CUET HISTORY | APRIL 2026
Last Updated: April 2026
CUET History 2027 is a high-scoring domain subject for students targeting History Honours, Political Science, and interdisciplinary humanities programmes at DU, JNU, BHU and AMU. With 50 MCQs in 45 minutes from NCERT Class 6-12, focused preparation can get you 160-180 out of 200.
CUET History 2027 — Overview
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Syllabus Source | NCERT Class 6-12 History textbooks |
| Total Questions | 50 (Attempt any 40) |
| Maximum Marks | 200 |
| Duration | 45 minutes |
| Question Type | MCQ only — factual recall + analytical |
Part I: Ancient Indian History
Indus Valley Civilisation (2600-1900 BCE)
- Major sites: Harappa (Punjab, Pakistan), Mohenjo-daro (Sindh), Dholavira (Gujarat), Kalibangan (Rajasthan), Lothal (Gujarat)
- Town planning: grid pattern streets, covered drainage, granaries, Great Bath at Mohenjo-daro
- Economy: agriculture, trade with Mesopotamia, standardised weights and measures
- Harappan seals — steatite (soapstone), pictographic script (still undeciphered)
- Decline theories: climate change, Aryan invasion, river course changes
Vedic Age and Mahajanapadas
- Rigvedic period: pastoral, tribal, cattle-based economy; Later Vedic: agrarian, varna system emerges
- 16 Mahajanapadas — Magadha (most powerful), Kosala, Avanti, Vatsa
- Jainism: Vardhamana Mahavira (24th Tirthankara), Triratna (right knowledge, faith, conduct), Anekantavada (many-sidedness of truth)
- Buddhism: Siddhartha Gautama, Four Noble Truths, Eightfold Path; Theravada (original) vs Mahayana (later, more expansive); Third Buddhist Council under Ashoka
Maurya Empire (322-185 BCE)
- Chandragupta Maurya: founded empire with guidance of Chanakya/Kautilya (Arthashastra)
- Bindusara: expanded empire south into Deccan
- Ashoka: Kalinga War (261 BCE) — turning point; Dhamma policy; rock and pillar edicts across empire; Buddhism spread to Sri Lanka, Central Asia
Post-Mauryan Period and Gupta Empire
| Period | Key Rulers | Achievements |
|---|---|---|
| Kushana Empire | Kanishka | Buddhism to Central Asia and China; Gandhara art |
| Gupta Empire | Samudragupta | “Napoleon of India” — military conquests; Allahabad pillar inscription |
| Gupta Empire | Chandragupta II | Golden Age: Vikramaditya title; Navratnas including Kalidasa, Aryabhata |
| Gupta Period | Aryabhata | Calculated value of pi, concept of zero, heliocentric solar system |
| Gupta Period | Kalidasa | Shakuntala, Meghaduta, Kumarasambhavam |
Part II: Medieval Indian History
Delhi Sultanate (1206-1526)
| Dynasty | Key Ruler | Key Contribution/Event |
|---|---|---|
| Slave/Mamluk | Qutb-ud-Din Aibak | Qutb Minar, Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque (1193) |
| Slave/Mamluk | Iltutmish | Consolidated Sultanate, introduced iqta system, royal insignia |
| Khilji | Alauddin Khilji | Market reforms (price control), Mongol invasions repelled, Deccan campaigns |
| Tughlaq | Muhammad bin Tughlaq | Token currency experiment (failed), capital transfer Delhi to Devagiri |
| Tughlaq | Firoz Shah Tughlaq | Canals, 1200+ gardens, hospitals, welfare works |
| Lodi | Ibrahim Lodi | Defeated at First Battle of Panipat 1526 by Babur |
Mughal Empire (1526-1857)
- Babur: First Battle of Panipat 1526 (vs Ibrahim Lodi), Battle of Khanwa 1527 (vs Rana Sanga); introduced gunpowder and artillery
- Humayun: Lost empire to Sher Shah Suri (Sur Empire 1540-55); regained with Persian Safavid help
- Akbar (1556-1605): Mansabdari system (rank-based administration), Din-i-Ilahi (personal religious cult), Ibadat Khana (house of worship, inter-religious debates); Navratnas: Birbal, Todarmal, Tansen, Abul Fazl, Man Singh
