UGC NET History Syllabus 2026: All 10 Units, Books & Preparation Strategy
History Paper 2 in UGC NET covers the full arc of Indian and world history — from prehistoric cultures to post-independence India, plus a dedicated unit on historiography and historical methods. It rewards candidates who can connect events to interpretations, not just recall dates. Here is the complete unit-wise syllabus for June 2026.
📋 NTA UGC NET June 2026 — Apply Online — Application open 29 Apr – 20 May 2026
Paper 2 Exam Pattern
| Detail | Value |
|---|
| Subject Code | 06 |
| Total Questions | 100 MCQ |
| Total Marks | 200 |
| Negative Marking | None — attempt all 100 questions |
| Units | 10 units, ~10 questions each |
Unit-Wise Syllabus — History Paper 2
| Unit | Name | Key Topics |
|---|
| 1 | Sources & Historiography | Archaeological, literary, epigraphic sources; schools of historiography (colonial, nationalist, Marxist, subaltern, Cambridge school); Annales school; postmodern approaches to history |
| 2 | Prehistoric Cultures & Harappan Civilization | Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic cultures; Chalcolithic; Indus Valley Civilization (urban planning, trade, religion, decline debate); Vedic culture (Rig Vedic & Later Vedic periods) |
| 3 | Early States & Empires | Mahajanapadas, Magadha rise, Nandas, Mauryan Empire (Chandragupta, Ashoka, Arthashastra, Dhamma), post-Mauryan polities, Kushanas, Satavahanas, Sangam age |
| 4 | Gupta & Post-Gupta Period | Gupta Empire (administration, economy, culture, art & literature), Harsha, Chalukyas, Pallavas, Rashtrakutas, agrarian expansion, temple-based society, Bhakti movement origins |
| 5 | Early Medieval India (8th–12th Century) | Arab conquest of Sind, Ghaznavid raids, Ghurid conquest, emergence of regional kingdoms (Pratiharas, Rashtrakutas, Palas), agrarian structure, trade networks, temple architecture |
| 6 | Delhi Sultanate & Mughal Empire | Delhi Sultanate (Slave, Khilji, Tughlaq, Lodi dynasties), Iltutmish, Balban, Alauddin Khalji, Muhammad bin Tughlaq; Mughal Empire (Babur to Aurangzeb), Akbar's administrative system, Mansabdari, Jagirdari |
| 7 | Bhakti-Sufi Movements & Regional Cultures | Bhakti saints (Kabir, Mirabai, Tukaram, Chaitanya), Sufi silsilas (Chishti, Suhrawardi), regional kingdoms (Vijayanagara, Bahmani, Rajput states), regional languages and literatures |
| 8 | Colonial Encounter | European trading companies, Plassey & Buxar, Company Raj, revenue systems (Permanent Settlement, Ryotwari, Mahalwari), deindustrialisation, tribal and peasant revolts (1857 rebellion) |
| 9 | Nationalism & Freedom Movement | Indian National Congress (formation & phases), Gandhi (Non-cooperation, Civil Disobedience, Quit India), Tilak, Gokhale, revolutionary nationalism, communalism, partition, independence |
| 10 | Post-Independence India & World History | Integration of princely states, Constituent Assembly, republic formation; World History: American & French Revolutions, Industrial Revolution, World Wars, Cold War, decolonisation, UN formation |
Important Books for UGC NET History
| Topic | Book | Author |
|---|
| Ancient India | Ancient India | R.S. Sharma |
| Medieval India | Medieval India (2 vols) | Satish Chandra |
| Modern India / Freedom Struggle | India's Struggle for Independence | Bipin Chandra et al. |
| Modern India | A History of Modern India | Bipan Chandra |
| World History | World History for Class 11–12 (NCERT) | NCERT |
| Historiography | Historians and Historiography in Modern India | S.P. Sen (ed.) |
Preparation Strategy
| Area | Approach |
|---|
| Units 8 & 9 (Colonial & Freedom Movement) | These two units account for a large share of questions in most previous papers. Bipin Chandra is the essential text — know specific movements, dates, leaders, and causes of each event. |
| Unit 1 (Historiography) | Often overlooked but consistently tested. Know the differences between colonial, nationalist, Marxist, and subaltern approaches — and which historians belong to each school. |
