Monday, November 7, 2011
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Andhra Pradesh SI Recruitment Notification 2011
Andhra Pradesh State level SI Notification 2011 released on 03-11-2011. AP police recruitment board, Hyderabad invited Applications from the eligible candidates for recruitment of 2296 posts. The number of vacancies indicated is only provisional and is liable for alteration.
| Post Code | Name of the post | No. of Posts |
| 11 | Stipendiary Cadet Trainee (SCT) Sub Inspectors of Police (Civil)(Men) in Police Department | 1238 |
| 12 | Stipendiary Cadet Trainee Reserve Sub Inspectors of Police (AR) (Men) in Police Department | 306 |
| 13 | Stipendiary Cadet Trainee Reserve Sub Inspectors of Police (SAR CPL) (Men) in Police Department | 10 |
| 14 | Stipendiary Cadet Trainee Reserve Sub Inspectors of Police (APSP) (Men) in Police Department | 406 |
| 15 | Stipendiary Cadet Trainee Reserve Sub Inspectors of Police (APSP) (Men) in 15th Bn., APSP in Police Department | 17 |
| 16 | Sub Inspectors (Men) in Special Protection Force (SPF) Department | 68 |
| 17 | Station Fire Officers in A.P. Fire & Emergency Services Department | 21 |
| 18 | Stipendiary Cadet Trainee Sub Inspectors of Police (Civil) (Women) in Police Department | 230 |
AP state Police Department Official website: www.apstatepolice.org
AP police Recruitment page: http://apstatepolice.org/APPW/jsp/userRec.do?method=viewRecDetails
ZONE wise vacancies for post code nos. 11, 12, 17 and 18 in the different zones:
Name of the Zone | No. of posts | ||||||
| Post Code No.11 | Post Code No.12 | Post Code No.17 | Post Code No.18 | ||||
| L.R | D.R | L.R | D.R | D.R | L.R | D.R | |
| Zone-I | 4 | 160 | 2 | 31 | 2 | 1 | 27 |
| Zone-II | 125 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 38 | ||
| Zone-III | 105 | 9 | 3 | 30 | |||
| Zone-IV | 197 | 34 | 3 | 33 | |||
| Zone-V | 246 | 34 | 3 | 34 | |||
| Zone-VI(Including City of Hyderabad | 401 | 182 | 1 | 65 | |||
| Zone-VI(Excluding City of Hyderabad | 4 | ||||||
| City of Hyderabad* | 2 | ||||||
L.R. – Limited Recruitment – All these backlog vacancies will be filled with the local candidates of the respective zone only.
D.R. – Direct Recruitment (includes vacancies for special categories)
* City of Hyderabad consists of Hyderabad Division and Secunderabad Division of Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad; Secunderabad Cantonment area, Osmania University Campus, Fatehnagar, Bowenpally, Machabolarum, Malkajgiri, Uppal Khalsa, Alwal, Balanagar, Moosapet and Kukatpally Panchayat Areas and Zamistanpur and Lallaguda Villages
Zones comprise the districts /area mentioned against each as given below:
Zone | Districts / area |
| I | Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam |
| II | East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna |
| III | Guntur, Prakasam, Nellore |
| IV | Chittoor, Anantapur, Kurnool, Kadapa |
| V | Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal, Khammam |
| VI | For post code nos. 11, 12 and 18: Mahaboobnagar, Nalgonda,Ranga Reddy, Hyderabad, Medak, Nizamabad |
| For post code no. 17: Mahaboobnagar, Nalgonda, Ranga Reddy(excluding the area under City of Hyderabad *), Medak, Nizamabad | |
| City of Hyderabad | For post code no. 17:City of Hyderabad * |
How to Apply:
Application forms availability: Candidates must apply in the Application Form devised by the Board for the examination, which can be downloaded from website www.apstatepolice.org
Last Date For Receipt Of Applications: Eligible candidates should submit the duly filled in application form along with the copies of the necessary certificates at any of the places mentioned below on any working day from 28-11-2011 to 28-01-2012 in between 10.00 hours and 13.00 hours.
Application FEE: A prescribed fee of Rs. 50/- (Rupees fifty only) in cash should be remitted at the time of submission of each application form. Demand Drafts, Cheques, Indian Postal Order etc. will not be accepted. SC/ST candidates are exempted from paying this fee.
Note: Those who intend to apply for more than one category of posts need to submit only one application form.
Eligibility Conditions:
A. For the posts mentioned against Post Code nos. 11 to 17 only men are eligible and only women are eligible for Post Code no. 18.
B. For post code no. 15 : All the vacancies will be filled up with candidates belonging to the Scheduled Tribes who are domiciled in the Scheduled Areas of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, visakhapatnam, East Godavari, West Godavari, Mahaboobnagar, Adilabad, Warangal and Khammam districts. The rule of Special representation (reservation) provided in Rule 22 of A.P. State & Subordinate Service Rules, 1996 is not applicable to these posts.
