Completed B.Com from DAVV, Indore
Cleared CS, CWA (CMA) and CA Final (Group I)


Abhyudaya Kelkar

This is a Crash Course on the Ancient Indian History beneficial for the UPSC aspirants and other government exam aspirants. This course will cover all the important points that you need to remember. The course starts with the beginning of the ancient Indian civilization, stone age, Indus valley civilization, Buddhism, Jainism, Alexandar's Invasion, The Mauryan and the Gupta Period.

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UPSC CSE - GS

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English

Crash Course in Ancient Indian History for UPSC Aspirants

Indian History

Crash Course

Ancient History

History

UPSC CSE

Ace the toughest competitive and government exams in India 

Test Preparation

Union Public Service Commission Exams (UPSC)

Ancient History - Crash Course

These all constitute ‘The Sources of Indian History’, which has been broadly classified into three distinct categories :
1.	Literary Sources : Whatever was written
2.	Archaeological Sources : Whatever has been unearthed or recovered from the past in physical form.
3.	Other Sources : Whatever is left behind and not covered under the previous two categories. 
This is how the history of India can be interpreted.
Most of the students and many tutors are careless about positioning the history of India. It is essential to locate and mark a starting point to begin the study of Indian history to get a proper insight and holistic view. 
We will also talk about certain terms that we come across while studying history as a discipline, in general.

Ancient India: The Beginning

Crash Course on Ancient India - Overview

Usually we start studying history from Stone Age. The Stone Age is divided into three parts, the first one being ‘Palaeolithic Age’ or ‘Old Stone Age’ in Greek. This Palaeolithic Age itself is divided into three sub-parts – lower, middle and upper.

Man was basically a hunter and food gatherer throughout this period. The only notable differences were those of types of stones and variety of tools. So these two things bifurcated the three Paleolithic periods. 

Neolithic Age brought revolutionary changes in the life of man. Introduction of wheel, extensive use of fire, pottery, agriculture, settled life, lethal and more finished tools- This whole can give you a clear picture how Neolithic Age brought an end to an early man with nomadic or quasi-nomadic lifestyle.

The Chalcolithic Age saw the usage of working metals for the first time. It was copper that gave new dimensions to the human civilization. Copper meant mining and metallurgy on the one hand and sophisticated tools, equipment and machinery made of the metal and its alloys on the other.

Megaliths are one of the important chapters of Ancient Indian History. Although it had a parallel existence with Iron Age, it is being covered in this part on two accounts. Firstly, these megaliths were unassociated with the other prevailing civilizations to a large extent. Secondly, extensive use of stones and rocks being the dominant feature of these cultures made it suitable to place them alongside the Stone Age topics.

The Stone Age

There was a mysterious civilization in our land. No mention indigenously or elsewhere. It arose without any tangible reason like ambitions of monarchs, aggression, military conquest, etc. Similarly it vanished without any justifiable reason. 

The accidental discovery of Harappa in the early 19th century brought to limelight an otherwise anonymous civilization. We know Indus Valley Civilization only through its location in the Indus Basin or Indus Valley. 

There is an interesting story around the beginning of excavation of the various IVC sites.
Moreover there are many peculiarities attached to certain important IVC sites that are explained in this lesson.

The periodization of the IVC is equally important and hence taken into account.
We will also talk about the society, culture and lifestyle of the inhabitants of the Indus Valley during that era.

Indus Valley Civilization - Part 1

The IVC shows remarkable achievements in the field of art & architecture , along with science and technology. The architecture section will be separately discussed in a later lesson. Here we will talk about IVC art and technology.

The most striking feature of the IVC is the town-planning. The concept of town planning itself is a cumbersome one even today. But these IVC cities were planned ab-initio. This fact makes the case of the civilization very interesting.

The economy of the IVC is a dubious section with very less certainty of facts available. But we will try to reconstruct the economic model with whatever scanty we are having about the IVC agriculture, industry and infrastructure.

The IVC disappeared as mysteriously as it appeared. No conclusive evidence of extinction have been found so far. We will talk about all the possibilities.

Some additional facts to be remembered about the IVC have also been listed.

Indus Valley Civilization - Part 2

The current history of India has an ancestry of 3,500 years, which began with the coming of the Aryans from Central Asia. Whether it was an invasion or not, is a matter of intensive debate these days.

From GGC and indigenous Cemetry-H culture, perhaps a new tradition came into being, an ‘Aryan’ entity, a sequel of many other cultures, which are differentiated by the types of pottery they used.

What Vedic people practiced in the form of religious rituals is a matter of curiosity and rightly so. After a span of three and a half millennia, many practices survive amidst severe foreign invasions, pillage and destruction, assimilation and addition. It is quite an incredible fact that despite of many odds, the practices survived and are still in vogue. 

