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Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
UGC NET History 2025: Top 20+ most repeated questions for UGC NET history paper preparation
UGC NET History 2025: The UGC NET History exam for 2025 is scheduled to be held from June 21 to June 30, 2025, as part of the National Testing Agency's (NTA) June session. This exam is important for candidates aspiring for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and Assistant Professor eligibility in History. The official notification was released on April 16, 2025, with the application window open until May 7, 2025. Candidates preparing for the UGC NET History paper are advised to focus on important and frequently repeated questions, and review previous year papers. UGC NET History 2025 Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme The UGC NET exam consists of two papers: Paper 1: General Aptitude (50 questions, 100 marks) Paper 2: Subject-specific History (100 questions, 200 marks) Both papers are objective-type, conducted in a single three-hour session. Importantly, there is no negative marking, allowing candidates to attempt all questions without penalty. Each correct answer carries 2 marks. Top Repeated UGC NET History Questions (2025) What are the main archaeological sources used in reconstructing ancient Indian history? Describe the origin, extent, and major sites of the Indus/Harappa Civilization. Discuss the features and significance of the Vedic and later Vedic periods. Explain the expansion of the state system during the Mahajanapadas period. What were the political and social institutions during the Vedic age? Outline the causes for the decline of the Indus Civilization. Discuss the emergence and characteristics of the Gupta-Vakataka age. Describe the rise and administration of Harsha and his times. Explain the dissolution of the Mauryan Empire and the emergence of regional powers. What were the main kingdoms in Deccan, South India, and Eastern India during the early medieval period? Discuss the trade and urbanization in early medieval India. Explain the growth and impact of Brahminical religions in medieval India. Describe the foundation and expansion of the Mughal Empire. What were the administrative reforms introduced by Sher Shah Suri? Discuss the rise of the Marathas and the foundation of Swaraj by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Explain the sources of medieval Indian history and their importance. Describe the role and impact of the Bhakti and Sufi movements in medieval India. Outline the causes and consequences of the Revolt of 1857. Discuss the expansion and commercialization of agriculture under British colonial rule. Explain the birth and early objectives of the Indian National Congress. Describe the Gandhian mass movements and their impact on the Indian freedom struggle. Discuss the scope and importance of objectivity and bias in historical writing. Explain the impact of Renaissance and Post-Modernism on history writing. What are the key features of the administrative system under the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughals? Describe the development of education and fine arts during the medieval period. Most Frequently Asked Questions in UGC NET History 2025 The most frequently asked questions in UGC NET History 2025 focus on key themes from ancient, medieval, and modern Indian history, as well as historiography and research methodology. (A) Sources of History and Historiography What are the main archaeological and literary sources for reconstructing ancient Indian history? Discuss the impact of Renaissance and Post-Modernism on historical writing. Explain objectivity and bias in history writing. (B) Ancient Indian History Describe the Indus Valley Civilization—its origin, extent, and decline. Explain the political and social institutions during the Vedic period. Discuss the rise and administration of the Mauryan Empire and its decline. Outline the Gupta Empire's achievements and administration. (C) Medieval Indian History Discuss the foundation and expansion of the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire. Explain the administrative reforms introduced by Sher Shah Suri. Describe the Bhakti and Sufi movements and their socio-cultural impact. Outline the rise of regional kingdoms and the Maratha Empire. (D) Modern Indian History Discuss the causes and consequences of the Revolt of 1857. Explain the economic policies and their impact under British colonial rule. Describe the formation and early objectives of the Indian National Congress. Discuss Gandhian mass movements and their role in the freedom struggle. (E) Research and Teaching Aptitude (Paper 1) Teaching methods and learner-centered approaches. Research ethics and qualitative vs quantitative research methods. Logical reasoning, data interpretation, and communication skills. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) basics relevant to teaching. Preparation Tips for UGC NET History 2025 Exam To prepare for UGC NET History 2025, candidates need to understand the full syllabus well. The exam has two papers, held together in three hours. Paper 1 tests general teaching and research skills. Paper 2 is all about History. It has 100 questions for 200 marks. The History syllabus is divided into ten main units. These include topics like archaeological sources, Indus Valley, and Vedic periods. Other key units are the Gupta Empire, Harsha's rule, and regional kingdoms like those in the Deccan and South India. Medieval history covers the Mughals, Marathas, and Vijayanagara. Modern history includes British rule, the 1857 Revolt, and Indian nationalism. There are also topics on historiography, the economy, society, and world history. Candidates should plan their study time wisely. They must focus more on important and frequently asked topics.
