The Ideal Kingdom

Topics

Bricks, Beads and Bones: the Harappan Civilisation
- Introduction to Harappan Civilisation
- Subsistence Strategies
- Mohenjodaro: a Planned Urban Centre
- Tracking Social Differences
- Finding Out About Craft Production
- Strategies for Procuring Materials
- Seals, Script, Weights
- Ancient Authority
- The End of the Civilisation
- Discovering the Harappan Civilisation
- Problems of Piecing Together the Past
Kings, Farmers and Towns: Early States and Economies
- Prinsep and Piyadassi
- The Earliest States
- An Early Empire
- New Notions of Kingship
- A Changing Countryside
- Towns and Trade
- Back to Basics - How Are Inscriptions Deciphered?
- The Limitations of Inscriptional Evidence
Kinship, Caste and Class: Early Societies
- The Critical Edition of the Mahabharata
- Kinship and Marriage: Many Rules and Varied Practices
- Social Differences: Within and Beyond the Framework of Caste
- Beyond Birth Resources and Status
- Explaining Social Differences: a Social Contract
- Handling Texts Historians and the Mahabharata
- A Dynamic Text
Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings: Cultural Developments
- A Glimpse of Sanchi
- The Background: Sacrifices and Debates
- Beyond Worldly Pleasures: the Message of Mahavira
- The Buddha and the Quest for Enlightenment
- The Teachings of the Buddha
- Followers of the Buddha
- Stupas
- “Discovering” Stupas the Fate of Amaravati and Sanchi
- Sculpture
- New Religious Traditions
- Can We “See” Everything?
Through the Eyes of Travellers: Perceptions of Society
- Al-biruni and the Kitab-ul-hind
- Ibn Battuta’s Rihla
- Francois Bernier - a Doctor with a Difference
- Making Sense of an Alien World Al-biruni and the Sanskritic Tradition
- Ibn Battuta and the Excitement of the Unfamiliar
- Bernier and the “Degenerate” East
- Women Slaves, Sati and Labourers
Bhakti - Sufi Traditions: Changes in Religious Beliefs and Devotional Texts
- A Mosaic of Religious Beliefs and Practices
- Poems of Prayer Early Traditions of Bhakti
- The Virashaiva Tradition in Karnataka
- Religious Ferment in North India
- New Strands in the Fabric Islamic Traditions
- The Growth of Sufism
- The Chishtis in the Subcontinent
- New Devotional Paths Dialogue and Dissent in Northern India
- Reconstructing Histories of Religious Traditions
An Imperial Capital Vijayanagara
- The Discovery of Hampi
- Rayas, Nayakas and Sultans
- Vijayanagara - the Capital and Its Environs
- The Royal Centre
- The Sacred Centre
- Plotting Palaces, Temples and Bazaars
- Questions in Search of Answers
Peasants, Zamindars and the State: Agrarian Society and the Mughal Empire
- Peasants and Agricultural Production
- The Village Community
- Women in Agrarian Society
- Forests and Tribes
- The Zamindars
- Land Revenue System
- The Flow of Silver
- The Ain-i Akbari of Abu’L Fazl Allami
Kings and Chronicles: the Mughal Courts
- The Mughals and Their Empire
- Production of Chronicles
- The Painted Image
- The Akbar Nama and the Badshah Nama
- The Ideal Kingdom
- Capitals and Courts
- The Imperial Household
- The Imperial Officials
- Beyond the Frontiers
- Questioning Formal Religion
Colonialism and the Countryside: Exploring Official Archives
- Bengal and the Zamindars
- The Hoe and the Plough
- A Revolt in the Countryside the Bombay Deccan
- The Deccan Riots Commission
Rebels and the Raj: 1857 Revolt and Its Representations
- Pattern of the Rebellion
- Awadh in Revolt
- What the Rebels Wanted
- Repression
- Images of the Revolt
Colonial Cities: Urbanisation, Planning and Architecture
- Towns and Cities in Pre-colonial Times
- Finding Out About Colonial Cities
- What Were the New Towns Like?
- Segregation, Town Planning and Architecture: Madras, Calcutta and Bombay
- What Buildings and Architectural Styles Tell Us
Mahatma Gandhi and the Nationalist Movement: Civil Disobedience and Beyond
- A Leader Announces Himself
- The Making and Unmaking of Non-cooperation
- The Salt Satyagraha a Case Study
- Quit India
- The Last Heroic Days
- Knowing Gandhi
Understanding Partition: Politics, Memories, Experiences
- Some Partition Experiences
- A Momentous Marker
- Why and How Did Partition Happen?
- The Withdrawal of Law and Order
