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Ancient India (500 BCE - 550 AD)

Rise of Jainism and Buddhism

Jainism or Jain Dharma is the religious philosophy that originated in the Ancient India. The religion is based on the teachings of the Tirthankaras. The 24th Tirthankara, Lord Mahavira, is credited with propagating the religion in the various parts of the world. Buddhism is based on the teachings of Lord Buddha, who was born as Prince Siddhartha Gautama. After attaining Enlightenment, Lord Buddha set on a task of teaching others how to achieve nirvana. His teachings were later propagated throughout the world by Emperor Asoka. The other major events of the Ancient Indian period are:

Date	Event Happened
333 BC	Darius III was defeated by Alexander the Great. The Macedonian Empire was established
326 BC	Ambhi, King of Taxila surrendered to Alexander, Battle of the Hydaspes River
321 BC	Chandra Gupta Maurya established the Maurya Empire
273 BC	Emperor Ashoka took over the Maurya Empire
266 BC	Ashoka conquered most of South Asia, Afghanistan and Iran
265 BC	The battle of Kalinga, after which Emperor Ashoka embraced Buddhism
232 BC	Ashoka died and was succeeded by Dasaratha
230 BC	Satavahana Empire was established
200 to 100 BC	Tholkappiyam standardized grammar and morphology of Tamil
184 BC	Collapse of Maurya Empire with the assassination of Emperor Brihadrata, Establishment of the Sunga dynasty
180 BC	Establishment of the Indo-Greek kingdom
80 BC	Establishment of the Indo-Scythian kingdom
10 BC	Establishment of the Indo-Parthian kingdom
68 AD	Establishment of the Kushan Empire by Kujula Kadphises
78 AD	Gautamiputra Satkarni took over Satavahana Empire and defeated Scythian king Vikramaditya
240 AD	Establishment of the Gupta Empire by Sri-Gupta
320 AD	Chandragupta I took over the Gupta Empire
335 AD	Samudragupta took over the Gupta Empire and started expanding it
350 AD	Establishment of the Pallava Empire
380 AD	Chandragupta II took over the Gupta Empire
399 to 414 AD	Chinese scholar Fa-Hien traveled to India

