epics of
Sangham literature.
 Korkai was the main seaport of the Pandyas.
 Megastanese described Pandya Kingdom as
‘Pearl’ as it was ruled by women.
 Kaveripumpatnam was the main sea port of the
Cholas.
 Silappatigaram as written by Ilango Adikal. It
describes the love story of Kovalan and Kannaki
 Nedujezhian is the Pandyan king mentioned in
Silapadigaram.
 Satanar wrote ‘Manimekhalai’ which is also an
epic and tells about the story of the daughter of
Kannaki and Kovalan.
 Manimekhalai gives reference about Buddhism.
FAMOUS ERAS
Vikram Era ........................................ 58 BC
Saka Era .......................................... 78 AD
Gupta Era ...................................... 320 AD
Hijra Era ........................................ 622 AD
Kollam Era ..................................... 825 AD
Illahi Era ....................................... 1583 AD
 II and XIII rock edicts of Ashoka mention about
the South Indian kingdoms.
 Karikala most prominent among early Cholas is
known as the master of seven notes of music.
 ‘Bharatam’ was a Tamil version of Mahabharata
sung by Perundevanar.
 ‘Manimekhalai’ is looked upon as the Tamil Odyssey.
 Thirukkural is known as Tamil Bible compiled
by Thiruvalluvar. His statue is seen near
Vivekanandappara in Kanyakumari.
 The greatest of the Chera rulers was
Senguttuvanchera also known as ‘Red Chera’.He
built a temple for Kannaki.
 The famous Chera port Muziris was a great centre
of Indo-Roman Trade.
 The largest single tax collected during the Sangha
period was the land tax called Karai.
 The founder of later Cholas was Rajaraja I The
most important ruler of this dynasty was Rajendra
Chola.
 Rajendra Chola is also known as ‘Gagaikonda
Chola’ He later named his capital as ‘Gangaikonda
Cholapuram’.
 RajaRaja I built ‘Brihadeswara temple’ at Tanjore.
 Cholas were well known for their naval supremacy
and efficient village administration.
 The Utharameroor inscription tells about the local
self government under the cholas.
 Thirukkural of Thiruvalluvar is the Tamil work
which is known also as the fifth Veda.
 Jivaka Chintamani the third epic of the Tamil was
written by Tirukkadevar.
 Roman king built a temple of Augustus at
Muziris.
Literary Activities in Ancient India
 Ashtadhyayi by Panini (5th C.BC) the earliest
grammar book also called Bhagavati Sutra.
 Mahabhashya was written by Patanjali.
 Manusmriti was a law book composed between
200 BC and 200AD.
 Arthashastra by Kautilya deals with statecrafts
is a major source of Mauryan administration.
 Indica by ‘Megastenes’ is a source of Mauryan
society and administration.
 Chandsutra was written by Pingala.
 Buddhacharita by Aswaghosha is the earliest
biography of Buddha. It was written in Pali language.
 Raghuvamsa by Kalidasa is an epic based on
Mahabharata.
 Naishad Charita by Sri Harsha contains story of
Nala and Damayanti.
Drama
 Natyashastra by Bharatamuni is the earliest
known work in Sanskrit.
 Malavikagnimithram, Vikramorvashiyan and
Abhinjana Syakuntalam are dramas written by
Kalidasa.
 Ratnavali, Nagananda and Priyadarshika are dramas
written by Harshavardhana.
Lyric Poetry
 Meghadutam by Kalidasa
 Srinagarashataka, Nitishataka and
Vairagyasataka were written by Bhartrihari.
 Gita Govinda was written by Jayadeva.
Historical writing
 Harshacharita - Written by Banabhatta
 Vikramamangadeva charita - written by Bilhana.
Prose Literature
 Dasakumaracharitam........................ Dandin
 Vasavadatta ...................................... Subandu
 Brihat Kathamanjari ................. Kshemendra
 Kathasaritsagara ........................... Somadeva
 Panchathantra ......................... Vishnusharma
 Hitopadesha ........................... Narayan Pandit
 Kamasutra and Arya Manjushree ..... Vatsyayana
 Pavandhoot .......................................... Dhoyi
 Swapna Vasavadatta ............................. Bhasa
 Matavilasa Prahasana .......Mahendravarman I
 Si-yu-ki ..................................... Hiuen Tsang
 Fo-kuoki ........................................... Fa-hien
 Panchasidhantika ........................ Varahamihir
 Suryasidhantika and Aryabhatiyam....Aryabhatta
 Nitisara ....................................... Kamandaka
 Charak Samhita ............................... Charaka
 Hastayurveda ................................... Palkapya
 Mitakshara ................................. Vigneswara
 Dayabhaga ................................ Jimutavahana
 Sidhanta Siromani ................ Bhaskaracharya
 Nighantu .................................... Dhanvantari
 Mudrarakshasa ......................... Vishakadatta
 Prabhanda Chintamani .............. Meruthunga
 Geography of India ............................ Ptolemy
 Brihat Kathakosh ............................ Harisena
 Mrichakatika ................................... Sudraka
 Prithviraj Vijaya .............................. Jayanak
 Nala Vemba ................................... Pugalendi
Magadhan Empire
 In the 6th century BC there originated 16
Mahajanapadas in North India
 Four prominent royal dynasties stand out prominently
out of these Janapadas. They were
Haryankas of Magadha, the Ikshvakus of Kosala,
the Pauravas of Vatsa and the Pradyotas of Avanti.