C. Age Limit:
i) For the post code nos. 11 to 16 and 18 : Must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 25 years as on 1st July, 2011 i.e., must have been born not earlier than 2nd
July, 1986 and not later than 1st July, 1990
ii) For the post code no. 17 : Must have attained the age of 18 years and must not have attained the age of 30 years as on 1st July, 2011 i.e., must have been born not earlier than 2nd July, 1981 and not later than 1st July, 1993
D. Minimum Educational Qualification: The candidate must hold, as on 1st July, 2011, a Degree awarded by any University in India, established or incorporated by or under a Central Act, Provisional Act of State or of any institution recognised by the University Grants Commission or any other equivalent qualification. In the case of a candidate belonging to Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes, as on 1st July, 2011, he/she must have passed Intermediate or any other examination recognised by the State Government as being equivalent to Intermediate and should have studied Degree.
For more details regarding Eligibility, Zone wise vacancies & Application form, Age limit, Education Qualifications, Age Relaxation, Application Fee, selection Procedure, written Examination pattern, Exam Date & time refer the Notification issued by State level police recruitment board Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad
Click here for SI Recruitment 2011 – Application form
CTET 2012 NOTIFICATION
Central Board of secondary Education (CBSE) has announced Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) notification to eligible for Teacher vacancies at elementary schools located all over India. Candidates who qualifies intermediate / diploma in elementary education & graduation / B.ED are eligible for CTET. Eligible candidates have to apply through online form 01-11-2011 to 25-11-2011. The following are the details about, educational qualifications; important dates & other information regarding CTET are mentioned below.
Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) details:
Educational qualifications:Candidates who are appearing for CTET primary stage should have following qualifications:
Senior Secondary (or its equivalent) with minimum 50% marks and passed or appearing in final year of 2- year Diploma in Elementary Education (OR) Senior Secondary (or its equivalent) with minimum 45% marks and passed or appearing in final year of 2-year Diploma in Elementary Education in accordance with the NCTE (Recognition Norms and Procedure), Regulations, 2002. (OR) Senior Secondary (or its equivalent) with minimum 50% marks and passed or appearing in final year of 4-year Bachelor of Elementary Education (B.El.Ed). (OR) Senior Secondary (or its equivalent) with minimum 50% marks and passed or appearing in final year of 2-year Diploma in Education (OR) Graduation and passed or appearing in final year of two year Diploma in Elementary Education
Candidates who are appearing for CTET Elementary Stage should have following qualifications:
Graduation and passed or appearing in final year of 2-year Diploma in Elementary Education (OR) Graduation with minimum 50% marks and passed or appearing in 1-year Bachelor in Education (B.Ed). (OR) Graduation with minimum 45% marks and passed or appearing in 1-year Bachelor in Education (B.Ed), in accordance with the NCTE (OR) Senior Secondary (or its equivalent) with minimum 50% marks and passed or appearing in final year of 4-year Bachelor in Elementary Education (B.El.Ed). (OR) Senior Secondary (or its equivalent) with minimum 50% marks and passed or appearing in final year of 4-year B.A/B.Sc.Ed or B.A. Ed/B.Sc.Ed. (OR) Graduation with at least 50% marks and passed or appearing in 1-year B.Ed.
Application fee:
Eligible candidates have to pay 500/- as application fee for general candidates (SC/ST/PWD candidates have to pay 250/- as application fee) in any one of the following waysCandidates have to draw demand draft in favour of Secretary, Central Board of Secondary Education, Delhi, payable at Delhi (or) candidates have to pay fee by using their Debit / Credit Cards
How to apply:
Eligible candidates have to fill the application form through website www.ctet.nic.in . Take print out copies of filled application form, send it along with photocopies of relevant documents by registered / speed post on or before 30-11-2011 to the following address “The Assistant Secretary (CTET Unit), Central Board of Secondary Education, ‘Shiksha Sadan’, 17, Rouse Avenue, New Delhi – 110002”.Online application form instructions:
1. Candidates have to visit website for online application form & details
2. Candidates have to fill the online application with correct & relevant data.
3. After submitting the application, a confirmation page with registration no is generated
4. Candidates have to pay application fee through the registration no for both demand draft or Debit card / Credit card
5. Candidates have to submit online application on or before 25-11-2011
Important dates:
Starting date for the submission of online application: 01-11-2011
Closing date for the submission of online application: 25-11-2011
Last date for the receipt of application by post: 30-11-2011
Written test: 29-01-2012
Paper-I: 10:00am to 11:30am
Paper-II: 1:00pm to 2:30 pm
for more details regarding age limit, educational qualifications, how to apply, selection procedure, application fee & other details of CTET are available at below links.
Click Here For CTET Jan 2012 Advt Details
Click Here For Online Application Form
Click Here For Payment of Application fee
Click here for CTET Syllabus
Click Here For Other Details
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
AP State Police Constables Recruitment 2011
Name of the Job : AP State Police Constables Recruitment 2011
Total Posts : 20,429
The following table given different types of Andhra Pradesh Police Constables Posts/Vacancies.
Education Qualification : He/She must have passed the Intermediate or its Equivalent recognized by the State Government Intermediate and should have studied Intermediate.
How to Apply : Eligible Candidates must apply in the application form device by the board of Examination, Which can be downloading from the official website www.apstatepolice.org in the recruitment folder.
