BSEH SS History flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Mature Harappan period

The urban phase of the Indus civilisation, roughly 2600 to 1900 BCE, marked by standardised weights, seals, grid town planning and long-distance trade.

Rigveda mandalas

Ten books of hymns; mandalas two to seven are the oldest family books, while mandala ten contains later philosophical hymns including the Purusha-sukta.

Ashokan dhamma

A policy of moral conduct promoted in Ashoka's edicts, stressing tolerance among sects, respect for elders and welfare measures rather than a single religious doctrine.

Zabt revenue system

Akbar's measured land assessment, associated with Todar Mal, which fixed revenue rates by crop and soil type and was documented in the Ain-i-Akbari.

Mansabdari rank

A Mughal system ranking nobles by zat (personal status) and sawar (cavalry obligation), with revenue assignments or salaries supporting their military duties.

Iqta assignment

A Delhi Sultanate revenue assignment granted to an official in return for military service, with transfers intended to prevent officials from entrenching locally.

Permanent Settlement 1793

A Bengal land revenue arrangement fixing the revenue demand with zamindars in perpetuity, encouraging subinfeudation and affecting cultivators' rights.

Dandi March 1930

Gandhi's march to the Gujarat coast to make salt in defiance of the colonial salt monopoly, launching the Civil Disobedience Movement.

Poona Pact 1932

An agreement between Gandhi and Ambedkar replacing separate electorates for depressed classes with reserved seats in provincial legislatures.

Brahmi decipherment

James Prinsep's 1837 reading of Brahmi script, which made Ashokan edicts and early inscriptions accessible as dated historical evidence.

Subaltern historiography

An approach focusing on the agency and experiences of peasants, workers, women and marginal groups, reading colonial records against the grain.

Internal source criticism

Assessment of a source's coherence, authorial intent and internal consistency, as distinct from external criticism of authenticity and provenance.

Dholavira location

A Harappan site in the Kachchh region of Gujarat, known for its stone architecture, water reservoirs and a signboard with large Indus characters.

Nagara temple style

A North Indian temple form with a curvilinear shikhara above the sanctum, often with an ambulatory and gateway, contrasting with the Dravida vimana.

Relative versus absolute dating

Relative dating orders events by superposition or style sequence; absolute dating assigns calendar ages using methods such as radiocarbon or dated documents.

Source-based answer structure

Identify the source and type, state its explicit content, infer its implications, then evaluate its reliability, limits and corroboration with other evidence.

Extended essay thesis

A clear opening claim that answers the question directly and is developed through evidence-based paragraphs rather than restated in the conclusion.

Triangulation in history

Confirming a claim across independent source types, such as an inscription, a coin hoard and a later chronicle, to strengthen its reliability.

Sangam literature

A Tamil corpus including Tolkappiyam, Ettuthogai and Pattuppattu, used as evidence for early Tamilakam society, trade and chieftaincies.

Land-grant charter

A copper-plate record of land gifted with rights and dues, central evidence for the growth of landed intermediaries in early medieval India.

Chauth and sardeshmukhi

Maratha levies of roughly 25 per cent and 10 per cent respectively, collected from territories as a form of tribute and revenue claim.

Sulh-i kul

Akbar's principle of universal tolerance in religious and political matters, associated with the Ibadat Khana debates and the abolition of the jizya.

Drain theory

Dadabhai Naoroji's argument that colonial rule extracted India's wealth through home charges, trade surpluses and administrative costs, impoverishing the economy.

Radcliffe Line

The boundary award of 1947 dividing Punjab and Bengal between India and Pakistan, drawn by a commission chaired by Cyril Radcliffe.

Numismatics

The study of coins, using legend, metal, weight and find-spot to establish ruling authority, chronology, trade contacts and economic change.

Colonial periodisation

The division of Indian history into Hindu, Muslim and British periods, criticised for imposing religious categories on political and social change.

Junagadh inscription

Rudradaman's rock inscription recording repair of the Sudarshana lake, showing continuity of irrigation works beyond Mauryan rule.

Hierarchical scaling

A visual convention in Mughal and Rajput painting where the most important figure is depicted larger, with radiance or framing marking status.

Oral history method

Recording testimony with interviewer, date, place and consent, treating memory as evidence of perception and meaning rather than transparent fact.

Command words in essays

Terms such as describe, explain, compare and evaluate that specify the required cognitive task and the depth of evidence and judgement needed.

Radiocarbon dating

A scientific method measuring carbon-14 decay in organic remains to estimate calendar age, used alongside stratigraphy and documentary evidence.

Arthashastra

A Sanskrit treatise on statecraft discussing the seven limbs of the state, espionage and revenue, attributed to Kautilya but debated in date and authorship.