- Gendering Partition
- Regional Variations
- Help, Humanity, Harmony
- Oral Testimonies and History
Framing the Constitution: the Beginning of a New Era
- A Tumultuous Time
- The Vision of the Constitution
- Defining Rights
- The Powers of the State
- The Language of the Nation
Themes in Indian History Part 1
Political and Economic History - How Inscriptions tell a story.
- Broad Overview : Political and Economic History from the Mauryan to the Gupta Period
- Inscriptions and the Decipherment of the Script
- Asokan Inscription and Gupta Period Land Grant
- Interpretation of Inscriptions by Historians - Mauryan to the Gupta Period
A History of Buddhism - Sanchi Stupa
- Brief Review of Religious Histories of Vedic, Religion, Jainism, Vaisnavism, Saivism and Buddhism
- Story of Discovery: Sanchi Stupa
- Reproduction of Sculptures from Sanchi
- Ways in Which Sculpture Has Been,Interpreted by Historians
The Story of the First Cities - Harappan Archaeology
- Broad Overview: Early Urban Centres
- Story of Discovery: Harappan Civilization
- Archaeological Report on a Major Site (Harappan civilization)
- Utilized by Archaeologists/Historians
Social Histories - Using the Mahabharata
- Issues in Social History, Including Caste, Class, Kinship and Gender
- Transmission and Publications of the Mahabharata
- From the Mahabharata, Illustrating How It Has Been Used by Historians
Themes in Indian History Part 2
Medieval Society Through Traveller'S Accounts
- Social and Cultural Life as They Appear in Travelers Accounts
- Discussion of Where They Travelled, Why They Travelled, What They Wrote, and for Whom They Wrote
- Alberuni, Ibn Batuta, Bernier -what These Travel Accounts Can Tell Us and Interpreted by Historians
New Architecture - Hampi
- Outline of New Buildings During Vijayanagar Period
- Relationship Between Architecture and the Political System
- Account of How Hampi Was Found
- Hampi - Ways in Which Historians Have Analyzed and Interpreted
The Mughal Court - Reconstructing Histories Through Chronicles
- Outline of Political History 15th-17th Centuries
- Mughal Court and Politics
- Account of the Production of Mughal Court Chronicles
- Account of Subsequent Translation and Transmission
- Ways in Which Historians Have Used the Texts to Reconstruct Political Histories
Religious Histories - The Bhakti-sufi Tradition
- Religious Developments During this Period (Bhakti-sufi Tradition)
- Ideas and Practices of the Bhakti-sufi Saints
- Bhakti-sufi Compositions Preserved
- Bhakti-sufi - Ways in Which These Have Been Interpreted by Historians
Agrarian Relations - The Ain-i- Akbari
- Structure of Agrarian Relations in the 16th and 17th Centuries
- Patterns of Change Over the Period (Ain-i- Akbari)
- Account of the Compilation and Translation of Ain-i-akbari
- Ways in which historians have used the text to reconstruct history (Ain-i-Akbari)
Themes in Indian History Part 3
Colonialism and Rural Society - Evidence From Official Reports
- Life of Zamindars, Peasants and Artisans in the Late 18th Century
- East India Company, Revenue Settlements and Surveys
- Colonialism and Rural Society - Changes Over the Nineteenth Century
- Story of Official Records
- Official Records Used by Historians
Mahatma Gandhi Through Contemporary Eyes
- The Nationalist Movement 1918 - 48
- The Nature of Gandhian Politics and Leadership
Colonialism and Indian Towns - Town Plans and Municipal Reports
- Growth of Mumbai, Chennai, Hill Stations and Cantonments in the 18th and 19th Centuries
- Photographs and Paintings
- Plans of Cities
- Extract from Town Plan Reports
- Focus on Kolkata Town Planning
Partition Through Oral Sources
- The History of the 1940s
- Nationalism, Communalism and Partition
- Oral Testimonies of Those Who Experienced Partition
Representations of 1857
- The Events of 1857-58
- How These Events Were Recorded and Narrated
- Pictures of 1857 Shaped British Opinion
Map Work
- Map Work
The Making of the Constitution
- Independence and the New Nation State
- The Making of the Constitution

A divine light
A unifying force
Just sovereignty as social contract

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Related QuestionsVIEW ALL [7]

What is the meaning of sulh-i-kul?