Timeline of Mughal in India

Date	Event Happened
April 21, 1526	First Battle of Panipat, Babur defeats Ibrahim Lodhi, Sultan of Delhi, and founds Mughal Empire
March 17, 1527	Battle of Khanwa, Babur conquers combined army of the Rajput princes and takes control of much of northern India
Dec. 26, 1530	Babur dies, is succeeded by son Humayan
July 11, 1543	Pashtun leader Sher Shah Suri defeats Humayan, drives him into exile inAfghanistan
1554	Humayan travels to Persia, hosted by Safavidemperor
July 23, 1555	Discord among Sher Shah Suri's successors allows Humayun to retake control of northern India, be restored to Mughal throne
Jan. 17, 1556	Humayan falls down stairs and dies, succeeded by 13-year-old son Akbar, later Akbar the Great
Nov. 5, 1556	Second Battle of Panipat, child Emperor Akbar's army defeats Hemu's Hindu forces
1560s - 1570s	Akbar consolidates Mughal rule over much of northern and central India, as well as what is now Pakistan and Bangladesh
Oct. 27, 1605	Akbar the Great dies, succeeded by his son Jahangir
1613	The British East India Company defeats Portuguese at Surat, Gujarat State and establishes first warehouse in India
1615	Britain sends first ambassador, Sir Thomas Roe, to Mughal court
1620s	Mughal art reaches high point under Jahangir's rule
1627	Emperor Jahangir dies, succeeded by son Shah Jahan
1632	Shah Jahan orders destruction of newly-built Hindu temples, breaking with Mughal record of religious tolerance
1632	Shah Jahan designs and begins building Taj Mahal as tomb for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal
1644	British East India Company builds Fort St. George in Madras (now Chennai), southeast coastal India
1658	Aurangzeb imprisons his father, Shah Jahan, for the rest of his life in the Red Fort at Agra
1660s-1690s	Aurangzeb expands Mughal rule to more than 3.2 million square km, including Assam, the Deccan plateau, and parts of southern India
1671	Aurangzeb orders construction of the Badshahi Mosque at Lahore, now in Pakistan
1696	Establishment of British East India Company's Fort William on Ganges delta, fort and trading factory which becomes Calcutta (Kolkata)
March 3, 1707	Death of Aurangzeb marks end of Mughal Golden Era, beginning of slow decline; he is succeeded by son Bahadur Shah I
Feb. 27, 1712	Bahadur Shah I dies, succeeded by incompetent son Jahandar Shah
Feb. 11, 1713	Jahandar Shah is executed by agents of nephew Farrukhsiyar, who takes Mughal throne
1713 - 1719	Weak-willed Emperor Farrukhsiyar falls under control of Syed brothers, two generals and king-makers who had helped depose Jahandar Shah
Feb. 28, 1719	Syed brothers have Emperor Farrukhsiyar blinded and strangled; his cousin Rafi ud-Darjat becomes new Mughal emperor
June 13, 1719	19-year-old Emperor Rafi ud-Darjat is murdered at Agra after just three months on throne; Syeds appoint brother Rafi ud-Daulah to succeed him
Sept. 19, 1719	Syeds kill 23-year-old Emperor Rafi ud-Daulah after three months on throne
Sept. 27, 1719	Syed brothers place 17-year-old Muhammad Shah on Mughal throne, rule in his name until 1720
Oct. 9, 1720	Emperor Muhammad Shah orders Syed Hussain Ali Khan killed at Fatehpur Sikri
Oct. 12, 1722	Emperor Muhammad Shah has Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha poisoned to death, takes power in his own right
1728 - 1763	Mughal-Maratha Wars; Marathas seize Gujarat and Malwa, raid Delhi
Feb. 13, 1739	Nader Shah of Persia invades India, wins Battle of Karnal, loots Delhi, steals Mughal Peacock Throne
March 11, 1748	Battle of Manipur, Mughal Army defeats Durrani invasion force from Afghanistan
Apr. 26, 1748	Emperor Muhammad Shah dies, succeeded by 22-year-old son Ahmad Shah Bahadur
May, 1754	Battle of Sikandarabad, Marathas defeat Mughal Imperial Army, kill 15,000 Mughal troops
June 2, 1754	Emperor Ahmad Shah Bahadur deposed and blinded by Vizier Imad-ul-Mulk; former emperor spends rest of life in prison, dying in 1775
June 3, 1754	Imad-ul-Mulk appoints Alamgir II, the 55-year-old second son of Jahandar Shah, as the new Mughal Emperor
1756	British make lurid charges about imprisonment and death of 123 British and Anglo-Indian troops by Bengali captors in Black Hole of Calcutta; story likely fabricated
Nov. 29, 1759	Imad-ul-Mulk and Maratha ruler Sadshivrao Bhau conspire to murder Alamgir II, place Aurangzeb's grandson Shah Jahan III on Mughal throne
Oct. 10, 1760	Shah Jahan III deposed after less than a year, but survives until 1772; succeeded by Alamgir II's son, Shah Alam II
Oct. 1760 - 1806	Emperor Shah Alam II, in alliance with Durranis, works to restore glory of Mughal Empire
Oct. 23, 1764	Battle of Buxar, British East India Company defeats combined army of Emperor Shah Alam II and the nawabs of Awadh and Bengal
Nov. 19, 1806	Emperor Shah Alam II dies, marking end of effective leadership from Mughal Dynasty; he is succeeded by hapless son Akbar Shah II, who is puppet of the British
Sept. 28, 1837	Akbar Shah II dies at age of 77, succeeded as puppet ruler by son Bahadur Shah II
1857	Use of pork and/or beef fat on army cartridges sets off "Sepoy Mutiny" or Indian Revolt
1858	British use Indian Revolt of 1857 as pretext to exile last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah II, to Rangoon, Burma; Mughal dynasty ends

Viceroys and GG's of India

Lord Amherst (1823-28)

• Received by the Mughal emperor (Akbar II) on terms of equality in 1827.
• Acquired territories in Malay Peninsula and signed treaty with Siam.
• First Burmese War (1824-26) and treaty of Yandaboo in 1826 with lower Burma or Pegu by which British merchants were allowed to settle in southern coast of Burma and Rangoon.

