Syllabi Of M.Phil Course in Ancient Indian History, Culture & Archaeology Of Punjab University, Chandigarh

Each student will be required to successfully complete 3 (three) courses of 100 marks (four
credits) each with a total of 300 marks (12 credits) in the first semester. In the second
semester there shall be one paper on Research Techniques (two credits/ 50 marks) and the
students shall write a dissertation on a previously approved topic. Thereafter, the student will
be required to appear at a viva-voce examination. The dissertation & viva-voce shall be of
250 (10 credits) marks (200+50). The total marks for the M.Phil degree will be 600.
Courses:
Semester I
1. Paper I: Theory and Method of Historical Inquiry: 4 credits (100 marks).
2. Paper II: Aspects of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology: 4 credits (100 marks).
3. Paper III: Ancient Indian Historiography: 4 credits (100 marks).
Semester II
1. Paper IV: Research Techniques. 2 credits (50 marks)
2. Dissertation: 10 credits (250 marks: 200 for dissertation + 50 for viva voce).

Paper-I: Theory and Method of Historical Inquiry
(Total Marks: 100) 4 Credits
Written Exam. 80 marks
Internal Assessment 20 marks
Time: 3 hours
Objective: The paper is divided into four units. Unit one shall help students to grasp the
nature and scope of history and why the study of history is essential. Historical concepts
such as facts, causation, generalization and objectivity shall be taken up in the second unit.
History is the mother of Social Sciences and its relations with other disciplines shall be
studied in detail in unit three. In Unit four, different theories propounded by philosophers
such as Collinghood, Hegal, Toynbee and Spengler shall help our students understand
importance of history as a discipline.
Note: The course shall consist of four units. The examiner shall set total eight questions
with two questions being set in each unit. Candidate shall answer one question from
each unit. All questions carry equal marks.
Unit:I
1. What is History?
2. Why study History?
Unit: II Historical Concepts
1. Facts, Causation
2. Generalization and Objectivity.
Unit:III History and Sister Disciplines
1. Anthropology, Geography, Sociology.
2. Economics, Political Science.
Unit:IV Philosophy of History
1. Robin George Collingwood; George W.F. Hegal.
2. Arnold Joseph Toynbee; Oswald Spengler.
Reading List
1. Aymard, Maurice and Mukhia, Harbans, eds., French Studies in History, New Delhi,
1988.
2. Banga, Indu, ed., Causation in History, Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla and
Manohar Publishers, Delhi, 1992.
3. Barzun, J. and Graff, H.F, The Modern Researcher, Harcourt Brace & World inc. New
York, 1970.
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4. Beverley Southgate, History: What and Why, Routeledge, New York, 2001
5. Braudel, Fernand, On History, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1980.
6. Burke, Peter. Sociology and History, Allen and Unwin, London, 1980.
7. Cannon, John et.al. eds., The Historians at Work, George Allen & Unwin, London,
1980.
8. Carr, E.H. What is History? With New Introduction by Richard J. Evans. Palgrave,
Hampshire, 2002.
9. Cohn, B., ‘History and Anthropology: The State of Play’, in B. Cohn, An
Anthropologist Among the Historians and Other Essays, Oxford University Press, Delhi
1988.
10. Collingwood, R.G., The Idea of History, Oxford University Press, 1946; rpt. Madras,
1985.
11. Durant Will and Ariel, The Lessons of History, rpt., Bombay 1977.
12. Elton, G.R., Political History, Principles and Practice, Allen Lane The Penguin Press,
London, 1970.
13. Elton, G.R., The Practice of History, Mehuen/Fontana, London, 1967; 2nd ed.,
Blackwell Publishers, 2002.
14. Evans, J. Richaard, In Defence of History, London, 1997.
15. Grewal, J.S., In the By lanes of History, IIAS, Shimla, 1975.
16. Jenkins, Keith. On ‘What is History? Routledge, London, 1995.
17. Jenkins, Keith, Why History?: Ethics and Post modernity, Routledge, London, 1999.
18. Johnson, Richard. et.al., Making Histories. Studies in history writing and politics,
London, 1982.
19. Kitson Clark, G.R. Guide for Research Students Working on Historical Subjects,
2nd ed., Cambridge University Press, London, 1968.
