All 8 questions from UPSC Civil Services Mains History 2026 Paper I (400 marks total). Every stem reproduced in full, with directive-word analysis, marks, word limits, and answer-approach pointers.
8Questions
400Total marks
2026Year
Paper IPaper
A
Q1
50MCompulsoryidentify
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) Harappan burial site
(ii) Harappan site with radial town planning
(iii) Jain cave painting
(iv) Large Megalithic dolmen complexes
(v) Ancient port
(vi) Ancient capital
(vii) Meso-Chalcolithic site
(viii) Group of early medieval temples
(ix) Ancient capital
(x) Megalithic site
(xi) Neolithic site
(xii) Terra-cotta ring wells
(xiii) Mauryan fort
(xiv) Ancient Buddhist site
(xv) Mesolithic site
(xvi) Megalithic burial site
(xvii) Neolithic ash mound site
(xviii) Site with evidence of monastery, Stupa and Shiva temple
(xix) Chalcolithic and early historic site with five occupational phases
(xx) Buddhist site (50 marks)
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 संक्षिप्त टिप्पणी लिखिए। मानचित्र पर अंकित प्रत्येक स्थान के लिए स्थान-निर्धारण संकेत क्रमानुसार नीचे दिए गए हैं :
(i) हड़प्पीय शवाधान स्थल
(ii) अरीय (रेडियल) नगर योजना वाला हड़प्पीय स्थल
(iii) जैन गुफा चित्रकला
(iv) विशाल महापाषाणिक डोल्मेन समूह
(v) प्राचीन बंदरगाह
(vi) प्राचीन राजधानी
(vii) मध्यताम्रपाषाणिक स्थल
(viii) प्रारंभिक मध्यकालीन मंदिरों का समूह
(ix) प्राचीन राजधानी
(x) महापाषाणिक स्थल
(xi) नवपाषाणिक स्थल
(xii) पकी मिट्टी के छल्लेदार (वलय) कूप
(xiii) मौर्यकालीन किला
(xiv) प्राचीन बौद्ध स्थल
(xv) मध्यपाषाणिक स्थल
(xvi) महापाषाणिक शवाधान स्थल
(xvii) नवपाषाणिक राख-टीला स्थल
(xviii) मठ, स्तूप एवं शिव मंदिर के प्रमाण वाला स्थल
(xix) पाँच आवासीय चरणों वाला ताम्रपाषाणिक एवं प्रारंभिक ऐतिहासिक स्थल
(xx) बौद्ध स्थल (50 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
(a) A compulsory 50-mark map question: twenty places (i)-(xx) are dotted on the printed outline map of India and a locational/typological hint is given for each seriatim. For every one of the twenty the candidate must (a) name the site correctly, (b) place it (present district and State), and (c) write a c.30-word note on its archaeological or historical significance. Nothing may be left out and nothing extra is asked.
Juna Khatiya (Kachchh, Gujarat) - Early Harappan cemetery
Banawali (Fatehabad, Haryana) - radial street plan, R. S. Bisht
Sittannavasal (Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu) - Pandya Jaina fresco, Samavasarana
Hire Benakal (Koppal, Karnataka) - c. 400 dolmens
Korkai (Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu) - Pandya port, Kolkhoi of the Periplus
Karur/Karuvur (Karur, Tamil Nadu) - Chera capital
Pandu Rajar Dhibi (Purba Bardhaman, West Bengal) - Chalcolithic, P. C. Dasgupta
Batesvar-Padavali (Morena, Madhya Pradesh) - c. 200 Pratihara temples
Ujjain/Ujjayini (Madhya Pradesh) - Avanti mahajanapada capital
(a) Analyze the role of terrain, climate and vegetation in shaping the settlement and movement of prehistoric communities in India. (15 marks)
(b) “Harappan architecture reflects an integrated vision of environmental adaptation, technological rationality and urban aesthetics, going beyond functionality.” Examine the statement. (15 marks)
(c) “Greek writers viewed India largely from a political perspective, Chinese travellers from a religious perspective, and Arab scholars from a scientific and cultural perspective.” Comment. (20 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) भारत में प्रागैतिहासिक समुदायों की बसावट और आवागमन को आकार देने में भू-भाग, जलवायु और वनस्पति की भूमिका का विश्लेषण कीजिए। (15 अंक)
(b) ‘‘हड़प्पीय स्थापत्य कला पर्यावरणीय अनुकूलन, तकनीकी तर्कसंगतता और शहरी सौंदर्यबोध के एक एकीकृत दृष्टिकोण को दर्शाती है, जो उपयोगिता से कहीं आगे है।’’ कथन का परीक्षण कीजिए। (15 अंक)
(c) ‘‘यूनानी लेखकों ने भारत को मुख्य रूप से राजनीतिक दृष्टिकोण से, चीनी यात्रियों ने धार्मिक दृष्टिकोण से, और अरब विद्वानों ने वैज्ञानिक तथा सांस्कृतिक दृष्टिकोण से देखा।’’ टिप्पणी कीजिए। (20 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
