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Wbcs Prelims 2020 (Feb-Nov 2019) ANCIENT HISTORY for WBCS PRELIMS 2020 (FEB-NOV 2019) JITIN YADAV, IAS ANCIENT HISTORY NOTES FOR WBCS PRELIMS 2020 BY JITIN YADAV, IAS 1 CONTENTS S. No. TOPIC PAGE 1. Sources of India History 3 2. Pre-Historic Period 6 3. Indus Valley Civilization 6 4. Vedic Civilization 9 5. Later Vedic Period 12 6. Jainism 14 7. Buddhism 15 8. Pre-Mauryan Period 17 9. Mauryan Period 18 10. Pre-Gupta Period 20 11. Gupta Dynasty 21 12. Sangam Age 24 13. Ruling Kingdoms of South 27 14. Bengal – Palas and Senas 30 ANCIENT HISTORY NOTES FOR WBCS PRELIMS 2020 BY JITIN YADAV, IAS 2 ANCIENT HISTORY FOR WBCS PRELIMS 2020 SOURCES OF INDIAN HISTORY 1. LITERARY SOURCE • PROTO HISTORIC PERIOD (betWeen pre history and history) o Harrapan script o Vedic literature o Mathematics books § Salva Satra – earliest text of geometry § Aryabhatta – describe decimal system and about zero § Bhaskaracharya – wrote Lilavati o Architecture books § Shilpa Sastra – manual of architecture § Visnudharmattara Purana – information about painting & iconometry o Biographical Literature Author Book Banabhatta Harshacharita Vilhan Vikramanakdev charitram Ananda Bhatta Ballal Charita Sandhyakarnandi Rampal charita Jayanak Prithavi Raj Charita Hemchandra Kumarpal Charitra o Classical Sanskrit Author Book Bhasa Wrote 14 plays Asvaghosh i)Buddha Charitam ii)Sutralankar -philosophy Sudraka Mrichcha Katikam- 1st realistic Sanskrit play Visakhadutta i) Mudrarakshasa –about Kautilya ii) Devi Chandraguptam – about Chandra Gupta Vikramaditya o Statecraft § Arthashastra • Polity book by Kautilya • Book discovered by Sham Ji Shastri ANCIENT HISTORY NOTES FOR WBCS PRELIMS 2020 BY JITIN YADAV, IAS 3 • It has 15 Adhikarnas • Provide details about administration during Mauryan period o Histography – Kalhan Wrote Rajtarangini (history of Kashmir) o Buddhist Literature § Tripitaka • Sutra Pitak – teaching & preaching of Lord Buddha • Vinay Pitak – Monastical rules & regulations • Abhidharma Pitak – Metaphysical & esoteric ideas 2. EPIGRAPHICAL SOURCES (inscriptions) o Earliest Written records Were found from Harappa but script has not been deciphered. o James Princep deciphered Ashoka Inscription in 1837 o Ashoka inscription Were Written in Prakrit language & Brahmi script mainly o Mahasthan & Sahgaura inscription describe about great famine o Maski, Gurjara, Odeogolam, Nittur inscription –describe Ashoka’s name o Bhabru inscription – Ashoka called himself Magadh Raj and dedicated himself to Buddha, Dharma & Sangha o Girnar inscription – first inscription of Sanskrit language about Saka ruler, Rudradaman 1 o Eran inscription of Bhanugupta provide first evidence of Sati o Allahabad inscription of Samudra Gupta describe his conquest o Udaigiri inscription belong to Chandragupta Vikramaditya period o Bhitari inscription – depicts Skanda victory o Uttermerur inscription – depict local self government of Chola period 3. LANGUAGE IN INSCRIPTION Brahmi script • prakrit language • left to right • During Ashoka empire Kharosti script • right to left Bilingual • Greek & Arabic • in Kandhar & Afganisthan Bustrofedon • first left to right then right to left • found in Karnataka ANCIENT HISTORY NOTES FOR WBCS PRELIMS 2020 BY JITIN YADAV, IAS 4 4. NUMISMATICAL SOURCES (coins) o Coins Were not used by Harappans o Rigveda mentioned about Niska griha o Later Vedic literature mentioned about Satman & Krishanal o Coinage system evolved in 6th century BC o Earliest coins belong to Magadha & Kosala o Indo Greeks or Bactrian Greek introduced gold coins in india with figure of king & queen and date o Kanishka’s coin depict Buddha’s figure o Kushanas issued purest gold coin in India called as Dhinaras o Saka coin had Lord Krishna’s fugure 5. FOREIGN ACCOUNT Authors Books subjects remark Megasthenes Indica Administration Megasthenes & socio was economic life of ambassador of Mauryan India Selucus Nikator,to court of Chandragupta Maurya Plotemy geography Natural vegetation Pliny Naturalis Trade relation Historia betWeen Rome & India in 1st CAD Anonymous Periplus of Indian ports & Erythrean commercial Sea activities Fa- Hien Fo KWo Ki Social, religious, Record of (during political event of Buddhist Chandragupta Gupta Empire centuries II) Hiuen Tsang Si-Yu-Ki Socio economic, Buddhist (during religious record of Harsha) condition under western world Harsha (5th-7th CAD) ANCIENT HISTORY NOTES FOR WBCS PRELIMS 2020 BY JITIN YADAV, IAS 5 PRE HISTORIC PERIOD Stone age Paleolithic or Mesolithic or Neolithic or Old Stone Age Middle Stone NeW Stone Age Age Period 5,00,000BC - 8000 BC- 6000 6000 BC- 1000 8000BC BC BC Tools used Unpolished Microliths, Polished stone rough stones pointed tools like stone cresconic blades axes etc made of stones Occupation Hunting, food Hunting, fishing, Cultivating rice, gathering