 Haryanka is the name of a new dynasty founded
in Magadha by Bimbisara.
 Bimbisara founded the dynasty by defeating the
Brihadrathas.
 Bimbisara was a contemporary of Buddha.
 Magadha became a supreme power in North India
under Ajatasatru. So Ajatasatru is considered
as the founder of Magadhan Supremacy.
 Pataliputra and Rajagriha were the capitals of
Magadhan kingdom.
 Magadha falls in the Patna region of Bihar.
 Haryankas were overthrown by Sisunaga and he
founded the Sisunaga dynasty there.
 Kalasoka the son and successor of Sisunaga was
succeeded by Mahapadma Nanda and he
founded the Nanda dynasty.
 Ajatasatru’s successor Udayin was the founder
of the city of Pataliputra.
Persian Invasion
 The Achaemenian king of Persia, Darius (522 -
486 BC) captured some territories the east of
Sindhu in 518 BC.
 The Persian domination over Indian territory
lasted upto 330 BC.
 Xerxes was the persian ruler who enlisted Indians
in his army.
 The Kharoshti script was brought to India by
Persians.
Alexander’s Invasion
 Alexander was born in 356 BC as the son of King
Philip II of Mascedonia.
 Epirus or Olympias was Alexanders mother.
 Aristotle was Alexander’s teacher.
 He became the king in 336 BC
 He defeated the Persian ruler Darius III.
 Alexander founded the city of Alexandria in
Egypt
 In 326 BC Alexander defeated Porus
(Purushothama) the ruler of Punjab and Captured
Taxila through the battle of Hydaspes on the
banks of river Jhelum.
 Ambhi the ruler of Taxila invited Alexander to India.
 Alexander died of Malaria at the age of 33 in 323
BC while he was in Babylon.
 Alexander was cremated at Alexandria.
 Alexander was known as Shehansha in Persia and
Sikhandar-I-Asam in Indo-Pak region.
 The Last general of Alexander in India was
Eudamas.
 Alexander’s first General in India was Selucus
Nikator.
 Alexander IV succeeded Alexander as the
Masedonian King.
 Alexander’s teacher Aristotle is considered as the
father of Politics, Biology, Taxonomy and the Science
of Logic.
Mauryan Empire (321-185 BC)
 Major sources for the study of Mauryan Empire
are the Arthasastra of Kautilya and Indika of
Megasthenes.
 Chandragupta Maurya was the founder of
Mauryan Empire.
 Details about his early life are not available
 He is believed to have belonged to Moriya Clan,
hence got the name Maurya.
 It is also said that his mother was Mura a women
of lower birth hence got the name Maurya.
 In some texts he is referred to as Vrishala and
Kulahina.
 He conspired with Chanakya (Kautilya or
Vishnugupta) the minister of Nanda to overthrew
the last Nanda ruler DhanaNanda.
 Chandragupta Maurya ascended the throne in
BC 321.
 He fought against Selucus in 305 BC. Selucus
surrendered before him and sent an ambassador,
Megasthenese to the court of Chandragupta
Maurya.
 Chandragupta’s Governor Pushygupta constructed
the famous Sudarshana lake.
 ChandraGupta Maurya was converted to Jainism,
abdicated the throne in favour of his son
Bindusara, passed his last days a
Sravanabelagola (Near Mysore) where he died in
298 BC.
 Chandragupa Maurya was responsible for the political
unification of North India for the first time.
 Bindusara was a follower of Ajivika sect.
 Bindusara was known as Amitragatha.
 Ashoka ascended the throne in 273BC and ruled
upto 232 BC.
 He was known as ‘Devanampriya priyadarsi the
beautiful one who was the beloved of Gods.
 Maski and Gujara Edicts of Ashoka gave the
name Devanampriya Priyadarsi.