(a) 'Analyze' requires breaking the physical environment into its three named components - terrain (relief, river valleys, rock shelters, raw-material sources), climate (Pleistocene glacial-interglacial cycles, Holocene optimum, aridity) and vegetation (forest, savanna grassland, wild cereals) - and showing, with named prehistoric sites, how each shaped where communities settled and how and when they moved. (b) 'Examine' the claim that Harappan architecture was an integrated expression of three things - environmental adaptation, technological rationality and urban aesthetics - and not merely functional. The answer must test each of the three limbs with evidence, and also weigh the counter-argument that much Harappan building was plain, utilitarian and, in the case of Mohenjo-daro's 'granary' and Lothal's 'dock', disputed in interpretation. (c) 'Comment' on a three-part generalisation about foreign accounts of India: that Greek writers saw India politically, Chinese pilgrims religiously and Arab scholars scientifically/culturally. The answer must test each limb with named authors and works, show what each genuinely contributes, and then qualify the neat triad by showing overlaps and exceptions.
Bhimbetka (Raisen, MP)
Attirampakkam (Tamil Nadu)
Hathnora, Narmada valley
Hunsgi-Baichbal and K. Paddayya
Sarai Nahar Rai / Damdama / Mahadaha
Bagor (Bhilwara) and V. N. Misra
Burzahom pit dwellings
Utnur / Kupgal ash mounds
Koldihwa-Mahagara, Belan valley
Daojali Hading (Assam)
Brick ratio 1:2:4, English bond
Great Bath: bitumen/gypsum waterproofing, double wall
Dholavira reservoirs, Manhar and Mansar, R. S. Bisht, signboard of ten signs
Mohenjo-daro wells (c. 700), covered drains
Citadel/lower town division
Lothal dockyard - S. R. Rao vs L. S. Leshnik (disputed)
Wheeler's 'Great Granary' re-read as a great hall (disputed)
Michael Jansen 'water city'; J. M. Kenoyer; Gregory Possehl
Absence of true arch (corbelling used)
Megasthenes, Indica; Arrian, Strabo, Diodorus
Periplus of the Erythraean Sea; Ptolemy's Geography
(a) “The Iranian and Macedonian invasions reshaped ancient India through administrative influence, political transformation and cultural interaction.” Review. (15 marks)
(b) Evaluate the political and socio-cultural changes occurred in North India after the decline of the Mauryan Empire under the Shunga and Kanva Dynasties. (15 marks)
(c) “Royal patronage and religious institutions significantly contributed to the development of Nalanda, Vikramashila and Vallabhi into prominent centres of learning.” Elucidate. (20 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) ‘‘ईरानी और मेसीडोनियाई आक्रमणों ने प्रशासनिक प्रभाव, राजनीतिक परिवर्तन और सांस्कृतिक आदान-प्रदान के माध्यम से प्राचीन भारत को नया रूप दिया।’’ समीक्षा कीजिए। (15 अंक)
(b) मौर्य साम्राज्य के पतन के पश्चात् शुंग एवं कण्व राजवंशों के शासनकाल में उत्तरी भारत में हुए राजनीतिक तथा सामाजिक-सांस्कृतिक परिवर्तनों का मूल्यांकन कीजिए। (15 अंक)
(c) ‘‘राजकीय संरक्षण और धार्मिक संस्थाओं ने नालंदा, विक्रमशिला और वल्लभी को शिक्षा के प्रमुख केन्द्रों के रूप में विकसित करने में महत्त्वपूर्ण योगदान दिया।’’ प्रकाश डालिए। (20 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
(a) 'Review' the claim that the Achaemenid (Iranian) and Macedonian invasions reshaped ancient India under three heads - administrative influence, political transformation and cultural interaction. Both invasions must be covered separately and then assessed together, including the sceptical view that their impact has been exaggerated. (b) 'Evaluate' the political and the socio-cultural changes in north India under the Shunga and Kanva dynasties after the fall of the Mauryas - i.e. cover both dynasties, both categories of change, and deliver a judgement on whether the period was one of decline, of Brahmanical revival, or of creative transition. (c) 'Elucidate' how two named factors - royal patronage and religious institutions - made Nalanda, Vikramashila and Vallabhi into major centres of learning. All three institutions must be treated individually with their founders, patrons, sectarian affiliation, curriculum and decline, and the two causal factors must be explicitly demonstrated, not assumed.
