India in the Eighteenth Century

Bahadur Shah 1 (1707-12) Muzam succeeded Aurungzeb after latter’s death in 1707 He acquired the title of Bahadur Shah. Though he was quite old (65) and his rule quite short there are many significant achievements he made He reversed the narrow minded and antagonistic policies of Aurungzeb Made agreements with Rajput states Granted sardeshmukhi to … Read more India in the Eighteenth Century

Miscellaneous Facts:

  1.The Marathas were Scindia (Gwalior), Holkar (Indore), Gaekwar (Baroda), Bhonsle (Nagpur).   2.Sawai Jai Singh of Amer (Jaipur) had Euclid’s ‘Elements of Geometry) & several works on Trigonometry were translated into Sanskrit. Banda Bairagi was baptised as Banda Singh Bahadur by Guru Gobind Singh.   3.Alfonso d’ Albuquerque came to India as the Portuguese … Read more Miscellaneous Facts:

Conspiracy Cases/ Revolutionary Act

  Nasik Conspiracy Case Anant Kanhare & Ganesh Savarkar short dead collector Jackson of Nasik   with the revolver sent by V.D. Savarkar   Muzaffarpur Shooting 1908. Khudi Ram & Prafulla Chaki tried to bomb Kingsford, the District   Judge of Muzaffarpur but instead his wife & daughter died.  Khudiram a   minor was hanged … Read more Conspiracy Cases/ Revolutionary Act

Famous Sayings

        I wish for a peaceful term of India. I cannot forget that in the sky of India ,   Lord Canning serene as it is, a small cloud may arise ………..threaten to burst & overwhelm.     ‘a battle of blacks against the whites’ (on 1857 revolt)   J.W. Kaye The … Read more Famous Sayings

Congress Sessions

        1885 W.C. Bannerjee Bombay   1886 Dadabhai Naroji Calcutta   1887 Badruddin Tyabji Madras   1888 George Yule Allahabad   1889 William Weederburn Bombay   1905 G.K. Gokhale Banaras – Issues like welcoming the prince of wales led to feud   1906 Dadabhai Naoroji Calcutta – Approval of issues of swadesi … Read more Congress Sessions

Newspapers/Magazines/Weeklies

    Harijan Bandhu, Harijan Sevak   Mahatma Gandhi Samvad Kaumudi, Mirat-al-Akhbar   Raja Ram Mohun Roy Tattvabodhini Patrika   Maharishi Devendranath Tagore Indian Mirror   Maharishi Devendranath Tagore Banga Darshan   Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay Maratha (English) & Kesari (Marathi) Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak The Punjabi, ‘The Pupil’ (English)   Lala Lajpat Rai New India … Read more Newspapers/Magazines/Weeklies

Major Armed Uprising

Wahabi Shah Abdul Aziz & Saiyed Ahmad Raebarelvi. Objective was to reform the Muslim Movement society& convert ‘Dur-ul-Harb’ (Non-Islamic community) into ‘Dar-ul-Islam’.   Origianlly the movement was started in Arabia by Muhammad Ibn-Aba-e-Wahid.   Its main centre was Patna, Sittana (NW province). Kuka Bhai Ram Singh (Disciple of Bhai Balak Singh). It is also called … Read more Major Armed Uprising

Social Reformers & Their Work

  Rajaram Mohun   Laid stress on the study of English & established the Hindu College in Calcutta Roy   alongwith David Hare. Maharishi   The grandfather of Rabindranath Tagore. He inspired a number of thinkers like Devendranath   Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar & Akshay Kumar Datta who became Brahmo Samaj Tagore   members.  He  din’t  … Read more Social Reformers & Their Work

Modern Period

  Later Mughals 1707-12 Bahadur Shah I 1712-13 Jahandar Shah 1713-19 Farukk Siyar 1719-48 Muhammad Shah Rangila 1748-54 Ahmad Shah 1754-59 Alamgir II 1759-1806 Shah Alam II 1806-1837 Akbar Shah II 1837-57 Bahadur Shah II     Later Mughal Rulers Bahadur Shah I After the death of Aurangzeb, prince Muazzam, Azam & Kam Bakhsh fought … Read more Modern Period