Vedic society is still in existence within the Hindu community, in some form or the other. Many principles are followed even today, although not in original or purest form, or after understanding the logic behind it.

The Vedic Period

Out of the 16 Mahajanapadas discussed in the previous lesson, it was only Magadha which raised banner and arms against its neighbours. This all began with Bimbisara of Haryanka Dynasty.

This imperialism can be divided into three phases of individual dynasties :
1.	Haryanka Dynasty, the dynasty of Bimbisara and Ajatashatru, both contemporaries of Buddha.
2.	Shishunaga Dynasty, the second one 
3.	Nanda Dynasty, the final pre-Mauryan dynasty

These three will wipe out almost all the Mahajanpadas and capture most of the eastern and central India. The capital of Magadh also shifted from Rajagriha to Patliputra.

Mahajanpadas

When Brahmanism became too oppressive, the common man felt the heat and they started to look for the alternatives. So during these two centuries viz. 6th and 5th centuries BC, many parallel philosophical, spiritual and religious movements came up. This whole is known as ‘The Shramanic Movement’.

Buddhism and Jainism were among those popular movements. Apart from these most quoted movements, several others also came into being and continued for a fairly long time. 
Among these movements, the highlighted ones were Ajivika, Charvaka, Agyan (Ajnan), teachings of Purana Kassapa, Pakudha Kachchayana. We will discuss them in considerable depth in this lesson.

Buddhism, Jainism and Shramanic Cults

Alexander was an outstanding figure, a warlord and one of the few figures in the world history who changed the lives on the planet enormously through their deeds and doings. In this lesson, I have put an introductory slide about Alexander ‘the Great’.

Alexander was an entirely new chapter in the world history. Although he was a warlord, but his campaign and ambition to conquer the world made him the master of a quarter of the then known world. 

The invasion of Alexander was a massive one, beyond any doubt. So were the consequences of it. It affected virtually every aspect of the life of the Middle East and later, India too. There were many dimensions of the trails of his campaign.

Alexander's Invasion

This lesson will include :
The Origin of the Mauryans
The highlights of Chandragupta's reign
The highlights of Bindusara's reign
The highlights of Ashoka's life events, before his adoption of Buddhism
Ashok's reign after his conversion
Ashoka's efforts to propagate Buddhism
Ashokan Pillars
Ashokan Pillar Edicts
Ashokan Rocks and edicts
Some other Mauryan sites.

The Mauryans - Part 1

There were several aspects of the Mauryan Empire, that spanned around a century. 
Valuable contributions were made during this period in all directions :
Religion
Science
Literature
Art
Architecture

Two major sources are also described in this lesson:
1. Kautilya Arthashastra, which will inter alia include the Mauryan administration
2. Indica by Megasthenes, which will throw light upon the people and society of that period.

Apart from all this, the Mauryan economy will also be discussed.

The Mauryans - Part 2

In this period. the Tamilakam, or the region roughly corresponding modern Tamil Nadu and Kerala, transformed from prehistory to history. It was entirely different from the north Indian mainstream history.

This period is quasi-mythical and partially historical. The bulk of the knowledge of this period of Tamilakam, between 300 BC and 300 AD, is derived from the ocean of Sangam Literature compiled in Tamil.

So we will be discussing the following:
The Three Sangams, their periods and other highlights
The Sangam Literature in general
The Five Great Tamil Epics
The Sangam Polity - Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas
Economy, society and culture during the Sangam Age.

The Sangam Age

The post-Mauryan period is a poorly documented one with a series of foreign invasions in succession. 
As the Maurya Empire weakened after Ashoka, the Bactrian Greeks moved on the western domains of the erstwhile great empire and established the Indo-Greek hegemony.

They were followed by  Shakas, Parthians, Sassanians and Kushans.

In India, Mauryans were replaced by the Shungas, succeeded by the Kanvas and Satavahanas.

We will be able to discuss all their dynasties and their important kings, barring the Kushans, whom we will talk about in the next lesson.

Post-Mauryan Period - Part 1

The Kushans, particularly Kanishka, brought lot of changes to every dimension of Indian culture of that time, which we will discuss in this lesson.

During this whole Post-Mauryan period, there were sea-changes in various fields like religion, especially Buddhism, art (especially sculpture), architecture and society.

Some of these changes are beyond our imagination unless we understand them without bias of any kind.

So we will figure out the various changes to the facets of the Indian culture,  brought in by the invaders during this phase.

Post-Mauryan Period - Part 2

The declining Kushans in the north and Satavahanas in the south gave way to the Guptas, that eventually became the 'Second Golden Period' of the Indian history.

