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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.

Mesolithic Age (10,000 - 4,000 BC)

It was the transitional between Palaeolithic and Neolithic ages. Its characteristic tools are
microliths all made of stone.

Neolithic Age (New Stone Age)(6,000-1,000 BC)

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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.

Bronze Age and Indus valley Civilization (IVC)


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The beginning of IVC or Harappan Culture coincided with the Bronze Age. The Bronze
Age literally referred to the times when most advanced metal working used Bronze.

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.

Indus Valley Facts at a Glance :

 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

• starts with line ‘agnimele purohitum’

• contains 1028 hymns and divided into 10 mandalas.

• hymns Sung by priests called Hotris

• contains famous gayatri mantra composed by Vishwamitra

• 10th mandal contains purush sukta that describes caste system.

Samveda

• Rhthmic compilation of hymns for Rigveda

• "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

• Book of sacrifical prayers

• Rituals of yajnas

• Is sung by priest "Adhavaryu"

• 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.

• Has been compiled in "fourth path"

• Has been divided into, Krishna(black) Yajurveda & Shukla(white) Yajurveda

Atharvaveda

• Mantras for magic spells

• Populate ritualistic system & superstitions

• Associated with "Saunkiya" and "Paiplad" community

• Not included in 'Trai'

• Has been divided in 20 "Kandas"

• 18th, 19th & 20th 'Kandas' are later works

• Provides freedom from evils spirits.

• Oldest text on Indian Medicine.

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

• Literarily, it means 'Jungle'


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• Provides description of Moral Science and Philosophy

• Provides details of hermits and saints who lived in Jungles

• Give stress on meditation

• Protests the system of 'Yajnas'

Upanishada

It would be appropriate to describe Upanishadas as mystic writings. There are 108


Upanishads in all, the most prominent of them being Ish, Prasana, Aitareya, Taittiriya,
Chhandogaya, Kathoupanishad, Ishopanishad, Brehadaranyaka, etc.

1. Literary meaning is 'Satra' (to sit near masters feet) in which Guru offers band of
knowledge to their disciples

2. Is a combination of Tatva-mimansa and philosophy

3. They are also called "Vedanta"

4. Primitive upanishada are "Brahadaranyaka" and "Chandogya"

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.

7. Knowledge awards salvation says Upanishadas

8. Oldest possibility Narsinghpurvatapani

9. Latest possibility Allopanishada in Akbar's reign

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:-

a. The Vedangas: They refer to certain branches of post-Vedic studies regarded as


auxiliary to the Vedas. The Vedangas are conventionally divided into six heading
namely:- (i) Kalpa or the ritual canon, including the dharma shastras or legal codes,
(ii)Jyotisha or astronomy, (iii) Siksha or phonetics, (iv)Chhanda or metre (v) Nirukta or
etymology (vi)Vyakarana (Grammer)

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b. The Shad-Darsana: Six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy, namely Nyaya,
'Vaiseshikha', Sankhya, Yoga, Mimamsa and Vedanta.

c. Itihasa: Legendary or semi-legendary works, specifically the Ramayana and


Mahabharata and often extended to the Puranas.

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).

Emergence of Mahajanapadas (600-321 BC)


In the later Vedic period, the tribal organisations changed its identity and gradually shifted
to the territorial identity, and the area of settlement were now regarded as janapadas or
states. Each janapada tried to dominate and subjugate other janapadas to
become Mahajanapadas.

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.

Chronology of Foreign Invasions


518-486 BC King Darius or Darus invaded India
326 BC Alexander invaded India
190 BC Indo Greeks or Bactrians invaded India
90 BC Sakas invaded India
Ist century AD Pahalavas invaded India
45 AD Kushanas or Yue-chis invaded India

Rise of Magadha
Between the sixth and the fourth centuries BCE, Magadha (in present day Bihar) became
the most powerful Mahajanapada.

The Haryankas: Magadha came into prominence under the leadership of


Bimbisara (542-493 BC), who belonged to the Haryanka dynasty. He strengthened his
position by marriage alliances. He took three wives. His first wife was the daughter of the
king of Kosala and the sister of Prasenajit. His second wife Chellana was a Lichchhavi
Princess from Vaishali, and his third wife was the daughter of the chief of the Madra clan
of Punjab. Marriage relations with the different princely families gave enormous
diplomatic prestige and paved the way for the expansion of Magadha westward and
northward.

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.

Significant Persons In World History During The Six Century BC


Zoraster(Persia) founder of Zorastrianism
Isaiah (Palestine) the preacher
Confucius(China) the philosopher
Laotse (China) the philosopher
Selone (Greece) the philosopher
Mahavira (India) 24th Thirtankara of Jainsim
Buddha (India) founder of Buddhism

The Mauryas Facts (321 BC-185 BC)


There are mainly two literally sources of the Mauryan period.

One is the Arthashastra written by Kautilya or Chanakya, the Prime Minister of


Chandragupta Maurya, which explains how a good government should be organised. The
other source is Indica written in Greek by Magasthenes, the ambassador of Seleucus
Nicator head the court of Chandragupta. Magasthenes wrote not only about the capital
city of Pataliputra but also about the Maurya Empire as a whole and about the society.

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.

The Ashoka Facts (273-232 BC)

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.

Asoka's Epic and Inscriptions and they are subject


First major rock
First Prohibition on animal slaughter
edict
Second major rock Mention of places of Cholas, Pardayans. Satayaputras
Second
edit and Keralputras
Third major rock Directions to Predeshikas. Yuktas and Rajukas for
Third
edit propagation of .Dhamma
Forth major rock
Forth Impact of Dhamma on society.
edit

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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.

India after Mauryas (200 BC-A.D. 100)


Following are some of the major dynasties which came in existence after Mauryas.

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 last king of this dynasty was Devabhuti or Devabhumi.

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.

The Sangam age (first to third century A.D.)


'Sangam' is the Tamil form of Sanskrit word "Sangha" meaning a group of persons or an
association. The Tamil Sangam was an Academy of poets, who flourished in three
different periods and in different places under the patronage of the Tamil kings. According
to tradition, the first Sangam was founded by Sage Agastya and its seat was at
Thenmadurai (South Madurai). The Sangam literature speaks of three South Indian
kingdoms - Chola, Pandya and Chera. The three ancient kingdoms of the Cholas, the
Pandas and the Chera combined with were known as Tamilakha, or the Tamil realm.

The Three Sangam Kingdoms


Kingdoms Capital Emblems Famous sport

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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 age of the Guptas (A.D. 320-550)


The classical age:

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 (320 A.D.-335 A.D.)

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.

Samudragupta (335 A.D.-375 A.D.)


Samudragupta increased the throne in 335 A.D. The basic information about his reign is
provided by an inscription Prayaga Prasasti composed by Harisena, the poet at his court,
and engraved on an Ashokan pillar at Allahabad Pilair Inscription.

Samudragupta embarked upon a policy of conquest. In fact,Digvijay became the ultimate


call of his life. For his military achievements, he has been aptly complemented by the
historian V.A Smith as the Indian Napoleon. He has described Samudragupta as
the Hero of Hundred Battles.