Viceroys and GG's of India

Lord Hastings(1813-23)

• He was made Marquees of Hastings due to his succss in the Gorkha war or the Anglo Nepalese war.
• Signed Treaty of Sagauli in 1816 after defeating Gorkha leader Amar Singh.
• Abolished Peshwaship and annexed his territories in the Bombay presidency after the third Anglo-Maratha war(1818). Treaty of Poona(1817) with Peshwa.
• Introduction of Ryotwari settlement in Madras presidency by governor, Thomas Munro(1820).
• Adopted the policy of intervention and war. He consisdered Rajputs as the natural allies.
• Pindari war (1817-18).
• Mahalwari(village community) system of land revenue was made in North-West province by James Thomson.

Viceroys and GG's of India

Lord Minto - I(1807-13)

• Signed the Treaty of Amristarin 1809 between Ranjit Singh and the English.
• Sent the mission of Malcolm to Persia and that of Eliphinston to Kabul in 1808.
• Charter Act of 1808.

Viceroys and GG's of India

George Barlow 

• Sepoy mutiny at vellore in 1806.
• Tried towords restoration of peace with Scindhia and Holkar
• Second Anglo-Maratha war ended.

Viceroys and GG's of India

Lord Wellesley(1798-1805)

• Described himself a Bengal Tiger.
• Created the Madras presidency after the annexation of the kingdoms of Tanjore and Carnatic.
• Introduced the system of Subsidiary Alliance.
• The states that signed the alliance were - Hydrabad(first to sign) in 1798 and then Mysore, Tanjore, Awadh. Jodhpur, Jaipur, Mecheri, Bundi, Bharatpur, Berar.
• Fourth Anglo Mysore war and death of Tipu Sultan in 1799.
• Signed Treaty of Bassein with the peshwa in 1802 and sought second Anglo-Maratha war in which the Scindhia, Bhonsale and Holkar were developed.
• Lord Lake captured Delhi and Agra and the Mughal emperor was put under Company's protection.
• Raja Ram Mohan Roy wrote the Tuhfat-ul-Muwahhiddin.

Viceroys and GG's of India

Sir John Shore(1793-1798)

• Battle of Khadra was fought between Nizam and Marathas in 1795. Nizam was defeated.
• He played an important role in the introduction of the permanent settlement of 1793.
• He was famous for his policy of non-interference.

Viceroys and GG's of India

Lord Cornwallis(1786-93)

• Sanskrit College, Benaras, was founded by Jonathan Duncan in 1971. 
• New Police System was introduced through Regulation of 1971.
• The permanant settlement was introduced in 1973.
• The district Faujadari Adalats presided over by Indian Judges abolished and in their place four circuit courts were established presided by European covenated servants. The Sadr Nizamat Adalat also replaced.
• Cornwalis code, based on separation of powers, was introduced. He is known as the Father of Civil Services in India.
• The collector was divested of judicial and magisterial powers, he was only the head of revenue administration.
• District Judge was appointed as the head of Judiciary t the district level.
• Third Anglo Mysore war, defeat of Tipu Sultan and Treaty of Seringapatnam(1792).

common mistake made of UPSC aspirant

1.     Concentrating more on materials collection than studying

2.     Thinking that studying at Delhi is the only way to get into IAS.

3.     Not taking notes of subjects and newspaper.

4.     Choosing optionals based on what others recommend.

5.     Reading the notes of institutes than textbooks.

6.     Ignoring time mangement.

7.     Not changing the preparation strategy in the subsequent attempts.

8.     Thinking that œXYZ institute/academy will make them pass.

9.     Attitude of œI will just try my luck. Not serious enough.

10.     Sitting with book all day without meaningful study.

11.     Leaving out some areas of syllabus based on what others say. eg. Statistics in Mains

12.     Study pattern fluctuating with mood. No stable effort.

Viceroys and GG's of India

Warren Hastings(1772-85)