 Buddhist tradition says Ashoka killed 99 of his
brothers to capture the throne.
 Ashoka was the first king in Indian history who
had left his records engraved on stones.
 Ashokan inscriptions were written in Kharoshti
and Brahmi scripts.
 Ashoka fought the Kalinga war in 261 BC Kalinga
is in modern Orissa.
 Ashokan inscriptions were deciphered by James
Princep.
 After the battle of Kalinga Ashoka became a Buddhist,
being shocked by the horrors of the war.
 Ashoka was initiated to Buddhism by Upagupta
or Nigrodha a disciple of Buddha.
 For the propagation of Buddhism Ashoka started
the institution of Dharmamahamatras.
 The IV Major Rock Edict of Ashoka tells about
the practice of Dharma
 The Major Rock Edict XII of Ahoka deals with
the conquest of Kalinga.
 Ashoka held the third Buddhist council at his
capital Pataliputra in 250BC under the
presidentship of Moggaliputa Tissa.
 He sent his son and daughter to Sri Lanka for the
spread of Buddhism (Mahendra and Sanghamitra)
 Ashoka spread Buddhism to SriLanka and Nepal.
 He is known as the Constantine of Buddhism.
 In his Kalinga Edict he mentions ‘‘All man are as
my children’’.
 Ceylones ruler Devanmpriya Tissa was Ashoka’s
first convert to Buddhism.
 Ashoka ruled for 40 years and died in 232 BC.
 The emblem of the Indian Republic has been
adopted from the four lion capital of one of
Ashokas pillars which is located in Saranath.
 Rock-cut architecture in India made a beginning
during Ashoka’s reign.
 Brihadratha the last Mauryan ruler was killed by
Pushyamitra Sunga who founded the Sunga Dynasty
in 185 BC.
 Megasthenese the first foreign traveller to India
mentions about the existence of seven castes in
India during the Mauryan period.
 Stanika in Mauryan administration refers to tax
collector.
Post Mauryan Period
Sunga Dynasty (185-71 BC)
 Sunga Dynasty was founded by Pushyamitra
Sunga the commander-in-chief of last Mauryan
king, Brihadratha.
 Kalidasa’s drama Malavikagnimitram is about the
love story of Pushyamitra’s son Agnimitra and
Malavika.
 Last ling of sunga dynasty was Devabhuti.
Kanva Dynasty (72 BC - 27 BC)
 Kanva dynasty was founded by Vasudeva Kanva
in 72 BC after defeating the last Sunga ruler
Devabhuti.
 This dynasty ruled for a period of 45 years.
 Vasudeva, Bhumimitra, Narayana and Susuman
were the rulers of Kanva dynasty.
Cheta (Cheti) Dynasty of Kalinga
 The Cheti Dynasty was believed to have founded
by Maha Meghavahana
 The Hatigumbha inscription of Kharavela, of the
Important Mauryan Officers
Samaharta ................ Collector of Revenue
Sannidata ....................... Head of Treasury
Dandapala ........................... Head of Police
Durga Pala ................... Head of Royal Fort
Pradeshikas .... Head of District Administration
Prashasti ..........................Head of Prisons
Kalinga ruler gives details about the Chedis of
Kalinga.
 Kharavela was a follower of Jainism.
Satavahanas (235 BC - 100BC)
 Satavahanas were the most powerful ruling dynasty
after the Mauryas.
 Satavahanas were also known as Andhras.
 Satavahanas were the Indian rulers who prefixed
their mother’s name along with their names.
 Most important Satavahana ruler was
Gautamiputra Satakarni.
 Satavahanas were Brahmanas.
 Nagarjuna Konda and Amaravati in
Andhrapradesh became important seats of Buddhist
culture under the Satavahanas.
 The two common structures of Satavahanas were
the temple called Chaitya and the monastery called
Vihara.
 Satavahanas mostly issued lead coins.
 The official language of the Satavahanas was
Prakrit
Indo Greeks
 First to invade India were the Greeks who were
called Indo-Greeks.
 The most famous Indo-Greek ruler was Menander
with his Capital at Sakala in Punjab (Modern
Sialkot)
 The Indo-Greeks were the first to issue gold coins
in India.
 The introduction of Hellenistic art features into
India were also the contribution of Indo-Greek rule.
 Menander was converted into a Buddhist by Buddhist
monk Nagasena (Nagarjuna)
 Indo-Greeks were the first to issue coins bearing
the figure of kings.
 Demitrius, the king of Bacteria invaded India
about 190BC. He is considered as Second
Alexander (But the Indian ruler who accepted the
name second Alexander (Sikandar-i-sani) was
Alauddin Khilji)
 Indo-Greeks were the first to introduce military
governorship in India.