Chandragupta II (380 A.D.-412 A.D.)


The reign of Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya) was the largest watermark of the Gupta
Empire. He extended the limits of the empire by marriage alliance and conquests.

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.

Development of literature during Gupta period


During the Gupta period, Sanskrit literature greatly encouraged. Prose and poetry both
were written during the Gupta period. The Allahabad pillar inscription indicates that
Harisena was a great poet. The manner in which, he has described the samundragupta
by Chandragupta indicates that he was a pirate of great calibre.

Medieval India

Early Medieval India (650-1206 AD)

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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)

Rajaraja's major achievements were :-

1. conquering Madurai and capturing the Pandyan ruler


2. invading northern part of Sri Lanka and making it a Chola province
3. conquering Maldive islands
4. emerging as a strong naval power by destroying the stongest naval power of the
Chera kingdom.

Rajendra I's major achievements were :-

1. conquering several trans-Ganga kingdoms and assuming the title of Gangai


Kondachola
2. founding a new capital called Gangai Kondacholapuram
3. conquering the whole of Ceylon or Sri Lanka
4. Indianisation of several lands of the south-East Asia
5. defeating the kings of Sumatra in a naval campaign and annexing a part of
Sumarata kingdom to his kingdom

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.

Other Kingdoms of South


Kingdom Capital Real founder
Western/Later Chalukyas Kalyani,Karnataka Tailap II

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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'

Note: The temple of Hoyasaleshwara at Dwarasamudra (Modern Halebid) is the greatest


achievement of Hoyasala art.

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.

Rajputs Ruling Dynasties : The most important Rajputs dynasties were


the Gahadavalas of Kanauj,the Paramaras of Malwa, and the Chauhans of
Ajmer. There were other smaller dynasties in different parts of the country, such as the
Kalachuris in the are around modern Jabalpur, the Chandellas of Mahoha in
Bundelkhand, the Chalukyas of Gujarat, the Tomars of Delhi etc.

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.

Attacks of Muhmud of Ghazni


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Mahmud of Ghazni raided India for the first time in AD 1000 . He wanted to make Ghazni,
a principality of Afghanistan, into a region wielding formidable power in the politics of
Central Asia. In a short period of 25 years, he made 17 raids. He destroyed many temple
e.g. Somnath temple in Gujarat (1025 AD) as they were depositories of vast quantitites of
wealth.

Attacks of Muhammed Ghori


The second attack from north-west was made by the Muhammed Ghori at the end of
12th century, for which India was not prepared. He attacked from Gomal Pass in 1182,
and conquered Sindh. In 1182, he conquered Lahore and soon after, an attack was
commenced on the Rajputs kingdoms controlling the Ganges plain. Prithviraj Chauhan
led the Rajputs against Muhammed Ghori at the First battle of Tarain in 1191 and the
Rajputs became victorious. At the Second battle of Tarain in 1191 at the same place,
Prithviraj was defeated by the kingdom of Delhi fell to Ghori. Muhammad Ghori defeated
and killed Jayachandra, the king of Kanauj, in the Battle of Chadawar. Before his
assassination in 1206, Turks had conquered the Ganga-Yamuna doab and its
neighbouring areas, and Bihar and Bengal were also overrun.

The Delhi Sultanate (1206-1526)


Introduction: The defeat of Prithviraj Chauhan in the second battle of Tarain in 1192 by
Shahabuddin Muhammad Ghori inaugurated an era of Muslim rule in India. The sudden
death of Muhammad Ghori in 1206 and his failure to specify succession procedures pitted
his three slaves Tajuddin Yalduz, Nasiruddin Qubacha and Qutbuddin Aibek against each
other.

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.

The Background of Delhi Sultanate

 First Muslim Invasion - Mohammad Bin Qasim's Invasion (712 AD)


: Mohammad Bin Qasim invaded India in 712 AD and conquered Sindh which
became the province of Omayyad Khilafat.
 First Turk Invasion-Mahmud Ghaznavi's Invasion (998-1030 AD) :Sultan
Mahmud of Ghazni led about 17 expeditions to India to enrich himself by taking
away the wealth from India. In 1025 he attacked and raided the most celebrated
Hindu temple of Somnath that lies on the coast in the extreme south of Kathiwar.
The temple was destroyed in 1026 AD.
 Second Turk Invasion-Mohammad Ghori's Invasion (1175-1206 AD)
:Mohammad Ghori invaded India and laid the foundation of the Muslim domination
in India. He may be considered the founder of muslim rule in India.
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Mohammad Ghori's conquests became the nucleus of a new political entity in India-the
Delhi Sultnate. This period can be divided into 5 distint periods viz

1. The Slave dynasty (1206-1290)


2. The Khijli Dynasty (1290-1320)
3. The Tughlaq Dynasty (1320-1414)
4. The Sayyid Dynasty (1414-1451)
5. The Lodhi Dynasty (1451-1526)

The Slave Dynasty (1206-1290)


All the Muslim rules that ascended the throne of Delhi after the death of Muhammad
Ghori in 1206 till 1290 were either themselves slaves or the descendants of these slave
rulers. That is why the rulers belonging ot this dynasty are generally are known as
the "Slave Rulers" or the Mameluk Sultans and the dynasty is called the "Slave
dynasty. " Muhaammad Ghori had left Indian possessions in the care of his former slave,
Qutub-ud-bin Aibek, who on the death of his master, severed his links with Ghazni and
asserted his independence, becuase he use to give (harity.)

Qutubuddin Aibek: 1206-1210


 A Turkish slave by origin, he was purchased by Mohammad Ghori who later made
him his Governor. After the death of Ghori, Aibek became the master of Hindustan
and founded the Slave dynasty in 1206. For his generosity, he was given the title
of Lakh Bakhsh (give of Lakhs.)
 He died in 1210 while playing Chaugan or Polo
 He constructed two mosques-Quwat-ul-Islam at Delhi and Adhai din ka Jhonpra at
Ajmer. He also began the construction of Qutub Minar, in the honour of famus Sufi
Saint Khwaja Qutubuddin Bakhityar Kaki.
 Aibek was great patron of learning and patronised writers like Hasan-un-
Nizami, author of 'Taj-ul-Massir' andFakhruddin,author of 'Tarikh-i-Mubarak Shah'

Shamsuddin Iltutmish: 1211-1236


 He was a slave of Qutubuddin Aibak and occupied the throne of Delhi in 1211 after
deposing Aram Bakhsh.
 He was a very capable ruler and is regarded as the 'real founder of the
DelhiSultanate'. He made Delhi the capital in the place of Lahore.
 He saved Delhi Sultanate from the wrath of Chengiz Khan, the Mongol leader, by
refuing shelter to Khwarizm Shah, whom Chengiz was chasing.
 He introduced the silver coin (tanka) and the copper coin (jital). He organised
the lqta System and introduced reforms in civil administration and army, which was
now centrally paid and recruited.
 He set up an official nobality of slaves known as Chahalgani/Chlisa(group of 40)
 He completed the construction of Qutub Minar which was started by Aibeks

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 He patronised Minhaj-us-Siraj, author of 'Tabaqat-i-Nasiri'.

