The Grade XII History syllabus is divided into four compulsory parts - Part A, Part B, Part C and Part D (Map Work). Each unit carries separate marks and together they form a 3-hour examination of 100 marks.
Overall focus: Themes in ancient, medieval and modern Indian history, including archaeology, inscriptions, religious and social movements, colonialism, nationalism, Partition, the making of the Constitution, and map work based on key historical sites and regions.
Part A (History I): 24 MarksPart B (History II): 30 MarksPart C (History III): 36 MarksPart D (Map Work): 10 Marks · Time: 3 Hours
Instructions: The syllabus is organised into four parts - Part A, Part B, Part C and Part D (Map Work). The marks distribution for each unit is indicated in the summary table below, followed by detailed unit-wise content for every part.
Summary of Units - Part A, Part B, Part C & Map Work (Total: 100 Marks)
Part / Unit
Area Covered
Marks
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Unit 1
Part A - Themes in Indian History-I
The Story of the First Cities: Harappan Archaeology
Unit 1 · The Story of the First Cities: Harappan Archaeology (06 Marks)
6 Marks
Broad overview: Early urban centres.
Story of discovery: Harappan civilization.
Excerpt: Archaeological report on a major site.
Discussion: How it has been utilized by archaeologists/historians.
Grade XII · History · Unit 2
Unit 2 · Political and Economic History: How Inscriptions tell a story (06 Marks)
6 Marks
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.
Grade XII · History · Unit 3
Unit 3 · Social Histories: Using the Mahabharata (06 Marks)
6 Marks
Broad overview: Issues in social history, including caste, class, kinship and gender.
Story of discovery: Transmission and publications of the Mahabharata.
Excerpt: Extracts from the Mahabharata, illustrating how it has been used by historians.
Discussion: Other sources for reconstructing social history.
Grade XII · History · Unit 4
Unit 4 · A History of Buddhism: Sanchi Stupa (06 Marks)
6 Marks
Broad overview: A brief review of religious histories of Vedic religion, Jainism, Vaisnavism and Saivism, with a 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.
Part B - Themes in Indian History-II (30 Marks)
Grade XII · History · Unit 1
Unit 1 · Agrarian Relations: The Ain-i-Akbari (06 Marks)
6 Marks
Broad overview: Structure of agrarian relations in the 16th and 17th centuries; patterns of change over the period.
Story of discovery: Account of the compilation and translation of the Ain-i-Akbari.
Excerpt: Selections from the Ain-i-Akbari.
Discussion: Ways in which historians have used the text to reconstruct history.
Grade XII · History · Unit 2
Unit 2 · The Mughal Court: Reconstructing Histories through Chronicles (06 Marks)
6 Marks
Broad overview: Outline of political history from the 15th to the 17th centuries; 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 these texts to reconstruct political histories.
Grade XII · History · Unit 3
Unit 3 · New Architecture: Hampi (06 Marks)
6 Marks
Broad overview: Outline of new buildings during the Vijayanagar period - temples, forts, irrigation facilities; 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 analyzed and interpreted these structures.
Grade XII · History · Unit 4
Unit 4 · Religious Histories: The Bhakti-Sufi tradition (06 Marks)
6 Marks
Broad overview: Outline of religious 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.
Grade XII · History · Unit 5
Unit 5 · Medieval Society through Travelers' Accounts (06 Marks)
6 Marks
Broad overview: Outline of social and cultural life as they appear in travelers' accounts.
Story of their writings: Where they travelled, why they travelled, what they wrote, and for whom they wrote.
Excerpts: From Al Beruni, Ibn Battuta and Bernier.
Discussion: What these travel accounts can tell us and how they have been interpreted by historians.
Part C - Themes in Indian History-III (36 Marks)
Grade XII · History · Unit 1
Unit 1 · Colonialism and Rural Society: Evidence from Official Reports (06 Marks)
6 Marks
Broad overview: Life of zamindars, peasants and artisans in the late 18th century; East India Company, revenue settlements and surveys; changes over the nineteenth century.
Story of official records: 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 the Deccan Riots Report.
Discussion: What the official records tell and do not tell, and how they have been used by historians.
Grade XII · History · Unit 2
Unit 2 · Representations of 1857 (06 Marks)
6 Marks
Broad overview: The events of 1857-58 and how these events were recorded and narrated.
Focus: Lucknow.
Excerpts: Pictures of 1857 and extracts from contemporary accounts.
Discussion: How the pictures of 1857 shaped British opinion of what had happened.
Grade XII · History · Unit 3
Unit 3 · Colonialism and Indian Towns: Town Plans and Municipal Reports (06 Marks)
6 Marks
Broad overview: The growth of Mumbai, Chennai, hill stations and cantonments in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Excerpts: Photographs and paintings, plans of cities, extracts from town plan reports (focus on Kolkata town planning).
Discussion: How these sources can be used to reconstruct the history of towns and what they do not reveal.
Grade XII · History · Unit 4
Unit 4 · Mahatma Gandhi through Contemporary Eyes (06 Marks)
6 Marks
Broad overview: The nationalist movement 1918-48; the nature of Gandhi’s 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.
Grade XII · History · Unit 5
Unit 5 · Partition through Oral Sources (06 Marks)
6 Marks
Broad overview: The history of the 1940s; nationalism, communalism 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.
Grade XII · History · Unit 6
Unit 6 · The Making of the Constitution (06 Marks)
6 Marks
Broad overview: Independence and the new nation state; the making of the Constitution.
Focus: The Constituent Assembly debates.
Excerpts: Selections from the debates.
Discussion: What such debates reveal and how they can be analyzed.
Grade XII · History · Part D
Map Work on Units 1-15 (10 Marks)
10 Marks
Map work based on Units 1-15, covering important historical sites, regions and locations studied across Parts A, B and C of the syllabus.
Recommended Textbooks
Themes in Indian History Part I, Class XII, Published by NCERT
Themes in Indian History Part-II, Class XII, Published by NCERT
Themes in Indian History Part-III, Class XII, Published by NCERT