Hindustan Times
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
How 2 Indian, Pakistani army officers, also friends, set up Wagah check-post
Over 500 years ago, in the 16th century, Sultan Sher Shah Suri (1472-1545 CE) built a road from Sonargaon in Bengal to Peshawar in Pakistan. It is said that the ancient Uttarapatha (northern road), which had been used for trade, migration and conquest was used as a guide by Sher Shah, who has left an indelible mark on our history despite his short reign. After the takeover of India, the British revamped and renamed it to the Grand Trunk (GT) Road, which remains in use. It was a route of hectic activity, crisscrossing provinces and cultures, traversing the stunning diversity from east India to the north-west frontier. Rudyard Kipling, the famous chronicler of colonial India, wrote in Kim: 'The Grand Trunk Road is a wonderful spectacle. It runs straight, bearing without crowding India's traffic for fifteen hundred miles - such a river of life as nowhere else exists in the world'. The 1947 partition of India destroyed this river of people, which ran red with the blood of tens of thousands of overnight refugees for months. In less than seven weeks, millennia old bonds were shredded by the British who deployed a rookie lawyer, Cyril Radcliffe, to redraw the borders based on dated data. He snipped the GT Road at Wagah, a village lying almost halfway between what were then the twin cities of Amritsar and Lahore. This tiny village, a dot on the border between the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and secular India, has become the most popular stage for the performance of nationalism for the vexed neighbours. The militaries of India and Pakistan engage in a quotidian display of a ritual: the Beating Retreat- that contains patriotic songs being belted out from stadium-size speakers, patriotic sloganeering, and finally the centrepiece of the spectacle: the lowering of the two countries' flags in a well-choreographed performance of glares, foot-stomping, and other aggressive maneuvers. While this daily ritual at the India-Pakistan border derives largely from British tradition, war dances are not new to the subcontinent. From the Maring Naga war dances from the north-east and Chau in Odisha to the Khattak attan in Peshawar, the custom is ancient as war itself. Two Friends and Officers Set up Wagah Check Post In October 1947, Brigadier Mohinder Singh Chopra, a 1928 graduate from Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and a decorated officer, was tasked with defending the open and turbulent Punjab border between the two countries. After taking command of the 123rd Indian Infantry Brigade in Amritsar, also his hometown, Chopra set about translating the cartographic division into an actual border on land. With no markers available this was an impossible challenge but one that had to be met. On the Pakistani side, a similar responsibility was handed to Commanding Officer Nazir Ahmed, who had served with Chopra in the pre-partition British Indian Army, the two were close friends. Chopra and Ahmed decided to meet at Wagah village and agreed to set up a temporary check post there. To ensure smooth transfer of people they also set up a point between Attari in India and Wagah. Chopra recalled in his journal, which was later published as a book ( 1947: A Soldier's Story- From the records of Maj Gen Mohindar Singh Chopra), 'some tents were pitched on either side, two sentry boxes painted in the national colours of each country, and a swing gate to regulate the refugee traffic was erected. Two flag masts were also put up on either side and a brass plate commemorating the historic event was installed.' In Sadat Hasan Manto's tragic short story Toba Tek Singh about the utter confusion caused by the partition and the transfer of inmates from Lahore's mental asylum, it is at the no-man's land between the Pakistani and Indian check posts that the grief-stricken Bishan Singh collapses. Thanks to the friendship between the two army officers, the Punjab sector remained largely peaceful during the first India-Pakistan war, which broke out in Kashmir in October 1947. Since then, India and Pakistan have fought three large scale wars and numerous smaller conflicts, like the one just concluded. During each conflict the movement of people at Wagah-Attari border as well as the war dance is suspended. Ironically, this performance in stage decorated with barbed wire, steel gates, scaffolding and uniformed guards seeking to flaunt its power to the other and to their respective publics, also ends up showcasing the similitude between them. That may be a nuanced interpretation but at its core this ritual at Wagah is emblematic of the rivalry between the conjoined twins locked in endless conflict. Author Jisha Menon wrote in her work, The Performance of Nationalism: India, Pakistan, and the Memory of Partition: 'The Wagah border rituals dramatise the national mimicry between India and Pakistan. The competitiveness and one-upmanship that shapes the relations between the two nations converge on ideas of identity and difference. This national mimicry, however, is amply demonstrated in other arenas as well; for example, in May 1998, Pakistan carried out six nuclear tests in response to India's five. Thus, the logic of this national mimicry extends to the more dangerous nuclear race between the two countries, explicitly dramatizing what is at stake in the serious play of theatre that at once marks and troubles the notion of national difference'. Manto summed up the pain of partition and its madness with characteristic wryness. 'There behind wire, on one side, lay India and behind more barbed wire, on the other side, lay Pakistan. In between, on a bit of earth which had no name, lay Toba Tek Singh', he wrote. (Valay Singh is a journalist and author. Views expressed are personal.) Get 360° coverage—from daily headlines to 100 year archives.