Razia Sultan: 1236-1240


 Though Iltutmish had nominated his daughter Razia as the successor, the nobles
placed Ruknuddin Firoj on the throne. However, Razia got rid of Ruknuddin and
ascended the throne.
 She was the 'first and only Muslim lady who ever ruled India'
 She was popular among the people but she was not acceptable to the nobles and
theologians. She further offended the nobles by her perference for an Abyssian
slave Yakut.
 Soon after her accession, the governors of Multan, Badaun, Hansi & Lahore openly
revolted against her. There was a serious rebellion in Bhatinda. Altunia, governor of
Bhatinda refused to accept suzerainity of Razia. Razia accompained by Yakut
marched against Altunia.
 However, Altunia got Yakut murdered and imprisoned Razia. Subsequently, Razia
married Altunia and both of them marched towards Delhi.
 In 1240 AD, Razia became the victim of a conspiracy and was assassinated near
Kaithal (Haryana)

Bahram Shah: 1240-1242


 After Razia, Iltutmish' third son Bahram Shah was put on throne by powerful turkish
council Chalisa.
 He was considered only as de jure ruler, while Naib-e-mamlakat (the regent) was
de facto ruler.
 Bahram Shah lost his life after failed attempt to assert his authority once on the
throne.

Masud Shah: 1242:1246


 He was son of Raknuddin but was disposed after Balban and Nasiruddin Mahamud'
Mother, Malika-e-Jehan,conspired against him and established Nasiruddin
Mahamud as the new Sultan.

Nasiruddin Mahamud: 1246-1266


 He was the son of Iltutmish and was known as the Darvesi King as he was very
pious and noble. He died in 1266.

Ghiyasuddin Balban: 1266-1287


 Balban ascended the throne in 1266.
 He broke the power of Chalisa and resorted the prestige of the crown. That was his
greatest contribution towards the stability of the Sultanate.

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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.

The Khilji Dynasty

Jalaluddin khilji (1290-96)


 Also known as Malik Firoz, he founded khilji dynasty.
 Defeated Mongols in 1292.

Alauddin khilji (1296-1316)


 Early name was Ali Gurshap.
 Attacked chittor capital of mewar in 1303.
 First muslim ruler to attack south india.
 Assumed the title Sikander-i-sani or second Alexander.
 Abolished zamindari system.
 Maintained a permanent standing army.
 Constructed alai darwaza , gateway to qutub minar and built the city of siri at delhi.

Mubarak shah khilji


 Last ruler of khilji dynasty.
 Killed by khusrau khan.

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The Tughlaq Dynasty (1320-1414 AD)

Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq (1320-1325 AD)


 Khusrau Khan, the last king of the Khilji dynasty was killed by Ghazni Malik, and
Ghazni Malik ascended the throne assuming the title Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq.
 He died in an accident and his sone Jauna (Ulugh Khan) succeeded him under the
title Mohammad-bin-Tughlaq.

Mohammad-bin Tughlaq (1325-1351 AD)


 Prince Jauna, Son of Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq ascended the throne in 1325
 He tried to introduce many administrative reforms. He had 5 ambitious projects for
which he has became particulary debatable.
1. Taxation in the Doab (1326)
2. Transfer of Capital (1327)
3. Introduction of Token Currency (1329)
4. Proposed Khurasan Expedition (1329)
5. Qarachil Expedition (1330)
 His five projects have led to revolts all around his empire. His last days were spent
in checking the revolts

1335 -- Mudurai became independent (Jalaluddin Ahsan Shah)


-- Foundation of Vijayanagar (Harihar & Bukka), Warrangal became
1336
independent (Kanhaiya)
1341- -- Revolts of Sada Amirs & Foundation of Bahamani in 1347 (Hasan
47 Gangu)

 He died in Thatta while campaigning in Sindh against Taghi, a Turkish slave.

Firoz Shah Tughlaq(1351-1388 AD)


 He was a cousin of Mohammad-bin-Tughlaq. After his death the nobles and the
theologians of the court selected Firoz Shah as the next Sultan.
 Established of Diwan-i-Khairat (department for poor and needy people)
and Diwan-l-Bundagan (department of slaves)
 Making Iqtadari system hereditary.
 Construction of canals for irrigation from
1. Yamuna to the city of Hissar
2. From the Sutlej to the Ghaggar
3. From the Ghaggar to Firuzabad
4. From Mandvi and Sirmour Hills to Hansi in Haryana.
 Establishment of four new towns, Firuzabad, Fatebabad, Jaunpur and Hissar.

After Firoz Shah Tughlaq(1388-1414 AD)


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 The Tughlaq dynasty would not survive much after Firoz Shah's death. The Malwa,
Gujarat and Sharqi (Jaunpur) Kingdoms broke away from the Sultanate.
 Timur Invasion : (1398-99)Timur, a Turk, invaded India in 1398 during the reign
of Muhammad Shah Tughlaq , the last ruler of Tughlaq dynasty. His army
mercilessely sacked and plundered Dellhi. Timur returned to Central Asia, leaving a
nominee to rule to Punjab which ended the Tughlaq dynasty.

The Sayyid Dynasty (1414-50 AD)

Points for Sayyid Dynasty


 Khizr Khan (1414-1421):Timur's nominee captured Delhi and was proclaimed the
new Sultan and the first of the Sayyid Dynasty. They ruled over Delhi and
surroundings districts.

 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.

 Muhammad Shah (1434-1443):The nobles put Muhammad Shah on the throne,


but could not survive the in-fighting among the nobles in the court. He was
authorized to rule a meagre area of around 30 miles and rest of the Sultnate was
ruled by the nobles.

 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.

The Lodhi Dynasty (1451-1526 AD)

Lodhi or Pathans Sultans


Bahlol Lodhi (1451-88 AD)
 Bahlol Lodhi was one of the Afghan sardars who established himself in Punjab
afer invasion of Timur
 He founded the Lodhi dynasty. He founded the rule of the Lodhi dynasty by
usurping the throne from the last of the Sayyid rulers.
 He was a strong and brave ruler. He tried to restore the glory of Delhi by
conquering territories around Delhi and after continuous war for 26 years, he
succeeded in extending his authority over Jaunpur, Rewail, Itawah, Mewar,
Sambhal, Gwalior etc.
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 He was a kind and generous ruler. He was always prepared to help his subjects.
Though he was himself illiterate, he extended his patronage to art and learning. He
died in 1488.

Sikandar Lodhi (1489-1517 AD)


 Sikandar Lodhi was the son of Bahlol Lodhi who conquered Bihar and Western
Bengal.
 He shifted his capital from Delhi to Agra, a city founded by him.
 Sikandar was a fanatical Muslim and he broke the sacred images of the
Jwalamukhi Temple at Naga Kot and ordered the temples of Mathura to be
destroyed.
 He took a keen interest in the development of agriculture. He introduced the Gaz-i-
Sikandari (Sikandar's yard) of 32 digits for measuring cultivated fields.
 He was a staunch Sunni and a Muslim fanatic. He lacked religious tolerance. In
the name of religion, he perpetuated untold cruelties on the Hindus.