Medieval India

              North India       Ghadvalas     Chandradeva*. Jaichandra fought Muhammad Ghur Chandellas of Jejakabhukti/Bundelkhand   *Vidyadhara* & Yashovarman   Paramaras of Malwa   Vakpati Munjal & *Bhoja*   Chahamanas/Chauhans of Sakambhari   Vigraharaja IV Visaladeva, *Prithviraj III* (Chauhan) Kalachuris of Tripuri   Kokalla, Gangeyadeva & *Karna* … Read more Medieval India

Ancient History Question Bank

1- The Rigvedic deity not found in Avesta is: (a) Indra (b) Varuna (c) Agni (d) Mitra   2- The concept of ‘Brahma’ started with: (a) Brahmanas (b) Aranyakas (c) Upanishads (d) Vedas Who wrote ‘Natya Shashtra’? (a) Bhavbhuti (b) Matang (c) Bharat Muni (d) Bharavi Most of Smritis have been written in verse. Which … Read more Ancient History Question Bank

Ancient Indian History(Quick Revision)

    Pre-Harappan Period     Lower Paleolithic   Hand axe & cleaver industries Pahalgam, Belan valley (U.P),       (600,000 – 60,000 BC)     Bhimbetka, Adamgarh, 16 R Singi Talav       Middle Paleolithic   Tools made on flakes Bhimbetka, Nevasa, Pushkar, Rohiri       (150,000 – 40,000 BC)   … Read more Ancient Indian History(Quick Revision)

The Kushanas: Short introduction

  In the early 2nd century BC, a tribe on the Central Asian frontier of China called Hsiung-nu defeated a neighboring one known as Yueh-chih. After more conflict, the survivors of the Yueh-chih were dislocated west, passing down the Ili river valley and along the southern shore of lake Issyk Kul. This movement also pushed … Read more The Kushanas: Short introduction

Art, Sculpture and Architecture in Kushana Empire

  The Kushana period witnessed a remarkable development in art, sculpture and architecture. The Gandhara School of Art and Sculp­ture marked a happy blending of the Graceo-Romano-Buddhist style and techniques. The distinguishing features of the Gandhara Sculp­ture owed their origin to Greek and Roman styles yet the art essen­tially was Indian in spirit. The Gandhara … Read more Art, Sculpture and Architecture in Kushana Empire

The Gupta Empire

The Gupta Empire stretched across northern, central and parts of southern India between c. 320 and 550 CE. The period is noted for its achievements in the arts, architecture, sciences, religion, and philosophy. Chandragupta I (320 – 335 CE) started a rapid expansion of the Gupta Empire and soon established himself as the first sovereign ruler of the empire. It marked the end of 500 hundred … Read more The Gupta Empire

vardhan empire

Harsh Vardhan Emperor Harshavardhana, better known as Harsha, lived from 590 to 647 CE and was the third ruler of the Vardhana Empire, the last great empire in ancient India before the Islamic Invasion. He ruled from 606 CE to 647 CE. After Harshavardhana’s death, however, the Vardhana dynasty came to an end and its empire dissolved. India, the land … Read more vardhan empire

Cholas

    The founder of the Chola Empire was Vijayalaya, who was first feudatory of the Pallavas of Kanchi. He captured Tanjore in 850 A.D. He established a temple of goddess Nishumbhasudini (Durga) there. Aditya I succeeded Vijayalaya. Aditya helped his overlord the Pallava king Aparajita against the Pandyas but soon defeated him and annexed … Read more Cholas

Civilization and Culture of the Pallavas

  The Pallava rule formed a golden epoch in the cultural history of south India. The period under the Pallavas was marked by considerable literary activities and cultural revival. The Pallavas warmly patronized Sanskrit language and most of the literary records of the time were composed in that language. Due to the cultural renaissance and … Read more Civilization and Culture of the Pallavas

