History

The paper at a glance

History carries the subject code 314. The syllabus described here is the one published for 2026-27.

It is one of the shortest subject syllabi NTA publishes: a cover page and a single page of theme titles. There are no sub-topics under any theme, so the titles themselves are the whole specification.

How the syllabus is organised

The document is laid out in three parts — Themes in Indian History Part I, Part II and Part III, twelve themes in all. Each part is a block of four themes, and the numbering runs straight through from Theme I to Theme XII rather than restarting in each part.

The syllabus itself is a list of titles only. It does not print question counts, marks, negative marking or timing, and it does not say how many questions come from each part. Read it alongside the exam pattern.

Part I: the ancient period

The first four themes move from archaeology through inscriptions and epic literature to the history of two religious traditions.

• Theme I: Harappan Civilisation and Archaeology
• Theme II: Political and Economic Systems in Early States: Inscriptional Evidences
• Theme III: Social Histories of Early Societies: Mahabharata
• Theme IV: History of Buddhism and Jainism: Cultural Developments

Part II: the medieval period

The middle four themes are built around kinds of evidence and kinds of institution: travellers' accounts, devotional traditions, a single empire studied for its politics, economy and architecture, and the Mughal agrarian order.

• Theme V: Medieval Society through Travellers Accounts
• Theme VI: Religious History: Bhakti-Sufi Traditions
• Theme VII: Vijayanagara Empire: Politics, Economy and Architecture
• Theme VIII: The Mughal Empire and Agrarian Society

Part III: the colonial period and after

The last four themes run from colonial rural society to the framing of the Constitution.

• Theme IX: Colonialism and Rural Society: Evidence from Official Reports
• Theme X: Revolt of 1857: Patterns and Representations
• Theme XI: Mahatma Gandhi and National Movements
• Theme XII: The Making of the Constitution

What this syllabus does not tell you

The document is a list of theme titles and nothing more. From it you cannot learn:

• how many questions come from each part, or the marks, negative marking and duration — those are on the exam pattern;
• what falls under any theme, because no theme has sub-topics listed; the title is all NTA gives;
• the weightage of any theme, so treat all twelve as examinable rather than ranking them;
• how difficult the questions will be, or whether they will lean on sources and evidence or on dates and events;
• which books to use; the syllabus names no textbook;
• how much weight a university gives this paper once you qualify — the programmes that accept it are listed below, but the marks or ranking rule each one applies sits in its own admission bulletin.

For anything about attempt rules or numbers of questions, go to the NTA information bulletin and the exam pattern rather than to this list.