Ibrahim Lodhi (1517-26 AD)


 He was the last king of Lodhi dynasty and the last Sultan of Delhi
 He was the son of Sikandar Lodhi
 The Afghan nobility was brave and freedom-loving people but it was because of its
fissiparous and individualistic tendencies that the Afghan monarchy was
weakened. Moreover, Ibrahim Lodhi asserted the absolute power of the Sultan.
 At last Daulat Kan Lodhi, the governor of Punab invited Babur to poverthrow
Ibrahim Lodhi, Babur accepted the offer and inflicated a crushing defeat on
Ibrahim Lodhi in the first battle of Panipat in 1526.
 No Sultan of India except Sultan Ibrahim had been killed on the battle field.

Beginning of Indo Islamic culture


The arrival of Islam in India resulted in a unique combination of cultural tradition. This
combination led to the growth of a composite religion in the country's top evidences of
this contact can be seen in the religion, architecture, literature, music and painting.

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

The Sikh Gurus


1 Guru Nanak (1469-1539): First Guru of Sikhs, Founder of Sikhism
(1504-1552): Compiled the biography of Guru Nanak Dev, known
2 Guru Angad as Janam Sakhi; introduced Gurmukhi Script; 63 hymns of Guru Angad
Dev included in Guru Granth Sikh.
Guru Amar (1479-1574): He promoted inter-caste dining at his kitchen. Akbar
3
Das granted villages to finance the scheme, out of which grew Amritsar
(1534-1581): Son-in-law of Guru Das; All subsequent Gurtis descended
Guru Guru
4 from Ram Das' family. The standard Sikh marriage ceremony known
Ram Das
as Anand Karaj, four stanza hymn composed by Guru Ram Das.
(1563-1606): Of Guru Run Task Died after torture in Mughal (Jhangir)
detention for sheltering rebellious Mughal prince Khusrau, He
Guru Arjun
5 constructed the famous Golden Temple at Amritsar and prepared a
Dev
summary of Sikh teaching named Sukmani; compiled the Guru Granth
Sahib in 1604; 2312 hymns from Guru Arjan Dev included in it.
(1595-1644): Son Of Guru Arjun Dev; put on two swords-one signifying
Guru
6 Miri (secular power) and other Piri (spiritual power); built the Akal Takht
Hargobind
in 1608.
Guru Har (1630-1661): Son of Guru Hargobind. Supported Dara's claim in the
7
Rai wars of succession between Shah Jahan's sons
8 Guru (1656-1664): Of Guru Har Rai; Gurudwara Bangla Sahib in New Delhi
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Harkishan was constructed in his memory.
Guru Teg (1621-1674): Son of Guru Harargobind; Gurudwara Rakab Ganj Sahib
9
Bahadur in New Delhi is where Guru body was cremated.
Guru (1666-1700): Executed on Mughal order: Son of Guru Teg Bahadur;
10 Govind Babtized the Sikhs and created Khalsa; instructed the Sikhs to
Singh keep five Ks, compiled the 1428 page Dasam Granth Sahib

Emergence of Provincial Kingdoms

Provincial Kingdoms During And After The Sultanate


Kingdom Capital Founder/Most Important Ruler
1. Shah Mir dynasty in Shah Mirza or Sams-ud-din; Zainul
Kashmir
Kashmir Abidin
2. Sisodia dynasty in Mewar Chittor Rana Hamir; Rana Kumbha
Rao Chunda: Rao Jodha and
3. Rathore dynasty in Marwar Jodhpur
Maldeva
4. Kachhawaha dynasty of
Ajmer Dullah Rao: Hammir Deva
Amber or Amer
5. Muzaffarshahi dynasty in Anhilvada (later Zafar Khan or Muzzaffarshah:
Gujart Ahmedabad) Ahmad Shah I, Mahmud
6. Sultanate of Bengal Gaud IIyas Shah: Ala-ud-din Shah
7. Suryavansi or Gajapati
Jajnagar Kapilendra: Kapilendra
dynasty in Orrisa
8. Khalji dynasty in Malwa Mandu Dilawar Khan Ghori; Mahmud Khalji
9. Sharqi dynasty in Jaunpur Jaunpur Malik Sarwar; Ibrahim Shah Sharqi
10. Ahom dynasty in Kamrup Charaido (later
Sukapha; Suhungmung
and Assam Charqua)
11. Farukki dynasty in Malik Raja Farukki; Malik Raja
Burhanpur
Khandesh Farukki
Gulbarga (later Hasan Gangu Bahman Shah; Firuz
12. Bahmani in Karnataka
Bidar) Shah, Ahmad Shah I
13. Vijaynagar

1. Sangam dynasty Hastinavati or Hampi


Thirumala; Thirumala
Penugonda
2. Suluva dynasty
3. Tuluva dynasty

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4. Aravidu dynasty

The Mughals (1526-1540 and 1555-1857)

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 (1526-1530) Facts

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.

Important Battles Fought By Babur


 Battle Of Panipat (1526) : He defeated Ibrahim Lodhi. This was his fifth expedition
in India in which he was successful.
 Battle of Khanwa (1527) : He defeated Rana Sanga of Mewar
 Battle of Chanderi (1528) : Barbur defeated Medini Rai. He was the first to entitle
himself as the 'Padshah'. After the Kushanas, he was the first to bring Kabul and
Kandahar into the Indian Empire.
 Battle of Ghaghra (1529) : He fought against the Allied forces of Afghans in Bihar
and Bengal. Sultan Nusrat Shah of Bengal faced crushing defeat.

Architectural development by Babur


He built two mosques: one at Kabulibagh in Panipat and the other at Sambhal in
Rohilkhand.

Humayun (1530-1556) Facts


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Humayun succeeded the Babur at the young age of 23. When he occupied the throne, he
found himself surrounded by enemies on all sides. In the east were Mahmud Lodhi and
other Afghans under share Khan. In the South was Sultan Bahadur Shah, and the ruler of
Gujarat, and in the north-west, Kamran, the younger brother of Humayun.

Humayun Expeditions:-

 Expectation of Kalinjar (1531) : Humayun besieged the fourth of Kalinjar in


Bundelkhand. Humayun was forced to make peace and accept a huge indemnity
from the Raja.
 Battle of Dauhariya (1532) : Humayun defeated Mahmood Lodi, the Afghan of
Bihar.
 Siege of Chunar (1532) :Humayun besieged for fort of Chunar under Sher Shah,
who offered nominal submission. It proved to be a mistake on the part of Humayun
to accept it.
 Wars with Bahadur Shah (1535-1536) :Bahadur Shah annexed Malwa in 1531,
captured the fourth of Raisin and defeated the Chief of Chittor in 1533.
 Battle of Chausa (1539) : Humayun's return to our was blocked by Sher Shah.
Both armies delayed the attack and rains started. Leaving the Mughal encampment
flooded. Humayun was defeated.
 Battle of Kanauj (1540) : After reaching Agra, Humayun and his brother Kamran
decided to fight Sher Shah but due to the differences between the brothers,
Humayun for the Battle of Kanauj and lost. Humayun became a fugitive and Sher
Shah became the ruler of Agra and Delhi.