20. Ludmilla, Jordanova, History in Practices, Arnold, London,2000
21. Marwick, Arthur, The Nature of History, Macmillan, London, 1970.
22. Marwick, Arthur. The New nature of History: Knowledge, Evidence, Language,
Hampshire, 2001.
23. Marwick, Arthur. What History is and why it is important, Buckinghempshire, 1970.
24. Spengler, Oswald. The Decline of the West, London, 1961.
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25. Sreedharan.E A Textbook of Historiography 500 BC to AD 2000, New Delhi, 2004.
26. Stem, F. ed., The Varieties of History, Macmillan, New York,. 1970.
27. Stone, Lawrence, “History and the Social Sciences in the 20th Century”, in the Future
of History, ed., Charles Delzell, Vanderbilt, University Press, 1977; 3-42
28. Toynbee, A.J. A Study of History, 2 Vols., New York 1965.
29. Webster, John C.B. An Introduction to History, 2nd ed., Macmillan Indian Ltd, Delhi.
1981.
30. Webster, John C.B. Studying History, Macmillan, Delhi. 1997.
Paper-II: Aspects of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology
(Total Marks: 100) 4 Credits
Written Exam. 80 marks
Internal Assessment 20 marks
Time: 3 hours
Objective: This paper consists of four Units. Unit one of this paper shall not only introduce
the subject but also make the students aware of archaeological theory and method through
in-depth study of Archaeological techniques, method and relevance of archaeology for the
study of Ancient Indian History. Elements of Indian Architecture and Sculpture shall
incorporate important religious and secular buildings with special reference to temples and
stupas built across India from the earliest times to twelfth C. AD. Chief features of Indian
sculpture shall help students learn about the rich heritage of Indian art and architecture. Unit
two of this paper deals with knowledge of scripts which is important for a student working on
AIHC&A. It shall help students to decipher inscriptions and use them for reconstruction of
past. Equally important is knowledge of Ancient Indian numismatics. Coins are an important
source of history. They inform us not only about economy but also about political and
commercial limits of the kingdom. Knowledge of scripts shall help them to identify legends
on the coins. Hindu, Buddhist and Jain literature is very useful source for the construction of
history, this shall be studied in Unit three. Students shall learn about Hindu (both secular and
religious) literature with special reference to Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Arthasastra and
Rajatarangini. Buddhist canonical non-canonical literature and Jain Canonical literature shall
help them to know about the importance of literature for reconstructing past. Unit four shall
introduce political ideas and institutions of ancient India to the students and its relevance in
the present times. The concept of welfare state which was alive in ancient India shall be
studied in present day relevance. Gender studies and their importance shall be taken up
which has emerged as a major thrust areas in modern times.
Note: The course shall consist of four units. The examiner shall set a total of eight
questions with two questions being set in each unit. Candidate shall answer one
question from each unit. All questions carry equal marks.
Unit:I
1. Archaeological Theory and Method
2. Elements of Indian Architecture and Sculpture
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Unit:II
1. Origin and Development of Scripts: Inscriptions as Historical Evidence
2. Introduction to Indian Numismatics
Unit: III
1. A Survey of Indian Literature:
i) Hindu
ii) Buddhist and Jain
Unit: IV
1. Governance in Ancient India
2. Gender issues in Ancient India
Reading List
1. Agrawal V.S., Indian Art, Varanasi, 1965.
2. Altekar, A.S., The Position of Women in Hindu Civilization, 2nd ed. Motilal
Banarsidass, Delhi 1978.
3. Altekar, A.S., State and Government in Ancient India, Delhi, 1958.
4. Banerjee, J.N., Development of Hindu Iconography, Calcutta, 1960.
5. Buhler, G., Indian Palaeography, Calcutta, 1962.
6. Childe, V.G., A Short Introduction to Archaeology, New York, 1962.
7. Dani, A.H., Indian Palaeography, Oxford, 1963.
8. Daniel, G.E., A Hundred Years of Archaeology, Dukworth, 1950.
9. Drewett, Peter L, Field Archaeology: An Introduction, London, UCL Press, 1999.
10. Greene, Kevin, Archaeology: An Introduction, University of Pennsylvania Press, 4th
ed., 2002.
