YugMap Bharat, artharth India

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
Any NCERT basicsUPSC PrelimsUPSC MainsSSCState PSCGeneral reading
Era
All Prehistory & HarappanAncient IndiaMedieval IndiaModern IndiaWorld historyNeighbouring countriesArt & culture
Type
All TextbookReferencePopular historyPrimary source / classic

Ancient India 1

Primary source / classic

The Discovery of India

Jawaharlal Nehru · Penguin

Nehru's sweeping reflection on India's past, written in prison in 1944.

General reading
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Medieval India 2

Primary source / classic

A Forgotten Empire: Vijayanagar

Robert Sewell · Various reprints

Includes translations of the Portuguese travellers Paes and Nuniz on Vijayanagara.

General reading
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Primary source / classic

The Baburnama: Memoirs of Babur

Babur (tr. Wheeler M. Thackston) · Modern Library

The first Mughal emperor in his own words — candid, curious and unforgettable.

General reading
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Modern India 2

Primary source / classic

An Autobiography, or The Story of My Experiments with Truth

M. K. Gandhi · Navajivan

Gandhi's own account of his life and the ideas behind satyagraha.

General reading
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Primary source / classic

Annihilation of Caste

B. R. Ambedkar · Navayana / various

Ambedkar's landmark critique of caste, essential for social reform topics.

UPSC Mains General reading
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World history 1

Primary source / classic

Glimpses of World History

Jawaharlal Nehru · Penguin

World history in letters from Nehru to his daughter Indira.

General reading
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