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Career Anna Static GK Ebook On History
Career Anna Static GK Ebook On History
Career Anna
HISTORY
WHAT, WHERE, HOW AND WHEN
Pre-Historic Period
Earth is very old and so is the antiquity of man. The earliest human fossils have been
found in Africa dating about 4.2 million years. Homo sapiens evolved over a period of
these years about 50,000 years ago. Humans have been using stone tools and their life
story is, therefore, divided into -
Paleolithic age
Mesolithic age
Neolithic age
The designation of the cultural past of man was done by P.F. Suhm in as early as 1776.
C.J.Thomsen, in 1836, followed the same to arrange the exhibits in Danish museums.
Lubbock in France divided the stone age further into Paleolithic and Neolithic. In 1930,
Gabriel de Mortillet, a French investigator, started the practice of naming cultural divisions
in the manner of compartments or stages.
ANCIENT INDIA
Palaeolithic Age (50,000 - 1,00,000 BC)
It was basically a hunting and food gathering culture 'Palaeo' means 'old' and 'lithic'
means 'stone'. Palaeolithic age in India is divided into three phases:
1. Early or Lower Palaeothic (50,000 - 100,000 BC) : It covers the greater part of the
Ice Age and its characteristic feature is the use of hand-axe, cleaners and choppen
2. Middle Palaeothic (100,000 - 40,000 BC): The Middle Palaeothic culture is
characterised by flakes. The principal tools are variety of blades, points and
scrappers made of flakes.
3. Upper Palaeolithic (40,000 - 10,000 BC) : It marks the appearance of Homo
Sapiens and new flint industries; widespread appearance of a figurines and other
artifacts reflecting art and rituals; the appearance of wide range of bone tools,
including needles, fishing tools, harpoons, blades and burin tools.
It was the transitional between Palaeolithic and Neolithic ages. Its characteristic tools are
microliths all made of stone.
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The civilisation and culture of the Neolithic age shows distinct traces of progress. The
Neolithic men had a settled life. They practised agriculture and grew fruits and corn.
Animals, such as the cow, dog, ox, goat etc. were domesticated. The art of producing fire
by the friction of bamboos or pieces of stones was known to them. Instead of eating the
uncooked flesh of various animals, they now started roasting it. Besides this, bows and
arrows were invented and were used for the purpose of hunting.
Towards the end of the Neolithic period began the use of metals. First metal to be used
was copper and the culture of that time is called Chalcolithic culture. The earliest
settlements belonging to this phase are extended from the Chhotanagpur plateau to the
copper Gangetic basin. Some sites are found at Brahmagiri near Mysore and Navada Toli
on the Narmada.
The Indus Valley Civilization encompassed most of Pakistan, extending from Balochistan
to modern day Indian states of Haryana, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Punjab. It also extends
to Ropar and the upper Sutlej. The civilizations mainly flourished in the towns of Harappa
and Mohenjadaro. The main inhabitants of the civilizations were from the Dravidians.
IVC was considered to be the first ever urban civilization. The towns developed during
that time were well planned and well executed. Mohenjo-Daro was a scientifically
constructed city. The streets laid out at right angles and they had a well developed
drainage system which can be compared to any modern day drainage system. The Great
Bath, the most important structure, was treated as the main meeting point for the
community.
The Harappan people knew the measuring tools of length, mass, and time. They were the
first in the world in developing a system of uniform weights and measures.
By around 1700 B.C various factors like the invasion by Aryans, ecological changes
resulted in the decline of Indus Valley civilization.
The state which has accounted for highest number of Harappan sites after
independence : Gujarat
Three Harappan sites that have yielded three stages of Harappan Civilization (Pre-
Harappan, Harappan and post-Harappan : Rojde, Desalpur and Surkotada )
Most commonly engraved animal on Harappan seals :Humpless bull or unicorn
Site which have yielded evidence of a pre-Harappan settlement: Kot-Diji,
Kalibangan and Harappa
Major Harappan cities that acted as ports : Lothal, Balakot, Suktagendor and
Allahdin (Pakistan)
The Harappan city with most impressive drainage system : Mohenjo-daro
The geometric shape of the region covered by the Indus civilisation : Triangle
Wheeler said: Indus Valley is the colony of Sumerians
Lions have not been found anywhere in Harappa.
Mother goddess was not worshipped at Rangpur.
A Kushana period Stupa has been found from Mohenjo-daro.
Evidence of cultivation of peas. Till has been traced from Harappa, paddy from
Lothal
Harappans had trade relations with Mesopotamians around 2300 BC.
Largest Harappan site in India is situated in Haryana Rakhigarhi, second largest is
Dholavira in Gujarat.
Dimension of Brick-length 11 inches, width -5.5 inches, depth -2.75 inches, ratio 4
2:1
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Harappan wheels were axeless
Mohenjo-daro had 10.5 mt wide road.
In Harappa, perhaps because of river Ravi the Granery is outside the fort.
In the Lothal Port, there was a dockyard which is 216 meters in length and 37
meters in breadth
Sukotada is the only Indus site where remains of a horse have actually been found.
Terracoota seals found at Mehargarh were the earliest precussors of Harappan
seals.
Wider road of Harappa was 30 foot.
Most common materials used for the Harappan stone sculpture : Limestone and
steatite
Vedic Age
It is the period of Aryans (1500-500 BC).
Aryan means ‘ high born’
Most probable home of Aryans is central asia( theory of max muller).
Term veda is derived from word ‘vid’ which means knowledge.
Rigvedic terms: jana(tribe), kula(family), kulupa (head of family), visah(cluster of
gramas), aghanya(cow).
Sabha, samiti, vidhata and gana were important tribal assemblies.
Vedic Literature
FOUR VEDAS
Rigveda
Samveda
• "Book for Chants" contains 1,549 hymns, meant to be sung at the 'soma' sacrifice
by a special class of Brahmanas called Udgatris.