Last Date : 28/12/2011
AP State Police Constables Recruitment 2011 Notification
Total Posts : 20,429
The following table given different types of Andhra Pradesh Police Constables Posts/Vacancies.
| Name of the post | Number of Vacancies | |
|---|---|---|
| SCT(Stipendiary Cadet Trainee) Police Constables (Civil Men) in Police Department | 8413 | |
| AR Men in Police Department | 3234 | |
| SAR CPL Men in Police Department | 93 | |
| APSP Men in Police Department | 4270 | |
| Special Protection Force (SPF) Department | 645 | |
| Firmen in AP Fire & Emergency Services Department | 704 | |
| SCT(Stipendiary Cadet Trainee) Police Constables (Civil Women) in Police Department | 2976 | |
| AR Women in Police Department | 94 |
Education Qualification : He/She must have passed the Intermediate or its Equivalent recognized by the State Government Intermediate and should have studied Intermediate.
How to Apply : Eligible Candidates must apply in the application form device by the board of Examination, Which can be downloading from the official website www.apstatepolice.org in the recruitment folder.
Last Date : 28/12/2011
AP State Police Constables Recruitment 2011 Notification
PROBATIONARY OFFICERS IN CAN FIN HOMES LTD.
| APPLICATIONS ARE INVITED FOR APPOINTMENT OF PROBATIONARY OFFICERS IN CAN FIN HOMES LTD. We invite applications from the eligible candidates for the post of probationary officers in 24 branches in four language regions viz., (1) Karnataka (2) Tamil Nadu (3) Andhra Pradesh (4) Chhattisgarh . The terms & conditions for appointment are as below- 1 Eligibility : - A candidate must be a citizen of India. - Graduate in any discipline from a recognized University/Institution with knowledge of computer operations. - The candidate should be able to speak, read & write in the local language of the region/branch for which he/she applies for, others need not apply. - Candidates should have flair for marketing. 2. Age : Age should be between 21-30 years as on 01/11/2011 3. Vacancies/places of work: 40 Vacancies are presently available at the following 24 branches.
Note: The full Address/contact details of the above branches are available in our web portal 4. Salary & emoluments : Scale of pay: 12200-600/10-18200-700/2-19600-800/5-23600 · Gross monthly emoluments (excluding perquisites) will be Rs.20313/- at Bangalore as on 01.11.2011. DA is being revised once in quarter based upon CPI Index · Other perquisites like Medical, LFC, PF, Gratuity, Privilege Leave, Sick Leave, conveyance , business development expenses, Quarters, ex gratia etc., will be admissible as per company rules. · In all the candidate will be getting around Rs 3.83 lakhs per annum on Cost To Company( CTC) basis as of now. 5. Probation : One year from the date of joining the services of the Company. 6. Application fee : The candidates can down load the application form provided in Annexure -1 from our website & get the same printed or neatly typed. All the columns of the application should be filled without fail and signed by candidate. If any column is not applicable the same should be recorded as “Not applicable”. The filled application along with recent passport size photo, Demand draft of any Bank for Rs. 300/- payable in Bangalore favouring CAN FIN HOMES LTD., self addressed stamped cover for return of DD (if not selected for interview) should be sent to the following address. The Asst. General Manager – HRM Can Fin Homes Ltd., Registered Office: No.29/1, Ist floor, Sir. M N Krishna Rao Road, Basavangudi Bangalore – 560 004. Karnataka State. Payment of application fee by any other mode /means will not be accepted. Last Date: Application should reach the above address on or before 21/11/2011 duly super scribing “Application for the post of Probationary Officer” on the envelope and application received after the last date or not in conformity with the above format will be rejected. 7. Selection Procedure : a The selection for the post of Probationary Officers shall be by way of Interview only. b Company reserves the right to accept/reject any application at any stage including calling for interview. c. If more number of candidates apply for a particular branch then the candidates will be shortlisted for interview based upon performance in the academic career, qualification, his/her ability to speak, read or write local language, nearness of his domicile to branch, experience etc., d. The names of short listed candidates along with details of venue/date/time of interview will be published in our website on 30/11/2011.Candidate shall note that no individual communication will be sent to the applicants calling for attending the Interview. Candidates are advised to refer our web for all types of communication/information, Interview dates etc., e If any candidate is not shortlisted for interview, then the DD sent along with his / her application will be returned in the self addressed stamped envelope provided by the applicant. f Any correspondence from applicant in respect of their applications will not be entertained. g The tentative schedule for the interview is likely from 12/12/2011 to 17/12/2011. h. Though choice is given for the candidates to opt branch/s for placement, company reserves the right to post them to nearby branches also, in case of need. As per company’s staff service regulation, an Officer is liable for transfer to other branches during his/her tenure of service. i . In respect of selected candidates the appointment orders will be sent by us by certificate of posting on or before 24.12.2011. The list of selected candidate will be published in our web on or before 24.12.2011. No communication will be sent to the non selected candidates. Other points : - No TA/DA will be payable for attending the interview. - Interview have been tentatively fixed at Bangalore, Chennai or Trichy , Vijayawada & Raipur - The Company reserves its right to change the date & centre of interview at its discretion, under unforeseen circumstances, if any. - The selected candidate shall be in a position to join a branch on 01/01/2012 or afterwards. 