RBSE VU History key terms

The earliest urban culture of the Indian subcontinent, centred on cities such as Mohenjo-daro and Harappa, known for planned streets, drainage, standardised weights and undeciphered seals. It flourished roughly between 2600 and 1900 BCE.

A Harappan port site in Gujarat with a large dockyard basin, warehouses and bead workshops. Its location shows maritime trade links with the Persian Gulf and Mesopotamia during the mature Harappan phase.

The corpus of Sanskrit texts comprising the four Vedas, the Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads. Composed over many centuries, it is the main source for early Indo-Aryan religion, society and ritual in northern India.

The oldest of the four Vedas, a collection of hymns to deities such as Indra, Agni and Varuna. It is the key textual source for early Vedic society, pastoral economy and tribal political organisation.

The fourfold social classification of Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra described in later Vedic texts. Originally an ideal ritual ordering, it hardened over time into hereditary social hierarchy.

A local, endogamous birth group defined by occupation, marriage rules and customary status. Jati organisation was more fluid and regionally varied than the fourfold varna scheme and shaped everyday social life.

An assembly mentioned in Vedic texts, alongside the samiti, where tribal affairs and disputes were discussed. Its exact composition and powers remain debated among historians of early India.

The sixteen large territorial states of the sixth century BCE Gangetic plain, including Magadha, Kosala and Vatsa. Their rivalry, taxation and standing armies marked a shift from tribal to territorial politics.

A kingdom in present-day Bihar that absorbed rival mahajanapadas and became the base of the Nanda, Maurya and Gupta empires. Its iron resources, fertile land and river routes underpinned its rise.

The first pan-Indian empire, founded by Chandragupta Maurya around 321 BCE and expanded by Ashoka. Its administration, espionage system and rock and pillar edicts are central topics in early Indian history.

A Sanskrit treatise on statecraft attributed to Kautilya, adviser to Chandragupta Maurya. It discusses taxation, diplomacy, spies, fortification and royal duty, and is a key source for Mauryan administration.

Inscriptions on rocks and pillars issued by Emperor Ashoka, mostly in Prakrit using Brahmi script. They proclaim dhamma, public welfare measures, tolerance among sects and remorse after the Kalinga war.

Ashoka's policy of moral conduct, respect for elders, tolerance between religious groups, and welfare for people and animals. It drew on shared ethical ideas rather than enforcing a single sectarian doctrine.

A religion founded by Siddhartha Gautama in the sixth century BCE, teaching the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. Its monasteries and lay patronage strongly shaped Indian society, art and education.

A religion emphasising non-violence, asceticism and the liberation of the soul, associated with Mahavira in the sixth century BCE. Its communities contributed to Indian trade, literature and temple architecture.

A dynasty ruling much of northern India from the fourth to sixth centuries CE, often linked to achievements in Sanskrit literature, mathematics, astronomy and temple building. Its administration was less centralised than the Mauryan.

A South Indian dynasty based in the Kaveri delta that dominated trade and politics from the ninth to thirteenth centuries. It is known for local self-government, naval expeditions and the Brihadeshwara temple at Thanjavur.

A Chola ruler (reigned c. 985-1014) who expanded the kingdom, reorganised temple administration and commissioned the Brihadeshwara temple. His reign marks the height of Chola power and cultural patronage.

The succession of Turkic and Afghan dynasties ruling from Delhi between 1206 and 1526, including the Slave, Khalji, Tughlaq, Sayyid and Lodi lines. It established new administrative, revenue and architectural patterns in north India.

A Khalji sultan (reigned 1296-1316) who controlled prices, reorganised the army, introduced market regulations and repelled Mongol invasions. His revenue and market reforms are a standard topic in medieval Indian history.

A Tughlaq sultan (reigned 1325-1351) known for ambitious experiments such as token currency and the shifting of the capital to Daulatabad. His policies are often studied as examples of administrative overreach.

The Mughal ranking system in which nobles held a mansab determining their salary, military obligation and status. It linked rank, troop supply and revenue assignments, and was central to Mughal imperial administration.

A grant of land revenue assigned to a Mughal noble or official in lieu of cash salary. Jagirs were transferable, and their management shaped relations between the imperial centre and local elites.

A dynasty founded by Babur in 1526 that ruled most of the subcontinent at its height under Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb. Its administration, revenue system and architecture are core medieval topics.

The Mughal emperor (reigned 1556-1605) who consolidated the empire, built the Din-i Ilahi, promoted sulh-i kul and reformed revenue through the zabt system. His reign is often treated as the Mughal high point.

A devotional trend emphasising personal love and surrender to a chosen deity, expressed in regional languages by poet-saints such as Kabir, Mirabai and Tulsidas. It challenged ritual hierarchy and shaped vernacular literature.