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• Has only 75 fundamental hymns- Karnataka – Jaiminga, Gujarat – Kanthun,
Maharashtra - Ranayani
Yajurveda
• Rituals of yajnas
• Its mantras tell us how the sacrifices were to be performed and what part the
"Adhvaryus"- the Brahmanas who performed the manual work in the arrangement of
sacrifice were to play at the time of sacrifice.
Atharvaveda
The vast literature of the Aryans is divided into two parts - Sruti and Smriti
Sruti Literature: The word Veda has been divided from the Sanskrit word Ved, which
means 'spiritual knowledge'. The Vedas are four in number - Rig Veda, Samaveda,
Yajurveda, and Atharvaveda. The Rig Veda contains a references only to the first three
Vedas, which suggests that the fourth Veda was composed at some later date.
Aranyaka
Upanishada
1. Literary meaning is 'Satra' (to sit near masters feet) in which Guru offers band of
knowledge to their disciples
5. Later Upnishada like "Katha" and "Swetaswatar" have been written in poetic forms.
6. Brahma is the summary of philosophy, which is the only a 'truth' in the world.
Smriti Literature
Smriti is traditional knowledge and designates almost the entire body of post-Vedic
classical Sanskrit literature. Smriti literature generally includes the following overlapping
subjects:-
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b. The Shad-Darsana: Six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy, namely Nyaya,
'Vaiseshikha', Sankhya, Yoga, Mimamsa and Vedanta.
d. Puranas: Being a fairly late description of ancient legends, they are heavily
coloured with the superstitions. The Puranas represent the most corrupt form of
Hinduism. They are 18 in number .
e. Upaveda: Also known as the auxiliary Vedas, they deal with medicine, architecture,
erotics, archery and various arts and crafts. These were partly derived from original Vedic
texts and were traditionally associated with one or other of the Vedas.
f. Tantras: Tantras are the writings of Shakta or Shaivite sects and also of certain
antinomian Buddhist scholars
g. Agamas: They are scriptures of sectarian Hindus like Vaishnavites, Shaivites and
Shaktas.
h. Upangas: They are a generic name for any collection of treatises although
traditionally confined to the philosophical systems of 'Nyaya' and 'Mimansa' - the 'Dharma
Sutras' the 'Puranas' and the 'Tantras'
Epics: Some historians regard the Later Vedic Period as the Period of Epics. The
Mahabharata and the Ramayana are the two great epics of this period.
Ramayana: It is said to have been composed by the sage, Valmiki. It contains 24000
hymns and is divided into 7 parts. The story of Ramayana is of indigenous origin and had
existed in ballad form in Prakrit, in more than one version. It was rewritten in Sanskrit and
augmented with many 'Shlokas'. It is also known as Adi Kavya. Evidence places the
oldest part of the Ramayana to before 350 BC..
Mahabharata: The Mahabharata is the bulkiest epic consisting of 100,000 verses and is
divided into 18 paravas (books).
The 16 Mahajanapadas
Mahajanapadas Capitals Locations
Gandhara Taxila Covering the region between Kabul and
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Rawalpindi in North Western Province.
Covering the area around the Punch area in
Kamboja Rajpur
Kashmir
Covering modern Paithan in Maharashtra; on
Asmaka Potana
the bank of River Godavari
Covering modern districts of Allahabad and
Vatsa Kaushambi
Mirzapur
Covering modern Malwa (Ujjain) region of
Avanti Ujjain
Madhya Pradesh.
Located in the Mathura region at the junction
Surasena Mathura
of the Uttarapath & Dakshinapath
Chedi Shuktimati Covering the modern Budelkhand area
Modern districts of Deoria, Basti, Gorakhapur
Maila Kushinara, Pawa in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Later merged into
Maghada Kingdom
Covering the modern Haryana and Delhi area
Kurus Hastinapur/Indraprastha
to the west of River Yamuna
Covering the area of Alwar, Bharatpur and
Matsya Virat Nagari
Jaipur in Rajasthan
Located to the north of the River Ganga in
Bihar. It was the seat of united republic of
Vajjis Vaishali
eight smaller kingdoms of which Lichhavis,
Janatriks and Videhas were also members.
Covering the modern districts of Munger and
Anga Champa Bhagalpur in Bihar. The Kingdoms were later
merged by Bindusara into Magadha.
Located in and around present day Varanasi
Kashi Banaras
in Uttar Pradesh.
Covering the present districts of Faizabad,
Kosala Shravasti
Gonda, Bahraich, etc.
Covering modern districts of Patna, Gaya and
Magadga Girivraja/Rajgriha
parts of Shahabad.
Ahichhatra (W.
Present day Rohilkhand and part of Central
Panchala Panchala),
Doab in Uttar Pradesh.
Kampilya (S. Panchala)
Alexander Invasion
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In the fourth century BC, the Greeks and the Iranians fought for the supremacy of the
world. The Greek ruler Alexander conquered not only Asia Minor and Iraq but also Iran.
From Iran, he marched to India, obviously attracted by its great wealth. Alexander
conquered principalities one by one. Among the rulers of these territories, two were well-
known: Ambhi, the prince of Taxila, and Porus whose kingdom lay between the Jhelum
and the Chenab. After the conquest of Iran, Alexander moved on to Kabul, from where he
marched India through the Khyber Pass. Ambhi, the ruler of Taxila, readily submitted to
the invader, augmented his army and replenished his treasure. Alexander remained in
India for 19 months (326-325 BC), which were full of fighting.
Persian Invasion
The Achaemenian rulers of Iran, who expanded their empire at the same time as the
Magadhan kings, took advantage of the political disunity on the north-west frontier. The
Iranian ruler, Darius, penetrated into north-west India in 518 BC and annexed Punjab,
west of the Indus, and Sindh.
Rise of Magadha
Between the sixth and the fourth centuries BCE, Magadha (in present day Bihar) became
the most powerful Mahajanapada.