8. Action against candidates found guilty of Misconduct: · Candidates should not furnish any false particulars. · At the time of Interview, if a candidate is or has been found guilty of using unfair or misbehaving or improper means in connection with his/her candidature for the selection will be liable to be disqualified. 9. General Instructions: 1. Candidates should ensure that they fit into the eligibility criteria before applying. The company reserves right to reject ineligible candidate’s application at any stage. 2. Candidates have to send their hard copy of the application in the prescribed format only to the address mentioned in the para 6 and all the columns of application are to be filled. 3. Any application received after 21/11/2011 (last date) will not be accepted / entertained and returned back to applicants by courier. Individual application must be accompanied by demand draft for requisite fee amount otherwise application will be rejected .Candidates must write his/her name & date of birth on the reverse of the Demand Draft. 4. The Company will not be responsible for any loss of application in transit or for non-receipt of application at our end. 5. Candidates serving in Government/Public Sector Undertakings should submit “No Objection Certificate” from their employer at the time of interview, in the absence of which their candidature will not be considered 6. Canvassing in any form will be treated as disqualification. 7. Applications, which are incomplete in any respect, will be rejected. 8. The Company shall not be responsible for an application being rejected, which is based on wrong information provided in the application form/unauthorized person/institution. 9. Candidates are advised to refer our Website (www.canfinhomes.com) with respect to date/Venue of Interview. /any other communications/information. |
Monday, October 31, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Saturday, October 22, 2011
GENERAL STUDIES - INDIAN HISTORY
History - Pre-historic and Vedic Civilisation
Ancient geographers referred to Himalayas, as also their less elevated offshoot—the Patkai, Lushai and Chittagong hills in the east and the Sulaiman and Kirthar ranges in the west— as Himavat. Jambu-dvipa was considered to be the innermost of seven concentric island-continents into which the earth, as per Hindu cosmographers, was supposed to have been divided. The Indian sub-continent is said to part of Jambu-dvipa.
Sapta sindhavah is the name of the country of the Aryans in the Vedas.
In the ancient literature, there are references of India being divided into five divisions. In the centre of the Indo-Gangetic plains was the Madhya-desh, stretching from river Saraswati, which flowed past Thanesar and Pehowa (present-day Haryana) to Allahabad and Varanasi. The western part of this area was known as Brahamrishi-desh, and the entire region was roughly equivalent to Aryavrata as described in the grammar of Patanjali. To the north of Madhya-desh lay Uttarapatha and to its west Aparanta (Western India), to its south Dakshinapath or Deccan and to its east Purvadesh. The term Dakshinapath was in some ancient works restricted to the upper Deccan, north of river Krishna and far south was termed as Tamilakam or the Tamil country.
The Negritos were the first human inhabitants of India. Originally, they came from Africa through Arabia, Iran and Baluchistan. They have practically disappeared from the soil of India, except in Andaman Islands.
The Munda languages belong to the Austro-Asiatic family and are to be found at present in the eastern half of Central India, southern border of the Himalayas and Kashmir and the territory east of Nepal.
Prakit was the single language of Indian sub-continent in third century B.C. Sanskrit came into being a few centuries later.
The term Paleolithic is derived from two Greek words meaning Old Stone. This name is applied to the earliest people as the only evidence of their existence is furnished by a number of rude stone implements.
Paleolithic men in India are also known as Quartzite men from the fact that majority of chipped stones found in different parts of India are made of hard rock called quartzite.
Paleolithic paintings have been found in caverns at Singanpur near Raigarh in Madhya Pradesh, as also in Kaimur ranges and some places in Mirzapur district.
With the advent of age of metals, in Northern India, copper replaced stone as ordinary material for tools and weapons. And, it took several centuries for iron to replace copper. In Southern India, however, the Iron Age immediately succeeded the Stone Age.
The Indus civilization existed in the same period as those of Egypt, Assyria and Babylonia.
Mohenjodaro was discovered by R.D. Banerjee in 1922 and Harappa by R.B. Dayaram Sahni. Later on, the work was taken over by Sir John Marshall, Director-General of Archeology.
The fertile surrounding region of Mohenjodaro is called Nakhlistan or the Garden of Sind.
It is presumed that Iron was not known to the Indus Valley civilisation as not a single scrap of iron has been found in the excavations at various sites.
Developed city-life, use of potter’s wheel, kiln-burnt bricks, and vessels made of copper and bronze are some common and distinctive features of all the civilizations of the pre-historic period.
The use of mud mortar was common during Indus Valley civilisation. Gypsum and mud were used for plaster. In case of drains, gypsum and lime mortar was used.
The most important feature of houses of Mohenjodaro is the presence in them of one or more bathrooms, the floors of which were fully laid and connected by means of drainage channels with the main street.
More than 500 seals have been discovered at various places inhabited by people of Indus Valley civilizations. These were made of terra-cota.
