Topics
Bricks, Beads and Bones The Harappan Civilisation
Themes in Indian History Part 1
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
Themes in Indian History Part II
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
Kings, Farmers and Towns Early States and Economies (c.600 BCE 600 CE)
Kinship, Caste and Class
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
Themes in Indian History Part III
Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings Cultural Developments (c. 600 BCE 600 CE)
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
Through the Eyes of Travellers Perceptions of Society (c. tenth to seventeenth centuries)
Bhakti-Sufi Traditions Changes in Religious Beliefs and Devotional Texts (c. eighth to eighteenth centuries)
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 (c. fourteenth to sixteenth centuries)
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 (c. sixteenth seventeenth centuries)
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
Colonalism and The Countryside Exploring Official Archives
Rebels and The Raj 1857 Revolt and its Representations
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
Mahatma Gandhi and The Nationalist Movement Civil Disobedience and Beyond
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
Framing The Constitution The Beginning of a New Era
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
Key Points: Bengal and the Zamindars (Permanent Settlement)
|
Aspect |
Situation before Permanent Settlement |
Changes under Permanent Settlement (1793) |
Problems that arose |
Consequences |
|
Revenue system |
Revenue demand revised periodically |
Revenue permanently fixed on zamindars |
High fixed demand even during bad harvests |
Zamindars fell into arrears |
|
Role of zamindars |
Revenue collectors of the state |
Recognised as landholders |
Loss of control if revenue not paid |
Estates auctioned |
|
Auction system |
Rare and exceptional |
Estates sold to recover unpaid revenue |
Many auctions were fictitious |
Zamindars retained control indirectly |
|
Impact on peasants (ryots) |
Paid rent to zamindars |
Rent demands increased |
No protection against exploitation |
Increased burden and insecurity |
|
Power relations |
Zamindars exercised local authority |
Company restricted zamindari powers |
Judicial delays and weak enforcement |
Rise of rich peasants (jotedars) |
Key Points: The Hoe and the Plough
|
Region/Group |
Main Occupation |
Tools Used |
Relationship with Forest |
Impact of British Policies |
|
Paharias |
Shifting cultivation, hunting, forest gathering |
Hoe, axe, digging tools |
Deeply dependent on forests for food, fuel and livelihood |
Loss of forest land due to expansion of settled agriculture |
|
Rajmahal Hills |
Forest-based agriculture |
Hoe (light digging) |
Forest seen as homeland and source of identity |
Forced forest clearance and intrusion by outsiders |
|
British Officials |
Expansion of settled agriculture |
Plough promoted |
Viewed forests as wasteland to be converted |
Encouraged deforestation and agricultural expansion |
|
Santhals |
Settled cultivation |
Plough |
Cleared forests to cultivate land |
Given land under Damin-i-Koh but later exploited |
|
Colonial State |
Revenue collection |
Plough-based farming |
Forests seen as obstacles to revenue |
Increased conflict with tribal communities |
Key Points: A Revolt in the Countryside – Bombay Deccan
|
Aspect |
Causes |
Nature of Revolt |
Role of Moneylenders |
British Response |
|
Peasant Distress |
High land revenue, rigid ryotwari system, crop failures |
Burning of account books, attacks on sahukars |
Charged high interest, seized land and crops |
Police posts set up, troops deployed |
|
Economic Pressure |
Falling agricultural prices after 1830s |
Organised village-level protests |
Refused loans, demanded repayment |
Arrests and convictions of peasants |
|
Credit Crisis |
Credit dried up after cotton boom ended |
Targeted destruction of debt bonds |
Manipulated bonds and accounts |
Suppression of revolt by force |
|
Revenue System |
Heavy revenue demand despite poor harvests |
Spread across large areas of Deccan |
Became symbols of oppression |
Countryside brought under control |
|
Long-term Impact |
Growing indebtedness of ryots |
Peasant awareness and resistance |
Continued dominance in villages |
Later moderation of revenue demands |
Key Points: The Deccan Riots Commission
|
Aspect |
Background |
Work of the Commission |
Findings |
Historical Significance |
|
Formation |
Set up after the spread of riots in the Deccan |
Appointed by the Bombay Government under pressure from the Government of India |
Investigated causes of peasant unrest |
Marked official inquiry into peasant revolts |
|
Sources Used |
Memory of the 1857 revolt made authorities cautious |
Recorded statements of ryots, sahukars and eyewitnesses |
Collected statistical data on prices, revenue and interest |
Provides rich source material for historians |
|
Areas Covered |
Riot-affected districts of the Deccan |
Held enquiries across different regions |
Compared regional variations in debt and interest rates |
Helped understand regional economic conditions |
|
Official View |
Government reluctant to blame its own policies |
Examined revenue demand and credit relations |
Blamed moneylenders rather than revenue system |
Shows colonial bias in interpretation |
|
Limitations |
Commission was an official body |
Reflected official concerns and priorities |
Ignored role of harsh revenue demands |
Highlights need to read official records critically |