The earliest capital of Magadha was at Rajgir, which was called Girivraja at that
time..Bimbisar was succeeded by his son Ajatasatru (492-460 BC). Ajatasatru was
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succeeded by Udayin (460-444 BC), His reign is important because he built the fort upon
the confluence of the Ganga and Son at Patna. This was done because Patna lay in the
centre of the Magadhan kingdom.
The Sisunagas: Udayin was succeeded by the dynasty of Sisunagas, who temporarily
shifted the capital to Vaishali. Their greatest achievement was the destruction of the
power of the Avanti with its capital at Ujjain. This brought to an end the 100 years old
rivalry between Magadha and Avanti.
The Nandas: The Sisunagas were succeeded by the Nandas, who proved to be the most
powerful rulers of Magadha. So great was their power that Alexander, who invaded
Punjab at that time, did not dare to move towards the east. The Nandas added to the
Magadhan power by the conquering Kalinga from where they brought an image of the
Jina as a victory trophy. The Nandas were the first non-kshatriya rulers. The last Nanda
ruler Dhana Nanda was defeated by Chandragupta Maurya who founded the Maurya
Empire.
Arthashastra
1. Written by Chankaya/Vishnugupta/Kautilya
2. Divided in 15 Adhikarnas and 180 Prakarnas
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3. Is related to money and politics
4. Is divided into 15 parts
5. 6000 sholakas
6. Comment-Pratipada Panchika commented by-Bhataswamy
7. Manuscript discovered by Arya Sharma Shastri in 1904.
Chandragupta Maurya (321-293 BC)
The Maurya dynasty was founded by Chandragupta Maurya. He took advantage of the
growing weakness and unpopularity of the Nandas in the last days of their rule. With the
help of Chanakya, he overthrew the nandas and established the rule of Maurya dynasty.
Chandragupta built up a vast empire which included not only Bihar and good portions of
Bengal, but also western and North-Western India, and the Deccan. Leaving Kerala,
Tamil Nadu and parts of north-eastern India, the Mauryas ruled over the whole of the
subcontinent. In the north-west, they held sway over certain areas which were not
included even in British Empire.
Asoka was greatest of the Mauryan rulers. He occupies a high position not only in the
history of India but in the world history also. He was coronated four years after the death
of his father, Bindusara (273 BC).
From the Buddhist traditions we learn that he was originally called 'Chandasoka' or the
fierce Asoka owing to his many evil deeds.
Like his predecessors, Asoka assumed the title of Priyadarshi (pleasing to look at) and
Devanampriya (beloved of God). In the Sarnath inscription, he adopted the third title,
i.e.Dharmasoka.
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Fifth Fifth major rock edit Appointments of Dhammamahamatras.
Sixth major rock
Sixth Welfare majors.
edit
Seventh major rock
Seventh Propagation of peace, balance of mind and faith
edit
Eighth major rock
Eighth Details of visit to Bodhi tree.
edit
Ninth major rock
Ninth Stress on ceremony of Dhamma
edit
Tenth major rock
Tenth Asoka's desire to gain popularity for Dhamma
edit
Eleventh major rock
Eleventh Appraisal of Dhamma
edit
Twlevth major rock
Twlevth Promotion to religion of different faiths
edit
Thirteenth major Largest of all, victory over Kalinga's destruction of war,
Thirteenth
rock edit mention of Greek rulers
Nature of all other rock edicts
Inclusion of Asoka into Sangha
Fourteenth major
Fourteenth It is bilingual. It tells that fishermen and hunters gave up
rock edit
hunting
Faith of ruler and kingdom in Dhamma.
The Sunga dynasty (185-71 BC): The founder of Sunga dynasty was Pushyamitra
Sunga, the commander in chief of Brihadratha, the last Mauryan king. According to
Puranas, Pushyamitra ruled for 36 years and his reign ended in 149 four 148 BC.
Pushyamitra was succeeded by his son Agnimitra. From Kalidasa's drama
Malvikagnimitram, we learned that Agnimitra was the governor of Vidisha during his
father's regin. He ruled for eight years. Agnimitra was succeeded by Jyestha. The next
important king of this dynasty was Vasumitra, who was the son of Agnimitira.
The Sunga dynasty's greatest achievement was the safeguarding of India from invasion
of Hunas. They valiantly resisted the Huna's attacks and saved India from being
destroyed. The contributed a lot to the development of culture also.
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Kanva dynasty (72 BC-27 BC): The rule of the Kanvas lasted for about 45 years. For
kings ruled during this period. Vasudeva ruled for a period of nine years and Bhumimitra
for 14 years. Narayana held the reigns of administration for 12 years --Susharma was the
last of the Kanvas. He was a peek King wholly devoid of administrative ability. He could
roll hardly for 10 years.
Cheta (Chetis) dynasty of Kalinga: It is evident that Kalinga succeded from the
Mauryas Empire in the years following the death of Asoka, though it's history is not known
with any degree of certainty till the first century BC. It records the exploits of Kharavela
belonging to the Cheta or Cheti line of kings, founded by Maha Meghavahana. He
assumed the title of Kalingadhipati or Kalinga Chakravartin as a mark of his paramountcy.
A follower of Jainism, Kharavela was a liberal patron of Jain monks for whose residence
he constructed caves on the Udayagiri hills, near Bhubaneswar in Orrisa.
Age of Satavahanas (235 BC-100 BC): the most important of the native successors of
the Mauryas in the Deccan and in Central India were the Satavahanas. The Satavahanas
are considered to be identical with the Andhras mentioned in the Puranas. The early
Satavahanas kinks appeared not in Andhra, but in Maharashtra where most of their early
inscriptions have been found.Gautamiputra Satakarni (A.D. 106-130) was the most
powerful Satavahana king. The successors of Gautamiputra rulled till A.D. 200.