Magdhan

    In the sixth country B.C. North India was divided into sixteen kingdoms out of which Avanti, Vatsa, Kosala and Magadha rose into prominence by aggrandizing upon other weaker states.These four states involved themselves in internecine quarrel in which Magadha emerged as the most powerful state and acquired mastery in the political domain of … Read more Magdhan

The History of Licchavis

  The Lichchhavis (also Lichchavi, Licchavi) were an important member of the Vajjian confederacy. The early Indian traditions describe the Lichchhavis as Kshatriyas. Scholars reject the theory of foreign origin of the Lichchhavis on the strength of these traditions. But they were degraded to the status of fallen Kshatriyas due to their championship of non-Brahmanical … Read more The History of Licchavis

Origin of Aryans

  The Aryans came to India in several waves. The earliest wave is represented by the Rig Vedic people who appeared in the subcontinent in about 1500 BC. They came into conflict with the indigenous inhabitants called the Dravidians mentioned as Dasa or Dasyus in Rig Veda. The Rig Veda mentions the defeat of Sambara … Read more Origin of Aryans

Indus Valley Civilization

  Indus Valley Civilization was the first major civilization in south Asia, which spread across a vast area of land in present day India and Pakistan (around 12 lakh sq.km). The time period of mature Indus Valley Civilization is estimated between BC. 2700- BC.1900 i.e. for 800 years. But early Indus Valley Civilization had existed even before … Read more Indus Valley Civilization

Pollution Problems

  The State of Jharkhand: Environmental Concerns The word Jharkhand connotes an area of land covered with forests. The word Jharkhand has been derived from the Sanskrit word, Jhari Khanda the ancient name depicting the regions’ dense forest. Thus, naturally as well as symbolically, the states’ very existence is associated with forests. Another remarkable aspect … Read more Pollution Problems

Pattern of urban settlement

  Urban growth and urbanization patterns in Jharkhand do not seem to attract any significant academic attention. The ‘newly’ born state that came into existence on 15th November 2000 as the 28th state of Indian Union has however remained in turbidity of political economy of growth since its formation. For a long time, Jharkhand remained … Read more Pattern of urban settlement

Industrial and urban development. Major industries-Iron, Steel and Cement; industries,

Industrial and urban development. Major industries-Iron, Steel and Cement; industries, The  state of Jharkhand, widely acclaimed as the region of future, has enormous potentialities for industrialization. With its large deposits of minerals, it provides a solid launching pad for all kinds of industries. Born out of partition from old Bihar state in 2000, Jharkhand produces … Read more Industrial and urban development. Major industries-Iron, Steel and Cement; industries,

Problems of trible      

Tribal development Plans Bicycle Distribution Scheme This Scheme has been started by Jharkhand Government to encourage girl students belonging to SC, ST, Minorities, and BPL families to go to schools and continue their studies. This plan was started by the state government for the following two reasons: – The distance between the school & their … Read more Problems of trible      

Tribal population and their distribution

  Demographic Profile of the STs There are 32 tribes (2011) in Jharkhand of which Santhals are most numerous accounting for one third of the total tribal population followed by Oraon, Munda and Ho contributing more than 10% to the total tribal population. Other tribes such as Kharwar, Lohra, Bhumij and Kharia have a share … Read more Tribal population and their distribution

Population : Growth, distribution, density

  Jharkhand Population as per Census 2011   The Population of Jharkhand according to the 2011 census stands at about 32 million, making it the 13th most populated state in India. The state makes up about 3.5% of the country’s population a figure which was about 3% during the last census in 2001. The state … Read more Population : Growth, distribution, density

 mineral resources of Jharkhand,their extraction and utilization

  Mineral Resources Jharkhand is one of the leading mineral producing States. It is one of the leading producers of coal, kyanite, gold, silver, bauxite and felspar. Uranium ore is mined and processed by Uranium Corporation of India Ltd (UCIL) for use as fuel in the country’s nuclear power reactors through four underground mines, one … Read more  mineral resources of Jharkhand,their extraction and utilization