The Parthians (19 - 45 AD)
 Parthians also known as Pahalavas were Iranian
People.
 Gondophernes was the greatest of the Parthian
rulers.
 St. Thomas is said to have came to India for the
propagation of Christianity during the period of
Gondophernes.
The Sakas (90 BC - Ist AD)
 Sakas were also known as Scythians.
 The first Saka king in India was Maues or Moga
who established Saka power in Gandhara.
 The most famous of the Saka rulers in Western
India was Rudra Daman I. His achievements are
highlighted in his Junagarh inscription written in
150 AD.
 Junagarh inscription of Rudradaman was the
first inscription in Sanskrit.
 Ujjayini was the capital of Rudradaman.
Kushans
 Kushans are also known as Yuch-chis or
Tocharians.
 Kushans came to India from North Central Asia.
 First great Kushana king was Kujala Kadphises
or Kadphises I.
 The most famous
Kushana ruler was
Kanishka.
 He became the ruler in 78
AD and started Saka Era
in 78 AD.
 The Capital of Kanishka
was Peshawar or
Purushapura.
 Kanishka convened the fourth Buddhist council
in Kashmir.
Kanishka
 Scholars like, Parsva, Vasumitra, Ashvaghosha,
Charaka and Nagarjuna were the courtiers of
Kanishka.
 The Gandhara School of Art received royal patronage
under the Kushans.
 Kanishka patronised Mahayana form of Buddhism.
 Kanishka is righty called the ‘Second Ashoka’
 Kanishka was the first king who inscribed the
image of Lord Buddha on his coins.
 Kanishka started the Saka era in 78 AD. The first
month of Saka era is Chaithra and the last month
is Phalguna.
 Vasudeva was the last great king of Kushana
Dynasty.
 Kushana school of art is also referred to as the
Mathura school.
Gupta Empire (320 - 540 AD)
 Gupta Empire was founded by Sri Gupta.
 Ghatotkacha was the second ruler.
 Chandra Gupta I was the real founder of the Gupta
Empire. He came to the throne in 320 AD.
 He was the first ruler to adopt the title
Maharajadhiraja.
 He laid the foundation of Gupta Era on 26 February
320 AD.
 Samudra Gupta succeeded Chandragupta I in 335
AD.
 The Allahabad Pillar inscription composed by
Harisena contains information about
Samudragupta’s conquests.
 Allahabad Pillar inscription is also known as
‘Prayagaprasasti’.
 Samudra Gupta is also known as ‘Linchchavi
Dauhitra’’. (son of the daughter Kumaradevi of
Lichchavis)
 Samudra Gupta is described as ‘Indian Napoleon’
by V.A. Smith.
 Samudra Gupta composed ‘‘Vahukabita’’ and had
the title ‘‘Kaviraja’’.
Historically Important Places
Ayodhya Birth place of Sri Rama (UP)
Amber Palace Rajasthan
Aghakhan Palace Pune (Maharashtra)
(Gandhi and Kasturba were
kept in prison here)
Kedarnath Holy place of Hindus
(Utharanchal)
Amarnath Pilgrim centre (Kashmir)
Elephanta caves Near Mumbai
Ellora Caves Maharashtra - 34 cavetemples
(Hindu, Buddha - Jaina)
Rajgir Jain Temple in Bihar
Golden Temple Amritsar - Harmandir Sahib of
Sikhs
Golgumbus Bijapur (Karnataka)
Tomb of Muhammed Adil Shah
Tanjore Capital of Cholas -
Brihadveswara Temple
Charminar Hyderabad (Monument of
Plague eradication)
Konark Temple Orissa (Sun Temple)
Qutab Minar Delhi
Khajuraho Near Bhopal (M.P.) 80 temples
Mahabalipuram Centre of Pallava architecture
(Tamil Nadu)
Kurukshetra Battle of Mahabarata (in
Haryana)
TajMahal Agra (UP) Built by Shah Jahan
Sanchi Buddhist Stupa (Madhya
Pradesh)
Haridwar Holy Place of Hindus
(Uttaranchal)
 Sanskrit was the court language of the Guptas.
 India became ‘‘Greater India’’ under Samudra
Gupta.
 Samudra Gupta was an accomplished Veena
player.
 Chandragupta II the greatest of Gupta rulers was
popularly known as Vikramaditya.
 He adopted the title ‘Sakari’ after his victory over
Rudradaman II of Gujarat.
 Fa hein, the Chinese traveller, visited India during
his period.
 The exploits of Chandragupta II are glorified in
an iron pillar inscription fixed near Qutub Minar.