Architectural development by Humayun


 He laid the foundation of the city Din Panah at Delhi.
 Humayun's Tomb is called the prototype of Taj Mahal. It has a double dome of
marble, while the central dome is octagonal. It was built by his widow Haji Begum

Sher Shah Suri (1540-1545) Facts


 Original name- Farid
 Defeated humanyu in battle of chausa in 1539 and in battle of kannauj in 1540.
 Introduced the national highway concept for the first time by constructing grand
trunk road from Calcutta to Amritsar.
 Built Purana quila in delhi and also constructed Khooni darwaza at Firozshah
kotla.

Akbar (1556-1605) Facts

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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 Political Compaigns


 Akbar's earliest compaigns were against Durgawa of Garh-Katanga (Gond & Rajput
principalties) followed by Chittor
 The two powerful forts of Rajasthan: Ranthambor and Chittor (gaurded by Jaimal)
were captured by the Mughals.
 Akbar's Deccan campaign began with the siege of Ahmednagar (defended by
Chand Bibi). Ahmednagar soon resurrected itself under the leadership of Malik
Amber.
 Akbar's last campaign was against Asirgarh, resulting in the annexation of
Khandesh (1601). Akbar conquered Qandahar in 1595.
 Bhagwan Das (500 zat) amd Man Singh (7000 zat) enjoyed a privileged position in
the Mughal court.
 Akbar faced a rebellion in Gujrat in 1572, which was crushed and following which
he built the Buland Darwaza at Fatehpur Sikri. Opened the fort of Aasirgadh with
Gold keys.

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.

Akbar's Nine Jewels or Nav-Ratnas

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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

Architectural development by Akbar


 Building built by Akbar are : Agra Fort (1565), Lahore Palace(1572), Fatehpur Sikri,
Bulan Darwaza and Allahabad fort (1583)
 The architecture at Fatehpur Sikri is an excellent blending of Persian, Central Asia
and various Indian (Bengal and Gujarat) styles. It is also known as Epic Poem in
Red Sandstone.
 Two unusual building at Fatehpur Sikri are Panch Mahal and Diwan-i-Khas
 Panch Mahal has the plan of Buddhist Vihara.
 The Jodhabai's Palace, Diwan-i-Aam and Diwan-i-Khas are Indian in theri plan.
 Buland Darwaja (built after Gujarat victory) formed the main entrance to Fatehpur
Sikri. It is built in the Iranian Style of half dome portal.
 He built the Jahangiri Mahal in Agra fort according to Hindu design based on Man
Mandir
 He also began to build his own tomb at Sikandara which was later completed by
Jahangir.

Jehangir (1605-1627) Facts


Ain-E-Jahangiri is the collection of Jehangir 12 points on judicial probes. In 1612,
Jehangir saw the need of earning the goodwill of the plans in order to disarm them
against the Mughals. He therefore, followed a conciliatory policy.

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.

Architectural development by Jehangir

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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.

Shah Jahan (1627-1658) Facts

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.

Architectural development by Shah Jehan


 He was the most prolific and magnificant builder.
 Mosque buildings activity reached its climax in Taj Mahal at Agra. Ustad Isa was
the master architect under whose guidance, the Taj Mahal was designed and
constructed in Agra. It constructed took 22 years. He also built the Jama Masjid
(sand stone) in Delhi.
 Many stone buildings were destroyed by him and replaced by marble.
 He laid the foundation of Shahjahanabad in 1637 where he built the Red Fort and
Taqt-i-Taus (Peacock Throne)
 Shah Jehan built Nahar-i-Faiz.

Aurangzeb (1658-1707) Facts

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.

Highlights of Aurangzeb's reign


 The second coronation of Aurangzeb took place when he defeated Dara (1659).
 He took the title of Alamgar in 1659.
 He was also called as Zinda Pir the living saint.
 In 1662, Mir Jumta, Aurangzeb's ablest general, led the expedition against Ahoms.
 He forbade inscription of Kalma on the coins.
 He ended the celebration of Navroz Festival.
 He forbade music in the court.
 He ended Jarokha Darsha , use of almanacs and weighing of the emperor.
 Aurangzeb compiled Fatwa-i-Alamgir.
 Jaziya was reintroduced. However the Hindu mansabdars maintained their high
proportion during his rule.
 The Mughul conquest reached a climax during his reign, as Bijapur and Golconda
were annexed in 1686 and 1687 respectively.

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.

Ahmed Shah (1748-1754)

Alamgir (1754-1759)

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Shah Alam II (1759-1806)

Akbar Shah II (1806-37)

Bahadur Shah II (1837-1862)

The story Of Kohinoor Diamond


After the battle of Panipat, Babur ordered his son Humayun to secure the treasures at
Agra, which had been the capital of the Lodhi dynasty since 1502.

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.

The Marathas (1649-1748)

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

Shivaji Adminstration: Shivaji laid the foundation of a sound system of administration.


Shivaji system of administration was a largely borrowed from the administrative practice
of the Deccan States. Although he designated eight ministers, sometimes called
the Ashtapradhan it was not in the nature of the Council of ministers, each minister being
directly responsible to the ruler.

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 .

The Rise of Peshwas

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.

Advent of European Commerce


The Portuguese
Vasco-da-Gama Discovers Sea Route to India : India had commerical relations with
the countries of the west from time immemorial. But from the seventh century AD, her sea
borne trade passed into the hands of the Arabs, who began to dominate the Indian
Ocean and the Red Sea. It was from then that the enterprising merchants of Venice and
Genos purchased Indian Goods. Bartholomew Diaz doubled the Cape of Good Hope, or
the Stormy Cape, as he called it, in 1487; and Vasco de Gama found out a new route to
India and reached the famous port of Calicut on the 17th May, 1498.

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

Vasco-de-Gama estblished a factory at Cochin in 1502. He was followed by Alfonso de


Albuquerque in 1503. In 1505, the portuguese decided to appoint a governor to look after
their Indian affairs. Franicsco de Almeida became the first governor. Albuquerque
succeeded him in 1509. Albuquerque was the real founder of the Portuguese empire in
the east.

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.

Chronology of English East India Company


1600 Establishment of English East India Company
1608 Captain William Hawkins visited the Mughal Court of Jehangir.
Emperor Jehangir issued farman permitting the English to establish a factory at
1609
Surat.
1613 The English East India Company's factory was set up at Surat.

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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 .

East India Company and Bengal Nawabs

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.

Mir Jafar (1757-60)

 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 (1760-64)

 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.

British Expansion in India

Acquisitions of Indian States in British Empire


 Under Subsidiary Alliance: Hyderabad(1798), Mysore(1799), Awadh(1801),
Peshwa(1802), Bhonsle and Scindia(1803), Udaipur, Jodhpur and Jaipur(1818)
 Under Doctrine of Lapse: Satara(1848), Jhansi, Sambhalpur of Orrisa(1849),
Baghat(1850), Jaipur of Bundelkhand(1849),Udaipur in Rajputana(1852),
Jhansi(1853) and Nagpur(1854)

British Conquest of Bengal


The East India Company secured valuable privileges in 1717 under a royal farman by the
Mughal Emperor, which had granted the Company the freedom to export and import their
goods in Bengal without paying taxes and right to issue passes or dastaks for the
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movements of such goods. The Company servants were also permitted to trade but were
not covered by this farman. All the Nawabs of Bengal from Mushid Quli Khan to Alivardi
Khan, had objected to the English interpretation of the farman of 1717.

