History

The Charter Act of 1813 passed by the British Parliament renewed the East India Company’s charter for another 20 years. This is also called the East India Company Act, 1813. This act is important in that it defined for the first time the constitutional position of British Indian territories.   Provisions: Company’s rule and trade … Read more

The act was passed to correct the defects of the regulating act. This act resulted in dual control of British possessions in India by the British government and the Company with the final authority resting with the government. This act remain in operation till 1858.   Provisions of the act: Board of control for political … Read more

The East India Company was in severe financial crisis and had asked a loan of 1 million pounds from the British government in 1772. Allegations of corruption and nepotism were rampant against company officials. There was a terrible famine in Bengal where a huge population perished. The Dual form of administration instituted by Robert Clive … Read more

The Regulating Act was passed in the British Parliament in June 1773. It was the first parliamentary ratification and authorization defining the powers and authority of the East India Company with respect to its Indian possessions.   This act permitted the company to retain its territorial possessions in India but sought to regulate the activities … Read more

The Permanent Settlement or Zamindari Sysem was introduced by Lord Corniwallis in 1793. In Bengal, North Cauvery Delta in Madras Presidency and Varanasi division. It covered altogether 19% of the total cultivable land under company rule. Terms and Conditions of the System Zamindars were recognized as owner of the lands. Zamindars were given the rights to … Read more

The British historians have treated the great uprising of 1857 as a sepoy mutiny. On the other hand, the staunch patriotic and nationalist Indian writers & historians regard the Revolt of 1857 as the First War of Indian Independence. It was the result of the century-old British rule in India. In comparison to the previous … Read more

In 1580, Akbar instituted a new system called the dahsala developed by Raja Todarmal; under this system, the average produce of different crops along with the average prices prevailing over the last ten (dah) years were calculated. However, the state demand was stated in cash. This was done by converting the state share into money … Read more

Causes of Decline: Decline of Indian courts: The disappearance of Indian courts struck the first blow at Indian handicrafts. As native states passed under British rule, the demand for fine articles, for display in durbars and other ceremonial occasions disappeared. The ordinary demand did continue for sometime longer, but the younger generation lacked the means … Read more

The accounts of pilgrims like Hiuen Tsang gives a quite vivid description of the famous Nalanda University which was at its zenith during Harsha’s reign. Official Chinese documents Coins and inscriptions Literature of the period- like Harshcharitra

In the 11th century, the term “rajaputra” appeared as a non-hereditary designation for royal officials. Gradually, the Rajputs emerged as a social class comprising people from a variety of ethnic and geographical backgrounds. During the 16th and 17th centuries, the membership of this class became largely hereditary, although new claims to Rajput status continued to … Read more