 Chandragupta II adopted the title Vikramaditya
as a mark of his victory over the Sakakshatraps.
 ‘Nine gems’ or ‘Navratnas’ was a famous Scholastic
Assembly in the court of Chandragupta II.
The members in the Ninegems were - Kalidasa,
Kadakarbhara, Kshapanaka, Varahmihira,
Vararuchi, Vethalabhatta, Dhanvantari,
Ammarasimha, Sanku.
 Chandragupta II was succeeded by his son
Kumaragupta I.
 Skandagupta Vikramaditya was the last great
ruler of Gupta Empire.
 Skandagupta Vikramaditya was the only hero in
Asia and Europe who defeated the Hunas in their
glorious period.
 Vishnu Gupta was the last ruler who died in 570
AD.
 Mantriparishad assisted the king in administration.
 Most important Industry of the Gupta period was
textile.
 Period of the Gupta is compared to ‘Periclean
Age of Greece’, ‘Augustan Age of Rome’ and
‘Elzabethan Age of England’.
 Period of the Guptas is considered as the Golden
Age in the history of India.
 Earlier Guptas had their capital at Prayag in
Allahabad, later it was shifted to Ujjain by
Chandragupta II.
 The most important officers in the Gupta empire
were Kumaramatyas.
 The royal seal of the Guptas bore the emblem of
Garuda.
 Aryabhatta was the first to treat Mathematics as
a separate subject. He wrote Aryabhattiyam. He
belonged to the Gupta period. Aryabhatta was
the first to use Decimal System.
 Panchsidhanta, Brihat Jataka, Laghu Jataka and
Brihat Samhita are the works of Varahamihira.
 The best specimen of the Gupta paintings are seen
at Ajanta caves and the Bhaga caves.
 The Gupta period marked the beginning of Indian
temple architecture.
 Guptas issued large number of gold coins in India.
 Guptas largely patronised art and architecture.
 Guptas patronised the Gandhara school of art,
Madhura School of Art and the Andhra School
of Art.
 The Fresco paintings in the Ajanta caves are examples
of the art of the Guptas.
 The chief source of income was land revenue.
 The position of women declined during the Gupta
period.
 A renowned physician of
the Gupta period was
Vaghbhatta
 Nalanda and Taxila were
the two universities of this
period.
 Kalidasa is generally
called ‘‘Indian
Shakespeare’ and the
‘Prince of Indian Poets’.
Books on Sciences
Chandra Vyakaran ............... Chandragomin
Amar Kosh .............................. Amar Singh
Niti Shastra ............................... Kamandak
Kamasutra ................................Vatsya yana
Panchasiddhantika................ Varahamihira
Ashtanga Hridaya ......................Vaghbhatta
Hastyaurveda ............................... Pulkapya
Sankhyakarika ...................... Iswarkrishna
Kalidasa

 Patanjali founded ‘Yoga Shastra’, a school of
Hindu philosophy during this period.
The Hunas
 The Huns were a nomadic and barberic race of
Central Asia.
 They were defeated by Skanda Gupta.
 In the last quarter of the 5th century AD, the
Hunas established an independent kingdom in
the Punjab.
 Toramana and Mihirakula were important Huna
leaders.
 In 510 AD Bhanu Gupta defeated Toramana.
 Narasimha Gupta defeated Mihirakula.
 The Hunas gave rise to the Kshatriya Rajaputs.
 Sialkot was Mihirakula’s capital.
The Maitrakas of Valabhi
 They were of Iranian origin, they ruled Gujarat.
 Valabhi was their Capital.
 Siladitya I (606 - 612 AD) was the first independent
king of Maithrakas.
The Vakatakas (250-500 AD)
 The Vakatakas established their power in Deccan.
 Their capital was Vidarbha.
 The founder of the dynasty was Vindhyasakthi.
 Vakatakas were Brahmins.
 Vakatakas were later defeated by the Chalukyas
of Badani.
Harsha Vardhana (606 - 647AD)
 The last Hindu Emperor of North India was
Harshavardhana (Last Hindu king of Delhi was
Prithviraj Chauhan)
 Harshavardhana belonged to the Pushyabhuti
Dynasty, also known as Vardhana Dynasty.
 The Pushyabhuti dynasty was founded by
Pushyabhuti.
 Harsha came to power in 606 AD (Harsha Era)
 He made Kanauj his new capital from Taneswar.
 Original name of Harsha was Siladitya.
 Chinese traveller Hieun Tsang visited India during
his reign.
 Harsha summoned a religious assembly at Prayag.