Damodar & Suberna rekha valley projects

  The Damodar River is a tributary of the Hugli River. It flows more or less in the west to east direction through Jharkhand and West Bengal. Its total length from its source in the hills of Chota Nagpur plateau in Jharkhand to its confluence with Hugli in West Bengal is about 541 km, half … Read more Damodar & Suberna rekha valley projects

Irrigation

  The dams in Jharkhand mainly cater to the irrigation system of the state through a well managed system of canal irrigation in the local areas. The dams of Jharkhand are also utilized for power generation. The major dams of Jharkhand are the Maithon dam, the Panchet Dam and the Chandil Dam. The Maithon Dam was constructed … Read more Irrigation

Agriculture

  The State of Jharkhand was created in November’ 2000 after carving 79 lakh hectares geographical area from the State of Bihar for better planning and execution of development activities of a ecologically different zone ( Hills & Plateau region compared to Bihar plains). Agriculture is the main stay for the 80% of rural population … Read more Agriculture

Jharkhand’s Geography: Forests

    Jharkhand with a geographical area of 79,714 km2 constitutes 2.42% of the country’s area. The total recorded forest area of the state is 23,605 km2 which is 29.61% of the geographical area of the state. Of the total recorded forest area, Reserved Forests constitute 18.58%, Protected Forests 81.28%, and Unclassed Forests 0.14%. As per State … Read more Jharkhand’s Geography: Forests

Soil types

    Soil is one of the most important non-renewable basic resources on the earth surface. Therefore greater attention has been paid through out the world to study the soils, their distribution and extent, behavior, potentials and problems and their suitability for sustained use for different purposes. Jharkhand state lies between 21o 58’2” to 25o … Read more Soil types

Climate

  The state falls under the Tropical Monsoon climatic region. The Tropic of Cancer cuts across the state passing through the middle of the Ranchi City. The average temperature of the state is 25° C, which varies greatly because of varying heights of different plateaus mentioned above. The average temperature of the Pat region is … Read more Climate

Drainage System

  The radial centrifugal drainage system of Jharkhand state has number of rivers. Most of these rivers remain relatively dry during summer months (February-May) but exhibit torrential flow during the months of monsoons (June-September). Jharkhand has a vast potential for generating hydel power as is exemplified by the location of the famous Damodar Valley Corporation … Read more Drainage System

Landforms

      Jharkhand is located in the eastern part of India bordering the states of Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa, and Chattisgarh. Tropic of Cancer passes through Kanke, few kilometers away from Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, making it the only state in India touched by Tropic of Cancer. Most of the Jharkhand region is … Read more Landforms

Geological history

  The spatial extent of Jharkhand State is approximately 21° 55’ to 25° 35’ North Latitude and 83° 20’ to 88° 02’ East Longitude. The state is land locked and it shares its boundary with Orissa on the southeast, Chattisgarh on the southwest, Bihar on the north, West Bengal on the east and Uttar Pradesh … Read more Geological history

Development of Industries : Types of Industries;factors of industrial location, distribution and changing pattern of selected industries [iron and steel, cotton textile, sugar and petro- chemicals); Weber’s theory of industrial location-lts relevance in the modern world.

  Based on the value addition and tangibility broadly we can have three types of industries – primary industries,secondary industries and tertiary industries. Primary industries are usually very simple industries involving processing of raw materials to give input goods for secondary industries. Here value addition is usually minimal and they are usually material oriented.Scale of … Read more Development of Industries : Types of Industries;factors of industrial location, distribution and changing pattern of selected industries [iron and steel, cotton textile, sugar and petro- chemicals); Weber’s theory of industrial location-lts relevance in the modern world.

Non- metallic and conventional minerals [coal,petroleum and natural gas), (c) hydro electricity and non conventional sources of energy (Solar, Wind, bio-gas),(d) energy sources Their distribution and conservation.

  Petroleum, natural gas, coal, nitrogen, uranium and water power are examples of conventional sources of energy. They’re also called non-renewable sources of energy and are mainly fossil fuels, except water power. Rising growth of population has created a tremendous pressure on the conventional resources of energy and thus the concept of sustainable development get prominent … Read more Non- metallic and conventional minerals [coal,petroleum and natural gas), (c) hydro electricity and non conventional sources of energy (Solar, Wind, bio-gas),(d) energy sources Their distribution and conservation.

