All 8 questions from UPSC Civil Services Mains History 2023 Paper I (400 marks total). Every stem reproduced in full, with directive-word analysis, marks, word limits, and answer-approach pointers.
8Questions
400Total marks
2023Year
Paper IPaper
Topics covered
Archaeological sites identification on map (1)Ancient Indian history - Neolithic, Indus-Saraswati, Aryan problem (1)Ancient Indian history - Sangam, Mauryan imperialism, Gupta women status (1)Medieval Indian history - Bhakti movement, Chola architecture, post-Gupta religious cults (1)Medieval Indian history - feudalism, Alberuni, Sufi literature, Delhi Sultanate decline, Alauddin Khalji (1)Medieval Indian history - Nur Jahan, Balban, Mughal miniature painting (1)Modern Indian history - Marathas, Mysore rulers, Sikhs under Ranjit Singh (1)Medieval Indian history - Mughal architecture, 18th century economy, Mughal state under Akbar (1)
A
Q1
50M30wCompulsorywrite short notesArchaeological sites identification on map
Identify the following places marked on the map supplied to you and write a short note of about 30 words on each of them in your Question-cum-Answer Booklet. Locational hints for each of the places marked on the map are given below seriatim:
(i) Neolithic site
(ii) Site of Mother and Child Terracotta Figure
(iii) Hoard of Gupta Coin
(iv) Site of Botanical remains
(v) Harappan site with mud-brick platform
(vi) Mauryan reservoir site
(vii) Capital of Maitraka dynasty
(viii) Dockyard
(ix) Rock shelter
(x) Stone axe factory
(xi) Satavahana inscription site
(xii) Minor rock inscription of Asoka
(xiii) Buddhist Stupa
(xiv) Mesolithic site
(xv) Iron smelting workshop
(xvi) Megalithic site
(xvii) Temple site dedicated to Surya
(xviii) Roman factory site
(xix) Site of Muvar Koil (Temple of Three)
(xx) Megalith stone site
हिंदी में पढ़ें
आपको दिए गए मानचित्र पर अंकित निम्नलिखित स्थानों की पहचान कीजिए एवं अपनी प्रश्न-सह-उत्तर पुस्तिका में उनमें से प्रत्येक पर लगभग 30 शब्दों की संक्षिप्ट टिप्पणी लिखिए। मानचित्र पर अंकित प्रत्येक स्थान के लिए स्थान-निर्धारण संकेत क्रमानुसार नीचे दिए गए हैं:
(i) नवपाषाणकालीन स्थल
(ii) माँ और शिशु की मूर्ति का स्थल
(iii) गुप्त मुद्रा निधि
(iv) वानस्पतिक अवशेष स्थल
(v) मिट्टी की ईंटों से बने प्लेटफार्म वाला हड़प्पा स्थल
(vi) मौर्य तड़ाग स्थल
(vii) मैत्रक वंश की राजधानी
(viii) गोदीबाड़ा
(ix) शैलाश्रय
(x) पत्थर की कुल्हाड़ी का कारखाना
(xi) सातवाहन अभिलेख स्थल
(xii) अशोक का लघु शिलालेख
(xiii) बौद्ध स्तूप
(xiv) मध्यपाषाणकालीन स्थल
(xv) लोहा गलाने की कार्यशाला
(xvi) महापाषाणयुगीन स्थल
(xvii) सूर्य को समर्पित मंदिर स्थल
(xviii) रोमन कारखाना स्थल
(xix) मुवर कोइल (तीन मंदिर) स्थल
(xx) महापाषाण लौह स्थल
Answer approach & key points
Framework: Map Identification & Short Note. ((i)) write short notes: define > 3-4 key features > one example > one-line significance | ((ii)) write short notes: define > 3-4 key features > one example > one-line significance | ((iii)) write short notes: define > 3-4 key features > one example > one-line significance | ((iv)) write short notes: define > 3-4 key features > one example > one-line significance | ((v)) write short notes: define > 3-4 key features > one example > one-line significance | ((vi)) write short notes: define > 3-4 key features > one example > one-line significance | ((vii)) write short notes: define > 3-4 key features > one example > one-line significance | ((viii)) write short notes: define > 3-4 key features > one example > one-line significance | ((ix)) write short notes: define > 3-4 key features > one example > one-line significance | ((x)) write short notes: define > 3-4 key features > one example > one-line significance | ((xi)) write short notes: define > 3-4 key features > one example > one-line significance | ((xii)) write short notes: define > 3-4 key features > one example > one-line significance | ((xiii)) write short notes: define > 3-4 key features > one example > one-line significance | ((xiv)) write short notes: define > 3-4 key features > one example > one-line significance | ((xv)) write short notes: define > 3-4 key features > one example > one-line significance | ((xvi)) write short notes: define > 3-4 key features > one example > one-line significance | ((xvii)) write short notes: define > 3-4 key features > one example > one-line significance | ((xviii)) write short notes: define > 3-4 key features > one example > one-line significance | ((xix)) write short notes: define > 3-4 key features > one example > one-line significance | ((xx)) write short notes: define > 3-4 key features > one example > one-line significance Full marks: Accurate identification for all 20 sites; notes are concise, specific, and directly address the locational hint.