The Kushanas (45 A.D.-73 A.D.) The Parthians were followed by Kushanas, who are
also called Yuehis or Tocharians. The Kushans were one of the five clans ino which the
Yuechi tribe was divided. There were two successive dynasties of Kushans. The first
dynasty was founded by a house of Chief who were called Kadphises and who ruled for
28 years from about A.D. 50. It has two Kings the first Kadphises I, who issued coins
South of the Hindukush. Kadphises I was succeeded by his sone kadphises II or Vima
Kadphises. Kanishka was the greatest Kushana king. He spread his kingdom in and
beyond the western Himalayas, including Khotan in Sinkiang. He is credited with
popularizing Buddhism in Tibet, China, Central Asia and other parts of the world.
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Cholas Uraiyur, later Puhar Tiger Puhar(Kaveripattam)
Cheras Vanji or Karur Bow Muzris, Tondi, Bandar
Pandyas Madurai Carp (Fish) Korkai, Saliyur
The Cholas: the homeland of the Cholas was the Kaveri delta and the adjoining region of
modern Tanjore and Trichinopoly. They were the first to acquire ascendancy in the far
south with kaveripattanam, or Puhar as their capital. Its ugly capital was Uraiyur
Towards the beginning of the fourth century A.D. the power of the Chola's big gain to
decline mainly because of the rise of Pallavas on one hand and the continuous war
waged by the Pandyas and the Cheras on the other.
The Pandyas: The ancient kingdom of the Pandas, with its capital at Madurai,
compromised the modern districts of Madura, Ramnad, Tirunelveli and southern parts of
Travancore. The Pandyas were first mentioned by Megarthanese. According to the
Magashense, the kingdom was once ruled by a woman. According to Asoka edicts, the
Pandyas were independent people living beyond the South than border of the Maurya
Empire. The greatest Pandya king was Nedunchezhian who defeated the Chera and
Cholas.
The Cheras : The earliest reference to the Chera (Keralaputra) kingdom cards in the
Ashokan inscriptions. It compromised the mordern districts of Malabr, Cochin and
Northern Travancore. Its Capital was Vanji. The greatest Chera king was Senguttuvan,
the red or good Chera. He is credited with having invaded the north and crossed the river
Ganga.
The classical age referred to the period when most of the north India was reunited under
the Gupta Empire. It was, perhaps, sometimes late in the period of third century A.D. that
the Gupta dynasty emerged. One Sri Gupta, who brought Magadha under his control,
was the founder of the Gupta dynasty. Sri Gupta was succeeded by Ghototkacha Gupta.
The first two kings of the dynasty were described as Maharajas.
Chandragupta I, grandson of Sri Gupta and son of Ghatotkacha Gupta, was the first to
great ruler of the dynasty. He increased power and prestige of the empire to a great
extent by matrimonial alliance and conquests. He married Kumaradevi, the Lichchavi
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Princess. His empire included modern Bihar, Oudh, Allahabad, Tirhut, in addition to
Magadha.
Chandragupta I married his daughter Prabhavati with a Vakataka Prince who belonged to
the Brahmana cast and ruled in central India. The prince died and was succeeded by his
young son. So, Prabhavati became the virtual ruler. Chandragupta exercised indirect
control over the Vikataka kingdom.
This afforded a great advantage to him. With his great influence in this area,
Chandragupta II conquered western Malwa and Gujarat, which had been under the role
of Saka Kshtrapas for about four centuries.
The conquest gave Chandragupta the eastern seacoast, famous for trade and commerce.
This also contributed to the prosperity of Malwa, and its chief city Ujjain. Ujjain seems to
have been made the second capital by Chandragupta II.
Chandragupta II adopted the title of Vikramaditya which had been first used by an Ujjain
ruler in 57 BC as a mark of his victory over the Saka Kshatrapas of western India. The
Court of Chandragupta II at Ujjain was adorned by an numerous scholars such as
Kalidasa and Amarashimha.
It was in Chandragupta's regin that the Chinese pilgrim Fa-Hien (399-414) visited India
and abroad and elaborate account of the life of its people.
Skandagupta, the last ruler of the Gupta dynasty, literary saved the Gupta Empire by
defeating the Hunas and in maintaining the integrity of his ancestral empire.
Success in repelling the Hunas scenes to have been celebrated by the assumption of the
title Vikramaditya.
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The decline of the empire begin soon after his death. The Hunas later became the rulers
of Punjab and Kashmir.
Gupta Architecture
Gupta age is known as Golden Age.
Gupta age marks the beginning of the main styles of temple architecture in India
namely the Nagara style andDravida style.
The finest example of temple architecture is the Dasavatara Temple at Deogarh. It
is also an example of early stone temple with a Shikara.
It has a square grabhagriha with exquisitely carved doorway.
The Bhitragaon temple of Kanpur is made entirely of bricks.
Other examples of temple architecture are Parvati Temple at Nachna Kuthira, Shiva
temple at Khoh, Cave temple at Udayariti etc.
Ajanta Paintings
The greatest specimen of Buddhist art in Gupta Times is provided by Ajanta
paintings. They depict the various events in the life of Gautama Buddha and
previous Buddhas, of jataka stories.
Bagh Caves had the folk culture as the basic theme.
The paintings in the cave number 9 and 10 belong to the first and second century
BC
Cave number 10 belong to the early Gupta eight, approximately 350 A.D.
Paintings in the cave number 16, 17 and 19 belong to the later period
approximately to 650 A.D.
Painting of the cave number 1 and 2 belong to the post Gupta period.
Medieval India
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North India and the Decan :
In the post Harsha period, three great centres of powers emerged in North India and
Deccan: Gurjara-Pratiharas, Palas and Rashtrakutas.
Kashmir Kashmir was ruled by three dynasties- the Karkota, Utpala and Loharas.
Lalitaditya was the most famous ruler of Kashmir during this period.
The Cholas
Cholas were the most civilised race of the south. It is believed that this dynasty was
founded by Karikala. Chola empire was called Cholamandalam. It included in itself
Trichnopoly, Tanjore and some districts of Mysore and Madras (Now Chennai).
Kaveripattam was its capital. The real founder of the Chola dynasty of Tanjore was
Vijayalaya, a feudatory of the Pallavas. His dynasty rose to its eminence and lasted for
more than two centuries.