If somebody talks about the glory of India, in most of the cases, he is elaborating the achievements earned during the Gupta period.

This lesson will revolve around the imperial Guptas:
Chandragupta I
Samudragupta
Chandragupta II
Kumaragupta
Skandagupta

In addition, the Huna invasions and later and lesser Guptas will also be discussed.

Gupta Period - Part 1

The Gupta Period transformed the Indian civilization more than anyone else among the predecessors. 

The religion is the basic symbol of the period, which is still in vogue. Apart from this, the period is known for remarkable development in the field of science, technology, art and culture. The country was prosperous than ever before.

This lesson will talk about the achievements of the Gupta monarchs. But the topic is too vast to be capsuled in a single lesson. So, a portion of it will be discussed in the next and final lesson of this Crash-Course.

Gupta Period - Part 2

Some achievements of the Gupta Era could not be covered in the previous two lessons. So before moving on to the post-Gupta period, we will talk about those fields. 

In the Post-Gupta Period, there was a chaos throughout the land and internecine wars hollowed the political stability of the land. The dark age of the country begins from this period and crosses into the medieval Period.

But there were certain exceptions:

Harshavardhana of Kannauj
the Chalukyas of Badami
The Pallavas of Kanchi
Some great scholars and thinkers

The Post Gupta Period

5 Year experience of teaching GS for Prelims and Mains. 

Mukesh Kumar Singh

This Course covers Indian art and culture.

(Hindi) Summary of Nitin Singhania - Indian Art and Culture

Navneet Goel

The course is meant to create basic understanding of Ancient Indian History. It connects all the important and relevant events & facts. It basically focuses on the logic and the reasons behind them.

(Hindi) Crash Course on Ancient Indian History

MA in Applied Human Rights from Sheffield Hallam University, BA (Hons.) History from LSR, reader, dancer, love to teach, AIR 42 in 2018 UPSC

Nandini Maharaj

This course will discuss NCERT Class 6 and NCERT Class 12 Part one together. These two books cover ancient Indian history - from pre-history to 6 cent CE. Ancient History is one among the must read subject to cracking CSE. Understanding The Ancient History is presented by Nandini Maharaj. As the course starts one will gain an introduction to the prehistoric era. Further, one will understand and learn the basic features and the theories related to Harappan Civilization along with the political, economic and social life during Harappan Civilization. The causes for the decline of Harappan Civilization are described next. One will also learn about Chalcolithic and Megalithic Period through this course. The major religions like Jainism and Buddhism are also a part of this course. Tags: Ancient History, Harappa Civilisation, History for UPSC CSE, India History, Indian History, Resources on History, UPSC History, Fundamentals of History for UPSC CSE, Fundamentals of History for IAS Exam, History Syllabus for UPSC CSE, UPSC Online, UPSC Exam, UPSC Examination, UPSC Syllabus, UPSC IAS Exam, IAS Questions, IAS Syllabus, IAS Preparation, IAS Exam Syllabus CSE Exam, CSE Syllabus.

Class VI + Class XII NCERT Summary: Ancient India (for UPSC/IAS Preparation)

This course gives a brief but rounded view of Indian history from the very beginnings of human settlements in the subcontinent to Independence. Pre historic, ancient, medieval and modern era is covered. A complete overview that will help students contextualise everything about Indian history. Tags: History for UPSC, Indian History, History for IAS, History for UPSC Aspirants, Online History UPSC

Timeline of Indian History: Pre-history to Independence for UPSC/IAS Aspirants

[Rachna Shukla] PSIR Optional Faculty, CS Engineer, M.A. in Political Science. Use code : "ASHNASISODIA" to unlock classes.

Ashna Sisodia

In this course Ashna is going to Analyse the Ancient history from Mains perspective. It has been often discussed factually but this section is going to give you an edge in General Studies Paper 1 History section.

Crash Course on Ancient History (Mains Special)

I am doing BA from Baba Hardev Singh Degree College. I teach general Knowledge., I provide UPSC Meterial on www.punchho.com

Satendra Singh

इस पाठ्यक्रम में, शिक्षक यूपीएससी सीएसई के लिए प्राचीन इतिहास पर चर्चा कर रहे हैं

Lessons

17 lessons • 3h 45m

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Ancient India: The Beginning

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Crash Course on Ancient India - Overview

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The Stone Age

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Indus Valley Civilization - Part 1

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Indus Valley Civilization - Part 2

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The Vedic Period

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Mahajanpadas

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Buddhism, Jainism and Shramanic Cults

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Alexander's Invasion

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The Mauryans - Part 1

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