UPMSP Intermediate History - Code 128 flashcards

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

Brahmi script decipherment

Ancient Indian script deciphered by James Prinsep in 1837 using Ashokan inscriptions; most Ashokan edicts in the subcontinent are written in Brahmi.

Stratigraphy in archaeology

Study of superimposed soil and occupation layers at a site, where lower layers are generally older; the basis for relative dating of finds and structures.

Tamra-patra land grants

Copper-plate charters recording gifts of land to brahmanas or temples, common from Gupta times; they list donors, boundaries and fiscal privileges and are key sources.

Mature Harappan period

Urban phase of the Harappan Civilisation dated about 2600 to 1900 BCE, marked by planned cities, standardised weights, seals and long-distance trade.

Great Bath of Mohenjo-daro

Large brick-lined watertight tank on the citadel at Mohenjo-daro, with steps at both ends and adjacent rooms; widely interpreted as a ritual bathing structure.

Lothal dockyard

Harappan site in Gujarat with a large basin linked to a river channel, interpreted as a dockyard; also yielded a bead factory and evidence of rice husk.

Sixteen Mahajanapadas

Sixteen large territorial states of the sixth century BCE listed in the Anguttara Nikaya, including Magadha, Kosala, Vatsa, Avanti, Kashi and Gandhara.

Ashoka's dhamma

Moral policy propagated in Ashokan edicts emphasising non-violence, tolerance among sects, respect for elders and welfare works; administered by dhamma-mahamattas.

Arthashastra

Sanskrit treatise on statecraft attributed to Kautilya, covering taxation, espionage, diplomacy and the seven limbs of the state; a principal source for Mauryan administration.

Allahabad pillar inscription

Prashasti composed by court poet Harishena praising Samudragupta's conquests, including his campaigns in Aryavarta and the Deccan and his relations with frontier rulers.

Iqta system

Revenue assignment granted to officials in the Delhi Sultanate, transferring the right to collect revenue from a territory in return for service and maintenance of troops.

Dagh and chehra

Alauddin Khalji's military reforms: branding of horses (dagh) and descriptive rolls of soldiers (chehra) to prevent substitution and maintain a standing army.

Vijayanagara kingdom

South Indian empire founded in 1336 by Harihara and Bukka on the Tungabhadra, famous for its capital city, irrigation works and conflicts with the Bahmanis.

Mansabdari system

Akbar's ranking system assigning zat (personal status) and sawar (cavalry obligation) to nobles, who received jagirs in lieu of cash salaries.

Dahsala bandobast

Akbar's revenue settlement associated with Raja Todar Mal, fixing land revenue on the basis of a ten-year average of produce and prices.

Ashta Pradhan

Council of eight ministers established by Shivaji to advise on administration, including the Peshwa, Amatya, Sachiv, Mantri and Senapati.

Permanent Settlement of 1793

Cornwallis's revenue system in Bengal fixing land revenue permanently with zamindars as proprietors, who were responsible for collection and lost estates on default.

Doctrine of Lapse

Dalhousie's policy denying adoption rights to rulers of dependent states without natural heirs, enabling annexation; applied to Satara, Jhansi and Nagpur.

Indigo Revolt

Peasant movement of 1859–60 in Bengal against coercive indigo cultivation contracts, supported by the Bengal Indigo Commission and the play Nil Darpan.

Government of India Act 1935

Colonial constitutional law introducing provincial autonomy, a proposed all-India federation and separate electorates; it expanded the franchise substantially.

Purna Swaraj declaration

Resolution passed at the Lahore Congress session of 1929 under Nehru's presidency demanding complete independence; 26 January 1930 was observed as Independence Day.

Dandi March

Gandhi's 1930 march to the Gujarat coast to make salt in defiance of the salt law, launching the Civil Disobedience Movement.

Quit India Movement

Movement launched in August 1942 demanding immediate British withdrawal, marked by mass arrests of leaders and widespread popular unrest.

Radcliffe Line

Boundary drawn in 1947 by the Radcliffe Commission dividing Punjab and Bengal between India and Pakistan; its award was published after independence.

Instrument of Accession

Legal document by which princely states ceded defence, foreign affairs and communications to India in 1947; signed by rulers such as those of Kashmir and Junagadh.

States Reorganisation Act 1956

Law reorganising Indian states largely on linguistic lines following the Andhra movement, creating new states and abolishing the old Part A, B, C, D categories.

Rajatarangini

Twelfth-century Sanskrit chronicle of Kashmir's rulers composed by Kalhana; valued as early Indian history writing with a critical approach to sources.

Ain-i-Akbari

Third volume of Abul Fazl's Akbarnama, providing detailed statistical and administrative information on the Mughal Empire's provinces, revenues and institutions.

Subaltern Studies

School of historiography founded by Ranajit Guha in 1982 that foregrounds peasants, labourers and marginal groups in analyses of colonial and nationalist India.

Tabaqat-i-Nasiri

Persian chronicle by Minhaj-us-Siraj completed in the thirteenth century, giving a dynastic history of Islamic rulers including the early Delhi Sultanate.

Harappan seals

Mostly steatite square seals bearing animal motifs and undeciphered signs, probably used for trade authentication and ownership; standardised across Harappan sites.

Ryotwari settlement

Revenue system associated with Thomas Munro in Madras, assessing land revenue directly on individual cultivators (ryots) with periodic revision of rates.