Burzahom near Srinagar
Pit-dwellings and dog burials
Polished stone and bone tools
Kannauj (Kanyakubja), Uttar Pradesh
Gupta-period terracotta mother and child
Capital of Maukharis and Harsha
Bayana, Rajasthan
Hoard of nearly 2,000 Gupta gold coins, 1946
Coin types showing kings and goddesses
Lahuradeva, Uttar Pradesh
Charred rice and cord-impressed pottery
Dated as early as about 7000 BCE
Ojiyana, Rajasthan
Sun-dried mud-brick structures and platform
Terracotta bulls, copper tools, faience beads
Sudarshana Lake, Girnar, Gujarat
Built under Pushyagupta, Ashoka's governor Tushaspa
Repaired by Rudradaman, later by Skandagupta's governor
50MexamineAncient Indian history - Neolithic, Indus-Saraswati, Aryan problem
(a) "The Neolithic Age represents a revolution due to significant changes that took place during this period." Examine. (20 marks)
(b) The Indus-Saraswati cultural zone exhibited both homogeneity and diversity. Discuss. (15 marks)
(c) How do the comparative study of languages, archaeological sources and vast corpus of Vedic literature help to determine the Aryan problem in Indian history? Discuss. (15 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) "नवपाषाण युग में हुए महत्त्वपूर्ण परिवर्तनों के कारण यह युग एक क्रांति का प्रतिनिधित्व करता है।" परीक्षण कीजिए। (20 अंक)
(b) सिंधु-सरस्वती सांस्कृतिक क्षेत्र में एकरूपता और विविधता दोनों ही प्रदर्शित होती हैं। विवेचना कीजिए। (15 अंक)
(c) भारतीय इतिहास में आर्यों की समस्या को निर्धारित करने में भाषाओं के तुलनात्मक अध्ययन, पुरातात्विक स्रोत और बृहद् वैदिक साहित्य कहाँ तक सहायक हैं? विवेचना कीजिए। (15 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
Framework: Context > Thesis > Evidence > Historiography. (a) examine: intro > how/why with reasoning > evidence > conclusion | (b) discuss: intro > 3-4 dimensions > example > balanced close | (c) discuss: intro > 3-4 dimensions > example > balanced close Full marks: Argues a clear thesis, integrates multiple source types, and engages with historiographical debates.
Childe's concept and its limits
Changes in subsistence, tools, settlement and society
Indian sites: Mehrgarh, Burzahom, Koldihwa, Utnur
Assessment: gradual and regional but revolutionary in effect
50MevaluateAncient Indian history - Sangam, Mauryan imperialism, Gupta women status
(a) How far the Sangam literature acts as a window into the social and cultural traditions of ancient South India? (20 marks)
(b) Analyze the contours of imperial ideology as exhibited during the Mauryan period. (15 marks)
(c) Evaluate the status of women in the Gupta period as compared to the pre-Gupta era. (15 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) दक्षिण भारत के प्राचीन इतिहास की सामाजिक और सांस्कृतिक परम्पराओं का ज्ञान करने में संगम साहित्य कहाँ तक सहायक है? (20 अंक)
(b) मौर्य युग में स्थापित साम्राज्यवादी विचारधारा की रूपरेखा का विश्लेषण कीजिए। (15 अंक)
(c) पूर्वगुप्तयुगीन भारत की तुलना में गुप्त युग में महिलाओं की स्थिति का आकलन कीजिए। (15 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
Framework: Context > Thesis > Evidence > Historiography. (a) discuss: intro > 3-4 dimensions > example > balanced close | (b) analyse: intro > causes > effects > stakeholders/linkages > way forward | (c) evaluate: criteria > evidence > balanced judgment Full marks: Argues a clear thesis, cites specific primary sources (inscriptions/texts), and engages with historiographical debates.