The seals and painted pottery of the Indus Valley show the figures of Pipal and Acacia trees. They were regarded as celestial plants and were supposed to be inhabited by divine spirits.
The people of Indus Valley also practiced the worship of Lings and Yoni symbols. The likelihood that both Shiva and Ling worship have been inherited by Hindus from the Indus Valley is reinforced by the prevalence of the bull (the vehicle of Shiva) or bull-like animals amongst the seal-symbols.
The pottery of Indus Valley was generally wheel-made and was painted red and black.
The Dravadians are thought to have come to India from eastern Mediterranean. At one time the Dravadian culture was spread throughout India.
Puja ceremonies along with flowers, leaves, fruits and water were performed by Dravadians.
Aryans were accustomed to Homa rites or sacrificial fire. Infact, the word puja has been derived from a Dravadian root called Puru, which means “to smear”.
The Dravadian language is still spoken by the Brahui people of Baluchistan.
As per the theory propagated by late Bal Gangadhar Tilak the original home of Aryans was the Arctic region. However, the most widely accepted view is that the Aryans originated from Central Asia. The view which is accepted in West is that original home of Aryans was in South-East Europe.
In the early vedic period river Ravi was known as Parushni, river Jhelum as Vitasta, Chenab as Asikni, Beas as Vipas and Sutlej as Sutudri.
The word Veda comes from the root vid, to know. It means knowledge in general. It is specially applied to branch of literature which has been handed down by verbal transmission and is declared to be sacred knowledge or Sruti.
Hindus consider the Vedas to be revealed books and give them the titles of Apaurusheya (not made by man) and nitya (Eternal).
According to Kautilya, “The three Vedas, Sama, Rig and Yajus constitute the triple Vedas. These together with Atharvaveda and the Itihasa Veda are known as the Vedas.” The ordinary definition of the Veda does not include Itihasa.
The Veda consists of four different classes of literary compositions: (a) the Mantra constitutes the oldest division of Vedic literature and is distributed in four Samhitas or collections known as the Rik, Sama, Yajus and the Atharva; (b) Brahmanas are the second class of Vedic works. They are mainly prose texts containing observations on sacrifice; (c) Aranyakas or forest texts are books of instruction to be given in the forest or writings meant for wood-dwelling hermits; (d) Lastly there are the Upnishads which are either imbedded in the Aranyakas or form their supplements. The above named literary works are classed as Sruti, or revelation, and constitute the Vedic literature proper.
The Brahamanas are the first specimens of praise in the world. They mark the transition from the Vedic to later Brahmanical social order.
The Vedangas are class of compositions that are regarded less authoritative than Sruti and are styled Smriti. The Vedangas are six in number: Siksha (phonetics), Kalpa (ritual), Vyakaran (grammar), Nirukt (etymology), Chhand (metrics) and Jyotish (astronomy).
In Vyakarana, Nirukt and Chhand we have the great work of Panini, Yask and Pingal.
The Nyaya Darsana was written by Gautam. According to it, Tarka or logic is the basis of all studies. Knowledge can be acquired by four methods: Pratyaksha or intuition, Anumana or inference, Upma or comparison and sadba or verbal testimony.
The basis of the political and social organisation of the Rig Vedic people was patriarchal family. The successive higher units were styled gram, vis and jan.
The Purus and the Tritsus were two of the most famous Rig-Vedic clans. The names of their prominent rulers are recorded in Rik-Samhita.
In the Rig-Vedic period the foot soldiers were called Patti and warriors who fought from chariots were called Rathins.
The foundation of the political and social structure in the Rig-Vedic age was the family.
Visvavara, Ghosha and Apala were some leading women seers of Rig-Vedic times.
Agriculture was the principal occupation of the villagers in Rig-Vedic times.
The standard unit of value in Vedic period was a cow, but necklets of gold (nishka) also served as a means of exchange.
Rik Samgita is a collection of lyrics from early vedic age which consists of hymns in praise of different gods. These are grouped into books termed as ashtakas or mandalas.
Rig Vedic people did not possess the art of writing and early literature of Aryans was known to be transmitted orally.
The early Vedic religion has been designated by the name of henotheism or kathenotheism (a belief in single gods, each standing out as the highest). Father Dyaus, the shinning god of heaven, and mother Prithvi, the earth goddess, are among the oldest of the vedic deities.
The worship of Varuna, the encompassing sky, in the early Vedic age is one of the first roots of the later doctrine of Bhakti.
An important characteristic of Vedic mythology is the pre-dominance of the male element. Thus, Vedic civilisation presents a contrast to the prehistoric culture of Indus Valley, where the mother goddess is coequal with her male partner.
Sacrifices occupied a prominent place in Vedic rituals. These included offerings of milk, grain, ghee and juice of the Soma plant.
Before the close of the later Vedic period, the Aryans had thoroughly subdued the fertile plains of Yamuna, upper Ganga and the Gandak. The centre of the Aryan world was the areas stretching from Saraswati to the Gangetic plains and occupied by Kurus, the Panchals and some adjoining tribes. It was from this region that Brahmanical civilisation spread to the outer provinces, to the land of the Kosalas and the Kasis drained by the Sarayu and the Varnavati, to the swamps of east of Gandak colonised by the Videhas, and to the valley of Wardha occupied by the Vidarbhas.