11. Gupta P.L., Coins. rpt., New Delhi, 2006.
12. Keith, A.B., A History of Sanskrit Literature, Chowkhamka Sanskrit Series, Varanasi,
1968.
13. Kramrisch Stella, Indian Sculpture, London, 1960.
14. Krishan Deva, Temples of India, 2 Vols., New Delhi, 1995.
15. Macdonell, Arthur, A., A History of Sanskrit Literature, Munshiram Manoharlal, New
Delhi, 1972.
16. Maity, S.K., Early Indian coins and currency system, Delhi, 1970.
17. Ojha, G.H., Bhartiya Prachina Lipi Mala, New Delhi, 1993.
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18. Percy Brown, Indian Architecture, (Buddhist & Hindu), Vol. I, Bombay, 1971.
19. Percy Brown, Indian Painting, New Delhi, 1967.
20. Roy, Kumkum, ed., The Women in Early Indian Societies, Manohar, New Delhi, 2001.
21. Saraswati S.K., Survey of Indian Sculpture, Calcutta, 1957.
22. Shah, Shalini, The making of Womanhood Gender Relations in the Mahabharata
Manohar, New Delhi, 1995.
23. Sharma, R.S., Aspects of Political Ideas and Institutions in Ancient India, Motilal
Banarasidass, Delhi, 2005.
24. Trigger, Bruce, A History of Archaeological Thought, Cambridge University Press,
2006.
25. Winternitz, Maurice, A History of Indian Literature, Vols. I and II, Motilal Banarsidass,
Delhi, 1985.
Paper-III: Ancient Indian Historiography
(Total Marks: 100) 4 Credits
Written Exam. : 80 marks
Internal Assessment : 20 marks
Time: 3 hours
Objective: This paper is divided into four units. It deals with the historiographical analysis.
The first unit deals with the Imperialist writings of the 18th and 19th centuries on ancient
India. The writings of these scholars were rooted in a colonial context. The second unit
incorporates the works of some of the Indian scholars of late 19th and 20th centuries who are
referred to as Nationalist historians. They meticulously culled data from varied sources to
amplify the contours of ancient Indian past and revised some of the arguments put forth by
the Imperialist historians. The third unit deals with the Marxist historiography. They shifted
their focus from history merely as a political narrative of Indian past to the delineation of
social and economic structures and processes. Critical understanding of these three units
shall not only help us to know their contributions but also limitations of past and present,
ideological and theoretical frame work which is essential to understand where ancient Indian
history stands today. Recent trends in historical research forms the fourth unit of this paper.
Two emerging thrust areas i.e. regional history and bio-ethics shall be studied in this unit.
Note: The course shall consist of four units. The examiner shall set a total of eight
questions with two questions being set in each unit. Candidate shall answer one
question from each unit. All questions carry equal marks.
Unit I: Imperial Historians
1. James Mill
2. William Jones
3. Charles Wilkins
4. H.H. Wilson
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Unit: II Nationalist Historians
1. R.G. Bhandarkar
2. A.S. Altekar
3. R.C. Majumdar
4. K.P. Jayaswal
Unit: III Marxist Historians
1. D.D. Kosambi
2. R.S. Sharma
3. Romila Thapar
4. Burton Stein
Unit : IV Recent Trends in Historical Research
1. Regional History
2. Bio-ethics
Reading List
1. Altekar, A.S., State and Government in Ancient India, Banaras, 1949.
2. Altekar, A.S., The Position of Women in Hindu Civilization, Motilal Banarsidass, 1965.
3. Bahah, Satish, K, Recent Trends in Historiography, Anmol publications, New Delhi,
1988
4. Barnes, H.E., A History of Historical Writing, Dover Publication, New York, 1962
5. Devahuti, E.d. Problems of Indian Historiography, D.K. Publishers, Delhi, 1979.
6. Devahuti, E.d. Bias in Indian Historiography, D.K. Publishers, Delhi, 1980.
7. Dictionary of the History of Ideas, Vol. 1. Charles Scribner’s Sons Publishers, New
York, 1968.
8. Dictionary of the History of Ideas, Vol. 2, Charles Scribner’s Sons Publishers, New
York, 1973.
9. Gooch, G.P., History and Historians in the Nineteenth Century, London Longmans,
1952.
