CUET History Syllabus 2026: Important Topics, Download Syllabus PDF Here

No.

Unit

Topics

1.

The Story of the First Cities: Harappan Archaeology

Broad overview: Early urban centres.

Story of discovery: Harappan civilisation.

Excerpt: Archaeological report on a major site. Discussion: how it has been utilised by archaeologists/ historians.

2.

Political and Economic History: How Inscriptions tell a story

Broad overview: Political and economic history from the Mauryan to the Gupta period.

Story of discovery: Inscriptions and the decipherment of the script. Shifts in the understanding of political and economic history.

Excerpt: Asokan inscription and Gupta period land grant.

Discussion: Interpretation of inscriptions by historians.

3.

Social Histories using the Mahabharata

Broad overview: Issues in social history, including caste, class, kinship and gender.

Story of discovery: Transmission and publications of the Mahabharata.

Excerpt: From the Mahabharata, illustrating how it has been used by historians

4.

A History of Buddhism: Sanchi Stupa

Broad overview: (a) A brief review of the religious histories of Vedic religion, Jainism, Vaishnavism, and Shaivism.

(b) Focus on Buddhism.

Story of discovery: Sanchi Stupa.

Excerpt: Reproduction of sculptures from Sanchi. Discussion: Ways in which sculpture has been interpreted by historians and other sources for reconstructing the history of Buddhism.

5.

Medieval society through Travellers’ Accounts

Broad Overview: Outline of social and cultural life as it appears in travellers’ accounts.

Story of their writings: A discussion of where they travelled, why they travelled, what they wrote, and for whom they wrote.

Excerpts: from Alberuni, Ibn Batuta, and Bernier. Discussion: What these travel accounts can tell us and how they have been interpreted by historians.

6.

Religious Histories: The Bhakti-Sufi Tradition

Broad Overview: Outline of religious developments during this period.

Ideas and practices of the Bhakti-Sufi saints.

Story of Transmission: How Bhakti-Sufi compositions have been preserved.

Excerpt: Extracts from selected Bhakti Sufi works. Discussion: Ways in which these have been interpreted by historians.

7.

New Architecture: Hampi

Broad Overview: Outline of new buildings during the Vijayanagar period — temples, forts, irrigation facilities.

Relationship between architecture and the political system.

Story of Discovery: Account of how Hampi was found. Excerpt: Visuals of buildings at Hampi.

Discussion: Ways in which historians have analysed and interpreted these structures.

8.

Agrarian Relations: The Ain-i-Akbari

Broad overview: Structure of agrarian relations in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Patterns of change over the period.

Story of Discovery: Account of the compilation and translation of Ain-i-Akbari.

Excerpt: From the Ain-i-Akbari

Discussion: Ways in which historians have used the text to reconstruct history.

9.

The Mughal Court: Reconstructing Histories through Chronicles

Broad Overview: Outline of political history c. 15th-17th centuries.

Discussion of the Mughal court and politics. Story of Discovery: Account of the production of court chronicles, and their subsequent translation and transmission.

Excerpts: from the Akbarnama and Padshahnama. Discussion: Ways in which historians have used the texts to reconstruct political histories.

10.

Colonialism and Rural Society: Evidence from Official Reports

Broad overview: Life of zamindars, peasants and artisans in the late 18th century.

East India Company, revenue settlements and surveys.

Changes over the nineteenth century.

Story of official records: An account of why official investigations into rural societies were undertaken and the types of records and reports produced. Excerpts: From Firminger’s Fifth Report, Accounts of Francis Buchanan-Hamilton, and Deccan Riots Report.

Discussion: What the official records tell and do not tell, and how they have been used by historians.

11.

Representations of 1857

Broad Overview: The events of 1857-58.

How were these events recorded and narrated? Focus: Lucknow.

Excerpts: Pictures of 1857. Extracts from contemporary accounts.

Discussion: How the pictures of 1857 shaped British opinion of what had happened.

12.

Colonialism and Indian Towns: Town Plans and Municipal Reports

Broad Overview: The growth of Mumbai, Chennai, hill stations and cantonments in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Excerpts: Photographs and paintings. Plans of cities. Extract from town plan reports. Focus on Kolkata town planning.

Discussion: How can the above sources be used to reconstruct the history of towns? What these sources do not reveal.

13.

Mahatma Gandhi through Contemporary Eyes

Broad Overview: The nationalist movement 1918-48, The nature of Gandhian politics and leadership. Focus: Mahatma Gandhi in 1931.

Excerpts: Reports from English and Indian language newspapers and other contemporary writings. Discussion: How newspapers can be a source of history.

14.

Partition through Oral Sources

Broad Overview: The history of the 1940s; Nationalism, Communalism and Partition.

Focus: Punjab and Bengal.

Excerpts: Oral testimonies of those who experienced partition.

Discussion: Ways in which these have been analysed to reconstruct the history of the event.

15.

The Making of the Constitution

Broad Overview: Independence and the new nation state. The making of the Constitution.

Focus: The Constitutional Assembly debates. Excerpts: From the debates.

Discussion: What such debates reveal and how they can be analysed.

Subject

No. of Questions

Maximum Marks

History

50

250

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