| Units 3 & 6 (Empires) | Mauryan and Mughal administration details (Arthashastra provisions, Mansabdari system, Akbar's policies) appear frequently. Create timeline-based summary notes. |
| Previous Papers | History Paper 2 questions focus heavily on specific details — dates of battles, correct attribution of policies, and school of historians. Practise 5+ previous papers to identify the exact level of detail required. |
Major Historians and Their Schools — Quick Reference
Unit 1 (Historiography) tests which historian belongs to which school and what their interpretive approach is. This is one of the most predictably tested areas in History Paper 2:
| Historian | School | Characteristic Approach |
|---|
| Romila Thapar | Marxist / Secular-nationalist | Ancient India from socioeconomic lens; critique of communal interpretation of medieval period |
| R.S. Sharma | Marxist | Material and class-based analysis of ancient Indian society; feudalism debate |
| Bipan Chandra | Nationalist / Marxist | Indian nationalism as progressive, anti-colonial movement; economic critique of colonialism |
| Ranajit Guha | Subaltern Studies | History written from the perspective of peasants, tribals, women — not elite narratives; peasant consciousness |
| Satish Chandra | Secular-nationalist | Medieval India as a period of synthesis, not conflict — refutation of Muslim invasion as cultural destruction thesis |
| Cambridge School (Anil Seal) | Cambridge School | Indian nationalism as elite competition for British patronage, not genuine anti-colonialism — critiqued for being too cynical |
| Dadabhai Naoroji | Economic Nationalist | Drain of Wealth theory — British colonial extraction was the primary cause of India's poverty |
Key Events Timeline — Indian History Quick Revision
| Year / Period | Event | Significance |
|---|
| 326 BCE | Alexander's India campaign | Greek-Indian contact; paves way for Mauryan Empire |
| 321–185 BCE | Mauryan Empire | First pan-Indian empire; Ashoka's Dhamma, Arthashastra |
| 320–550 CE | Gupta Empire | "Golden Age" — Sanskrit literature, mathematics (Aryabhata), temple architecture |
| 1206–1526 CE | Delhi Sultanate | Five successive dynasties; Alauddin Khalji's market reforms; Muhammad bin Tughlaq's experiments |
| 1526–1857 CE | Mughal Empire | Akbar's sulh-i-kul, Mansabdari, Todar Mal's revenue; Aurangzeb's Deccan campaigns |
| 1757 | Battle of Plassey | British East India Company begins political domination of Bengal |
| 1857 | Revolt of 1857 | First War of Independence (nationalist) or Sepoy Mutiny (colonial) — historiography debate itself is exam material |
| 1920–22 | Non-Cooperation Movement | Gandhi's first mass movement; withdrawn after Chauri Chaura violence |
| 1930 | Civil Disobedience Movement (Dandi March) | Salt march symbolic defiance of British economic control |
| 1942 | Quit India Movement | Do or Die — largest mass uprising; Gandhi arrested; spontaneous popular rebellion |
Mughal Administration — Key Features for Exam
| System | What It Was | Who Introduced / Key Detail |
|---|
| Mansabdari | Rank system for nobles — dual rank (Zat personal rank + Sawar cavalry rank) | Akbar formalised it; solved provincial autonomy problem |
| Jagirdari | Assignment of revenue-yielding territories to Mansabdars instead of cash salary | Led to "Jagirdari crisis" under Aurangzeb when jagirs ran short |
| Ain-i-Dahsala / Zabt | Revenue assessment based on 10-year average of prices and production | Todar Mal (Akbar's Finance Minister) introduced this system |
| Din-i-Ilahi | Akbar's personal syncretic "divine faith" — drew from Islam, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism | Not a mass religion — only ~18 courtiers joined; sign of Akbar's sulh-i-kul policy |
Important Historical Sources and Their Significance
UGC NET History frequently asks about the nature, authorship, and limitations of primary sources. Match each source to its period, author, and information value.
