History

🟢 Lite — Quick Review (1h–1d)

Rapid summary for last-minute revision before your exam.

History — Quick Facts for SSC CGL

Ancient Indian History:

Indus Valley Civilisation (c. 3300–1300 BCE):

• Locations: Harappa (Punjab, Pakistan), Mohenjo-daro (Sindh, Pakistan), Dholavira (Gujarat, India), Rakhigarhi (Haryana, India)
• Town planning: Grid pattern, standardised brick sizes, sophisticated drainage (排水系统)
• Economy: Agriculture (wheat, barley), trade (Mesopotamia), craft production
• Major crops: Wheat, barley, cotton; domesticated buffalo
• Script: undeciphered — over 400 symbols, most likely proto-Dravidian
• Decline: Climate change (weakening of monsoon), river course shifts, Aryan invasions

Vedic Period:

• Early Vedic (c. 1500–1000 BCE): Rigveda composed; pastoral economy; gana/sabha village assemblies; Rigvedic Sanskrit
• Later Vedic (c. 1000–600 BCE): Transition to agriculture; iron ploughshares; differentiation of varna; emergence of gotra; major upanishads composed; 16 mahajanapadas

Maurya Empire (c. 322–185 BCE):

• Chandragupta Maurya: Founded empire (321 BCE); met Seleucus Nicator (Greek general) — received Kandahar region
• Ashoka: Kalinga war (261 BCE) — converted to Buddhism; inscribed edicts on rocks and pillars (Brahmi script); dhamma propagation
• Ashoka’s pillars: Sarnath (lion capital — now India’s national emblem), Allahabad pillar, etc.
• Administration: Distributed empire into provinces; spies and secret agents; standing army

Golden Age of the Guptas (c. 320–550 CE):

• Chandragupta I (320 CE): Married Kumaradevi (Licchavi princess); started Samudragupta’s campaigns
• Samudragupta (335–375 CE): Military genius; expanded empire; described by Chinese pilgrim Fahien
• Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya, 375–415 CE):最大值; Kalidasa, Aryabhata, Varahamihira in court
• Aryabhata (499 CE): Proposed Earth rotates on axis; calculated π = 3.1416; Aryabhatiya

Medieval India:

Delhi Sultanate (1206–1526):

• First Sultanate: Qutb-ud-din Aibak (1206); slave-turned-governor
• Khilji dynasty (1290–1320): Alauddin Khilji — introduced market reforms (price control on grain), expanded to South India (Maqbara of安康)
• Tughlaq dynasty: Muhammad bin Tughlaq — token currency (silver tanka), capital shift to Daulatabad, failed schemes
• Sayyid dynasty: Founded after Tughlaq collapse; weakest Sultanate
• Lodi dynasty: Last Sultanate; Ibrahim Lodi vs Babur

Mughal Empire (1526–1857):

• Babur (1526–1530): First Mughal emperor; defeated Ibrahim Lodi at Panipat (1526); Central Asian chess player; wrote Baburnama
• Humayun (1530–1540, 1555–1556): Defeated by Sher Shah Suri; exiled to Persia; returned after Sur dynasty collapse
• Akbar (1556–1605): Expanded empire; Rajput alliances (marriage with Jodha Bai/Harkha Bai); abolished jizya; built Fatehpur Sikri; Diwan-i-Khas; 容 for all religions (Sulh-i-Kul); translation of manuscripts
• Jahangir (1605–1627): Nur Jahan; wine lover; Mandu inscriptions
• Shah Jahan (1628–1658): Built Taj Mahal (1632–1653, for Mumtaz Mahal); Red Fort; Jama Masjid; spent last years imprisoned by Aurangzeb
• Aurangzeb (1658–1707): Killed Dara Shikoh; reimposed jizya; Deccan campaigns; saw empire’s fragmentation begin

⚡ Exam tip: SSC CGL frequently asks about the correct period of historical events. Memorise: Harappa = 3300 BCE; Maurya = 322 BCE; Gupta = 320 CE; Delhi Sultanate = 1206 CE; Mughal Empire = 1526 CE.

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🟡 Standard — Regular Study (2d–2mo)

Standard content for students with a few days to months.

