CUET History Syllabus 2024: Check Topics, Exam Pattern & PDF Download

Below is the entire CUET History syllabus, which consists of 15 units. Each unit carries one chapter with an overview. Take a look at the complete syllabus here.

Unit I: The Story of the First Cities Harappan Archaeology

Broad overview: Early urban centres.
Story of discovery: Harappan civilization.
Excerpt: Archaeological report on a major site. Discussion: how it has been utilized by archaeologists/historians

Unit II: Political and Economic History: How Inscriptions tell a story

Broad overview: Political and economic history from the Mauryan to the Gupta period.
Story of discovery: Inscriptions and the decipherment of the script. Shifts in the understanding of political and economic history.
Excerpt: Asokan inscription and Gupta period land grant.
Discussion: Interpretation of inscriptions by historians.

Unit III: Social Histories using the Mahabharata

Broad overview: Issues in social history, including caste,class, kinship and gender.
Story of discovery: Transmission and publications of the Mahabharata.
Excerpt: From the Mahabharata, illustrating how it has been used by historians.

Unit IV: A History of Buddhism: Sanchi Stupa

Broad overview:
(a) A brief review of religious histories of Vedic religion, Jainism, Vaisnavism, Saivism.
(b) Focus on Buddhism.
Story of discovery: Sanchi stupa.
Excerpt: Reproduction of sculptures from Sanchi. Discussion: Ways in which sculpture has been interpreted by historians, other sources for reconstructing the history of Buddhism.

Unit V: Medieval society through Travellers’ Accounts

Broad Overview: Outline of social and cultural life as they appear in travellers’ accounts.
Story of their writings: A discussion of where they travelled, why they travelled, what they wrote, and For whom they wrote.
Excerpts: from Alberuni, Ibn Battuta, Bernier.
Discussion: What these travel accounts can tell us and how they have been interpreted by historians.

Unit VI: Religious Histories: The Bhakti-Sufi Tradition

Broad Overview:
(a) Outline of religious developments during this period.
(b) Ideas and practices of the Bhakti-Sufi saints.
Story of Transmission: How Bhakti-Sufi compositions have been preserved.
Excerpt: Extracts from selected Bhakti Sufi works.
Discussion: Ways in which these have been interpreted by historians.

Unit VII: New Architecture: Hampi 

Broad Overview:
(a)Outline of new buildings during the Vijayanagar period — temples, forts, irrigation facilities.
(b)Relationship between architecture and the political system.
Story of Discovery: Account of how Hampi was found.
Excerpt: Visuals of buildings at Hampi.
 Discussion: Ways in which historians have analysed and interpreted these structures.

Unit VIII: Agrarian Relations: The Ain-i-Akbari

Broad overview:
(a) Structure of agrarian relations in the 16th and 17th centuries.
(b) Patterns of change over the period.
 Story of Discovery: Account of the compilation and translation of Ain-i-Akbari.
 Excerpt: From the Ain-i-Akbari
 Discussion: Ways in which historians have used the text to reconstruct history.

Unit IX: The Mughal Court: Reconstructing Histories through Chronicles

Broad Overview:
(a) Outline of political history c. 15th-17th centuries.
(b) Discussion of the Mughal court and politics.
 Story of Discovery: Account of the production of court chronicles, and their subsequent translation and transmission.
 Excerpts: from the Akbarnama and Padshahnama.
 Discussion: Ways in which historians have used the texts to reconstruct political histories.

Unit X: Colonialism and Rural Society: Evidence from Official Reports

Broad overview:
(a) Life of zamindars, peasants and artisans in the late 18 century.
(b) East India Company, revenue settlements and surveys.
(c) Changes over the nineteenth century.
Story of official records: An account of why official investigations into rural societies were undertaken and the types of records and reports produced.
Excerpts: From Firminger’s Fifth Report, Accounts of Francis Buchanan-Hamilton, and Deccan Riots Report.
Discussion: What the official records tell and do not tell, and how they have been used by historians.

Unit XI: Representations of 1857

Broad Overview:
(a) The events of 1857-58.
(b) How these events were recorded and narrated.
 Focus: Lucknow.
 Excerpts: Pictures of 1857. Extracts from contemporary accounts.
 Discussion: How the pictures of 1857 shaped British opinion of what had happened.

Unit XII: Colonialism and Indian Towns: Town Plans and Municipal Reports

Broad Overview: The growth of Mumbai, Chennai, hill stations, and cantonments in the 18th and 19th century.
Excerpts: Photographs and paintings. Plans of cities. Extract from town plan reports. Focus on Kolkata town planning.
Discussion: How the above sources can be used to reconstruct the history of towns. What these sources do not reveal.

Unit XIII: Mahatma Gandhi through Contemporary Eyes

Broad Overview:
(a) The nationalist movement 1918-48,
(b) The nature of Gandhian politics and leadership.
Focus: Mahatma Gandhi in 1931.
Excerpts: Reports from English and Indian language newspapers and other contemporary writings.
Discussion: How newspapers can be a source of history.

Unit XIV: Partition through Oral Sources

Broad Overview:
(a) The history of the 1940s;
(b) Nationalism, Communalism and Partition.
Focus: Punjab and Bengal.
Excerpts: Oral testimonies of those who experienced partition.
Discussion: Ways in which these have been analysed to construct the history of the event.

Unit XV: The Making of the Constitution

Broad Overview: (a) Independence and the new nation-state. (b) The making of the Constitution.
Focus: The Constitutional Assembly debates.
Excerpts: From the debates.
Discussion: What such debates reveal and how they can be analysed.

Also Read: CUET Syllabus

CUET History Syllabus PDF Download

NTA releases the CUET History syllabus link online at cuet.samarth.ac.in. Refer the link below to download the CUET History PDF:

CUET History Syllabus PDF (English)

CUET History Syllabus PDF (Hindi)