 Hieun Tsang said Indians were ‘‘Truthful people
although quick tempered’’
 Harsha’s biography ‘Harsha Charita’ was written
by his court poet Banabhatta. He also wrote
‘Kadambari’.
 Harsha Vardhana was a poet and dramatist.
Ratnavali, Priyadarshika and Nagananda are the
works of Harshavardhana.
 Harsha Vardhana was defeated by the Chalukyan
king Pulikeshin II in AD 634.
 Harshavardhanas empire was the last Buddhist
empire in India.
 After Harsha, the Karkotas of Kashmir established
their power.
 Mahendravarman I and Pulikeshin II were the
contemporaries of Harshavardhana.
 Matanga, Divakar, Jayasena and Bhartrihari
were the famous scholars in the court of
Harshavadhana.
 Harsha founded the Harsha Era in 606 AD.
Chalukyas of Badami
 In 535 Pulikeshin I founded a small kingdom with
the Capital at Vatapipura (Modern Badami)
 He was succeeded by Kirtivarman and
Mangaleshna.
 Pulikeshin II was the most famous ruler of the
Chalukya dynasty.
 The greatest achievement of Pulikeshin II was
the defeat he inflicted on Harshavardhana.
 The Pallava king Narasimhavarman captured
Vatapi and adopted the title ‘Vatapikonda’.
 Pulikeshin II defated the Pallavas and captured
Kanchi. He also defeated Cheras, Cholas and
Pandyas.
 Kirtivarman, the last ruler of this dynasty was
defeated by the Rashtrakutas and the Chalukyan
rule came to an end in 757 AD.
 The magnificient temples of Belur and Halebid
and the Elephanta caves were constructed during
the Chalukyan period.
 From the Chronological point of view Chalukyas
can be divided into four
The Chalukyas of Vatapi (535 - 642 AD)
The later Chalukyas of Vatapi (655 - 753 AD)
The Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi (615 - 1076)
The Later Western Chalukyas of Kalyani (973-
1190 AD)
Pallavas
 Simhavishnu was the founder of the Pallava dynasty.
 Narasimhavarman , a Pallava ruler, defeated
Pulikeshin II and adopted the title Vatapikonda.
 Narasimhavarman I was called Mahamalla which
meants a wrestler.
 The book Mattavilasa Prahasana was written by
Narashimvarman I.
 The Ratha temples at Mahabalipuram (Seven Pagodas)
were created by Narasimhavarman I.
 Dandin the author of Dasakumaracharitam, lived
in the court of Narasimhavarman II.
 Narasimhavarman II was the most important ruler
of the Pallava dynasty.
 He founded Kailasanatha Temple and the Shore
Temple at Mahabalipuram.
Rashtrakutas
 Rashtrakuta dynasty was founded by
Dandidurga in 753 AD. With the capital at
Manyakhed or Malkhed.
 Rashtrakuta ruler Amoghavarsha I wrote
‘Kavirajamarga’ which is the earliest Kannada
work on poetics. He also wrote Prasnottarmalika.
 The Kailasanath Temple at Ellora was founded
by the Rashtrakuta ruler Krishna I.
 Krishna III (940 -968) was the last great ruler of
Rashtrakuta dynasty.
 The Rashtrakuta power was overthrown by Thiala
II.
Pratiharas
 The Pratiharas are also called Gurjara - Pratiharas
- belonging to the 36 clans of Rajputs.
 The dynasty was founded by Nagabhatta I (725-
740)
 Nagabhatta II made Kanauj his capital.
 Pratihara ruler Mihir Bhoja adopted the title
‘Adivaraha’.
 Yashpal was the last ruler of this dynasty.
 Sulthan Muhammed of Ghazni entred Kanauj during
the period of the Pratiharas.
Palas
 The Pala dynasty was founded by Gopala in 750 AD.
 Famous Odandapuri University was founded by
Gopala.
 The Vikramsila and Sompur Universities were
founded by the Pala king Dharmapala.
 The Pala power was destroyed by Vijayasena who
founded the Sena dynasty.
Senas
 The Sena dynasty was founded by Vijayasena
towards to end of 11th century. (1093)
 Senas had a capital in Vikrampura and another
in Vijayapura.
 About the middle of 13th century the senas were
overthrown by the Deva dynasty.
Elephanta caves
 Jayadeva, the author of Gitagovinda was patronized
by Sena ruler Lakshmana Sena.
Chauhans
 The four Agnikula Rajputs were the Pratiharas,
Chau-hans the Solankis and Paramaras.
 Chauhans had their capital at Ajmer and Delhi.
 Ajayaraya established the city of Ajayameru or
Ajmer.