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.

Dual System of Administration in Bengal (1765-1772)


Under this system, the administration was divided between the Company and the Nawab
but the whole power was actually concentrated in the hands of the Company. This
complex system remained in practice during the period from 1765 to 1772.

Anglo Maratha Rivalry

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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.

There were three wars :

The First Anglo Maratha War (1775-1782

The Second Anglo Maratha War (1803-1805)

The Third Anglo Maratha War (1817-1818)

Anglo Maratha Treaties At a Glance


was signed by Raghunath Rao wherein he promised to hand
Treaty of Surat,1775 over Bassein and Salsette and a few islands near Bombay to the
British.
Treaty of was signed by Madhav Rao II. The company got a huge was
Purandhar,1776 indemnity and retained Salsette.
was signed by British and Bombay government to relinquish all
Treaty of
territories acquired by the Bombay office of the East India
Wadgoan,1779
Company since 1773.
was signed by Mahadji Scindia whereby the British influence in
Treaty of Salbai,1782 Indian politics and mutual conflicts increased amongst the
Marathas.
was signed between Baji Rao II. This treaty gave effective
Treaty of
control of not only Maratha but also Deccan regions to the
Bassein,1802
Company.
Treaty of by Bhonsle assured British supremacy over the Maratha
Deogaon,1803 Kingdom.
Treaty of Surji-
by Daulat Rao Scindia assured the same.
Arjangaon,1803

Conquest of Mysore

Highlights of the Reigns of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan


Hyder Ali

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

1. Introduction of a new system of coinage, new scales of weights and measures.


2. Improvisations in the fields of agriculture, trade and commerce.
3. Abandonment of the custom of giving jagirs and reduction in the hereditary
possessions of the poligars.
4. Missions to France and Constantinople to manage some aid for the state but
without success.
5. Organisations and training to army on European line; Arming the infantry with rifles.
6. Attempt to establish a navy on modern line for which two dockyards were
established.
7. Check on the jagirdars and poligars by reducing the jagirs
8. Collection of many books on diverse subjects and setting up a big library
9. Support to the French soldiers in setting up a Jacobin club in Serinagpatnam in
1797.

Treaties signed by Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan


 Treaty of Madras, 1769, restored the conquered territories to their respective
owners
 Treaty of Manglore, 1784, restored the conquered territories mutually and
liberated war prisoners.
 Treaty of Srirangapatanam, 1792, was signed by Tipu Sultan by which he had to
cede half of his territory to the Company and paid a huge war reparation.

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

GOVERNOR GENERALS OF INDIA

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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.

Lord Cornwallis (1786 – 1793) :


Did the Permanent Settlement of Bengal (also called Zamindary System).
The civil service was brought into existence.

Lord Wellesley (1798 – 1805) :


Adopted the policy of Subsidiary Alliance a system to keep the Indian rulers
under control and to make the British the paramount power.
He defeated the Mysore force under Tipu Sultan in the Fourth Anglo – Mysore
War in 1799.

Lord Minto I (1807–1813):


 Concluded the treaty of Amritsar with Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1809).
 Charter Act of 1813 was passed.

Lord Hasting India (1813 – 1823) :


The Anglo‐Nepal War (1814 – 16) was fought during his reign which ended with
the Treaty of Sagauli (1816).

Lord William Bentinck (1828‐1835)


Carried out the social reforms like Prohibition of Sari (1829) and elimination of
thugs (1830).
Made English the medium ofhighereducation inthe country (Afterthe
recommendations of Macaulay
Charter Act of 1833 was passed; made him the first Governor General of India

Sir Charles Mercalfe (1835 – 1836) : Abolished all restrictions on vernacular press
(called Liberator of the Press).

Lord Auckland 1842 (1836 – 1842)


The most important event of his reign was the First Afghan War, which proved
to be a disaster for the English.

Lord Dalhousie Reforms (1848 – 1856) :


Opened the first Indian Railway in 1853 (from Bombay to Thane).
Laid out the telegraph lines in 1853 (First was from Calcutta to Agra).
Introduced the Doctrine of Lapse and captured Satara (1848), Jaipur and
Sambhalpur (1849), Udaipur (1852), Jhansi (1854) and Nagpur (1854)
through it.
Established the postal system on the modern lines through the length and
breadth of the country, which made communication easier.

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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

INDIAN NATIONAL MOVEMENT


Partition of Bengal:
By Lord Curzon on Oct 16, 1905, through a royal Proclamation, reducing the
old province of Bengal in size by creating East Bengal and Assam out of rest of
Bengal.
The objective was to set up a communal gulf between Hindus and Muslims.
A mighty upsurge swept the country against the partition.National movement
found real expression in the movement against the partition of Bengal in 1905.

Swadeshi Movement (1905):


Lal, Bal, Pal, and Aurobindo Ghosh played the important role.
INC took the Swadeshi call first at the Banaras Session, 1905 presided over
by G.K.Gokhale. Bonfires of foreign goods were conducted at various places.

Formation of Muslim League (1906):


Setup in 1906 under the leadership of Aga Khan, Nawab Salimullah of Dhaka and
Nawab Mohsin‐ ul‐Mulk.
It was a loyalist, communal and conservative political organization which
supported the partition of Bengal, opposed the Swadeshi movement, and
demanded special safeguards to its community and a separate electorate for
Muslims.

Demand for Swaraj:


In Dec 1906 at Calcutta, the INC under Dadabhai Naoroji adopted ‘Swaraj’
(Self‐govt) as the goal of Indian people

Surat Session of Indian National Congress (1907):


The INC split into two groups– The extremists and the moderates, at the Surat
session in 1907. Extremists were led by Bal, Pal, Lal while the moderates by
G.K.Gokhale.
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Indian Councils Act or Minto Morley Reforms (1909):
Besides other constitutional measures,it envisaged a separate electorate for
Muslims Aimed at dividing the nationalist ranks and at rallying the Moderates and
the Muslims to the Government’s side.

Ghadar Party (1913):


Formed by Lala Hardayal, Taraknath Das and Sohan Singh Bhakna. HQ was at
San Francisco.

Home Rule Movement (1916):


Started by B.G.Tilak (April, 1916) at Poona moreover Annie Besant and
S.Subramania Iyer at Adyar, near Madras (Sept, 1916)
Objective: Self – government for India in the British Empire. Tilak linked up
the question of Swaraj with the demand for the formation of Linguistic States
and education in vernacular language. He gave the slogan: Swaraj is my birth
right and I will have it.

Lucknow Pact (1916)


Happened following a war between Britain and Turkey leading to anti‐British
feelings among Muslims. Both INC and Muslim League concluded this (Congress
accepted the separate electorates and both jointly demanded for a representative
government and dominion status for the country).