food gathering, domesticating domesticating Cattle, Weaving, cattle Pottery Shelter Cave Rock Temporary hut Mud house Important Soan Chottanagpur, J&K, Karnataka, sites Valley(Punjab), River Krishna Tamil Nadu, Bhimbetka (near (south) Andhra Pradesh, Bhopal) Meghalaya etc Chalcolithic Age (1800 BC-1000 BC)- depicted by use of copper & bronze tools. Began after Neolithic age . INDUS VALLEY CIVILISATION o It Was excavated by Archaeological Survey of India (founded by Alexander Cunningham in 1861) o It belongs to Bronze Age (Chalcolithic Age) o Was dominated by peasants & merchants o Named after Indus river(5 Tributaries) also called as Sindhu river o Time period – 2500 BC to 1750 BC o Also called as o Harappan Civilisation – because Harappa was the first site to be discovered in IVC o Bronze Age – as bronze (copper + tin) was discovered during this time o Proto historic period – as all the evidence were found in picture form. Historic period is characterized With Written evidence. ANCIENT HISTORY NOTES FOR WBCS PRELIMS 2020 BY JITIN YADAV, IAS 6 o Sindhu(Indus) – Saraswati civilization o Agro commercial civilization – as it Was dominated by peasants & merchants o Geographical extend o India -Manda ,J&K (north) ; Alamgirpur, UP (Eastern); Daimabad (south) o Pakistan – Sutkagendar (western) o Covered indian states – J&K, Punjab, Western UP, Rajasthan, Gujrat, South Maharshtra o John Marshall – gave the name ‘Indus Valley Civilisation’ o Charles Masson(1826)- 1st man to found Harappa bricks o Alexander Cunningham (1875) – 1st one to excavate Harappa ruins o Mohenjodaro (Pakistan) o Largest site of IVC o Prominent features found – great granary, largest public place, great bath o Largest city in India o 1st is Rakhigarhi (Haryana) o 2nd is Dholavira(Gujarat) o Capital city o Harappa , Mohenjodaro o Ports o Lothal, Balakot, Sutkagendar, Kalibangam o Town planning o Rectangle with grid pattern o Used burnt bricks o Covered drainage system o Divided in 2 parts § Upper part- called as Citadel consisting of ruling class § Lower part –for commons o Agriculture o Main crop – wheat, Barley o Rice –only in Gujrat (Lothal, Rangpur) o Cotton – cultivated for the first time in IVC ,called as Sindom by Greeks o Trade o Mesopotamia (Iraq) o Persia (Iran) o Afghanistan o Export o Agricultural goods o Import – Gold, Silver, Copper o It’s a kind of urban civilization – because population >5000, 3/4th population depend on non agricultural income o Currency – non metallic, Barter system ANCIENT HISTORY NOTES FOR WBCS PRELIMS 2020 BY JITIN YADAV, IAS 7 o Religion – no temple, only nature Worship o Male deity - Pashupati Mahadev, represented in seals in sitting yogic posture surrounded by Buffalo, elephant, Rhino, Tiger and 2 deer near feet o Female deity – Matri Devi or Shakti o Origin of ‘SWastika’ symbol o Occupation – spinning, Weaving, boat making, goldsmith, pottery, seal making o Script – Pictography in nature, Baustrophedan pattern (first right to left & then left to right) o Absence of iron implements o Animals knoWn Were – oxen, sheep, buffalo etc, humpless bull or Unicorn Was most important animal. o Contemporary civilizations – Egypt, Mesopotamia, China civilization o Reason for destruction – flood, ecological disturbances o Important sites o Harappa § Excavated by Daya Ram Sahni in 1921-23 § Situated on bank of Ravi river in Montegory district, Pakistan § 6 granaries § greatest artistic Were seals made of steatite o Mohenjodaro (Mound of Dead) § Situated on bank of Indus river, Larkhana, Pakistan § Excavated in 1922 by Rakhal Das Banerjee § Special features - great granary, great bath, assembly bath, Pashupati Mahadev, bronze image of dancing girl, Bearded man, clay figure of mother goddess, stone dancing Natraja o Chanhudaro § Indus river ,Pakistan § Discovered In 1931 by N.G Majumdar, Mackay § City Without citadel § Inkpot. Lipstick, lead makers, Terracota model of bullock cart, bronze Toy cart o Lothal § On Bhogava river, Gujarat § Discovered by S.R. Rao in 1957 § Dockyard, rice husk, bead makers, fire altars, terracotta figure of horse, double burial o Kalibanga (means ‘Black bangles) § Ghaggar river, Rajasthan § Discovered by Amalanda Ghosh in 1951 ANCIENT HISTORY NOTES FOR WBCS PRELIMS 2020 BY JITIN YADAV, IAS 8 § Ploughed fiels, 7 fire atltar, decorated bricks, wheel of Toycart o Banawali § On Ghaggar river, Haryana § Discovered by R.S. Bist (1973) § Toy plough, only city with radical street, barley o Dholavira § On Luni river, Kachchh, Gujarat § Discovered by J.P. Joshi in 1967-68 § Had unique Water harvesting system § A large Well, giant Water reservoir, also had stadium § Only site to be divided in 3 parts (others in 2) o Sutkagendar § Dasht river, Baluchistan § Discovered in 1931 by Aurel Stein § Bone of horse found o Daimabad
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