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.

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Preparing for
Era
Type

Medieval India 7

Reference

Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals (2 vols)

Satish Chandra · Har-Anand

The detailed two-volume treatment for readers who want more than the single-volume textbook.

UPSC Mains General reading
Reference

A History of South India

K. A. Nilakanta Sastri · Oxford University Press

The classic survey of the south, from prehistory to the fall of Vijayanagara.

UPSC Mains State PSC General reading
Reference

The Colas

K. A. Nilakanta Sastri · University of Madras

The definitive study of the Chola empire, its kings and administration.

General reading
Reference

The Delhi Sultanate: A Political and Military History

Peter Jackson · Cambridge University Press

A scholarly history of the Sultanate and its wars with the Mongols.

General reading
Reference

The Mughal Empire

John F. Richards · Cambridge University Press

A compact, respected overview of the Mughal state from Babur to its decline.

UPSC Mains General reading
Reference

The Marathas 1600–1818

Stewart Gordon · Cambridge University Press

How the Maratha state rose from Shivaji's swarajya to a subcontinental power.

General reading
Reference

A History of Assam

Edward Gait · Various reprints

The classic history of Assam and the Ahom kingdom.

State PSC General reading
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