Study this Mughal painting entitled 'Jahangir Shooting the Figure of Poverty' carefully and answer the following question by choosing the correct option:

The artist has enveloped the target in a dark cloud to suggest: ______

Study this Mughal painting entitled 'Jahangir Shooting the Figure of Poverty' carefully and answer the following question by choosing the correct option:

The animals are seen in the painting underneath the feet of the emperor stand for: ______

Study this Mughal painting entitled 'Jahangir Shooting the Figure of Poverty' carefully and answer the following question by choosing the correct option:

The chain descending from heaven is a symbol of: ______

Study this Mughal painting entitled 'Jahangir Shooting the Figure of Poverty' carefully and answer the following question by choosing the correct option:

The ‘halo’ shown around the face of Jehangir indicates: ______

Write a Short Essay (About 250-300 Words) on the Following:-

Identify the elements that went into the making of the Mughal ideal of kingship.

Read the source given below and answer the questions that follow.

The flight of the written word

In Abu’l Fazl’s words:

The written word may embody the wisdom of bygone ages and may become a means to intellectual progress. The spoken word goes to the heart of those who are present to hear it. The written word gives wisdom to those who are near and far. If it was not for the written word, the spoken word would soon die, and no keepsake would be left us from those who are passed away. Superficial observers see in the letter a dark figure, but the deep sighted see in it a lamp of wisdom (chirag-i shinasai ). The written word looks black, notwithstanding the thousand rays within it, or it is a light with a mole on it that wards off the evil eye. A letter (khat) is the portrait of wisdom; a rough sketch from the realm of ideas; a dark light ushering in day; a black cloud pregnant with knowledge; speaking though dumb; stationary yet travelling; stretched on the sheet, and yet soaring upwards.

Why were words considered as the lamp of wisdom?
How has Abul Fazal related words with knowledge?
How did Abul Fazal refer to the difference between a ‘common viewer's observation’ and the ‘observation of a learned person?

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Topics

Bricks, Beads and Bones: the Harappan Civilisation

Kings, Farmers and Towns: Early States and Economies

Kinship, Caste and Class: Early Societies

Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings: Cultural Developments

Through the Eyes of Travellers: Perceptions of Society

Bhakti - Sufi Traditions: Changes in Religious Beliefs and Devotional Texts

An Imperial Capital Vijayanagara

Peasants, Zamindars and the State: Agrarian Society and the Mughal Empire

Kings and Chronicles: the Mughal Courts

Colonialism and the Countryside: Exploring Official Archives

Rebels and the Raj: 1857 Revolt and Its Representations

Colonial Cities: Urbanisation, Planning and Architecture

Mahatma Gandhi and the Nationalist Movement: Civil Disobedience and Beyond

Understanding Partition: Politics, Memories, Experiences

Framing the Constitution: the Beginning of a New Era

Themes in Indian History Part 1

Political and Economic History - How Inscriptions tell a story.

A History of Buddhism - Sanchi Stupa

The Story of the First Cities - Harappan Archaeology

Social Histories - Using the Mahabharata

Themes in Indian History Part 2

Medieval Society Through Traveller'S Accounts

New Architecture - Hampi

The Mughal Court - Reconstructing Histories Through Chronicles

Religious Histories - The Bhakti-sufi Tradition

Agrarian Relations - The Ain-i- Akbari

Themes in Indian History Part 3

Colonialism and Rural Society - Evidence From Official Reports

Mahatma Gandhi Through Contemporary Eyes

Colonialism and Indian Towns - Town Plans and Municipal Reports

Partition Through Oral Sources

Representations of 1857

Map Work

The Making of the Constitution

Related QuestionsVIEW ALL [7]

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