Darius I, c. 518 BCE; Behistun/Persepolis/Naqsh-i-Rustam
(a) “Hoysala temple architecture marks a distinctive and innovative phase in the evolution of South Indian art and architecture.” Illustrate with examples. (20 marks)
(b) Analyze the significance of the Vedic Age in shaping the social institutions, religious thoughts and intellectual traditions of ancient India. (15 marks)
(c) “The Satavahanas not only served as a vital link between Northern and Southern India in the Deccan region, but also strengthened the process of trade, urbanization and cultural integration.” Review. (15 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) “होयसल मंदिर स्थापत्य, दक्षिण भारतीय कला और स्थापत्य के विकास में एक विशिष्ट और अभिनव चरण को चिह्नित करता है।” सोदाहरण समझाइए। (20 अंक)
(b) प्राचीन भारत की सामाजिक संस्थाओं, धार्मिक विचारों और बौद्धिक परंपराओं को आकार देने में वैदिक युग के महत्व का विश्लेषण कीजिए। (15 अंक)
(c) “सातवाहनों ने दक्खन क्षेत्र को न केवल उत्तर एवं दक्षिण भारत के मध्य संपर्क सूत्र बनाया, बल्कि व्यापार, नगरीकरण और सांस्कृतिक समन्वय की प्रक्रियाओं को भी सुदृढ़ किया।” समीक्षा कीजिए। (15 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
(a) 'Illustrate with examples' the claim that Hoysala temple architecture was a distinctive and innovative phase in South Indian art and architecture. The answer must define what is distinctive (plan, material, elevation, sculpture, patronage), name specific temples with their patrons and dates, and place the style in relation to what preceded (Later Chalukya/Vesara) and what surrounded it (Dravida). (b) 'Analyze' the significance of the Vedic Age under three specified heads - social institutions, religious thought and intellectual traditions - distinguishing the Rig Vedic (c. 1500-1000 BCE) from the Later Vedic (c. 1000-600 BCE) phase and assessing what of it endured in later Indian civilisation. (c) 'Review' a two-part claim about the Satavahanas: that they linked north and south India through the Deccan, and that they strengthened trade, urbanisation and cultural integration. Both halves must be argued from evidence - inscriptions, coins, trade texts and monuments - and the claim critically weighed.