Then Chola empire reached its zenith during the reigns of Rajaraja (985-1014) and his
son, Rajendra I(1014-1041)
Kulottunga (1178-1210) was the last greatest Chola emperor. After him, the Chola
empire collapsed and its place was taken by the Pandyas and Hoysalas.
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Kakatiyas (1110-1326) Warangal, Andhra Pradesh Prolaraja II
Yadavas (1187-1312) Devagiri,Maharashtra Bhillam V
Hoyasalas (1173-1342) Dwarasamudra, Karnataka Vittigadev 'Vishnuvardhan'
Emergence of Rajputs
In northern India, the smaller states were ruled by people known as Rajputs. With the
breakup of Pratihara empire, a number of Rajput states came into existence in north
India. The period between 647 AD and 1192 AD i.e. 500 years is known as the Rajput
period in the history of India.
Origin : There is no agreement among modern scholars regarding the origins of Rajputs.
According to one tradition, the Rajputs are the descendants of the ancient Kshatriyas
belonging to either sun family (Suryavansha) or moon family (Chandravansha) mentioned
in the Mahabharata.
Chandradeva and Govindachandra were the famous rulers of the Ghadavala family.
The Paramara ruler, was a great patron of art and literature. He himself was a great poet
and scholar. Prithvijar Chauhan or Rai Pithora was the famous Chauhan ruler. He
defeated Muhammad Ghori in the first battle of Tarain(1191). However, Ghori defeated
him in the second battle of Tarain(1192). Dhanga was the most powerful king of the
Chandella family.
Rajputs Art and Architecture : The fort structure reached perfection under the Rajputs.
The palaces of Jaipur and Udaipur and the forts of Chittor, Mandu, Jodhpur and Gwalior
are fine specimens of Rajputs architecture. Dilwara temples at Mount Abu, the Vimla
Vasahi and the Luna Vasahi were built by Solankis of Gujarat.
Rajputs Paintings : The Rajputs paintings are divided into the Rajput School of Art and
the Pahari School of Art. The Rajasthani School flourished in Mewar, Bikanar, Jaipur,
Jodhpur adn Jaisalmer and specialized in depicting scenes from Krishna Lila, Nayika
Veda and Ritu Charita. The Pahari School was patronized by the rulers of Himalayan
states especially in the regions of Basoli, Mandi, Jammu, Kangra and Garhwal.
The period between 1206 and 1526 in the Indian history is known as the"Period of the
Sultan Rulers" . During this period, rulers belonging to five different dynasties- The
Slaves, the Khiljis, the Tughlaqs, the Sayyids and the Lodhis-ruled over India.
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He patronised Minhaj-us-Siraj, author of 'Tabaqat-i-Nasiri'.
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To keep himself well-informed Balban appointed spies.
He created a strong centralised army to deal with internal disturbances and to
cheek Mongols who were posing a serious danger to Delhi Sultante.
He established the military department Diwani-i-Arz
The Persian court model influenced balban's conception of Kingship. He took up the
title of Zil-i-Ilahi (Shadow of God)
He destroyed Mewati Rajputa brigandage in the doab, where forests were cut and
forts built.
In his last days he overlooked Sultanate affairs due to dealth of his eldest and most
loving son, Muhammad, and rebellion by his closed and most loved
slave, Tughril. Muhammad died fighting Mongolians in 1285 and Tughril was
captured and beheaded.
Kaiqubad: 1287-1290
A grandon of Balban was established on the throne by Fakruddin, the Kotwal of
Delhi who assumed high political authority during last days of Balban. But Kaiqubad
was killed by the Khiliji family, which saw end of Slave dynasty and beginning of
Khiliji dynasty at Delhi throne.
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The Tughlaq Dynasty (1320-1414 AD)
Mubarak Shah (1421-1434):He succeeded Khizr at the throne after his successful
expeditions against Mewatis, Katehars and the Gangetic Doab area. He was killed
by the nobles in his own court.
Alam Shah (1443-1451):The last Sayyid king descended in favour of Bahlol Lodhi
and himself retired. Thus began the Lodhi dynasty, which confined to Delhi and a
few surrounding areas.
Sufism: Sufism Li presents the spiritual and mystical and I mention of a slump. The term
Sufi probably came from the Arabic word Sof(wool). This was perhaps due to the result of
old ascetic practice of wearing only a coarse woollen garment.
This movement was first born in Iran well some of the religious scholars and liberal
thinkers in the country released that there was little difference among the various beliefs,
such as Shia and the Sunni sects.
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Sufism
Sufism springs from the doctrine of Wahadat-ul-wajud or unity of being. This
doctrine was propounded by Ibn-ul-Arabi (1165-1240).
One of the earliest Sufis was a women saint (8th AD) Rabia of Basra who laid great
emphasis on love as bond between God and individual soul.
The Sufi orders are widely divided into two: Ba-Shara, that is, those who followed
Islamic law and Be-Shara, that is, those who were not bound by it. Of the Be-Shara
movement, only two acquired signifcant influence: the Chishti and Suhrawardi
Silsilas.
Sikhism
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4. Aravidu dynasty
The Mughul era, which began with the Babur's victory over Ibrahim Lodi in the First Battle
Of Panipat (1526) is a new beginning in the history of Muslim rule in India.
Unlike the Sultanate period when the state resembled a theatre of war, the Mughal rule is
regarded as time when conentius issues of religion and politics were placed on the
backburner and the splendour of monarchy took centrestage.
Babur was the first Mughal Emperor of India. He was born in Ferghana (1483), Central
Asia, in the princely family of mixed Mongol and Turkish blood. Failure to record his
father's land caused him to turn reluctantly to South-East. After defeating Ibrahim Lodhi
with the support of Punjab's Governor, Daulat Khan Lodhi, Babur turned his attention to
the Rajput confederacy and defeated Mewar ruler Rana Sanga in the Battle Of
Khanwa in 1527. This victory secured Babur's position in the Delhi Agra region.