Hindustan Times
17-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Capital gains: Tour the lost cities of Gaur and Pandua in West Bengal
In the late 18th century, Henry Creighton, a Scotsman assigned to an indigo factory in Malda, Bengal, stumbled upon the ruins of the lost city of Gaur. They had been taken over by the jungle, which sheltered 'a variety of wild creatures, bears, buffaloes, deer, wild hogs, snakes, monkies, peacocks, and the common domestic fowl, rendered wild for want of an owner,' he would later write, in his book, The Ruins of Gour (1817). With little else by way of entertainment in Malda, he began to keenly explore these ruins. He recreated some in paintings and sketches, and created a topographical map of the lost city. It was 'not less than fifteen miles in length (extending along the old bank of the Ganges) and from two to three in breadth,' he noted. The publication of his illustrated book led a trickle of curious Europeans to visit this outpost of the empire, leaving behind paintings and descriptions of their own. The ruins would turn out to be the remains of two cities, Gaur and Pandua. The name Gaur was derived from Gauda, a kingdom mentioned in Buddhist texts as far back as the 6th century. Two grand cities stood in this kingdom, those early volumes note. Pandua, the second, would serve as the capital of the Bengal Sultanate from 1339 to 1450. The capital then shifted to Gaur until, over a century later, in 1565, it was sacked by Sher Shah Suri. Gaur, however, rebounded. Manuel de Faria e Sousa, a Portuguese historian who visited a few decades later, described it as a well-planned settlement with trees lining the streets and its boundaries marked by high mud walls. Earlier Chinese visitors describe the region, in its heyday, as rich and 'civilised'. The rulers presented visiting ambassadors with gifts of gold basins, gold girdles, gold flagons, gold bowls, they note. Today, Gaur and Pandua are sleepy towns on the edges of Malda, a district most famous for its mangoes. Amid the mango trees, of which there are thousands, are the ruins that Creighton described. The Archaeological Survey of India has forced the forest back out. Layers of time are visible in the structures that remain. Stone was in short supply in this part of Bengal, for instance, but fine alluvial clay was not, so most of the buildings from the Sultanate period are made of brick. The Adina Masjid is an exception. This large stone structure is modelled on the arched-and-pillared mosques of the Sassanian period (3rd to 7th centuries CE), including structures such as the Taq-i Kisra in Iraq and the Grand Mosque of Damascus, now in Syria. Inside the mosque is a large central courtyard and a badshah-ka-takht or private worship area for the royal family. The mihrab, the niche facing Mecca, bears the pattern of a hanging lamp, said to represent the Surah An-Nur (Chapter of Light) in the Quran, a motif repeated in several buildings in the area. The Eklakhi Mausoleum dates even further back, to the early years of the Bengal Sultanate, and is built in a more indigenous style. At first glance, it resembles a Bengal temple, with its brick facade, terracotta embellishment, and a curved cornice that is a vestige of the region's traditional thatched-roof design. The dome and glazed bricks on the façade (which sadly do not remain) would have distinguished it from a temple. The mausoleum is said to hold the remains of Jalaluddin Muhammad Shah, son of Raja Ganesha, who briefly established Hindu rule during the Sultanate period, only for his son to convert to Islam. Glazed bricks in yellow, green, white and blue are the highlight of the ancient architecture. With many lost to time, vandalism and the elements, the Lotton Mosque in Gaur now features some of the best examples of such brick, including an unusual mosaic star on the floor. Like the Eklakhi Mausoleum, this mosque has a single dome and a curved cornice. It must have been breath-taking when the façade was covered in the coloured bricks. The Firoz Minar, a five-storey tower built in the 15th century, is all that remains of the Habshi dynasty. It was built by Firuz Shah, considered the founder of this short-lived era of Ethiopian slave rulers, within the Bengal Sultanate. Finally, there are the remains of the royal citadel of Gaur, once a vast, whitewashed palace with flat roofs, its pillars decorated with motifs of flowers and animals, carved out of brass. Suri's army set it on fire in 1565. All that remains today are parts of the brick platform on which the palace was built, and evenly spaced circular holes where the columns once stood. The site is still littered with shards of brick and glazed tile. A portion of a blue-and-white mosaic floor survives, in the north-west corner. Nearby is a section of 66-ft-high wall known as the Baisgazi Wall (from Baees Gaz or 22 yards), which would have surrounded the palace. There are few tourists in Gaur and Pandua, which is no surprise given that the government of West Bengal has done little to promote the sites. What little infrastructure exists in Malda has grown up around the fruit-export industry. There is an upside to this. In a world where tourist attractions bustle with people all eager to recreate the same viral Reel, the peace and quiet of these sites is a welcome relief; a reminder that parts of the ancient world are still out there, waiting to be rediscovered.