August Declaration (1917):


After the Lucknow Pact, a British policy was announced which aimed at “increasing
association of Indians in every branch of the administration for progressive
realization of responsible government in India as an integral part of the British
empire”. This came to be called the August Declaration.

Rowlatt Act (March 18, 1919)


This gave unbridled powers to the govt. to arrest and imprison suspects without
trial for two years maximum. This law enabled the Government to suspend the
right of Habeas Corpus, which had been the foundation of civil liberties in Britain.
Caused a wave of anger in all sections. It was the first country‐wide agitation by
Gandhiji and marked the foundation of the Non Cooperation Movement.

Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (April 13, 1919):


People were agitated over the arrest of Dr. Kitchlu and Dr. Satyapal on April
10, 1919.
General O’ Dyer fires at people who assembled in the Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar.
As a result hundreds of men, women and children were killed and thousands
injured.
Rabindranath Tagore returned his Knighthood in protest. Sir Shankaran Nair
resigned from Viceroy’s Executive Council after this.
Hunter Commission was appointed to enquire into it.
On March 13, 1940, Sardar Udham Singh killed O’Dyer when the later was
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addressing a meeting in Caxton Hall, London.

Khilafat Movement (1920):


Muslims were agitated by the treatment done with Turkey by the British in the
treaty that followed the First World War.
Two brothers, Mohd.Ali and Shaukat Ali started this movement.

Non‐cooperation Movement (1920):


It was the first mass‐based political movement under Gandhiji.
Congress passed the resolution in its Calcutta session in Sept 1920

Chauri –Chaura Incident (1922):


A mob of people at Chauri – Chaura (near Gorakhpur) clashed with police
and burnt 22 policemen on February 5, 1922.
This compelled Gandhiji to withdraw the Non Cooperation movement on Feb.12,
1922.

Simon Commission (1927):


Constituted under John Simon, to review the political situation in India and
to introduce further reforms and extension of parliamentary democracy.
Indian leaders opposed the commission, as there were no Indians in it.
The Government used brutal repression and police attacks to break the popular
opposition. At Lahore, Lala Lajpat Rai was severely beaten in a lathi‐charge. He
succumbed to his injuries on Oct.30, 1928.

Lahore Session (1929):


On Dec.19, 1929 under the President ship of J.L.Nehru, the INC, at its Lahore
Session, declared Poorna Swaraj (Complete independence) as its ultimate goal.
On Dec.31, 1929, the newly adopted tri‐colour flag was unfurled and an.26,
1930 was fixed as the First Independence Day, was to be celebrated every year.

Dandi March (1930):


Also called the Salt Satyagraha.
Along with 78 followers, Gandhiji started his march from Sabarmati Ashram
on March 12, 1930 for the small village Dandhi to break the salt law. He reached
the seashore on Apr.6, 1930. He picked a handful of salt and inaugurated the Civil
Disobedience Movement.

First Round Table conference (1930):


It was the first conference arranged between the British and Indians as equals.
It was held on Nov.12, 1930 in London to discuss Simon commission.
Boycotted by INC, MuslimLeague, Hindu Mahasabha, Liberals and some
others were there.

Gandhi Irwin Pact (1931):


Moderate Statesman, Sapru, Jaikar and Srinivas Shastri initiated efforts to break
the ice between Gandhiji and the government.
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The two (government represented by Irwin and INC by Gandhiji) signed a pact on
March 5, 1931.
In this the INC called off the civil disobedience movement and agreed to join
the second round table conference
The government on its part released the political prisoners and conceded the right
to make salt for consumption for villages along the coast.

Second Round Table Conference (1931):


Gandhiji represented the INC and went to London to meet British P.M. Ramsay
Macdonald.
However, the session was soon deadlocked on the minorities issue and this time
separate electorates was demanded not only by Muslims but also by
Depressed Classes, Indian Christians and Anglo – Indians.

The Communal Award (Aug 16,1932):


Announced by Ramsay McDonald. It showed divide and rule policy of the
British.
Envisaged representation of Muslims, Sikhs, Indian Christians, Anglo Indians,
women and even Backward classes.
Gandhiji, who was in Yeravada jail at that time, started a fast unto death against
it. Poona Pact (September 25, 1932):
After the announcement of communal award and subsequent fast of Gandhiji,
mass meeting took place almost everywhere.
Political leaders like Madan Mohan Malviya, B.R.Ambedkar and M.C.Rajah
became active.
Eventually Poona pact was reached and Gandhiji broke his fact on the sixth day
(Sept 25, 1932).
In this, the idea of separate electorate for the depressed classes was
abandoned, but seats reserved to them in the provincial legislature were
increased.

Third Round Table Conference (1932):


Proved fruitless as most of the national leaders were in prison. The discussions
led to the passing of the Government of India Act, 1935.

Demand for Pakistan


In 1930, Iqbal suggested that the Frontier Province, Baluchistan, Sindh and
Kashmir be made the Muslim State within the federation
Chaudhary Rehmat Ali gave the
term Pakistan in 1923.
Mohd. Ali Jinnah of Bombay gave it practicality.
Muslim League first passed the proposal of separate Pakistan in its Lahore
session in 1940
The Cripps Mission – 1942:
In Dec. 1941, Japan entered the World War – II and advanced towards Indian
borders. By March 7, 1942, Rangoon fell and Japan occupied the entire S E
Asia.
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The British govt. with a view to getting co‐ operation from Indians sent Sir
Stafford Cripps, leader of the House of Commons to settle terms with the Indian
leaders.
He offered a draft which proposed dominion status to be granted after the war
Rejected by the Congress as it didn’t want to rely upon future promises.
Gandhiji termed it as a post dated cheque in a crashing bank.

The Revolt of 1942 & The Quit India Movement:


Called the Vardha Proposal and Leaderless Revolt.
The resolution was passed on Aug.8, 1942, at Bombay. Gandhiji gave the
slogan ‘Do or Die’.
On Aug 9, the Congress was banned and its important leaders were arrested
The arrests provoked indignation among the masses and, there being no
program of action, the movement became spontaneous and violent. Violence
spread throughout the country.
The movement was however crushed

The Indian National Army:


Founded by Rasbehari Bose with Captain Mohan Singh
S.C.Bose secretly escaped from India in Jain 1941, and reached Berlin. In July
1943, he joined the INA at Singapore. There, Rasbehari Bose handed over the
leadership to him.
The soldiers were mostly raised from Indian soldiers of the British army who
had been taken prisoners by the Japanese after they conquered S.E.Asia.
Two INA head quarters were Rangoon and Singapore (formed in Singapore).
INA had three fighting brigades named after Gandhiji, Azad and Nehru. Rani
Jhansi Brigade was an exclusive women force

The Cabinet Mission Plan (1946):


The struggle for freedom entered a decisive phase in the year 1945‐46. The
new Labour Party PM.Lord Attlee, made a declaration on March 15, 1946, that
British Cabinet Mission (comprising of Lord Pethick Lawrence as Chairman, Sir
Stafford Cripps and A.V. Alexander) will visit India.
The mission held talks with the INC and ML to bring about acceptance of their
proposals
On May 16, 1946, the mission put towards its proposals. It rejected the
demand for separate Pakistan and instead a federal union consisting of British
India and the Princely States was suggested
Both Congress and Muslims League accepted it.