• Introduced quinquennial settlement of land revenues in 1772 farming out lands to the highest bidder, later on, he reversed to annual settlement (1777) on the basis of open auction to the highest bidder.
• Abolished 'Dual Government' in 1772\
• Became Governor General in 1773 with the passing of the Regulating act.
• Made appointments of collectors and other revenue officials.
• The Regulating Act, 1773 appointed him the first Governor General along with the four councillors Clavering, Francis, Monson and Barwell.
• Judicial Reforms = Starting of Diwani and Faujadari Adalat at the district level and sadar Diwani and Nizamat Adalat of Calcutta,and Appellate court. Hindu and Muslim laws were redefined. A translation of Manusmruti as code of Gentoo laws was carried. Jones and cole Brooke published Digest of Hindu Law in 1771. Through Regulating Act of 1773 the supreme court was established in Calcutta. It was based of English law.
• Trial of Nand Kumar and his Judicial murder in 1775.
• Associated with the Chait Singh(Benaras Raj)Affair, 1778.
• The Rohilla War(1774) and annexation of Rohilkhand by the Nawab of Awadh with the help of British.
• First Maratha War(1778-82) and Treaty of Salbai(1782).
• Second Anglo-Mysore war(1780-84) and Treaty of Manglore (1785) with Tipu Sultan.
• Treaty of Surat (1775) between Raghunath Rao and Warren Hastings. but Council of Calcutta rejected it.
• Treaty of Purandar (1776) between English and Peshwa.
• In 1780 James August Hickey started a weekly paper called Bengal Gazette or Calcutta General Advertiser.
• Foundation of Asiatic society of Bengal with the help of William Jones in1784.
• Fatwa-i-Alamgiri was also translated.
• Wilkins translated Gita and Hitopadesa in English.
• yed Ghulam Hussain wrote Siyar-ul-Mutqherin.
• He returnd to England in 1785 and impeachment proceedings were initiated against him in the House of Lords. He was eventuallly auitted after a trial of 7 years.

Viceroys and GG's of India

 Robert Clive(1757-60) (1765-67)

• Governor of Bengal from 1757-60 and again from 1765-67.
• Started dual government in Bengal in 1765.
• He forbade the servants of company from indulging in private trade and made payment of internal dutied obligatory.
• Bengal White Mutiny by white brigades at Allahabad and Monghyr, they were arrested and tried.

“The Central government has approved two additional attempts to all categories of candidates with effect from Civil Services Examination 2014, with consequential age relaxation of maximum age for all categories of candidates, if required,”.

The Civil Services Examination (Preliminary), 2014 is tentatively scheduled to be held on August 24, this year. The Civil Service Examinations is conducted by the UPSC to select Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Foreign Service (IFS) among others.

The examinations is conducted in three stages-- preliminary, mains and interview.

A candidate is permitted a maximum of four attempts for the examination. However, there is no restriction on number of attempts by a candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).

As many as seven attempts are permissible to an aspirant belonging to Other Backward Classes (OBCs), according to a notification issued for Civil Services Examinations, 2013.

A candidate who has attained the age of 21 years but not attained 30 years may apply for the civil services examination, as per eligibility mentioned in the notification.

The upper age limit is relaxable up to a maximum of five years for candidates belonging to SCs or STs categories and up to a maximum of three years for candidates of OBC category among others.

The upper age limit is also relaxable upto a maximum of five years if a candidate had ordinarily been domiciled in Jammu & Kashmir during January 1, 1980 to December 31, 1989.

It can also be relaxed upto a maximum of three years in the case of defence services personnel disabled in operations during hostilities with any foreign country or in a disturbed area and released as a consequence thereof.

There is also a relaxation in upper age upto a maximum of 10 years in the case of blind, deaf-mute and orthopaedically handicapped candidates besides other categories, the rules said.

COMMONWEALTH DAY

OPTIONAL PROTOCOL

Upsc interview compilation from iasofficer

SCOPE OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

Definitions of Geography

Some facts about United Nations

UNITED NATIONS WORK

WORLD TOURISM DAY