The Aryan culture was taken to South India by Agastya.
Most important tribe of Rigvedic period was the Bharatas, after whom India has been named in the Constitution. The two most important rulers of Bharatas were Divodas and Sudas. Sudas is famous for his victory in the Battle of Ten Kings.
The most distinguished among the tribes of later Vedic period were the Kurus and Panchals, with their capitals at Asandivat and Kampila, respectively.
Balhika-Pratipiya, Parikshit and Janamejaya were powerful Kuru kings who figure prominently in early epic legends.
The reign of Panchals was home to several theologians and philosophers like king Pravahana-Jaivali and sages like Aruni and Svetaketu.
The fame of the land of the Panchals as centre of Brahmanical learning was eclipsed by the Videhas, whose king Janak won the title of Samrat. The Videhan monarchy fell shortly before the rise of Buddhism. Its overthrow was followed by the rise of the Vajjian Confederacy.
The kings of several regions gave themselves various titles. While the kings of middle country were called raja, the eastern kings were titled Samrat, the southern Bhoj, those in the west Svarat, and the rulers of the northern realms were called Virat.
The taxes collected from people in the later Vedic age were referred to as bali and sulka.
During late Vedic period, Vratyas and the Nishads were two important bodies of men outside the regular castes. The Vratyas were Aryans outside the pale of Brahminism. They appear to have had some special connection with the people of Magadha and the cult of Shiv. The Nishads were non-Aryan people who lived in their own villages and had their own rulers. They were probably identical with modern Bhils.
Shortly before the rise of Buddhism there were sixteen great nations that occupied the territory from Kabul valley to the banks of Godavari. These were: Anga (East Bihar), Magadha (South Bihar), Kasi (Benaras), Kosala (Oudh), Vriji (North Bihar), Malla (Gorakhpur district), Chedi (between Yamuna and Narmada), Vatsa (Allahabad region), Kuru (Thanesar, Delhi and Meerut districts), Panchal (Bareilly, Buduan and Farrukhabad districts), Matsya (Jaipur), Surasena (Mathura), Asmak (on the Godavari), Avanti (in Malwa), Gandhara (Peshawar and Rawalpindi districts) and Kamboj (South-west Kashmir and parts of Kafiristan).
The Vriji people were regarded by the Brahaman law-givers as Vratyas or degraded Kshatriyas. The Vrijis had no monarch, but a popular assembly of elders who carried on the business of the State. This type of polity was known as Gana or republic. The Mallas also had a similar constitution.
The four kingdoms of later Vedic age who grew most powerful were: Avanti, Vatsa, Kosala and Magadha.
The kingdom of Avanti had its capital at Ujjain in modern Malwa.
One prominent ruler of Vatsa territory was Udayana, a scion of the Bharat race.
Kosala had its capital at Ayodhya and was ruled by a dynasty that claimed descent from illustrious Ishvaku, famed in Vedic and epic traditions.
The Kosalas extended their boundaries in several directions, including Nepalese Tarai, but their ambitious designs were frustrated by Magadha power.
Gargi and Maitreyi were two prominent intellectual women of late Vedic period.
Magadha and Anga were two kingdoms which the Aryans could not Brahmanise thoroughly and came to possess a mixed population. Kikatas were prominent non-Aryans who lived in Magadha. They were known for their wealth. There was a dislike for Magadha in the Rigveda and the same dislike was continued even during the period of later Vedic civilisation.
In the sixth and fifth century B.C. the throne of Magadha was occupied by a line of kings styled Saisunagas in the Purans, an appellation derived from Sisunaga, the first king of the line in the Puranic list.
The Buddhist writers, however, put Sisunaga much lower in the list of Magadha kings and split the line into two distinct groups. To the earlier of the two groups they give the name Haryanka, whose most remarkable king was Srenika or Bimbisara.
The Ashtadhyayi of Panini is a book on Sanskrit grammar.
Khari, Patra, Vista, Satamana, Adhaka, Achita, Purusha and Dishta were different kinds of weights and measures used in later Vedic age.
Taxila or Takshashila was a great centre of learning in late Vedic period. It was famous for the teaching of medicine, law and military science.
India and Persia have very ancient relations. There are many common gods in the Rig Veda and the Zinda Avesta. The Iranian gods Mithra, Yima and Veretraghna have their counterpart in the Indian Mitra, Yama and Indra Vritrahan.
The Boghaz-Koi inscriptions of about 1400 B.C. refer to certain contracts made between the King of the Hittites (in Persia) and the King of Mitani. In those inscriptions same gods are mentioned as the protectors of these contracts.
The continuance of strong influence of Persia upon India in the Vedic age is indicated by prevalence of the Kharoshti script, a variety of Aramaic, in the provinces near the Frontier, by the long continued use of the Persian title Satrap, by the form of the Ashoka inscriptions and by the architecture.
Sanskrit is a branch of a linguistic tree known as Indo-European. The trunk of the tree was a common tongue probably spoken in the region north-west of the Black Sea about 2500 B.C.