| Source | Author / Date | Historical Value |
|---|
| Arthashastra | Kautilya (c. 300 BCE) | Mauryan administration, economy, statecraft, espionage — most detailed ancient governance text |
| Indica | Megasthenes (c. 300 BCE) | Greek ambassador's account of Mauryan India; caste system, royal court, cities |
| Fa-Hian's Record | Fa-Xian (400–411 CE) | Gupta India — Buddhism, pilgrimage sites, social conditions; not much on political history |
| Rajatarangini | Kalhana (1148 CE) | First systematic historical chronicle of Kashmir; uses dating conventions |
| Ain-i-Akbari | Abu'l-Fazl (1590s) | Mughal administrative statistics, revenue data, geography, culture under Akbar |
| Tuzuk-i-Baburi | Babur (16th c.) | Babur's personal memoir; nature observations, military campaigns, cultural descriptions |
| Humayun-Nama | Gulbadan Begum (1587) | Rare female-authored Mughal text; domestic life, court politics, Humayun's reign |
| Kitab-ul-Hind | Al-Biruni (1030 CE) | Detailed comparative study of Indian science, religion, philosophy by a Central Asian scholar |
Major Reform Movements and Their Leaders
| Movement / Year | Leader | Key Demands / Features |
|---|
| Brahmo Samaj (1828) | Raja Ram Mohan Roy | Monotheism, abolition of sati, widow remarriage, English education |
| Arya Samaj (1875) | Swami Dayanand Saraswati | Vedic revivalism, shuddi, oppose idol worship and caste hierarchy |
| Ramakrishna Mission (1897) | Swami Vivekananda | Vedanta, social service, universal religion, education for all |
| Prarthana Samaj (1867) | Atmaram Pandurang | Widow remarriage, anti-caste, education — Maharashtra base |
| Aligarh Movement (1875) | Sir Syed Ahmad Khan | Modern education for Muslims; MAO College; Two-Nation theory roots |
| Theosophical Society (1875) | Blavatsky; Annie Besant in India | Hindu-Buddhist revivalism, spiritual brotherhood, Central Hindu College |
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does UGC NET History Paper 2 include world history?
Yes — Unit 10 covers major world history events including the American and French Revolutions, Industrial Revolution, World Wars I and II, Cold War, and decolonisation. This is approximately 10 questions. NCERT Class 11 World History is sufficient preparation for this unit.
Q: Is Historiography (Unit 1) tested as theory or as facts?
Both — you need to know the theoretical positions of different schools (subaltern historians reject elitist narratives, Marxist historians focus on class and material conditions) AND the specific historians associated with each school (Ranajit Guha, Romila Thapar, Bipan Chandra).
Q: Which period of Indian history has the most questions?
Modern India (Units 8 and 9) — colonial period and the freedom movement — tend to have the highest question density in previous papers. Ancient India (Units 2–4) is also heavily tested. Medieval India (Units 5–7) is important but slightly less dominant.
Q: Is the Bhakti-Sufi unit (Unit 7) important for the exam?
Yes — questions on specific saints (identifying Kabir's ideas, Chaitanya's tradition, which Sufi silsila was associated with which area) appear regularly. Create concise per-saint and per-silsila summary notes.
Q: How detailed do I need to be for Mughal administration (Unit 6)?
Fairly detailed — specific questions appear on Mansabdari (zat and sawar ranks), Jagirdari crisis, Akbar's Din-i-Ilahi, Todar Mal's revenue system, and Aurangzeb's religious policies. R.S. Sharma and Satish Chandra together cover all required detail.
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