Indian Express
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Amid Waqf hearing in SC, a 400-year-old mosque near Delhi HC finds itself in the spotlight
On April 16, while hearing petitions challenging the amended Waqf Act, Chief Justice of India Sanjeev Khanna, who served as a judge at the Delhi High Court for 14 years, remarked in the context of waqf-by-user cases, 'When we were in (the) Delhi High Court, we were told that the High Court itself is built on Waqf land.' The mosque in question — built during Sher Shah Suri's reign in Delhi and located between Gates 4 and 5 of the Delhi High Court on Sher Shah Road — has been the subject of at least two petitions, one seeking its demolition and the other asking for construction activity on the premises to be halted. Between 2013 and 2015, multiple petitions were filed in court related to the mosque. (Photo by Sohini Ghosh) The court's orders, records submitted by the government and Delhi Waqf Board documents, however, show that only the 0.12 acres on which the 400-year-old mosque stands — not the larger court premises — has been recorded as Waqf property. The second of the two petitions against the mosque was filed in 2015, by one Ajay Gautam, who sought the mosque's demolition on two grounds: one, that a court's precincts cannot be used for religious purposes and two, over the alleged entry of outsiders to the court premises to offer prayers at the structure. At present, those on the High Court premises, including lawyers, court staff and litigants, offer prayers at the mosque. Gautam, who claims to be a social activist, told The Indian Express, 'All kinds of illegal activities, like encroachment, begging, etc., were going on along Sher Shah Road. It was a matter of security for all.' A Delhi Gazette notification, dated December 10, 1969, mentions the mosque on the Delhi High Court premises. In March 2015, a Division Bench of Justices Pradeep Nandrajog and Pratibha Rani directed the production of 'relevant record(s) containing the letters/order allotting land for construction of the main building of the Delhi High Court', including the 'layout plan originally conceived when the main building of the Delhi High Court was constructed'. Senior Advocate Anil Soni, the then Central government's standing counsel, says the layout plan, including maps maintained by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, were shown in court. A Delhi Gazette notification, dated December 10, 1969, and issued under the Waqf Act, was also placed before the court. Accessed by The Indian Express, the Delhi Gazette notification, published on April 16,1970, mentions the mosque as the only Delhi Waqf Board property on the court premises. The notification lists nearly 1,167 Waqf properties — a majority of them 'by use'. The Delhi Gazette notification lists the Sher Shah Suri-era mosque on the Delhi High Court's premises as a 'Waqf Board property'. Mentioned as a 'mosque in Sher Shah Mess, Sher Shah Road' in the Gazette notification, the listing states 'more than 400 years' under the column titled 'the date of creation of Waqf'. While 'worship' has been mentioned in the column on the structure's nature of use, the 'Delhi Waqf Board' has been mentioned as its 'mutawalli (caretaker)', besides the property being 'Waqf-administered by use' and 'Rs 10,000' as its value at the time. When asked if the Delhi High Court was built on Waqf land, Azimul Haque, CEO, Delhi Waqf Board, said, 'Going by the notification, it is only the mosque.' The court was also informed in 2015 that when land was allocated for the Delhi High Court near Sher Shah Road, the 0.12-acre mosque area, which is Waqf property, was excluded. All these records, which were submitted to the court nearly six months after its March 2015 directions, showed that the court premises were never considered Waqf property. Petitioner Gautam withdrew his plea after the gazette notification was brought on record and the court on September 11, 2015, asked Gautam how it could issue directions or regulate a Waqf Board property. Also read | 'Shocking' 116% rise in waqf land after 2013 amendment, Centre tells Supreme Court Two years before Gautam's 2015 plea, in 2013, a group of lawyers had sought the court's intervention on construction activity being undertaken at the masjid. On December 27, 2013, the Delhi High Court had directed that construction activity at the mosque be stopped and status quo be maintained. Mobin Akhtar, a member of the mosque's managing committee and an advocate, says, 'Around 2013, the mosque committee decided to renovate and repair the masjid, which was in a shambles at the time. This resulted in the plea before the High Court.' He adds, 'The mosque is not on the Delhi High Court premises. In fact, the Delhi High Court is located around the mosque.' Senior Advocate Anil Soni, who had appeared as the Centre's standing counsel in the 2015 case, told The Indian Express, 'Construction (at the mosque) had started around December 2013. There was a plan to expand the mosque's boundary and construct minarets around it. There was also an objection to outsiders coming inside the High Court premises to pray. The High Court's administrative committee back then had intervened, deciding not to escalate the matter. Ultimately it was seen that the masjid was on Waqf land. The High Court had opined that it cannot issue directions or regulate Waqf land.' Established in 1966 through the Delhi High Court Act, the court's main building was declared open on September 25, 1976, by then President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed.