Formation of Interim Government (Sept 2, 1946):


Based on Cabinet Mission Plan, an interim government consisting of
Congress nominees was formed on Sept.2, 1946. J.L. Nehru was its Vice‐
President and the Governor‐General remained as its President.

Jinnah’s Direct Action Resolution (Aug 16, 1946):


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Jinnah was alarmed at the results of the elections because the Muslim League
was in danger of being totally eclipsed in the constituent assembly.
Therefore, Muslim League withdrew its acceptance of the Cabinet Mission
Plan on July 29, 1946.
It passed a ‘Direct action’ resolution, which condemned both the British
Government and the Congress (Aug 16, 1946). It resulted in heavy communal
riots.
Jinnah celebrated Pakistan Day on Mar 27, 1947.

Formation of Constituent Assembly (Dec 9, 1946):


The Constituent assembly met on Dec 9, 1946 and Dr.Rajendra Prasad was
elected as its president. Mountbatten Plan (June 3, 1947):
On June 3, 1947, Lord Mountbatten put forward his plan which outlined the steps
for the solution of India’s political problem. The outlines of the Plan were:
The British govt. passed the Indian Independence Act of 1947 in July 1947,
which contained the major provisions put forward by the Mountbatten plan
Aug.15, 1947 was the date fixed for handing over power to India and Pakistan.

VICEROYS OF INDIA (1858‐AUG 14, 1947)


Lord Canning (1856—1862)
The last Governor General and the first Viceroy. Mutiny took place in his time.
On Nov.1858, the rule passed on to the crown. Withdrew Doctrine of Lapse.
The Universities of Calcutta, Bombay and Madras were established in 1857. Indian
Councils Act was passed in 1861

Lord Elgin (1862‐1863) Lord Lawrence (1864‐1869)


Telegraphic communication was opened with Europe.
High courts were established at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras in 1865. Expanded
canal works and railways

Lord Mayo (1869‐1872)


Started the process of financial decentralization in India.
Established the Rajkot College at Kathiarwar and Mayo college at Ajmer for the
Indian princes.
For the first time in Indian history, a census was held in 1871.
Organised the Statistical Survey of India
Was the only Viceroy to be murdered in office by a Pathan convict in the
Andamans in 1872.

Lord Northbrook (1872‐1876) Lord L. Ytton (1876‐1880)


Known as the Viceroy of reverse characters.
Organised the Grand ‘Delhi Durbar’ in 1877 to decorate Queen
Victoria with the title of ‘Kaiser‐i‐Hind’.
Arms Act (1878) made it mandatory for Indians to acquire license for arms.
Passed the infamous Vernacular Press Act (1878).

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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.

Lord Dufferin (1884‐1888)


Indian National Congress was formed during his tenure.

Lord Lansdowne (1888‐1894)


II Factory Act (1891) granted a weekly holiday and stipulated working hours for
women and children, although it failed to address concerns such as work hours
for men.
Categorization of Civil Services into Imperial, Provincial and Subordinate.
Indian Council Act of 1892 was passed
Lord Elgin II (1894‐1899)
Great famine of 1896‐1897. Lyall Commission was appointed.

Lord Curzon (1 899‐1 905)


Passed the Indian Universities Act (1904) in which official control over the
Universities was increased.
Partitioned Bengal (October 16, 1905) into two provinces Bengal (proper) East
Bengal & Assam.
Appointed a Police Commission under Sir Andrew Frazer to enquire into the police
administration of every province.
The risings of the frontier tribes in 1897‐98 led him to create the
Extended railways to a great
extent
Lord Minto (1905‐1910)
There was great political unrest in India. Various acts were passed to curb the
revolutionary activities. Extremists like Lala Lajpat Rai and Ajit Singh (in May,
1907) and Bal Gangadhar Tilak (in July, 1908) were sent to Mandalay jail in Burma.
The Indian Council Act of 1909 or the Morley‐ Minto Reforms was passed.

Lord Hardinge (1910‐1916)


Held a durbar in Dec, 1911 to celebrate the coronation of King George V.
Partition of Bengal was cancelled (1911); capital shifted from Calcutta to Delhi
(1911). Delhi was made capital in place of Calcutta.
A bomb was thrown at him, but he escaped unhurt (Dec, 23 1912). Gandhiji
came back to India from South Africa (1915).
Annie Besant announced the Home Rule Movement.

Lord Chelmsford (1916‐1921)


August Declaration of 1917, whereby control over the Indian government would
be gradually transferred to the Indian people. The government of India Act in 1919
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(Montague‐Chelmsford)

Lord Reading (1921‐1926)


Rowlatt Act was repealed along with the Press Act of 1910.
Communal riots of 1923‐25 in Multan, Amritsax Delhi, etc.
Swami Shraddhanand, a great nationalist and a leader of the Arya
Samajists, was murdered in communal orgy.

Lord Irwin (1926‐1931)


Simon Commission visited India in 1928.
Congress passed the Indian Resolution in 1929.
Dandi March (Mar 12, 1930).
Civil Disobedience Movement (1930).
First Round Table Conference held in England in 1930.
Gandhi ‐ Irwin Pact (Mar 5, 1931) was signed and Civil Disobedience Movement
was withdrawn.
Martyrdom of Jatin Das after 64 days hunger strike (1929).

Lord Willingdon (1931‐1936)


Second Round Table Conference in London in 1931.
On his return Gandhiji was again arrested and Civil Disobedience Movement
was resumed in Jan. 1932.
Communal Awards (Aug 16, 1932) assigned seats to different religious
communities. Gandhiji went on a epic fast in protest against this division.
Third Round Table Conference in 1932
Lord Linlithgow (1936‐1944)
Govt. of India Act enforced in the provinces. Congress ministries formed in
8 out of 11 provinces. They remained in power for about 2 years till Oct 1939,
when they gave up offices on the issue of India having been dragged into the II
World War. The Muslim League observed the day as ‘Deliverance Day’
Churchill became the British PM in May, 1940. He declared that the
Atlantic Charter (issued jointly by the UK and US, stating to give sovereign rights to
those who have been forcibly deprived of them does not apply to India.
Outbreak of World War II in 1939.
Cripps Mission in 1942.
Quit India Movement (August 8, 1942).

Lord Wavell (1944‐1947)


Arranged the Shimla Conference on June 25, 1945 with Indian National
Congress and Muslim League; failed.
Cabinet Mission Plan (May 16, 1946).
Elections to the constituent assembly were held and an Interim
First meeting of the constituent assembly was held on Dec. 9, 1946.

Lord Mountbatten (MAR.1947‐AUG.1947)


Last Viceroy of British India and the first Governor General of free India.
Partition of India decided by the June 3 Plan.
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Indian Independence Act passed by the British parliament on July 4, 1947, by
which India became independent on August 15, 1947

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