Textbook
Our Pasts I, II & III (Classes 6–8)
The simplest possible start: short, illustrated and the base of countless exam questions.
Recommended reading
A curated shelf for exam preparation and for curious readers — from NCERT basics to the standard references and the best popular histories. Every note is our own.
Era
Medieval India 15
Textbook
Themes in Indian History, Parts I–III (Class 12)
Source-based chapters on Harappa, Vijayanagara, the Mughal court and 1857 — essential for UPSC.
Textbook
An Introduction to Indian Art, Part I (Class 11)
The standard base for art and architecture questions — stupas, temples and sculpture.
Textbook
History of Medieval India
The go-to single volume on the Sultanate, Mughals and regional kingdoms.
Reference
Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals (2 vols)
The detailed two-volume treatment for readers who want more than the single-volume textbook.
Reference
A History of South India
The classic survey of the south, from prehistory to the fall of Vijayanagara.
Reference
The Colas
The definitive study of the Chola empire, its kings and administration.
Reference
The Delhi Sultanate: A Political and Military History
A scholarly history of the Sultanate and its wars with the Mongols.
Primary source / classic
A Forgotten Empire: Vijayanagar
Includes translations of the Portuguese travellers Paes and Nuniz on Vijayanagara.
Reference
The Mughal Empire
A compact, respected overview of the Mughal state from Babur to its decline.
Primary source / classic
The Baburnama: Memoirs of Babur
The first Mughal emperor in his own words — candid, curious and unforgettable.
Reference
The Marathas 1600–1818
How the Maratha state rose from Shivaji's swarajya to a subcontinental power.
Reference
A History of Assam
The classic history of Assam and the Ahom kingdom.
Popular history
Incarnations: A History of India in 50 Lives
Indian history told through fifty remarkable lives, from the Buddha to Ambedkar.
Primary source / classic
The Discovery of India
Nehru's sweeping reflection on India's past, written in prison in 1944.
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