History — SSC CGL Study Guide

Mahajanapadas (c. 600 BCE): The 16 great kingdoms/republics of the Later Vedic period. Important ones:

• Magadha (Bihar): Dominant; fertile land, iron ploughshares, military advantage; lasted through Maurya
• Kosala, Vatsa, Avanti, Lichchhavi (republic)

Buddhism and Jainism:

• Gautama Buddha (c. 563–483 BCE): Born in Lumbini (Nepal); left family (Siddhartha); enlightenment at Bodh Gaya; first sermon at Sarnath (Dharma chakra pravartana); Buddha’s teachings: Four Noble Truths, Eightfold Path, Middle Path; Sangha established
• Mahavira (c. 549–477 BCE): 24th Tirthankara; born in Vaishali; strict austerities; founded Jain Svetambar sect; principle of ahimsa (non-violence), anekantavada (multi-faceted truth)
• Both religions spread through trade routes; Ashoka’s patronage spread Buddhism to SE Asia

The Gupta Period — India’s Golden Age:

• Literature: Kalidasa (Shakuntala, Meghaduta, Raghuvamsha); Vishakhadatta; Shudraka
• Science: Aryabhata (499 CE, Aryabhatiya — trigonometry, algebra, value of pi); Varahamihira (Panchasiddhantika — astronomy); Brahmagupta (628 CE, Brahmasphuta Siddhanta — zero usage, quadratic equations)
• Medicine: Sushruta Samhita (surgery, 300+ surgical instruments); Charaka Samhita
• Art: Ajanta caves (Mahayana Buddhist paintings); Ellora caves (Hindu, Buddhist, Jain — Kailasa temple carved from top down); Mathura school of sculpture (Buddha images)
• Universities: Nalanda (Bihar) — world’s oldest university, Buddhist centre, destroyed by Turkish invader Ikhtiyar Khilji c. 1200 CE

Mughal Administration:

• Mansabdari system ( Akbar): Every nobleman given a mansab (rank, 1–100 for lesser nobles to 5,000+ for highest); jagir (land grant) in lieu of salary; dual system (military + civil)
• Revenue system: Todar Mal’s bandobast (Ain-i-Akbari): Measured land, fixed revenue rates in cash (zabt), crops classified as sadar (khalsa — crown land) vs. inam (grant)
• Architecture: Indo-Islamic fusion; use of red sandstone (Akbar), white marble (Shah Jahan), bulbous dome, iwan (arched recess), charbagh (four-part garden)

Modern Indian History — Freedom Struggle:

1857 Revolt (First War of Independence):

• Causes: greased cartridges (cow and pig fat), Doctrine of Lapse, social reforms, economic exploitation, integration of princely states
• Key leaders: Bahadur Shah Zafar (last Mughal emperor — tried and exiled to Rangoon), Rani Lakshmibai (Jhansi), Tantia Tope, Mangal Pandey (spark event at Barrackpore, March 1857), Begum Hazrat Mahal
• Result: Suppressed by British; East India Company dissolved; Crown took direct control (1858)

Indian National Congress (INC) — Early Phase:

• Founded: 1885 by A.O. Hume and W.C. Banerjee (both British); first session at Bombay (December 1885)
• Early leaders: Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee (first president), Dadabhai Naoroji (propounder of drain theory — wealth flowing to Britain), Gopal Krishna Gokhale
• Three demands: Indianisation of civil services, separation of executive and legislative councils, reduction of military expenditure

Mahatma Gandhi’s Role:

• Champaran (1917): First major movement — indigo farmers exploited by British planters; Satyagraha
• Kheda (1918): Peasants unable to pay rent due to plague and famine; Patel and Gandhi supported
• Ahmedabad Mill Strike (1918): Textile workers strike; Gandhi introduced hunger strike as weapon
• Rowlatt Act (1919): Gave British government power to imprison suspects without trial; Jallianwala Bagh massacre (April 13, 1919, Amritsar) — General Dyer fired on unarmed crowd; 1,500+ killed (official 379)
• Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–1922): Boycott of British goods, courts, schools; Chauri Chaura incident (1922) — mob killed police; Gandhi suspended movement
• Civil Disobedience Movement (1930): Dandi Salt March (March 12 – April 6, 1930) — Gandhi walked 241 miles to Dandi, made salt from seawater; broke British salt monopoly
• Quit India Movement (1942): “Do or Die” — Gandhi’s call; mass uprising suppressed

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🔴 Extended — Deep Study (3mo+)

Comprehensive coverage for students on a longer study timeline.