The Upanishads probe into the nature of universe and the human soul, and the relation of each to the other. They make no absolute statements of right and wrong, of creation, the gods or man; instead, they speculate, seeking always to find truth, as opposed to stating it, and offering a wide range of possibilities.
A rudimentary administrative system was prevalent during the Vedic period. The tribal kingdom (rashtra) contained tribes (jana), tribal units (vish) and villages (grama). The nucleus was the family (kula), with the eldest male member as its head (kulapa).
Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khanan: He lived during the reign of Akbar. He translated Babur’s Memoirs from Turkish to Persian.
Abdussamad: He was honoured with the award of “zariqalam” by Akbar.
Ages, Chronological order of: Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, Chalcolithic
Agrahara: Tax-free villages granted to the learned Brahmanas in ancient India were known as Agrahara.
Akot: is a town, about 42 km from Akola, from where a stone idol of Lord Adinath, the first Jain Teerthankara, was found in 1993.
Alien Powers in India, chronological sequence of: Indo-Greeks, Scythians, Kushanas, Huns.
Amarasimha: was one of the nine gems in the court of the legendary Vikramaditya. His work Amarkosha occupies a dominant position in Sanskrit lexicography.
Amoghavarsha-I: was the long ruling Rashtrakuta king (A.D. 814-78). He represented the height of development of his dynasty.
Asanga: was a Buddhist philosopher. He was the originator of Buddhist Yogachara idealism.
Ashvaghosha: was the spiritual adviser of Kanishka (the Kushan emperor) who took a leading part in the Fourth Buddhist Council at Srinagar which was presided by Vasumitra. He was a renowned Mahayana Sanskrit scholar and author of Sariputra-prakarana and Buddha Charitam. He was the greatest literary figure at Kanishka’s court.
Atisa Dipankara: was the most famous teacher of Vikramasila university founded in A.D. 810 by king Dharmapala of Pala dynasty.
Battle of San Thomas: This battle during the Carnatic Wars (1746-61) definitely proved for the first time the superiority of European arms and discipline over the traditional Indian methods of warfare.
Battle of Waihand: was fought between Mahmud Ghaznavi and Anandpala.
Bhaskaravarman: was the king of Kamarupa (Upper Assam). He was a contemporary of king Sasanka of Gauda and was his arch-enemy. Bhaskaravarman was the eastern ally of king Harsha.
Bilhana: was a Sanskrit historian and poet born in Kashmir. He left Kashmir about
A.D. 1065 and became the court poet at Kalyana where he wrote an epic, Vikramadeva-charita to celebrate the reign of Vikramaditya-VI, the Chalukya king of Kalyana.
Blue Water Policy: The “Blue Water” policy is attributed to Don Francisco de Almeida, the first Viceroy of the Portuguese possessions in India. His “Blue Water” policy was to be powerful at the sea instead of building fortresses on Indian land.
Boghaz Koi inscriptions: are important in Indian history because inscriptions of the fourteenth century B.C. discovered here mention the names of Vedic gods and goddesses.
Brahmagupta: (598-660) of Ujjain, was a great mathematician of his time.
Brahui: is a language of Baluchistan. Linguistically, it is Dravidian.
Busa Munda Revolt: occurred in Bihar.
Catching the butterflies and setting them free: was the prominent feature of the foreign policy of Samudragupta.
Chandernagore: was a French possession before its merger with India.
Charvaka: is known as the greatest of the materialistic philosophers of ancient India.
Chauth: was a tax levied by Marathas—a contribution exacted by a military leader, which was justified by the exigencies of the situation.
Coinage in Ancient India: Coins in ancient India were made of metal—copper, silver, gold, or lead. Nishka and Satamana in the Vedic texts were taken to be names of coins, but they seem to be only prestige objects. Coins made of metal first appeared in the age of Gautama Buddha. The earliest were made largely of silver though a few copper coins also appear. Coins made of burnt clay belong to the Kushan period i.e., the first three Christian centuries.
Dadu: was the saint from Gujarat who preached non-sectarianism in medieval times. He founded the “Brahma-Sampardaaya” (the sect of Brahma).
Dahar (or Dahir): was the Brahmana king of Sind who was defeated by the Arab invasion in A.D. 712 by Mohammadbin-Kasim, nephew and son-inlaw of al-Hajjaj, governor of Irak. The Indian ruler (Dahar) offered a brave resistance in the battle near Raor but was defeated and killed.
Darius: was the Iranian ruler who penetrated into north-west India in 516 B.C. and annexed Punjab, west of Indus, and Sindh.
Devapala: (A.D. 830-850) was successor to Dharmapala, the famous Pala ruler. He established the third important Pala university of Somapura. He shifted his capital to Monghyr from where he maintained diplomatic relations with the Sailendra kings of Sumatra.
Dhammapada: was the first major work to say that salvation by means of devotion is open to humans regardless of birth, gender or station in life.
Dharmachakra: In the Gandhara art, it is the preaching mudra associated with the Buddha’s First Sermon at Sarnath.