 The most prominent ruler was Prithviraj III (1177-
1192). He defeated Muhammed of Ghore in the
First Battle of Tarain (1191). But Ghore defeated
and killed him in the Second Battle of Tarain (1192).
 Prithviraj Chauhan III was the last Hindu ruler
of Delhi.
 Prithvi Raj Rao is the historical Kavya written by
Chand Bardai.
The Chandelas of Bundelkhand
 The Chandela dynasty was founded by
Yasovarman with Mahobas as the Capital
 The Khajuraho temples are the best examples of
the Chandela art.
Cholas
 Vijayalaya was the founder of the Chola empire.
He was a feudatory of the Pallavas of Kanchi.
 Raja Raja I (985 - 1014) adopted the titles of
Arumudivarman, Mammudichodadeva,
Jaykonda, Marthanda Chola, Mamudichola etc.
 He built the Brihadeshwara temple at Tanjavur.
which is called the RajaRajeswara temple.
 Rajendra I led an expedition to North India, defeated
the Pala ruler Mahipala I and adtoped the
title, Gangaikondachola and established a new
Capital, Gangai Konda Cholapuram.
 Cholas maintained a well established local - self
government system. Ur, Sabha or Mahasabha -
and Nagaram were the assemblies for local administration.
 The Uttaramerur inscription of Dantivarman Pallava
gives details about the local self government.
Temples and Builders
Kailas Temple at Ellora ........................ Krishna I
Chunnakesava Temple, Belur ....Vishnuvardhana
Rathas at Mahabilipuram ... Narashimhavarman I
Brihadeswara Temple, Tanjavur ...RajaRaja Chola
Shore Temple, Mahabalipuram ...Narasimha VarmanII
Lingaraja Temple, Bhavaneswar ........................
......................................Eastern Gangarubs
Karjuraho Temples ............................Chandellas
Rajarajeshwara Temple, Tanjavur .........Raja raja I
Meenakshi Temple at Madhurai .. Nayaka Rulers
Shiva Temple at Tanjavur ...........Raja Raja Chola
Eminent Personalities of Ancient
India
 Alexander : he was the ruler of Macedonia in
Greece. He attacked India in 326 BC and captured
upto river Bias.
 Ajatasatru : Son of Bimbisara. He established the
city of Pataliputra.
 Arien : Greek historian who wrote about
Alexander’s Indian invasion.
 Ashwaghosh : Buddhist monk who initiated
Kaniskha to Buddhism wrote Buddha charita,
Sutralankar and Sandaranand.
 AmarSimha : Sanskrit scholar in the court of
Chandragupta who wrote Amarakosha.
 Aryabhatta : He analysed the reasons for Solar
and Lunar eclipses and declared that the Earth is
round. Wrote Aryabhattiyam.
 Bimbisar : Founded the Magadhan Empire or
Haryanka dynasty. He was the first influential king
of ancient India.
 Banabhatta : Court poet of Harshavardhana and
author of Harsha Charita and Kadambari.
 Charak : He was an Ayurvedic expert wrote
Charak-Samhita and established the Aitereya
branch of Ayurvedic medicines.
 Amoghavarsha : He was a famous Rashtrakuta
ruler.
 Dhanananda : He was a powerful king of
Magadha. Alexander did not go forward to invade
Magadha only after hearing his reputation.
 Darius I : The ruler of Iran (Persia) who invaded
India in 6th century BC.
 Gautami Putra Shatakarni : He was the most
famous Satavahana king in 2nd Century.
 Harisena : He was the writer of Pryaga Prashasti
or Allahabad Pillar Inscription.
 Kharavel : Ruler of Kalinga in I century AD. The
Famous Hathigumbha inscription belonged to
him.
 Kanishka : (I century AD) : Most powerful
Kushan king. Started Shaka Era. Organised fourth
Buddhist council at Kundalvan near Kashmir.
 Karikala : Chola ruler who founded the city of
Puhar (Kaveri patanam) in I century BC.
 Kautilya : also known as Vishnugupta or
Chanakya. He wrote Arthasasthra, which is compared
to ‘The prince’ of Machiavelli.
 Kalidas : Famous Sanskrit poet who wrote,
Raghuvamsa, Kumara Sambhavam, Abhigyana
Shakuntalam, Vikramorvashiyam and
Malavikagnimitram. He also wrote
Meghadootam and Ritusamharam.
 Kamban : A Tamil poet of 11th century who wrote
Ramayan in Tamil.
 Mihir Bhoja : Famous Prathihara ruler of 9th century.
 Kalhana - Famous Kashmiri poet and historian.He
wrote Raja Tarangini.
 Marco Polo : Venitian Traveller to India in 13th
century.