News18
25-04-2025
- News18
Why The Road Passing Through Attari Border Was Once Called NH-1
Last Updated: The historic road passing through Attari Border, once known as NH-1, was built by Sher Shah Suri and became India's first major national highway connecting key cities. Nearly four centuries ago, long before the idea of tarred roads came into being, a visionary ruler in medieval India laid the foundation for one of South Asia's most ambitious infrastructure projects. Sher Shah Suri, who ruled from 1540 to 1545, constructed a massive roadway stretching from Kabul in the west to Bengal in the east. Known in his time as Sadak-e-Azam or Shahi Sadak, this 4,000-kilometre route would later be renamed the Grand Trunk Road by the British – a name that would become synonymous with both military strategy and economic lifeblood. Built without modern materials, the road was ingeniously paved using stone, gravel, and soil, creating a smooth surface that enabled swift movement of horses, carts, and royal messengers. Sher Shah Suri's purpose went beyond mere connectivity – the road was a cornerstone of his administrative and military reforms. It allowed soldiers to move quickly across the empire, enabled vigilant surveillance of enemy advances, and vastly improved trade by giving merchants, caravans, and travellers a secure and organised route. According to Akbarnama, the celebrated chronicle by Abul Fazl, the road extended 2,500 miles (approximately 4,000 kilometres) and passed through key cities such as Kabul, Peshawar, Lahore, Amritsar, Delhi, Agra, Allahabad, Banaras, Munger, and Sonargaon (now in Bangladesh). Along the route, Sher Shah Suri established rest houses (sarais), water tanks, and stable facilities for horses – infrastructure that was revolutionary for its time. It is believed that 15,000 to 20,000 workers including artisans, stone cutters, and masons were involved in the road's construction. Abul Fazl noted that Sher Shah spent a substantial portion of provincial revenue on the project. In today's terms, the cost would be equivalent to crores of rupees. Fast forward to the modern era, the Grand Trunk Road continued to hold strategic and symbolic importance. After Independence in 1947, a portion of the road remained in Pakistan while the stretch from Attari to Kolkata came under Indian jurisdiction. Owing to its vast reach and historical significance, it was designated as National Highway 1 (NH-1) – India's premier national highway. It connected Amritsar and Delhi to Kolkata and was considered the country's primary artery, crucial for both defence and commerce. However, the landscape of highway system began to shift in 2010. As part of a broader renumbering and restructuring of the national highway network, NH-1 was reclassified. Its segments were absorbed into other highways such as NH-44, which now stretches from Srinagar to Kanyakumari, and NH-3. The original NH-1 name was reassigned to a completely different route – one that connects Uri to Leh in the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, passing through critical mountain passes and considered the 'lifeline" of the Ladakh region. Despite these changes, the legacy of the Grand Trunk Road – especially the Attari stretch – remains deeply etched in public memory. Locals and older documents still refer to it as NH-1 or the Attari Highway, a testament to its lasting impact. Though improved with tar and modern engineering, parts of the highway still suffer from traffic congestion and periodic maintenance issues. Yet, its significance endures. The road continues to facilitate trade, support military logistics, and serve as a living reminder of an empire builder whose five-year rule left behind a highway that still connects hearts, histories, and homelands.