Babur's reign ended in 1530 and was succeeded by his son Humayun.
Humayun Expeditions:-
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Though Humayun reconquered his empire, he was not destined to reap the fruits of his
success. He fell from staircase of his library and died soon due to its effect. The death of
Humayun placed the responsibility of the kingdom over the young shoulders of Akbar.
Akbar was crowned at Kalanaur at the age of 13 years. Bairam Khan, the tutor of the
Prince, adopted the title of Khan-i-Khana and rallied the Mughal forces.
Second Battle of Panipat: Akbar's earliest conflict was with Hemu, a general of Adil
Shah. Hemu proceeded to Delhi with the Mugul Governor, Tardi Beg Khan, offered a
feeble resistance and suffered defeat (1526). On receipt of the News of the all of the Agra
and Delhi, Bairam Khan marched to meet Hemu. The two armies met at Panipat (fifth of
November 1556). Hemu bought bravely but was defeated and Akbar reoccupied Delhi
and Agra.
Akbar's first victory in Rajasthan was won without bloodshed. In 1562, he made his first
pilgrimage to the mausoleum of the Sufi Saint, Sheikh Moin-ud-Din Chishti, at Ajmer. On
the way, he received Raja Bhar mal of Ajmer who made his submission without fighting.
Akbar conquered Gujarat (1572-1573) and Bengal (1574-1576). In 1591, Akbar sent four
missions to the rulers of Khandesh, Ahmadnagar, Bijapur and Golconda, calling upon
them to recognize his suzerainty and pay him tribute. Khandesh ruler offered his
submission. Ahmednagar was captured in 1600. By 1595, Akbar's armies had conquered
Kashmir, Sindh, Orrisa, Central India and Qandhar.
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1. Abdul Rahim
2. Abdul Fazal
3. Birbal
4. Faizi
5. Hamim Human
6. Raja Man Singh
7. Shaikh Mubarak
8. Tansen
9. Todar Mal
Most military success of Changi and was his trimph over the Rajput's of Mewar. In 1613,
Jehangir personally proceed to Ajmer to guide the expedition, the supreme commander of
which was given to Prince Khurram. Though the Rajputs displayed dauntless heroism,
the suffered heavy losses. That pretty that was signed between the Rana and the
emperor (1615) recognised Jehangir as the suzerain of Mewar.
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Nur Jahan built Itimad-ud-Daula's (another name of Mirza Ghiyas Beg) Marble
tomb at Agra, which is noticable for the first use of peitra dura made up of semi-
precious stones technique.
He built Moti Mahal in Lahore and his own Mausoleum at Shahdara (Lahore)
He also changed the plan of Akbar's Tomb at Sikandara. It is an unusual tomb as it
is not surmounted by a dome and built ont he model of a Buddhist pagoda.
After putting an end of the short reign of his nephew, Dawar Bakshi, the son of Khusru,
Shah Jahan found himself in undisputed possession of the throne in 1627 when he was
at the age of 36. After he became emperor, he exhibited modernisation as a ruler. He was
Married to Anjumand Baanu Begum also known as Mumtaj Mahal -1612.
He had to face two revolves, at Bundelkhand and Deccan. Jujhar singh, the son of Bir
Singh Bundela, revolted in Bundelkhand,difficult to region to the south of the Yamuna.
Aurangzeb ruled for almost 50 years. His Empire stretched from Kashmir in the north to
Jinji in the South, and from the Hindukush in the West to Chittagong in the East. Within
the Empire, he had to deal with a number of different problems, such as problems of the
Marathas in the Deccan, the Jats, and Satnamis and Rajputs in north India, and that of
Chip khans and Sikh in the north-west.
Aurangzeb's direct attention was concentrated on the affairs of north India. During 1681,
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the affairs of the South Central around the rise of the Marathas power under Shivaji. For
about 25 years (1682-7007) he made desperate efforts to crush the Marathas, exhausting
himself and his Empire in the process.
Later Mughals
Bahadur Shah I (1707-1712)
Jahandar Shah (1712-13) : Acended the throne with the aid of Zulfikhar Khan. His
nephew, farrukhsiyar, dethroned him.
Farrukhsiyar (1713-19) : of Ascended the throne with help of Sayyid brothers, Abdullah
Khan and Hussain Khan, who were Wazir and Mir Bakshi respectively. Farrukhsiyar was
killed by the Sayyid brothers in 1719. Sikh leader Banda Bahadur was captured at
Gurdaspur and executed.
Mohammad Shah (1719-48): During his reign, Nadir Shah provided India and took away
the peacock throne and Kohinoor diamond. He was a pleasure loving King and was
nicknamed Rangeela. During Muhammad Shah' reign, autonomous states of Hyderabad,
Bengal and Awadh were established by Nizam-ul-mulk, Murshid Quli Khan and Saddat
Khan Burhan-ul-Mulk respectively.
Alamgir (1754-1759)
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Shah Alam II (1759-1806)
When Babur joined Humayun at Agra, Humayun presented him a magnificent diamond. It
has always been a matter of some disputs, but it seems almost certain that his splendid
gem was Kohinoor (mountain of light), making its first appearance in history.
The Kohinoor was given to Humayun by the family of the Raja of Gwalior, whom he had
given protection. Humayun later gave the diamond to Shah Tahmasp of Persia. The
Shah sent it as a present to Nizam Shah in the Deccan. Somehow, the gem returned
during the 17th century into the treasury of the Mughal emperor,Shah Jehan. When
Nadir Shah plundered Delhi in 1739, he seized the diamond along with the other Moghul
jewels and named it Koh-i-noor. The Kohinoor passed through several hands before
finally resting in the Tower of London, where it remains on display.
At the beginning of the 17th century, most of the territory in the Maharashtra were under
the position of Nizamshah of Ahmednagar and the Adilshah of Bijapur. They took the help
of local, Marathi speaking people to run their administration. They recruited a large
number of Maratha sardas and soldiers in their armies.