10. Goyal Shankar, Recent Historiography of Ancient India, Kusumanjali Prakashan,
Jodhpur, 1997.
11. Goyal Shankar, Contemporary Interpreters of Ancient India, Book Enclave, Jaipur,
2003.
12. Habib Irfan, Essays in Indian History: Towards a Marxist Perception, Tulika, New
Delhi, 1995.
13. Hughes, Warrington, Marnie, Fifty Key thinkers on History, Routledge, London and
New York, 2000
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14. Jayaswal, K.P., Hindu Polity, 2nd ed., Banglore, 1943.
15. Johnson, Richard, et.al., Making Histories. Studies in history writing and politics,
Hutchinson and University of Birmingham, London, 1982.
16. Keown, D., Buddhism and Bioethics, Macmillan, London, 1995.
17. Kosambi, D.D., An Introduction to the study of Indian History, Bombay, 1957.
18. Majumdar, R.C. Historiogtraphy in Modern India, Asia publishing house, Bombay,
1967.
19. Mill, J., The History of British India, 5th ed., New York, 1968.
20. Mukherjee, S.N., Sir William Jones: A Study in Eighteenth Century British Attitudes to
India, Delhi, 1983.
21. Pathak, V.S., Ancient Indian Historians, Asia publishing house, London, 1963.
22. Perry, Matt. Marxism and History, New York, 2002.
23. Philips, C.H. ed., Historians of India, Pakistan and Ceylon, O.U.P., 1961.
24. Ray Bharati, ed., Different Types of History, PHISPIC, Vol. XIV, Pt. 4, OUP, Delhi.
25. Sarkar, Susobhan, A Marxian Glimpse of History, People’s Publishing House, New
Delhi, 1975.
26. Sharma R.S., Urban Decay in India c. AD 300-1000, Munshiram Manoharlal, New
Delhi, 1987.
27. Sharma R.S., In Defence of Ancient India, People’s Publishing House, Delhi 1978.
28. Stein, Burton, Peasant State and Society in Medieval South India, Oxford University
Press, Delhi, 1980
29. Thapar, Romila, Chandra, Bipan and Mukhia, Harbans, Communalism in the Writing of
Indian History, People’s Publishing House, Delhi, 1969.
30. Thapar, Romila, Cultural Past: Essays in Early Indian History, Delhi, 2003.
31. Thapar, Romila, Social History of Ancient India: Some Interpretations, rpt., Hyderabad,
2004.
32. Thompson, J.W. and Bernard Holm, A History of Historical Writing, Vols. I and II,
Macmillan Company, New York, 1942.
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Semester II
Paper-IV : Research Techniques
(Total Marks: 50) 2 Credits
Written Exam.: 40 marks
Internal Assessment: 10 marks
Time: 3 hours
Objectives: The paper is divided into two Units. Unit-I shall help students in choosing the
subject of research, collection and analysis of data and rules for chapterization of the research
proposal. The Unit-II shall elaborate on the structuring, nature and use of footnotes,
bibliography and preparation of final draft of the research proposal. This paper shall impart
theoretical knowledge to the students to complete their research project.
Note: The course shall consist of two units. The examiner shall set a total of eight
questions with four questions being set in each unit. Candidate shall answer two
questions from each unit. All questions carry equal marks.
Unit: I
1. Choice of the Topic.
2. Collection of Data.
3. Chapterization.
Unit: II
1. Footnoting.
2. Bibliography.
3. Final Draft.
Reading List:
1. Barzun, J. and Graff, H.F., The Modern Researcher, Harcourt Brace & World inc. New
York, 1970.
2. Bloch, Marc., The Historian’s Craft, Mancherster University Press, Mancherster, 1954.
3. Kitson Clark, G.R., Guide for Research Students working on Historical Subjects, 2nd ed.,
Cambridge University Press, London, 1968.
4. Ludmilla, Jordanova, History in Practice, London, 2000.
5. Renier, G.J., History: Its Purpose and Method, Boston 1950.
Dissertation:
The students shall write a dissertation on a previously approved topic. Thereafter, the student
will be required to appear at a viva-voce examination. The dissertation & viva-voce shall be
of 250 marks (200+50) (10 credits).
Note: The reading list to vary according to the subject of research.