Stellate plan and jagati platform
Chloritic schist/soapstone
Chennakeshava, Belur, 1117, Vishnuvardhana
Hoysaleshvara, Halebidu (Dorasamudra), c. 1121, dvikuta
Answer the following questions in about 150 words each :
(a) How far can the Qutub Complex at Mehrauli be considered as an ideal specimen for the study on the development of architecture under the Delhi Sultanate? Analyze. (10 marks)
(b) “The success of the Cholas as an imperial power rested not only on the administrative efficiency, but also on a well-organized army and a formidable navy.” Evaluate. (10 marks)
(c) What European features were incorporated in the Mughal school of painting? Did it absolve the traditional Persian influences of the Mughal paintings? Evaluate. (10 marks)
(d) “The Sufis created a climate in which people belonging to different sects and religions could live in peace and harmony.” Discuss. (10 marks)
(e) “Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq’s token currency scheme was an innovative economic experiment in medieval India, but its failure exposed the limitations of State control over the medieval economy.” Evaluate. (10 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
निम्नलिखित प्रत्येक प्रश्न का उत्तर लगभग 150 शब्दों में दीजिए :
(a) मेहरौली स्थित कुतुब संकुल को दिल्ली सल्तनत के अन्तर्गत स्थापत्य कला के विकास के अध्ययन हेतु एक आदर्श उदाहरण के रूप में किस सीमा तक माना जा सकता है? विश्लेषण कीजिए। (10 अंक)
(b) “चोलों की साम्राज्यवादी शक्ति के रूप में सफलता केवल उनकी प्रशासनिक दक्षता पर नहीं, बल्कि उनकी सुदृढ़ थलसेना एवं शक्तिशाली नौसेना पर भी आधारित थी।” मूल्यांकन कीजिए। (10 अंक)
(c) मुगल चित्रकला शैली में यूरोपीय चित्रकला की किन विशेषताओं को शामिल किया गया था? क्या इससे मुगल चित्रों पर से पारंपरिक फारसी प्रभाव समाप्त हो गया था? मूल्यांकन कीजिए। (10 अंक)
(d) “सूफियों ने एक ऐसा वातावरण पैदा किया जिसमें विभिन्न संप्रदायों और धर्मों से जुड़े लोग शांति और सद्भाव के साथ रह सकें।” चर्चा कीजिए। (10 अंक)
(e) “मुहम्मद-बिन-तुगलक की सांकेतिक मुद्रा योजना मध्यकालीन भारत में एक अभिनव आर्थिक प्रयोग थी, किंतु इसकी विफलता ने मध्यकालीन अर्थव्यवस्था में राज्य के नियंत्रण की सीमाओं को उजागर कर दिया।” मूल्यांकन कीजिए। (10 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
(a) A 150-word note asking 'how far' the Qutb Complex at Mehrauli can serve as an ideal specimen for studying the development of Delhi Sultanate architecture. It requires both the case for (the complex shows the trabeate-to-arcuate transition across successive reigns) and the case against (it stops with the Khaljis and omits Tughlaq, Sayyid-Lodi and provincial styles). (b) 'Evaluate' the claim that Chola imperial success rested not only on administrative efficiency but also on a well-organised army and a formidable navy. All three elements must appear, with concrete evidence, and the answer must reach a judgement, including the revisionist doubts about Chola 'efficiency'. (c) Two linked questions in 150 words: first, what European features entered Mughal painting; second, whether this displaced ('absolved') the traditional Persian influence. The answer must name the specific European devices and the route by which they arrived, and then argue that Persian conventions survived, producing a composite rather than a replacement. (d) 'Discuss' the claim that the Sufis created a climate of peace and harmony among sects and religions. A good answer substantiates the claim with named silsilas, saints, practices and literary evidence, and then qualifies it by noting orthodox and state-aligned Sufis and the modern scholarly critique of the 'Sufi as agent of harmony/conversion' model. (e) 'Evaluate' a two-part proposition in 150 words: that Muhammad bin Tughlaq's token currency was an innovative economic experiment, and that its failure exposed the limits of state control over the medieval economy. The answer must explain the scheme, its rationale, the precise causes of failure and the lessons about state capacity, and must reach a judgement.
Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque, 1192-93; screen of 1198; corbelled arch
Qutb Minar begun by Aibak c. 1199, completed by Iltutmish
Tomb of Iltutmish, 1235 - earliest squinches
Alai Darwaza, 1311 - first true dome; true arch (cf. Balban's tomb c. 1287)
Alai Minar (unfinished)
Firuz Shah Tughlaq's repairs and storey of 1368
Iron pillar of Chandra
Omission of Tughlaq, Lodi and provincial styles
Uttaramerur inscriptions, Parantaka I, 919 and 921 CE, kudavolai
(a) Critically examine the theories on the origin of the Rajputs. How do the indigenous evidences contradict the European theorists? (20 marks)
(b) Why did the abdication of power by Alauddin Alam Shah in favour of Bahlol Lodi not culminate in the establishment of the Lodi Dynasty? Elucidate. (15 marks)
(c) Critically analyze Barani’s Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi and identify the shortcomings in his account. (15 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) राजपूतों की उत्पत्ति से संबंधित सिद्धांतों का आलोचनात्मक परीक्षण कीजिए। देशज साक्ष्य यूरोपीय सिद्धांतकारों के मतों का खंडन किस प्रकार करते हैं? (20 अंक)
(b) अलाउद्दीन आलम शाह द्वारा बहलोल लोदी के पक्ष में सत्ता का हस्तांतरण लोदी वंश की स्थापना में क्यों परिणत नहीं हुआ? स्पष्ट कीजिए। (15 अंक)
(c) बरनी की तारीख-ए-फिरोज़शाही का आलोचनात्मक विश्लेषण कीजिए तथा उसके विवरण में मौजूद कमियों की पहचान कीजिए। (15 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
(a) Two linked demands: 'critically examine' the competing theories of Rajput origin (foreign/Scythian, Agnikula, indigenous Kshatriya, mixed) and then show specifically how indigenous evidence - chiefly inscriptions and the meaning of the term rajaputra - contradicts the European theorists. Modern processual explanations must also be brought in. (b) 'Elucidate' why the transfer of power by the last Sayyid ruler Alauddin Alam Shah to Bahlol Lodi did not, by itself, amount to the founding of the Lodi dynasty. The answer must show that legal transfer conferred no effective sovereignty, that Bahlol had to reconquer the Sultanate, and that Afghan tribal conceptions of shared kingship prevented dynastic consolidation until Sikandar Lodi. (c) 'Critically analyse' Barani's Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi and 'identify the shortcomings'. The answer must first establish what the work is - author, date, scope, unique value - and then set out its defects systematically: method, class bias, religious bias, personal animus, didactic purpose and thematic silences.
James Tod, Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan (1829-32) - Scythian theory
V. A. Smith, William Crooke, D. R. Bhandarkar - Gurjara/foreign origin
Agnikula myth; Prithviraj Raso of Chand Bardai; Navasahasankacharita of Padmagupta
C. V. Vaidya; G. H. Ojha; Dasharatha Sharma - indigenous theory
Gwalior prashasti of Mihira Bhoja - descent from Lakshmana the pratihara
Atpur/Ahar inscription of 977 CE - founder Guhadatta called mahideva (Brahmana or king; disputed); later Guhila records of a Brahmana-to-Kshatriya shift
Rajaputra as a rank in Bana's Harshacharita and inscriptions
B. D. Chattopadhyaya (1976); Dirk Kolff (1990); Nandini Sinha Kapur
Alauddin Alam Shah, last Sayyid; retirement to Badaun 1448; Hamid Khan
Bahlol Lodi takes Delhi 1451; Bahlol Shah Ghazi
The shrunken Sultanate - little beyond Delhi and its environs (the 'Delhi to Palam' jibe properly belongs to the Mughal Shah Alam II)
Sharqis of Jaunpur; Husain Shah Sharqi; annexation of Jaunpur 1479
(a) From the Portuguese merchant Domingo Paes’ description of Krishnadeva-raya’s reign, assess the socio-economic and cultural uniqueness of the Vijayanagara Empire. (15 marks)
(b) Trace the formulation of the Mughal imperial authority from Akbar to Aurangzeb. Focus on the influence of Persian ideas of kingship in the construction of Mughal royalty. (20 marks)
(c) “From Asia to Europe, from head to foot, everyone was clothed in Indian textiles.” Qualify this statement with a critical account of India’s foreign trade with special reference to textiles. (15 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) पुर्तगाली व्यापारी डोमिंगो पेस द्वारा कृष्णदेवराय के शासनकाल के वर्णन के आधार पर, विजयनगर साम्राज्य की सामाजिक-आर्थिक और सांस्कृतिक विशिष्टता का आकलन कीजिए। (15 अंक)
(b) अकबर से औरंगज़ेब तक मुगल साम्राज्य की सत्ता के गठन को रेखांकित कीजिए। मुगल राजशाही के निर्माण में फारसी राजत्व-संबंधी विचारों के प्रभावों को स्पष्ट कीजिए। (20 अंक)
(c) “एशिया से लेकर यूरोप तक, सिर से लेकर पाँव तक, हर कोई भारतीय वस्त्रों को ही पहने हुए था।” वस्त्रों के विशेष संदर्भ में, भारत के विदेशी व्यापार का एक आलोचनात्मक विवरण प्रस्तुत करते हुए इस कथन की परिसीमित कीजिए। (15 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
(a) 'Assess' the socio-economic and cultural distinctiveness of Vijayanagara using Domingo Paes's description of Krishnadeva Raya's reign as the point of departure. The answer must show what Paes actually reports, use it as evidence, and then assess its reliability against other travellers, indigenous sources and modern scholarship. (b) Two demands: 'trace' the formulation of Mughal imperial authority from Akbar to Aurangzeb, and 'focus on' the influence of Persian ideas of kingship in constructing Mughal royalty. The answer must be chronological across four reigns and must specify the Persian, Timurid and Islamicate ideological materials used, with named texts, ceremonies and titles. (c) 'Qualify' means test the hyperbole in the quoted claim about the universality of Indian textiles by giving a critical account of India's foreign trade with special reference to textiles: what was exported, to where, by whom, on what terms, and what the limits of the claim are.