History — Comprehensive Notes

British Economic Policies and Their Impact:

Permanent Settlement (1793, Lord Cornwallis):

• Applied to Bengal, Bihar, Orissa
• Zamindars (landlords) given permanent ownership; revenue fixed permanently
• Result: Zamindars became absentee landlords; ryots (peasants) oppressed; permanent revenue led to zamindari wealth accumulation

Ryotwari System (Madras, Bombay):

• No zamindar; peasants (ryots) dealt directly with government
• Survey and classification of land; revenue demand could be revised

Mahalwari System (Punjab, NWFP):

• Villages collectively responsible; village Panchayat assessed land revenue

Impact of British policies:

• Deindustrialisation: Manchester and Birmingham goods flooded Indian markets; textile and handicraft industries destroyed
• Drain of wealth: Dadabhai Naoroji calculated drain; Ravi extend funds to Britain without commensurate return
• Famines: Great Famine of 1876–78 (10 million dead); Famine of 1896–97; Famine of 1899–1900 (1.9 million dead); Bengal Famine of 1943 (1.5–3 million dead) — Winston Churchill’s policies exacerbated it

Important Acts and Reforms:

Act/Event	Year	Key Provision
Regulating Act	1773	Governor-General of Bengal
Pitt’s India Act	1784	Dual government
Charter Act	1813	Missionary entry allowed
Macaulay’s Minutes	1835	English education in India
Wood’s Dispatch	1854	Universities in Calcutta, Bombay, Madras
Indian Councils Act	1861	Executive council for lawmaking
Ilbert Bill	1883	Indian judges could try British accused (withdrawn after British opposition)
Government of India Act	1919	Dyarchy, separate electorates
Government of India Act	1935	Provincial autonomy, federal structure
Pitt’s Act	1784	Dual system of control

Revolutionary Movements:

• Anushilan Samiti: Founded in 1907 by Barin Ghosh, Aurobindo Ghosh (later turned spiritual); Kolkata; advocated violent revolution
• Gadar Party (1913): Founded in San Francisco by Lala Hardayal; planned to overthrow British through armed uprising; largely Punjabi Sikh farmers
• Kakori Train Robbery (1925): RAMprasad Bismil, Ashfaqueallah Khan; loot of government treasury at Kakori
• Bhagat Singh (1907–1931): Participated in Central Legislative Assembly bombing (1929); hanged for murder of Saunders (1931); revolutionary socialist
• Subhas Chandra Bose: ESCAPE from house arrest (1941); formed Indian National Army (INA) with Japanese support; Head of State of Azad Hind Government (1943); “Tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe azadi doonga”

Important Personalities for SSC CGL:

• Raja Ram Mohan Roy: Founded Brahmo Samaj (1828); campaigned against Sati; progressive social reformer
• Swami Dayananda Saraswati: (Not the Dayananda Saraswati — this is Swami Vivekananda’s guru) — but popularly associated with founding Arya Samaj (1875) by Swami Dayananda Saraswati (1824–1883); “Back to Vedas”
• Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay: Wrote Anandamath (1882), Vande Mataram song; published Banga Darshan
• Rabindranath Tagore: First Asian Nobel laureate (Literature, 1913); Gitanjali; founded Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan
• Dr. B.R. Ambedkar: Chairman of Drafting Committee of Constitution; fought for SC/ST rights; “Father of Indian Constitution”

NEET/SSC Pattern Analysis: History is a major section in SSC CGL Tier-I (General Awareness) and Tier-II ( Descriptive paper). SSC asks factual questions: “Who built the Red Fort?” (Shah Jahan), “Who was the first Governor-General of India?” (William Bentinck — Warren Hastings was first Governor-General, but Bentinck was first Governor-General of India under Crown), “In which battle was Tipu Sultan killed?” (Seringapatam, 1799).

⚡ SSC CGL 2022 Qn: Who was the founder of the Maurya dynasty? Answer: Chandragupta Maurya (c. 321 BCE, with Chanakya/Kautilya as his teacher and architect of the empire).