50ManalyseMedieval Indian history - Bhakti movement, Chola architecture, post-Gupta religious cults
(a) Analyze the tenets, spread and impact of the Bhakti Movement. (20 marks)
(b) How far temple architecture under the Cholas became more refined and grandiose as compared to the early South Indian temple architecture style? (15 marks)
(c) Is it correct to say that the post-Gupta period was remarkable for the expansion of religious cults in India? (15 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) भक्ति आंदोलन के सिद्धांतों, प्रसार और प्रभाव का मूल्यांकन कीजिए। (20 अंक)
(b) दक्षिण भारत के आरंभिक मंदिर स्थापत्य शैली की तुलना में चोलों का मंदिर-निर्माण किस हद तक और भी अधिक परिष्कृत और भव्य दिखाई देता है? (15 अंक)
(c) क्या यह कहना उचित है कि भारत में धार्मिक मतों के विस्तार की दृष्टि से गुप्तोत्तर काल महत्त्वपूर्ण था? (15 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
Framework: Context > Thesis > Evidence > Historiography. (a) analyse: intro > causes > effects > stakeholders/linkages > way forward | (b) compare: paired headings or table > key differences > significance > conclusion | (c) comment: context > arguments both sides > judgment > close Full marks: Thesis-driven, cites specific sources/historians, balanced analysis
Tenets: devotion, grace, equality, vernacular, saguna and nirguna
Spread: Alvars and Nayanars, Karnataka, Maharashtra, North, East
Impact: literature, women and lower castes, Hindu–Muslim links, temple culture
Limits and co-option by orthodoxy
Early style: rock-cut, rathas, structural Pallava and Chalukya temples
Chola scale: Brihadisvara vimana about 66 m
Plan, sculpture, bronzes and temple as institution
Judgment including continuity and gopura point
Shaiva, Vaishnava, Shakta and Tantric developments
50M150wCompulsoryexamineMedieval Indian history - feudalism, Alberuni, Sufi literature, Delhi Sultanate decline, Alauddin Khalji
Answer the following questions in about 150 words each:
(a) Discuss the various proponents of Indian feudalism. (10 marks)
(b) Examine the defects in Alberuni's assessment of the Indian society. (10 marks)
(c) Discuss the importance of Sufic literature as an important source of history. (10 marks)
(d) What factors do you attribute for the decline of the Delhi Sultanate? (10 marks)
(e) The motive of Alauddin Khalji's agrarian policy was to curb the powers of the intermediaries. Examine the measures which he adopted to achieve his objective. (10 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
निम्नलिखित प्रश्नों में से प्रत्येक का उत्तर लगभग 150 शब्दों में दीजिए:
(a) भारतीय सामंतवाद के विभिन्न समर्थक तत्त्वों की विवेचना कीजिए। (10 अंक)
(b) अलबेरुनी के द्वारा किए गए भारतीय समाज के आकलन के दोषों का परीक्षण कीजिए। (10 अंक)
(c) इतिहास के प्रमुख साक्ष्य के रूप में सूफी साहित्य के महत्त्व का आकलन कीजिए। (10 अंक)
(d) दिल्ली सल्तनत के पतन हेतु आप किन कारकों को उत्तरदायी मानते हैं? (10 अंक)
(e) अलाउद्दीन खिलजी की कृषि नीति का उद्देश्य मध्यस्थ शक्तियों की सत्ता को नियंत्रित करना था। अपने उद्देश्य की प्राप्ति के लिए उसके द्वारा अपनाए गए उपायों का परीक्षण कीजिए। (10 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
Framework: Context > Thesis > Evidence > Historiography. (a) discuss: intro > 3-4 dimensions > example > balanced close | (b) examine: intro > how/why with reasoning > evidence > conclusion | (c) discuss: intro > 3-4 dimensions > example > balanced close | (d) account for: state the phenomenon > the causes in order of weight > conclusion | (e) examine: intro > how/why with reasoning > evidence > conclusion Full marks: Precise historiographical references; clear distinction between proponents/critics; specific examples of reforms or sources.
