Topics
Themes in Indian History Part 1
Bricks, Beads and Bones The Harappan Civilisation
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
Kings, Farmers and Towns Early States and Economies (c.600 BCE 600 CE)
Themes in Indian History Part II
Themes in Indian History Part III
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
Kinship, Caste and Class
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?
Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings Cultural Developments (c. 600 BCE 600 CE)
Through the Eyes of Travellers Perceptions of Society (c. tenth to seventeenth centuries)
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
Bhakti-Sufi Traditions Changes in Religious Beliefs and Devotional Texts (c. eighth to eighteenth 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
An Imperial Capital : Vijayanagara (c. fourteenth to sixteenth 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
Peasants, Zamindars and the State Agrarian Society and the Mughal Empire (c. sixteenth seventeenth centuries)
Colonalism and The Countryside Exploring Official Archives
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
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
Mahatma Gandhi and The Nationalist Movement Civil Disobedience and Beyond
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 |