Shahji Bhonsle (1627-1680): The Bhonsle family of the Poona district acquired military
and political advantage in the Ahmadnagar kingdom at the close of the 16th century.
Shivaji (1627-1680 A.D.) :Shivaji was the son of Shahji Bhonsle. Shivaji's responded to
the aspiration of masses.
Shivaji visit to Agra: Shivaji reached Agra in 1666, and was admitted in the hall of public
audience. The emperor gave him a cold reception by making him stand among the
mansabdars. A humiliated and angry Shivaji walked out of the court. He, along with his
son, was put under house arrest. However, they tricked their guards and managed to
escape in a basket of sweets which was to be sent as a gift to the consolidating his
position and reorganising his administration, Shivaji renewed his was against the Mughals
and gradully recovered many of his forts.
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Important Events In Shivaji's Life
Birth : 1627
Conquest of Tornana: 1646
Conquest of Kondana fort : 1647
Shivaji kills Afzal Khan : 1659
Attack on Surat : 1664; 1670
Coronation: 1674
Military system : In Army administration, Shivaji prefer to give cash raise to the regular
soldiers. His regular army consisted of about 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers.
Shivaji laid the foundation of a strong state by curbing the power of deshmukhs .
Balaji Viswanath (1713-1720) : He began his career as a small revenue official and was
given the title of Sena Karte (maker of the Army) by Shahu 1708. He became Peshwa in
1730 and made the post of most important and powerful as well as hereditary. He played
a crucial role in the final victory of Shahu over the Mughuls by winning over almost all the
Marathas Sardars to the side of Shahu.
Baji Rao (1720-1740) : Baji Rao, the eldest son of Balaji Viswanath, became Pashwa at
the yound age of 20. He was considered the greatest exponent of gurrilla tactic after
Shivaji and Maratha Power reached zenith under him. He also defeated the Nizar-ul-Mulk
near Bhopal and concluded the Treaty of Durai Sarai by which he got Malwa and
Bundelkhand from the latter (1737).
Balaji Baji Rao (1740-61) : Known as Nana Saheb, he succeeded his father at the age of
20. After the death of Sahu (1749), the management of all state of affairs was left in his
hands. In an agreement with the Mughul emperor, the Peshwa (1752) was to protect the
Mughal empire from internal and external enemies in return for the Chauth.
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Third Battle of Panipat: Faught in 1761, the Maratha forces were routed by the forces of
Ahmad Shah Abdali. Vishwas Rao, son of Nana Saheb, lost his life.
Modern India
In 1498, Vasco de Gama discovered the sea route to India and reached Calicut (now
Kozhikode).
His discovery made the Portuguese to be the first among the European nations to trade
with India and found settlements along the coasts. Following them were the Dutch, the
English, the Danes and the French. Eventually the English and the French were left in the
field to contend for the Indian Trade.
Portuguese Chronology
1498 Vasco de Gama found a new roue to India and reached the port of Calicut.
1502 Vasco de Gama established a factory at Cochin
1505 Francis co de Almeida became the first Portuguese governor in India
Albuquerque succeeded Almeida as governor. Defeat of the combined fleet of
1510
Gujarat, Egypt and Zamorin at the hands of Almeida
1530 Governor Nino da Cunha transferred his capital from Cochin to Goa.
1534 Diu and Bassein were acquired from Bahadur Shah of Gujarat.
1535 Subjugation of Diu
Martin Alfonso de Souza became new governor during his governorship. The
1542
famous Jesuit Saint Franciso Xaveir arrived in India
1559 Subjugation of Diu
1612 Loss of Surat to the English
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1631 Loss of Hugli to Qasim Khan, a Mughal role
1661 Portuguese King presents Bombay to his
1739 Salsethte and Bassein are lost to the Marathas
The French
In the middle of the seventeenth century Louis XIV's finance minister Colbert formed
a French East India Company named Compagnie des Indes Orientales in 1664. Louis
XIV provided the Company with an interest-free loan of 3 million livre. The Company was
thus, created and financed by the State. After initial attempts made to colonise
Madagascar had proved a failure, the Company undertook a fresh expedition in 1667
under the command of Francis Caron accompanied by Marcara, a native of Ispahan
reached India and set up the first French factory at Surat in 1668.
The English
Before the East India Company established trade in India, John Mildenhall, a merchant
adventurer, was the first Englishmen who arrived in India in 1599 by the over land route,
ostensibly for purpose of trade with Indian merchants.
On 31st December, 1600, Queen Elizabeth granted a Charter to the Company named
'The Governor and Company of Merchants of London Trading in the East Indies' the right
to carry on trade with all countries of the East. This company is commonly known as the
English East India Company.
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Sir Thomas Roe was successful in obtaining two farmans from the Mughal Court
1615
confirming free trade with exemption from inland toll.
1616 The East India Company established its branch factory at Masulipatnam.
The English obtained the Golden Farman with the right to trade in the kingdom of
1632
Golkunda for a fixed customs duty, from the Sultan of Golkunda.
The eastern branch factory of East India Company was established in
1633
Hariharpur, Balasore.
1639 The local king of Madras(Now Chennai) granted the Company a lease.
Nawab Shuja-ud-din of Bengal granted the English, the right to carry on their
1651
trade on payment of a fixed duty.
King Charles II of England was given Bombay (Now Mumbai) as dowry after
1662
marrying the Portuguese princess
The English obtained the royal farman to trade in Bengal from the Mughal
1667
Emperor Aurangzeb.
The English East India Company replaced its headquarters from Surat to
1687
Bombay.
The Governor of Bengal gave the English Company Dastaks (Free trade passes)
1691
on the payment of a fixed duty.
English obtained a number of trade concessions from the Mughal Emperor
1717 Farrukhsiyar after the Emperor was cured of a painful disease by the English
Surgeon William Hamilton.