Kosambi: feudalism from above and below
R. S. Sharma and land grants
Yadava, Jha, Shrimali, Nandi
Critics: Mukhia, Chattopadhyaya, Stein
Textual and Brahmanical bias
Narrow geographic and social contact
Rigid view of caste and ethnocentric judgments
Gaps on economy and politics
Malfuzat: Fawaid-ul-Fuad, Khair-ul-Majalis
Tazkiras and letters; Hindavi Sufi poetry
What they show of society, state relations, bhakti exchange
50MdiscussMedieval Indian history - Nur Jahan, Balban, Mughal miniature painting
(a) Discuss the role of Nur Jahan in the Mughal court politics during the reign of Jahangir. (20 marks)
(b) Why did Balban prefer 'consolidation' over 'expansion' of the Delhi Sultanate? (15 marks)
(c) What features of European paintings were incorporated in the Mughal miniature painting? (15 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) जहाँगीर के शासनकाल में मुगल दरबार की नीतियों में नूरजहाँ की भूमिका का विवेचन कीजिए। (20 अंक)
(b) बलबन ने दिल्ली सल्तनत के लिए 'विस्तारित करने' के स्थान पर 'संमेकित करने' की नीति क्यों चुनी थी? (15 अंक)
(c) मुगल लघु चित्रकला में यूरोपीय चित्रकला की किन विशेषताओं का समावेश हुआ था? (15 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
Framework: Context > Thesis > Evidence > Historiography. (a) discuss: intro > 3-4 dimensions > example > balanced close | (b) explain: definition/context > points in order > small example > short close | (c) highlight: name the salient points > one line of substance each > close Full marks: Thesis-driven, cites specific sources, names historiographical debates, and provides balanced analysis.
Marriage, titles and sources of power
Coins, farmans, jharokha and patronage
The Junta theory of Beni Prasad and its break-up
Historiographical reassessment
Breaking the Forty
Theory of kingship and ceremonial
Army, spies and law and order
Mongol threat and revolts such as Tughril Khan's
Channels: Jesuit missions, prints, embassies
Linear perspective and depth
Shading and naturalism
European motifs, and retention of Persian tradition
50MdiscussModern Indian history - Marathas, Mysore rulers, Sikhs under Ranjit Singh
(a) The Marathas posed a significant threat to the integrity of the Mughal Empire. Discuss. (20 marks)
(b) "Haidar Ali was born to build an empire, and Tipu Sultan to lose one." Comment. (15 marks)
(c) Analyze the rise of the Sikhs under Ranjit Singh. (15 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) मुगल साम्राज्य की अखंडता के लिए मराठा एक महत्त्वपूर्ण खतरे की तरह खड़े थे। विवेचना कीजिए। (20 अंक)
(b) "हैदर अली साम्राज्य का निर्माण करने के लिए पैदा हुआ था और टीपू सुल्तान उसे खोने के लिए।" टिप्पणी कीजिए। (15 अंक)
(c) रंजीत सिंह के नेतृत्व में सिक्खों के उदय का विश्लेषण कीजिए। (15 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
Framework: Context > Thesis > Evidence > Historiography. (a) discuss: intro > 3-4 dimensions > example > balanced close | (b) comment: context > arguments both sides > judgment > close | (c) analyse: intro > causes > effects > stakeholders/linkages > way forward Full marks: Strong thesis, specific evidence, historiographical awareness, and clear analysis.
Shivaji's rival sovereignty and Aurangzeb's Deccan wars
50MdiscussMedieval Indian history - Mughal architecture, 18th century economy, Mughal state under Akbar
(a) Mughal architecture was syncretic in character. Comment. (20 marks)
(b) The economy of India was not stagnant in the eighteenth century. Discuss. (15 marks)
(c) Discuss the nature of the Mughal State under Akbar. (15 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) मुगल वास्तुकला की प्रकृति समन्वयवादी थी। टिप्पणी कीजिए। (20 अंक)
(b) अठारहवीं शताब्दी में भारत की अर्थव्यवस्था मंद अर्थव्यवस्था नहीं थी। विवेचना कीजिए। (15 अंक)
(c) अकबरकालीन मुगल राज्य की प्रकृति का विवेचन कीजिए। (15 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
Framework: Context > Thesis > Evidence > Historiography. (a) comment: context > arguments both sides > judgment > close | (b) discuss: intro > 3-4 dimensions > example > balanced close | (c) discuss: intro > 3-4 dimensions > example > balanced close Full marks: Comprehensive analysis with specific examples, sources, and historiographical context.
Persian and Timurid elements: charbagh, double dome, iwan
Indian elements: chhatris, jharokhas, brackets, sandstone
Examples: Humayun's tomb, Fatehpur Sikri, Sikandra, Taj Mahal