- Jahangir: Nur Jahan’s political influence; Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri memoirs
- Shah Jahan: Taj Mahal (1632-53), Red Fort, Peacock Throne, Mughal architecture at peak
- Aurangzeb: Deccan wars depleted treasury; reimposed Jizya tax; death 1707 marks beginning of Mughal decline
Bhakti and Sufi Movements
- Bhakti saints: Kabir (caste rejection, Hindu-Muslim harmony), Mirabai (Krishna devotion), Tukaram (Maharashtra, abhanga poetry), Chaitanya (Bengal Vaishnavism), Ramananda (Vaishnavism in North India)
- Sufi orders: Chishti order (Ajmer — Moinuddin Chishti, most popular in India), Suhrawardi, Qadiri, Naqshbandi
- Impact: promoted vernacular languages (Hindi, Marathi, Bengali), challenged caste hierarchy, religious tolerance
Part III: Modern Indian History
Colonial Period — Key Events Timeline
| Year | Event | CUET Significance |
|---|---|---|
| 1757 | Battle of Plassey | British supremacy in Bengal — Siraj-ud-Daula defeated |
| 1764 | Battle of Buxar | Real consolidation of British power — Treaty of Allahabad |
| 1793 | Permanent Settlement | Lord Cornwallis — Zamindari system formalised in Bengal |
| 1857 | First War of Independence | Sepoy Mutiny — began at Meerut; suppressed by British |
| 1858 | Crown takes over | Company rule ends — Queen’s Proclamation; Governor-General becomes Viceroy |
| 1885 | INC Founded | A.O. Hume — moderate phase; Dadabhai Naoroji, Gopal Krishna Gokhale |
| 1905 | Partition of Bengal | Lord Curzon — Swadeshi Movement triggered |
| 1919 | Rowlatt Act and Jallianwala Bagh | Mass killing April 13, 1919; General Dyer; galvanised nationalism |
| 1920-22 | Non-Cooperation Movement | Gandhi’s first mass movement; suspended after Chauri Chaura violence |
| 1930 | Dandi March / Civil Disobedience | Gandhi walks 241 miles to make salt; mass civil disobedience |
| 1942 | Quit India Movement | “Do or Die” — mass arrests; INA under Subhas Chandra Bose |
| 1947 | Independence and Partition | 15 August 1947 — India and Pakistan created; Mountbatten plan |
Social Reform Movements (Essential for CUET)
- Raja Ram Mohan Roy: Brahmo Samaj (1828), opposed sati (abolished 1829 by Lord Bentinck), championed widow remarriage and English education
- Dayananda Saraswati: Arya Samaj (1875), “Back to the Vedas”, opposed idol worship, promoted caste reform
- Jyotirao Phule: Satyashodhak Samaj, anti-caste movement, pioneered girls’ education in Maharashtra
- Swami Vivekananda: Ramakrishna Mission (1897); Chicago Parliament of Religions speech (1893) — put India on world map
- B.R. Ambedkar: Dalit rights champion, Buddhist conversion (1956), chief architect of Indian Constitution
Frequently Asked Questions — CUET History 2027
Which NCERT books should I read for CUET History 2027?
The primary books are NCERT Class 12 Themes in Indian History (Parts I, II, III) and Class 11 World History textbooks. For Ancient and Medieval periods, Class 6-8 NCERT History books build the conceptual foundation. CUET does not test beyond NCERT scope.
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Is World History included in CUET History 2027?
Yes. The CUET History syllabus includes World History from Class 11 NCERT. The Industrial Revolution, French Revolution, World War I and II, and colonialism chapters are commonly tested alongside Indian History.
How should I remember dates for CUET History?
Create a single consolidated timeline covering all major dynasties, battles, colonial events and independence movement milestones. Review this timeline daily for 2 weeks. Grouping events by period (Ancient/Medieval/Modern) builds effective mental scaffolding for recall under exam pressure.
Practice Quiz — 10 CUET-Style Questions
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