Domingo Paes, Portuguese horse-trader, c. 1520-22; Krishnadeva Raya (1509-29)
Robert Sewell, A Forgotten Empire (1900); Fernao Nuniz
City 'as large as Rome'; 'best provided city in the world'
Mahanavami festival and the Mahanavami Dibba; House of Victory
Palace women who wrestled, bore sword and shield and played music (Paes); astrologers and accountants (Nuniz); sati
Abdur Razzaq (1443); Nicolo Conti; Duarte Barbosa
Amuktamalyada of Krishnadeva Raya; nayankara/amara-nayaka; ayagar
Philip B. Wagoner, 'Sultan among Hindu Kings' (1996); Hinduraya Suratrana; Burton Stein
Abul Fazl, Akbarnama and Ain-i-Akbari; farr-i izadi; sulh-i kul
Mahzar of 1579; Ibadat Khana 1575; jizya abolished 1564/1579; tauhid-i ilahi 1582
Nasiruddin Tusi, Akhlaq-i Nasiri; circle of justice; Shihabuddin Suhrawardi's Ishraqi philosophy
Timurid descent; Alanqua light legend; Nauroz
Jharokha-i darshan; zaminbos; tuladan; chain of justice
Shah Jahan: Sahib-Qiran-i Sani; Peacock Throne 1635; Padshahnama; Shahjahanabad
(a) Analyze the influence of Persian traditions on the development of architecture and painting under the Mughals. To what extent did these art forms reflect a synthesis of Indian and Persian cultural elements? Discuss. (15 marks)
(b) Would you consider eighteenth century in India an era of 'Dark Age', or a period of economic growth? Elucidate. (20 marks)
(c) Trace the trajectory of Maratha polity from Shivaji to Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao. What was the impact of the Third Battle of Panipat (1761) on the Maratha State? Analyze. (15 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) मुगलकाल में स्थापत्य कला और चित्रकला के विकास पर फारसी परम्पराओं के प्रभाव का विश्लेषण कीजिए। इन कलारूपों में भारतीय और फारसी सांस्कृतिक तत्वों के समन्वय की किस सीमा तक अभिव्यक्ति हुई? विवेचना कीजिए। (15 अंक)
(b) क्या आप भारत में अठारहवीं सदी को 'अंधकार युग' मानेंगे, या आर्थिक विकास का काल? स्पष्ट कीजिए। (20 अंक)
(c) शिवाजी से लेकर पेशवा बालाजी बाजीराव तक मराठा राजव्यवस्था के विकासक्रम को रेखांकित कीजिए। पानीपत के तीसरे युद्ध (1761) का मराठा राज्य पर क्या प्रभाव पड़ा? विश्लेषित कीजिए। (15 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
(a) Two linked demands: 'analyse' the influence of Persian traditions on Mughal architecture AND painting, and then 'discuss' to what extent these art forms express a synthesis of Indian and Persian cultural elements. Both art forms must be covered, the Persian element identified precisely, and the degree of synthesis judged rather than assumed. (b) 'Would you consider... or...?' requires an explicit verdict on a historiographical controversy: was eighteenth-century India a 'Dark Age' of anarchy or a period of economic growth? The answer must present both the older decline thesis and the revisionist case for regional prosperity, name the historians on each side, and then take and defend a position. (c) Two demands: 'trace the trajectory' of the Maratha polity from Shivaji to Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao - i.e. the institutional transformation from Chhatrapati-centred kingship to a Peshwa-led confederacy - and then 'analyse' the impact of the Third Battle of Panipat (1761) on the Maratha state.