A mystical tradition within Islam emphasising inner experience, asceticism and devotion, organised around khanqahs and lineages of pirs. Sufi shrines and poetry became important cultural centres in medieval India.

The 1757 battle in which the East India Company, led by Robert Clive, defeated the Nawab of Bengal Siraj-ud-Daulah with the help of Mir Jafar. It gave the Company control of Bengal's revenues and marked the start of territorial rule.

The 1764 battle in which Company forces defeated the combined armies of the Mughal emperor, Awadh and Bengal. It confirmed British supremacy in northern India and led to the grant of the diwani of Bengal in 1765.

The 1793 Bengal revenue system introduced by Lord Cornwallis, which fixed land revenue in perpetuity and made zamindars the recognised proprietors. It created a loyal landlord class but also entrenched intermediaries.

A revenue system introduced in Madras and Bombay presidencies under which the colonial state settled revenue directly with individual cultivators. It aimed to remove intermediaries but often led to heavy assessments and peasant debt.

A landholder or revenue intermediary who collected taxes from cultivators for the state. Under colonial rule, zamindars gained legal ownership in some regions and became key figures in rural society and politics.

A widespread uprising against British rule that began with a mutiny of Indian soldiers at Meerut and spread across northern and central India. It led to the end of Company rule and direct Crown administration.

A sepoy of the Bengal Army whose defiance at Barrackpore in 1857 became a symbol of resistance to British rule. His action is often linked to the beginning of the revolt of 1857.

The British law that abolished the East India Company and transferred its Indian territories to the Crown, creating the office of Secretary of State for India. It marked the beginning of direct British rule.

A political organisation founded in 1885 that became the main vehicle of the Indian nationalist movement. Its demands moved from moderate reform to self-rule and mass mobilisation under leaders such as Gandhi and Nehru.

The 1920-22 campaign launched by Gandhi urging Indians to withdraw cooperation from British institutions, boycott foreign goods and courts, and support swadeshi. It was suspended after the Chauri Chaura violence.

The 1942 mass campaign demanding an immediate end to British rule, launched after the All India Congress Committee's resolution in Bombay. The government responded with mass arrests and repression.

The policy of promoting domestically produced goods and boycotting foreign, especially British, imports. It was central to the anti-partition movement of 1905 and later Gandhian economic programmes.

The upheaval in France from 1789 that overthrew the monarchy, proclaimed liberty and equality, and reshaped European politics. Its ideas of citizenship, nationalism and popular sovereignty influenced later movements worldwide.

The transition from hand production to machine-based manufacturing, beginning in Britain in the late eighteenth century. It transformed work, urban life, transport and global trade, and underpinned European imperial expansion.

The 1917 upheaval that ended Tsarist rule and brought the Bolsheviks to power under Lenin. It created the first socialist state and reshaped international politics, including anti-colonial thinking.

The prolonged geopolitical rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union and their allies after 1945, marked by nuclear deterrence, proxy conflicts and ideological competition. It shaped decolonisation and non-alignment.

A grouping of states, formalised at Belgrade in 1961, that sought independence from both Cold War blocs. India under Nehru was a leading founder, and the movement shaped post-colonial diplomacy.

A state in northwestern India formed in 1949 by integrating princely states such as Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur. It is known for desert geography, Rajput heritage, forts, folk arts and pilgrimage centres.

A cluster of warrior lineages that rose to power in Rajasthan and neighbouring regions from about the seventh century. Their clan organisation, martial traditions and patronage of temples and forts shaped regional history.

A historic Rajput kingdom in southern Rajasthan centred on Udaipur, ruled by the Sisodia lineage. It is associated with resistance to Mughal expansion and with rulers such as Rana Sanga and Maharana Pratap.

The Sisodia ruler of Mewar (reigned 1572-1597) who resisted Mughal annexation and fought at Haldighati in 1576. He is a central figure in Rajasthani identity and folk memory.

The 1576 battle between Maharana Pratap's forces and the Mughal army led by Man Singh. Though Pratap withdrew, the encounter became a lasting symbol of Rajput resistance in regional tradition.

A twelfth-century Chahamana ruler of Ajmer and Delhi, remembered for conflicts with Muhammad Ghori and for the epic Prithviraj Raso. He features prominently in Rajasthan's historical memory.

A fort and former Chauhana stronghold in eastern Rajasthan, later controlled by the Delhi Sultanate and Mughals. It is noted for its strategic hilltop location and its association with Hammir Chauhan.

A traditional Rajasthani folk dance performed by women in swirling circular movements, often at weddings and festivals. It reflects regional costume, music and community celebration.

An annual cattle and cultural fair held at Pushkar in Rajasthan near the Brahma temple. It combines livestock trading with folk performances, pilgrimage and tourism, and is a major regional event.