 Menander : He came to India as a foreign aggressor
in II Century BC. MilindaPanho, a book written
by Nagasena, is about him.
 Nagarjuna : Famous Buddhist monk. He
popounded the philosophy known as
Madhyamika.
 Makkali Gosala : Philosopher of 6th Century BC.
H was the founder of Ajivika sect.
 Mihirkula : Huna conqueror defeated by
Yashodharma.
 Skand Gupt : Last mighty Gupta ruler.
 Shushrut : He was a doctor of Ayurvedic medicine.
He started the Dhanwantri branch and was
an expert in Plastic Surgery.
 Pulikeshin II. Most powerful king of Chalukyas
of Vatapi who defeated Harshavardhana in North
and Mahendravarman of South.
 Pushya Mitra sunga : He killed the last Mauryan
ruler and laid the foundation of Sunga dynasty in
185 BC.
 Pliny : He was a Roman historian who wrote the
Natural History. He wrote about the Mauryas of
India.
 Panini : Sanskrit scholar specially of Grammar.
He wrote Ashtadyayi.
 Varahamihira : He was famous astronomer who
wrote Brihat Samhita.
 Sankaracharya : He was born in Kaladi in Kerala.
He propagated Advaita Philosophy.
Selected Questions from
Ancient Indian History
 The source of Swastika symbol
Indus Valley
 Who is considered as the father of Indian
archaeoloy
Alexander Cunningham
 Meter scale has been discovered from .........
Harappa
 Weapon never used by the Indus people
Sword
 What was the major industry in Chanhudaro?
Bead making
 The word ‘Sindhan’ used by the Indus people
denoted
Cotton
 Evidence of fractional burial has been excavated
from
Harappa
 The word ‘godhume’ used in the vedic period
denote
Wheat
 ‘Yava’ denoted
Barley
 Term used to denote rice in the vedic text
Vrihi
 Vedic term sita denoted
Ploughed field
 Which veda mentions about wheel
Rigveda
 Vedi terms ‘Urvara’ or ‘kshetra’ denoted
Cultivated field
 The famous frog hymn in Rig Veda throws light
to
Vedic education
 Who was considered as the god of the vedas?
Varuna
 Rigvedic term ‘Duhitri’ denoted
Milker of cows
 Method used to calculate the number of cows in
the Vedic period
Ashtakarni
 Part of which veda has prose part
Yajur Veda
 Who spread Aryan religion in South India
Agasthya
 Vedic term ‘Aghanya’ denotes
Cows
 The term ‘Bharata’ and ‘Bharatavarsha’ were
first used in
Rig Veda
 Upanishad which mentions the four Ashramas of
Vedic period
Jabala Upanishad
 Largest number of hymns in Rigveda a are in
praise of
Indra
 First town in the vedic period to use burned bricks
Kausambi
 First reference about lending money for interest
can be found in
Satpatha Brahmana
 Rigvedic paintings have been discovered from
Bhagvanpura. It is in which state ‘
Hariyana
 Upanishad which mentions about police system
Brihadaranyaka Upanishads
 God who was considered as God of Gods
Varuna
 Community which was considered as untouchables
by the Buddhists.
Chandalas
 The language used by the Jains to spread their
religion
Prakrit
 Who is considered as the St.John of Buddhism
Ananda
 Who is considered as Devil by the Buddhists
Mara
 Three daughters of ‘Mara’
lust, emotion and desire
 The ruler who persecuted Buddhists
Pushyamitrasunga
 Major philosophic school of Bhagvatism
Vishishtadvaita
 Earliest reference about Srikrishna can be found
in
Chandoghya Upanishad
 Hindu God who found place in Greek literature
Sri Krishna
 Jain Thirthankara, who was related to Sri Krishna
Rishabhadeva (Ist Thirthankara)
 Tamil god of the Sangham age for War and Victory
Kottavai
 Saint who founded the Saivism
Lakulisa
 Tamil kingdom of the Sangham Age which sent
an ambassador to the court of Roman Emperor
Augusts
Pandyas
 First Sangham was founded by
Saint Agasthya
 Famous poetess of the Sangham period
Avvaiyar
 Greeco-Roman traders who visited South India
during the Sangham period were denoted with
the term
Yavanas
 Sangham work which describes about Buddhism
Manimekhalai
 The word used by Ashoka to denote Buddha
Bhagavati
 Ashokan inscriptions were desciphered by James
prince in the year
1837
 Indo-Greek ruler who had his boundaries upto
Pataliputra
Menander
 Yuchi ruler who introduced gold coins for the first
time
Vima Kadphesus
 Edict which mentions about the relation between
India and China
Nagarjunakonda