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: Pattern of the Uprising (1857)
|
How it began |
Targets of attack |
Spread and communication |
Leadership |
Popular participation |
|
Mutinies began with signals like firing of evening guns or sounding of bugles |
Bell of arms, treasury and government buildings were seized |
News of revolt travelled quickly from one cantonment to another |
Initial leadership by sepoys |
Ordinary people gradually joined the uprising |
|
Sepoys attacked jails, courts, record rooms and telegraph offices |
British officials and symbols of authority were attacked |
Sepoys sent messengers and letters between regiments |
Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar accepted symbolic leadership |
Peasants, artisans and townspeople participated |
|
Proclamations were issued in Hindi, Urdu and Persian |
Moneylenders and rich Indians allied with British were targeted |
Cantonments showed similar patterns due to coordination |
Local leaders like Rani Lakshmi Bai and Kunwar Singh emerged |
Rebels attacked moneylenders’ houses and looted them |
|
Revolt turned violent as British control collapsed |
British residences were looted and destroyed |
Religious and social networks helped spread ideas |
Religious leaders and fakirs mobilised people |
Revolt became a mass rebellion in towns and villages |
|
Mutiny quickly transformed into a widespread rebellion |
All symbols of colonial rule became targets |
Panchayats and collective decision-making played a role |
Leadership varied from region to region |
Unity of Hindus and Muslims was emphasised |
Key Points: Awadh in Revolt
|
Cause/Issue |
British Action |
Impact on Awadh |
Result/Reaction |
|
Annexation of Awadh (1856) |
Awadh was annexed by the British |
Nawab Wajid Ali Shah was removed from power |
Widespread anger and resentment among the people |
|
Subsidiary Alliance |
British troops were stationed in Awadh |
Authority of the Nawab was reduced |
Talukdars and chiefs opposed British rule |
|
Dispossession of Talukdars |
Talukdars were disarmed and their forts destroyed |
Traditional rural power structure collapsed |
Talukdars joined and supported the revolt |
|
High Revenue Demand |
Summary Settlement was introduced |
Peasants faced heavy tax burden |
Peasants participated actively in the revolt |
|
Sepoy–Peasant Connection |
Grievances of sepoys were ignored |
Discontent spread from villages to army lines |
Awadh became a major centre of the 1857 revolt |
Key Points: What the Rebels Wanted (1857)
|
Rebel Demand/Idea |
Explanation |
Evidence/Examples |
|
Unity of Hindus and Muslims |
Rebels appealed to people of all castes and religions to unite against British rule and fight together. |
Proclamations issued in the name of both Hindu and Muslim symbols; Azamgarh Proclamation (1857). |
|
End of British Rule |
The British were seen as oppressive rulers who had broken treaties and annexed Indian kingdoms unjustly. |
Use of the term firangi raj; condemnation of annexations and broken promises. |
|
Protection of Religion and Culture |
Rebels feared that the British wanted to destroy Indian religions and convert people to Christianity. |
Rumours about religious interference; proclamations urging people to protect faith and traditions. |
|
Restoration of Traditional Order |
Rebels wanted to restore the pre-British social and political system, especially the Mughal authority. |
Appeal to Bahadur Shah Zafar; revival of Mughal symbols and court culture. |
|
Removal of Economic Oppression |
British land revenue systems and foreign trade had ruined peasants, artisans, and landlords. Rebels wanted relief from these policies. |
Attacks on moneylenders, burning of account books, protests against revenue settlements. |
Key Points: Repression (1857 Revolt)
|
British Actions |
Laws and Measures Used |
Areas Affected |
Impact on Rebels and People |
Result |
|
Declaration of martial law |
Ordinary laws and trials were suspended |
North India |
Suspected rebels were punished without legal trials |
Fear and complete breakdown of civil rights |
|
Passing of special Acts (May–June 1857) |
Death penalty made the only punishment |
Rebel-controlled regions |
Severe punishments discouraged open resistance |
Brutal suppression of rebellion |
|
Large-scale military operations |
Troops sent from Britain and Punjab |
Delhi, Awadh, Gangetic plain |
Heavy fighting, loss of lives on both sides |
Gradual British military control |
|
Two-pronged attack strategy |
Advance from Calcutta and Punjab |
Delhi and surrounding regions |
Rebels surrounded and isolated |
Fall of Delhi in September 1857 |
|
Divide-and-rule tactics |
Rewards to loyal landholders |
Uttar Pradesh and Awadh |
Unity between peasants and landlords broken |
British authority re-established |
Key Points: Images of the Revolt (1857)
|
Type of Image |
Who Created It |
What Is Shown |
Message/Purpose |
|
Paintings celebrating British heroes |
British artists |
British officers rescuing Europeans, defeating rebels |
To glorify British victory and portray them as saviours |
|
Images of women and children |
British painters |
Helpless English women and children under threat |
To evoke sympathy and justify harsh repression |
|
Cartoons and allegorical images |
British newspapers and journals |
Rebels shown as violent, savage, and cruel |
To spread fear and support revenge against rebels |
|
Execution scenes |
British illustrated magazines |
Public hangings and blowing rebels from guns |
To perform terror and warn people against rebellion |
|
Nationalist images (later period) |
Indian artists and writers |
Leaders like Rani Lakshmi Bai as brave warriors |
To inspire nationalism and remember the revolt as heroic |
