CUET Exam 2025 History Syllabus

1.

The Story of the First Cities Harappan Archaeology

• Broad overview: Early urban centers.
• Story of discovery: Harappan civilization.
• Excerpt: Archaeological report on a major site.
• Discussion: how it has been utilized by archaeologists/historians.

2.

Political and Economic History: How Inscriptions tell a story

• Broad overview: Political 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 political and economic history.
• Excerpt: Asokan inscription and Gupta period land grant.
• Discussion: Interpretation of inscriptions by historians.

3.

Social Histories using the Mahabharata

• Broad overview: Issues in social history, including caste, class, kinship, and gender.
• Story of discovery: Transmission and publications of the Mahabharata.
• Excerpt: From the Mahabharata, illustrating how it has been used by historians.

4.

A History of Buddhism: Sanchi Stupa

• Broad overview:

    (a) A brief review of religious histories of Vedic religion, Jainism, Vaishnavism, and Saivism.

    (b) Focus on Buddhism.

• Story of discovery: Sanchi stupa.
• Excerpt: Reproduction of sculptures from Sanchi. Discussion: Ways in which sculpture has been interpreted by historians, and other sources for reconstructing the history of Buddhism.

5.

Medieval society through Travellers’ Accounts

• Broad Overview: Outline of social and cultural life as they appear in travellers’ 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.

6.

Religious Histories: The Bhakti-Sufi Tradition

• Broad Overview:

     (a) Outline of religious developments during this period.

     (b) 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.

7.

New Architecture: Hampi

• Broad Overview:

     (a)Outline of new buildings during the Vijayanagar period — temples, forts, irrigation facilities.

     (b)Relationship between architecture and the political system.

• Story of Discovery: Account of how Hampi was found.
• Excerpt: Visuals of buildings at Hampi.
• Discussion: Ways in which historians have analysed and interpreted these structures.

8.

Agrarian Relations: The Ain-i- Akbari

• Broad overview:

     (a) Structure of agrarian relations in the 16th and 17th centuries.

     (b) 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.

9.

The Mughal Court: Reconstructing Histories through Chronicles

• Broad Overview:

     (a) Outline of political history c. 15th-17th centuries.

     (b) Discussion of the Mughal court and politics.

• 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 political histories.

10.

Colonialism and Rural Society: Evidence from Official Reports

• Broad overview:

      (a) Life of zamindars, peasants, and artisans in the late 18th century.

      (b) East India Company, revenue settlements, and surveys.

      (c) 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 Francis Buchanan-Hamilton, and Deccan Riots Report.
• Discussion: What do the official records tell and do not tell, and how they have been used by historians.

11.

Representations of 1857

• Broad Overview:

     (a) The events of 1857-58.

     (b) 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.

12.

Colonialism and Indian Towns: Town Plans and Municipal Reports

• Broad Overview: The growth of Mumbai, Chennai, hill stations, and cantonments in the 18th and 19th century.
• 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?

13.

Mahatma Gandhi through Contemporary Eyes

• Broad Overview:

     (a) The nationalist movement 1918-48,

     (b) The nature of Gandhian politics and leadership.

• Focus: Mahatma Gandhi in 1931.
• Excerpts: Reports from English and Indian language newspapers and other contemporary writings.
• Discussion: How newspapers can be a source of history.

14.

Partition through Oral Sources

• Broad Overview:

     (a) The history of the 1940s;

     (b) Nationalism, Communalism, and Partition.

• Focus: Punjab and Bengal.
• Excerpts: Oral testimonies of those who experienced partition.
• Discussion: Ways in which these have been analysed to reconstruct the history of the event.

15.

The Making of the Constitution

• Broad Overview:

     (a) Independence and the new nation-state.

     (b) The making of the Constitution.

• Focus: The Constitutional Assembly debates.
• Excerpts: From the debates.
• Discussion: What do such debates reveal and how they can be analyzed.