In 1714, an Englishman John Surman was sent to Delhi Court for securing trading
facilities for the company. He succeeded in obtaining from Emperor Farukhsiyar
a farman in 1717, by which the Company was permitted to carry on trade in Bengal,
Bombay and Madras free of customs duty. The Company was also permitted to mint its
own coins. The Nawabs of Bengal, however, showed scant regard for the
imperial farman .
Siraj-ud-Daula (1756-57)
He seiged the English factory at Kasim bazar on 20th June 1756. Fort
William surrendered but Robert Clive recovered Calcutta
On 2nd January 1757, Treaty of Alinagar was signed, whereby Siraj
conceded practically all the demands. British then captured Chandernagore, the
French settlement, on March 1757.
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Battle of Plassey was fought on 23 June 1757, Owing to the conspiracy, the Nawab
was defeated.
The Company was granted undisputed right to free trade in Bengal, Bihar and
Orrisa. It received the Zamindari of 24 Parganas. Mir Jafar, however, fell into
arrears and was forced to abdicate in favour of his son-in-law Mir Qasim
Mir Qasim ceded Burdwan, Midnapore and Chittagong. He shifted his capital
Mir Jafar (1763) was again placed on the throne.
Nizam-ud-Daulah (1765-72)
On Mir Jafar's death, his son Nizam-ud-daulah was placed on the throne and
signed a treaty on 20th Feburary, 1765 by which the Nawab was to disband most of
his army and to administer Bengal through a Deputy Subahdar nominated by the
Company.
Dual system of government started in Bengal. The Company acquired both Diwani
and Nizamat rights from Najam-ud-Daula (1765-66), the new nawab of Bengal. But
the Company did not take over direct administration and revenue collection. Warren
Hastings ended the Dual system of Government in 1772.
Situation was worsened in 1756, when the young and quick tempered Siraj-ud-Daulah
succeeded his grandfather, Alivardi Khan.They met for the battle on the field of Plassey,
20 miles from Murshidabad, on 23rd June 1757.
Battle of Plassey
The Battle of Plassey was a battle only in name. The major part of the Nawab's ( siraj-ud-
daulah) army led by the traitors Mir Jafar and Rai Durlabh, took no part in the fighting. Mir
Jafar's treasury was soon emptied by the demands of the Company's officials for
presents and bribes.
Battle of Buxar
Mir Qasim belied English hopes and soon emerged as a threat to their position and
designs in Bengal. Mir Qasim was defeated in series of battles in 1763 and fled to Avadh,
where he formed an alliance with Shuja-ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Avadh, and Shah Alam,
the fugitive ruler of Mughal Empire.
Company became the real master of Bengal at least from 1765. Its army was in sole
control of its defence and the supreme political power was in its hands.
In May 1765, Robert Clive became the Governor of Bengal for the first time.
Treaty of Allahabad
The Treaty of Allahabad was concluded by Clive with Shuja-ud-Daula and the Mughal
Emperor Shah Alam II, according to which the British got the right of free trade in Awadh
and they were allowed to keep a British Army at the expense of the Nawab of Awadh.
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The third Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao could not withstand the shock of the defeat of the
Marathas in the Third Battle of Panipat and died on June 23, 1761. He was succeeded
by his son Madhav Rao.The English became conscious of the growing power of the
Marathas and wanted to crush their re-establishment. They got this opportunity very soon
after the death of Madhav Rao in 1772.
Conquest of Mysore
1. Hyder become the Sultan of Mysore after the death of Nanjaraj, who had usurped
power reducing its king Chikka Krishna Raj (belonging to the Wodeyar dynasty)
2. He took steps to train his army on European lines and preferred infantry to
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equestrian troops.
3. He set up a modern artillery.
4. He won Sera, Hoskote, Dod, Bellapur, Nandidurg, Gudi and Sunda
Tipu Sultan
Annexation of Punjab
Ranjit Singh, the chief of the Sukarchakiya misl (one of the 12 misls or confederations of
Punjab,) conquered in 1799. In 1805, he also snatched Amritsar from Bhangi Misl. He
attacked the areas across the river Sutlej and brought many sikh chieftains under his
suzerainty. Soon Ranjit Singh took over Multan, Kashmir and Peshwa also. However, he
signed the Treaty of Amritsar, also called the Treaty of Perpetual Friendship, in 1809
under which he accepted the East India Company's greater right over the cis-Sutlej
territories
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Warren Hastings (1772 – 1785):
Brought the Dual Govt, of Bengal to an end by the Regulating Act, 1773.
The First Anglo – Maratha War (1776 – 82), which ended with the Treaty of
Salbai (1782), and the Second Anglo – Mysore War (1780 – 84), which ended
with the Treaty of Mangalore (1784), were fought during Hasting’s period.
Sir Charles Mercalfe (1835 – 1836) : Abolished all restrictions on vernacular press
(called Liberator of the Press).
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REVOLT OF 1857
Causes of Revolt of 1857:
Immediate Cause ‐‐> Soldiers made to bite off ends of greased cartridges in
‘Enfield Rifles’ having fat of cows and pigs
Barrackpore – Mangal Pande refused to use cartridges and attacked Adjutant
of his regiment, for fear of moss of his caste and religion. (Arrested and
hanged on 8th April, 1857)
Delhi :‐ Revolutionaries killed British soldiers, captured Delhi, and proclaimed
Bahadur Shah II the ruler of India
Kanpur :‐ Led by Nana Sahib, adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II
Lucknow :‐ Led by Begum of Oudh; Sir Henry Lawrence shot dead. Defeated
and recaptured by Sir Colin Campbell in 1858.
Central India :‐ Led by Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi and Tantia Tope. Occupied
Gwalior
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Lord Ripon (1880‐1884)
Liberal person, who sympathized with Indians.
Vernacular Press Act (1882)
Passed the local self— government Act (1882).
Took steps to improve primary & secondary education (on William
Hunter Commission’s recommendations).
The I Factory Act, 1881, aimed at prohibiting child labour was passed.
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