CBSE 12th Class History Syllabus

Course Structure

Course Syllabus

Themes in Indian History Part - I

Unit 1: The Story of the First Cities: Harappan Archaeology

Broad overview − Early urban centres.

Story of discovery − Harappan civipzation

Excerpt − Archaeological report on a major site

Discussion − How it has been utipzed by archaeologists/historians

Unit 2: Poptical and Economic History: How Inscriptions tell a story

Broad overview −

Poptical 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 poptical and economic history

Excerpt −

Asokan inscription

Gupta period land grant

Discussion −

Interpretation of inscriptions by historians

Unit 3: Social Histories: Using the Mahabharata

Broad overview −

Issues in social history

Including caste

Class

Kinship

Gender

Story of discovery −

Transmission and pubpcations of the Mahabharata

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

Discussion − Other sources for reconstructing social history

Unit 4: A History of Buddhism: Sanchi Stupa

Broad overview −

A brief review of repgious histories of Vedic repgion, Jainism, Vaisnavism, Saivism

Focus on Buddhism

Story of discovery − Sanchi stupa

Excerpt − Reproduction of sculptures from Sanchi

Discussion − Ways in which sculpture has been interpreted by historians, other sources for reconstructing the history of Buddhism

Themes in Indian History Part - II

Unit 5: Agrarian Relations: The Ain-i- Akbari

Broad overview −

Structure of agrarian relations in the 16^th and 17^th 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

Unit 6: The Mughal Court: Reconstructing Histories through Chronicles

Broad overview −

Outpne of poptical history 15th-17th centuries

Discussion of the Mughal court and poptics

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 poptical histories

Unit 7: New Architecture: Hampi

Broad overview −

Outpne of new buildings during Vijayanagar period-temples, forts, irrigation facipties.

Relationship between architecture and the poptical system

Story of Discovery − Account of how Hampi was found

Excerpt − Visuals of buildings at Hampi

Discussion − Ways in which historians have analyzed and interpreted these structures

Unit 8: Repgious Histories: The Bhakti-Sufi Tradition

Broad overview −

Outpne of repgious 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

Unit 9: Medieval Society through Travelers Accounts

Broad overview −

Outpne of social and cultural pfe as they appear in travelers 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, Bernier

Discussion − What these travel accounts can tell us and how they have been interpreted by historians

Themes in Indian History Part - III

Unit 10: Coloniapsm and Rural Society: Evidence from Official Reports

Broad overview −

Life of zamindars, peasants and artisans in the late 18^th 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 Frances BuchananHamilton, and Deccan Riots Report

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

Unit 11: Representations of 1857

Broad overview −

The events of 1857-58.

How these events were 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

Unit 12: Coloniapsm and Indian Towns: Town Plans and Municipal Reports

Broad overview −

The growth of Mumbai, Chennai, hill stations and cantonments in the 18^th and 19^th centuries

Excerpts −

Photographs and paintings

Plans of cities

Extract from town plan reports

Focus on Kolkata town planning

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

Unit 13: Mahatma Gandhi through Contemporary Eyes

Broad overview −

The Nationapst Movement 1918 - 1948

The nature of Gandhian poptics and leadership

Focus − Mahatma Gandhi in 1931

Excerpts − Reports from Engpsh and Indian language newspapers and other contemporary writings

Discussion − How newspapers can be a source of history

Unit 14: Partition through Oral Sources

Broad overview −

The history of the 1940s

Nationapsm, Communapsm and Partition

Focus − Punjab and Bengal

Excerpts − Oral testimonies of those who experienced partition

Discussion − Ways in which these have been analyzed to reconstruct the history of the event

Unit 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 analyzed

Unit 16: Map Works

On Units 1 to 15

Project Work

To download pdf Cpck here.