Polity: Major political developments in Northern India and the Peninsula, origin and the rise of Rajputs;
The Cholas: administration, village economy and society;
“Indian Feudalism”: Agrarian economy and urban settlements; Trade and commerce;
Society: the status of the Brahman and the new social order; Condition of women;
Indian science and technology
PYQs: Early Medieval India, 750‐1200 [1985-2024]
- What were the salient features of the bureaucratic machinery of the Cholas? Write short answer of not more than 200 words. (1985)
- Main sources of information for the history of the 13th century. Write short answer of not more than 200 words. (1987)
- Bring out the salient features of the polity & social structure of the Rajputs. To what extent were they responsible for the weakness of the Rajput resistance to foreign invaders? (1988)
- Critically assess the period of the Cholas in the history of South India. (1991)
- Write brief essay on Local self-government under the Cholas. (1992)
- Discuss the contribution of Rajaraja I and Rajendra I for the expansion of the Chola empire. Analyse the causes and impact of the naval expeditions of the Cholas. (1993)
- Write a brief note on Land charters of north India (c. A-D. 750-1200). (1995)
- Assess the importance of the Cholas in the history of South India. (1996)
- Give an account of the Society in Northern and Central India since the death of Harsha to the Muslim conquest of North India. (1996)
- “Achieving dominance in south of the Vindhyas did not satisfy the ambitions of the Rashtrakutas, they also wanted to achieve dominance over the Gangetic Plains.” Elaborate and comment. (1997)
- Write brief essay on Social structure of the Rajputs. (1998)
- Critically evaluate the achievements of the Cholas. (1998)
- Were the Chola village assemblies democratic in nature? Give reasons for your answer. (2000)
- The Cholas are said to have established a strong and well organised administration with an element of self-government at the local level. Do you agree? Give reasons. (2004)
- Write brief essay on The Samanta system. (2005)
- Show that the administrative system in India reached a very high level during the Chola period. (2007)
- Write short essay on Applicability of the term ‘Indian Feudalism’ to early Medieval society. (2009)
- How far can the village assemblies or communities under the Cholas be really called democratic? (2009)
- To what extent “monetary anaemia” afflicted the erstwhile commercial economy during the early medieval period? (2010)
- Evaluate the socio-economic conditions from the Gupta Period to 1200 C.E. as gleaned from the various types of grants or danashasana. (2011)
- Assess the contribution of Cholas in the expansion of Indian culture outside India. (2011)
- What kind of changes were visualised by historians on Indian feudalism? Examine critically. (2012)
- Evaluate the role of nadu and nagaram in the growth of urbanisation under the Cholas. (2012)
- Evaluating various theories regarding the Chola State, throw light on its village assemblies. (2014)
- Do the evidences of land ownership at our disposal support the theory of the prevalence of feudalism in early medieval India? (2015)
- How could the local self – government under the Cholas adjust with their centralised administrative structure? (2015)
- Analyze the significance of the Uttaramerur inscriptions of the Chola king Parantaka I. (2016)
- Explain the ingredients of the transitory nature of the early medieval India. (2016)
- “Doubtless it was not a free state; it was any rate a state” (KAN Sastri). Reflect upon the nature of local self-government institutions in the Chola country. (2018)
- Critically analyze the changing nature of caste and gender relations during the early medieval period. (2018)
- Large number of land grants in hitherto non-arable tracts invariably meant expansion of agriculture in early medieval India. How did the management of hydraulic resources (different types of irrigation works) facilitate expansion of agriculture in this period? (2021)
- Discuss the different stages of India feudalism and analyze its impact on Indian political system, (in about 150 words). (2021)
- Evaluate the importance of tripartite struggle for the domination over north India during the eighth and ninth centuries. (2022)
- Chola maritime expansion was driven largely by the concerns of overseas commerce. Elucidate. (2022)
- What were ‘Brahmdeya’ grants? How do you account for the large number of such grants in the early medieval period? (2022)
- Discuss the various proponents of Indian feudalism. (2023)