RBSE SS History flashcards

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

Brahmi script

Ancient Indian writing system used in Ashokan edicts, deciphered by James Prinsep in 1837; it reads left to right and underlies most later Indian scripts.

Karshapana

Punch-marked silver coin of the mahajanapada period, stamped with symbols rather than royal portraits; it is among the earliest Indian coinage and evidence of early trade.

Rajatarangini

Twelfth-century Sanskrit chronicle of Kashmir by Kalhana, often called the first true history written in India because it uses sources critically and dates events.

Subaltern historiography

Approach associated with Ranajit Guha that writes history from the perspective of peasants, workers and marginal groups rather than elites, recovering their agency and resistance.

Great Bath

Large brick-lined water tank at Mohenjo-daro, interpreted as a ritual bathing pool; it shows Harappan mastery of waterproofing and civic planning.

Lothal dockyard

Harappan site in Gujarat with a large basin linked to the sea, interpreted as a dock; it also yielded a bead factory and evidence of maritime trade.

Standardised bricks

Harappan bricks were fired in kilns in a fixed 4:2:1 length-width-thickness ratio across distant sites, indicating shared measurement standards and strong civic regulation.

Purusha-sukta

Hymn in the tenth mandala of the Rigveda describing the cosmic being from whose body the four varnas emerge; a key, much later, textual basis for varna ideology.

Sabha and samiti

Assemblies mentioned in Vedic texts that advised and possibly elected the rajan; their declining role marks the shift from tribal to territorial kingship.

Painted Grey Ware

Grey pottery painted with black geometric designs, associated with late Vedic settlements in the Ganga-Yamuna doab and the rise of iron-using agrarian societies.

Arthashastra

Sanskrit treatise on statecraft attributed to Kautilya, covering taxation, espionage, diplomacy and administration; a major source for Mauryan and later governance.

Kalinga war

Ashoka's campaign in Kalinga around 261 BCE; the reported carnage led to his turn toward dhamma, recorded in his thirteenth Major Rock Edict.

Allahabad pillar inscription

Pillar inscription by court poet Harishena praising Samudragupta's conquests and titles; a key source for Gupta political history and the ideology of conquest.

Mansabdari system

Mughal ranking system in which nobles held zat (personal rank) and sawar (cavalry obligation) grades, receiving jagir revenue in return for military service.

Battle of Talikota

1565 battle in which the Deccan Sultanates defeated Vijayanagara, leading to the sack of Hampi and the empire's decline as a dominant power.

Din-i-Ilahi

Religious order proclaimed by Akbar in 1582, emphasising loyalty to the emperor and ethical conduct; it attracted few followers and lapsed after his reign.

Permanent Settlement

1793 revenue arrangement by Cornwallis in Bengal fixing land revenue with zamindars as hereditary owners; it secured revenue but worsened cultivators' conditions.

Diwani grant

Right to collect revenue of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, obtained by the East India Company in 1765 from Shah Alam II after Buxar; it gave the Company real political power.

Doctrine of Lapse

Policy associated with Dalhousie denying adoption-based succession in dependent states, annexing Satara, Jhansi and Nagpur; a major grievance behind the 1857 revolt.

Purna Swaraj

Complete independence resolution adopted by the Congress at Lahore in December 1929 under Nehru's presidency; 26 January 1930 was observed as Independence Day.

Dandi March

Gandhi's 1930 march from Sabarmati to Dandi to break the salt law, launching the Civil Disobedience Movement and mass participation against colonial rule.

Government of India Act 1935

Colonial statute introducing provincial autonomy and a proposed federation; it expanded the franchise and influenced the Constitution of independent India.

Haldighati

1576 battle in the Aravalli hills between Maharana Pratap of Mewar and Mughal forces under Man Singh; it checked but did not end Rajput resistance.

Bijolia peasant movement

Early twentieth-century agitation in Rajasthan against oppressive levies and forced labour; it linked peasant grievances with the wider nationalist movement.

Eki movement

Movement led by Motilal Tejawat in the 1920s among Bhil and peasant communities of southern Rajasthan against princely taxation and exploitation.

Treaty of Versailles

1919 settlement ending WWI with Germany; its reparations, territorial losses and war-guilt clause fuelled resentment exploited by the Nazis.

Truman Doctrine

1947 US policy of containing communism by aiding Greece and Turkey; it marked the formal start of the Cold War's containment strategy.

Non-Aligned Movement

Group of states founded at Belgrade in 1961 by Nehru, Nasser, Tito and others, seeking independence from both Cold War blocs and promoting decolonisation.

Operation Polo

1948 Indian military action that ended the Nizam's rule in Hyderabad and integrated the state into the Indian Union after failed accession negotiations.

States Reorganisation Act

1956 law reorganising Indian states largely along linguistic lines, creating Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and others after the Fazl Ali Commission report.

Mandal Commission

1979–80 commission chaired by B.P. Mandal recommending reservations for socially and educationally backward classes; implemented in 1990, it reshaped Indian politics.

Panchsheel

1954 India-China agreement of five principles, including mutual respect for sovereignty and non-aggression; it became a cornerstone of India's non-aligned foreign policy.