Minerals and Energy Resources : Distribution and utility of [a] metallic minerals (ion ore, copper, bauxite, manganese)

  Mineral is a naturally occurring, homogeneous inorganic solid substance having a definite chemical composition and characteristic crystalline structure, color, and hardness Minerals are valuable natural resources that are finite and non-renewable. The history of mineral extraction in India dates back to the days of the Harappan civilization. The wide availability of minerals in the … Read more Minerals and Energy Resources : Distribution and utility of [a] metallic minerals (ion ore, copper, bauxite, manganese)

Scarcity of water, methods of conservation-rain water harvesting and watershed management, ground water management

  Scarcity of water   Water scarcity is possibly to pose the greatest challenge on account of its increased demand coupled with shrinking supplies due to over utilisation and pollution. Water is a cyclic resource with abundant supplies on the globe. Approximately, 71 per cent of the earth’s surface is covered with it but fresh … Read more Scarcity of water, methods of conservation-rain water harvesting and watershed management, ground water management

Utilization for industrial and other purposes, irrigation

    Industrial Uses The share of industrial sector is limited to 2 per cent of the surface water utilisation and 5 per cent of the ground-water. Rough estimates indicate that the present water use in the industrial sector is of the order of 15 km3 . The water use by thermal and nuclear power … Read more Utilization for industrial and other purposes, irrigation

Water Resources : Availability

  Water is a prime natural resource, a basic human need and a precious national asset. Planning, development and management of water resources need to be governed by national perspectives. India accounts for about 2.45 per cent of world’s surface area, 4 per cent of the world’s water resources and about 16 per cent of … Read more Water Resources : Availability

Geographical condition and distribution of major crops, like,Rice, Wheat,Cotton, Jute, Sugarcane, Rubber, Tea and Coffee

  Rice The rice is cultivated on the largest areas in India. Historians believe that while the indica variety of rice was first domesticated in the area covering the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas (i.e. north-eastern India).Rice is a nutritional staple food which provides instant energy as its most important component is carbohydrate (starch). Rice … Read more Geographical condition and distribution of major crops, like,Rice, Wheat,Cotton, Jute, Sugarcane, Rubber, Tea and Coffee

Development and Utilization Land Resources ie General land use, agricultural land use

  Land is a finite resource. Land availability is only about 20% of the earth’s surface. Land is crucial for all developmental activities, for natural resources, ecosystem services and for agriculture. Growing population, growing needs and demands for economic development, clean water, food and other products from natural resources, as well as degradation of land … Read more Development and Utilization Land Resources ie General land use, agricultural land use

Natural Resources of India

  What are natural resources ? Natural resources are useful raw materials that we get from the Earth. They occur naturally, which means that humans cannot make natural resources. Instead, we use and modify natural resources in ways that are beneficial to us. The materials used in human-made objects are natural resources. Some examples of natural … Read more Natural Resources of India

functional classification of urban settlements Problems of human settlement in India

The definition of function varies across the disciplines. In political science it refers to duties, in mathematics it means the relationship between two variables and in geography it is synonymous to occupation. Geographers have classified towns on the basis of their site, situation, size, rank, location and relative elevation. Functional classification of towns attempts to categorize towns … Read more functional classification of urban settlements Problems of human settlement in India

Urban morphology

  Urban morphology is the study of the form of human settlements and the process of their formation and transformation.Morphological studies often deal with development of forms and pattern of the present city or other urban areas through time. Urban morphology is the study of the physical form of a city, which consists of street … Read more Urban morphology

Types of Settlements : rural and urban

  Settlement can be defined as any form of human habitation which ranges from a single dwelling to large city. The word settlement has another connotation as well as this is a process of opening up and settling of a previously uninhabited area by the people. In geography this process is also known as occupancy. … Read more Types of Settlements : rural and urban