Ancient India Syllabus From 6th to 12th Class

Below table summarizing the syllabus of Ancient India from the NCERT textbooks of classes 6th to 12th that are relevant to the UPSC exam:

Class	Book Title	Chapter Title	Topics Covered
6th	Our Past – I	1. What, Where, How and When?	Introduction to history, sources of history, geographical features, and early humans.
		2. From Hunting-Gathering to Growing Food	Early human life, hunter-gatherers, domestication of plants and animals, and Neolithic Age.
		3. In the Earliest Cities	Harappan Civilization: town planning, social life, trade, craft, and decline of Harappa.
		4. What Books and Burials Tell Us	Vedic age: Rig Veda, burial practices, and Megalithic sites.
		5. Kingdoms, Kings, and an Early Republic	Formation of kingdoms, janapadas, mahajanapadas, and the first republics.
		6. New Questions and Ideas	Teachings of Buddha and Mahavira, Jainism, and Buddhism.
		7. Ashoka, The Emperor Who Gave Up War	Mauryan Empire, Ashoka’s reign, policies, dhamma, and spread of Buddhism.
		8. Vital Villages, Thriving Towns	Iron Age, villages, towns, crafts, guilds, and trade.
		9. Traders, Kings, and Pilgrims	Trade, Sangam literature, Satavahanas, Kushanas, and the spread of religion.
		10. New Empires and Kingdoms	Guptas, Harshavardhana, and Pallavas: administration, society, and culture.
		11. Buildings, Paintings, and Books	Art and architecture, literature, and education in ancient India.
7th	Our Pasts – II	1. Tracing Changes Through a Thousand Years	Overview of changes from 8th to 18th century, sources of medieval history.
8th	Our Pasts – III (Part 1)	1. How, When, and Where	Overview of British India, historical sources.
11th	Themes in World History	2. Writing and City Life	Urbanization in Mesopotamia, script and learning.
		3. An Empire Across Three Continents	Roman Empire, economy, society, and the end of the Roman Empire.
12th	Themes in Indian History – Part I	1. Bricks, Beads, and Bones	Harappan civilization, architecture, economy, society, and religion.
		2. Kings, Farmers, and Towns	Early states and economies: Mauryan and post-Mauryan period, agrarian society, towns, and trade.
		3. Kinship, Caste, and Class	Social structures in early societies, including varna, jati, gender roles, and family norms.
		4. Thinkers, Beliefs, and Buildings	Spread of Buddhism and Jainism, art and architecture, and the development of religious ideas.

Key Points for UPSC Preparation:

• 6th Class: Basics of early human societies, Harappan Civilization, and Vedic Age.
• 7th Class: Focuses on the early medieval period, setting the foundation for medieval India.
• 8th Class: More emphasis on the modern period but provides context for the transition from ancient to medieval history.
• 11th and 12th Classes: In-depth exploration of early states, economies, religious ideas, and social structures, essential for a deeper understanding of Ancient India for UPSC.

This compilation will help you focus on the most relevant topics from NCERTs for the Ancient India section in the UPSC exam.

The NCERT textbooks for classes 9th and 10th do not focus directly on Ancient India. Instead, they cover world history, nationalism, and the modern period of Indian history. However, for completeness, here is a summary:

Class 9th: India and the Contemporary World – I

The focus of this textbook is primarily on world history and the modern period of Indian history rather than ancient history. However, understanding the broader context of Indian history can be helpful for connecting different periods.

• Chapters Overview:
• The French Revolution
• Socialism in Europe and the Russian Revolution
• Nazism and the Rise of Hitler
• Forest Society and Colonialism
• Pastoralists in the Modern World

Class 10th: India and the Contemporary World – II

This textbook focuses on the 18th to 20th centuries, with an emphasis on modern Indian history, which is more relevant to the Mains paper of the UPSC exam.

• Chapters Overview:
• The Rise of Nationalism in Europe
• Nationalism in India (focuses on the freedom struggle and Indian nationalism)
• The Making of a Global World
• The Age of Industrialization
• Print Culture and the Modern World

Relevance to UPSC Exam

While classes 9th and 10th do not directly cover ancient history, understanding modern history and the roots of nationalism in India provides a broader context necessary for UPSC preparation. The topics covered in these classes form the foundation for questions on Indian freedom struggle and modern Indian history, which are crucial for both Prelims and Mains.

For Ancient India, focusing on NCERTs from classes 6th, 7th, 8th, 11th, and 12th is more pertinent, as these contain detailed chapters specifically dedicated to the ancient historical period.