First Congress Split: took place in 1907 at Surat.
First metal used by man: Copper.
First Muslim invaders of India: Arabs were the first Muslim invaders of India.
First Sultan of Delhi: was Qutb-ud-din who succeeded Muhammad Ghuri as sovereign of the new Indian conquests, and from 1206 may be reckoned as the first Sultan of Delhi.
First to issue gold coins in India: Mauryas.
First to set up department of agriculture: Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq was the first to set up a department of agriculture in India.
First to start sea trade with India: Portugal.
Gautamiputra Satakarni: was the great king of Satavahana dynasty.
Gayatri mantra: is contained in Rig Veda.
Gopuram: It has been the main feature of the South Indian temple architecture.
Hasan Gangoo: entitled Zafar Khan was founder of the Bahmani kingdom in Deccan.
Ibadat Khana: is a building at Fatehpur Sikri where Akbar held discussions on religious matters.
Ibn-Batuta: was a great scholar and traveller from South Africa who came to India in
A.D. 1333 during the reign of Mohammad Tughlak and wrote about him.
Iqta: It was the land-grant system adopted by Ala-ud-din Khilji to grant his officers as reward for services rendered. Qutabuddin Aibak was assigned the first iqta in India by Mohd of Ghor.
Jimutavahana: was a famous jurist of medieval India (fifteenth century). His work Dayabhaga is a commentary on the srutis, specially on Manu.
Kalachuri era: counted from A.D. 248, it was mostly current in Central India. Their capital was Tripuri near Jabalpur. Kalachuris were the feudatories of the Pratiharas but soon acquired independence.
Karshapana: was the most commonly used coin in the Chola kingdom.
Khiraj: was the land tax imposed by Mohd-bin-Qasim after the Arabs’ occupation of Sind.
Magazines started by National leaders: Young India (M.K. Gandhi); Kesari (B.G. Tilak); New India (Annie Besant); Bengali (S.N. Bannerji).
Maski Rock edict: This minor Rock-edict is the only edict in which Ashoka refers to himself as the king of Magadha.
Moplah Rebellion: broke out in Malabar (Kerala) in August 1921.
Nastaliq: was a Persian script used in medieval India.
Nauroj festival in India: Balban introduced the famous Persian festival of Nauroj in India.
Nicolo Conti: was the Italian foreign traveller who visited Vijayanagar about A.D. 1420 during the reign of Deva Raya-II.
Palas: who controlled most of Bengal and Bihar, was the third power involved in the three-sided conflict between Rashtrakutas and Pratiharas over the control of Kanauj. Pala dynasty was established by Gopala in the eighth century A.D. He attained renown from the fact that he was not hereditary king but was elected.
Paragana: During the rule of the so-called Slave dynasty in India, the empire was divided into provincial units called Paraganas placed under the charge of a military officer.
Prakrit: This language received royal patronage during the reign of Satavahanas.
Rajsekhar: was the Sanskrit poet who lived in the court of Mahendrapala-I.
Ratika: or rati is a weight between 1.5 to 3 Gunjas; between 5 to 8 grains of rice. It was the basic weight (measure) in ancient India.
Ratnakara: denoted the Arabiasn Sea in ancient Indian historical geography.
Rishabha: is supposed to be the mythical founder of Jainism.
Sardeshmukhi: was an additional levy of 10%, which Shivaji demanded on the basis of his claim as the hereditary Sardeshmukh (chief headman) of Maharashtra.
Shahrukh: It was silver coin of the Mughals. Sharada script: The Kashmiri language was originally written in Sharada script.
Subuktigin: was the first Turkish invader of India.
Tanka: was a silver coin of the Sultanate period of India.
Tehqiq-i-Hind: Alberuni’s work on India. It contains observations on Indian civilization which are remarkably incisive and acute.
Turushkadanda: was a tax collected by the Gahadavalas during the early medieval India.
Vagbhata: is regarded as unrivalled in his knowledge of the basic principles of Ayurveda.
Vatapi (or Badami): now in the Bijapur district of Karnataka, where Pulakesin I, founder of the Chalukya dynasty in the middle of the sixth century, established himself as lord of Vatapi or Badami (capital of Chalukyas). It is well-known for Chalukyan sculpture found in the cave temples here.
Vidushaka: the constant companion and confidant of the hero in Sanskrit dramas, was nearly always a Brahmin.
Vikramasila University: was a great Tantrik University founded by the Pala king Dharmapala in A.D. 810. It was a hotbed of moral corruption, sorcery and idolatry. In A.D. 1198, the soldiers if Ikhtiar Khilji raised the structure to the ground and killed every monk in the University.
Wood's Despatch of 1854: It related to educational reforms. Lord Dalhousie took measures to carry out the scheme embodied in the famous despatch of Sir Charles Wood (July 1854) which embraced vernacular schools throughout the districts, and above all the glorious measures of grants-in-aid to all schools, without reference to caste or creed.
Yakshagana: was the south Indian dance tradition that appeared for the first time in the Vijayanagar period.
Zabti System: was introduced by Akbar for land revenue administration. In Zabti system, land was measured and assessment of land revenue was based upon it.
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