CUET History Syllabus 2025, Download Unit Wise History Syllabus PDF

Table of Contents

The CUET UG exam is a national-level entrance test for students who want to join central universities in India. It helps students get admission to undergraduate courses like B.A., B.Sc., and B.Com. The syllabus has been released in online mode at the official website https://exams.nta.ac.in/CUET-UG/. From now onwards, the NTA has decided to conduct the CUET UG exams in a Hybrid Mode i.e., Computer-Based Test / Pen-Paper Mode.

Before preparing for History course exams, students should first carefully review the updated CUET History syllabus for 2025. The CUET 2025 exam is held once a year and offers 27 domain subjects. Students prepare for CUET by studying their school subjects well and practicing previous question papers. The exam is conducted online, and students have to answer multiple-choice questions. Scoring well in CUET can open doors to top universities, so students work hard to do their best.

CUET Syllabus 2025 for History

The CUET UG History syllabus covers important events and themes from different periods of history. Students will learn about ancient civilizations like the Indus Valley, early societies, and major empires such as the Maurya and Gupta Empires. The CUET syllabus for History also includes the medieval period with key events, rulers, and cultural developments. Modern history is covered too, including colonialism, independence movements, and significant events from the 20th century. The cuet history syllabus will help them understand what topics are covered and what they need to focus on, ensuring they are well-prepared for their studies.

CUET UG History Syllabus 2025

The goal is to help students learn about important events from the past, how they affected people and societies, and how they continue to influence the world today. By studying history, students can understand how things have changed over time in different places. This will give them a clear idea of how past events shape the present and future. The aim is to provide a simple but wide view of how history has developed in different regions and time periods, helping students see the connections between history and the world around them.

The Story of the First Cities Harappan Archaeology
Political and Economic History: How Inscriptions tell a story
Social Histories using the Mahabharata
A History of Buddhism: Sanchi Stupa
Medieval society through Travellers’ Accounts
Religious Histories: The Bhakti-Sufi Tradition
New Architecture: Hampi
Agrarian Relations: The Ain-i-Akbari
The Mughal Court: Reconstructing Histories through Chronicles
Colonialism and Rural Society: Evidence from Official Reports
Representations of 1857
Colonialism and Indian Towns: Town Plans and Municipal Reports
Mahatma Gandhi Through Contemporary Eyes
Partition through Oral Sources
The Making of the Constitution

CUET History Syllabus 2025 Unit Wise

The CUET history syllabus is divided into different units, each covering a specific period or theme in history. For example, one unit may focus on ancient history, including early civilizations and empires, while another might cover medieval history with topics like the rise of kingdoms and cultures.

There could also be units on modern history, dealing with events like colonization, independence movements, and world wars. The syllabus is designed to give students a clear understanding of the key events, important figures, and major changes that have shaped history over time.

Unit I: The Story of the First Cities Harappan Archaeology

Broad overview: Early urban centres.
Story of discovery: Harappan civilization.
Excerpt: Archaeological report on a major site. Discussion: how it has been utilized by archaeologists/historians

Unit II: Political and Economic History: How Inscriptions tell a story

Broad overview: Political and economic history from the Mauryan to the Gupta period.
Story of discovery: Inscriptions and the decipherment of the script. Shifts in the understanding of political and economic history.
Excerpt: Asokan inscription and Gupta period land grant.
Discussion: Interpretation of inscriptions by historians.

Unit III: Social Histories using the Mahabharata

Broad overview: Issues in social history, including caste, class, kinship and gender.
Story of discovery: Transmission and publications of the Mahabharata.
Excerpt: From the Mahabharata, illustrating how it has been used by historians.

Unit IV: A History of Buddhism: Sanchi Stupa

Broad overview:
(a) A brief review of religious histories of Vedic religion, Jainism, Vaisnavism, Saivism.
(b) Focus on Buddhism.
Story of discovery: Sanchi stupa.
Excerpt: Reproduction of sculptures from Sanchi. Discussion: Ways in which sculpture has been interpreted by historians, other sources for reconstructing the history of Buddhism.

Unit V: Medieval Society Through Travellers’ Accounts

Broad Overview: Outline of social and cultural life as they appear in travellers’ accounts.
Story of their writings: A discussion of where they travelled, why they travelled, what they wrote, and For whom they wrote.
Excerpts: from Alberuni, Ibn Battuta, Bernier.
Discussion: What these travel accounts can tell us and how they have been interpreted by historians.

Unit VI: Religious Histories: The Bhakti-Sufi Tradition

Broad Overview:
(a) Outline of religious developments during this period.
(b) Ideas and practices of the Bhakti-Sufi saints.
Story of Transmission: How Bhakti-Sufi compositions have been preserved.
Excerpt: Extracts from selected Bhakti Sufi works.
Discussion: Ways in which these have been interpreted by historians.

Unit VII: New Architecture: Hampi

Broad Overview:
(a)Outline of new buildings during the Vijayanagar period — temples, forts, irrigation facilities.
(b)Relationship between architecture and the political system.
Story of Discovery: Account of how Hampi was found.
Excerpt: Visuals of buildings at Hampi.
Discussion: Ways in which historians have analysed and interpreted these structures.

Unit VIII: Agrarian Relations: The Ain-i-Akbari

Broad overview:
(a) Structure of agrarian relations in the 16th and 17th centuries.
(b) Patterns of change over the period.
Story of Discovery: Account of the compilation and translation of Ain-i-Akbari.
Excerpt: From the Ain-i-Akbari
Discussion: Ways in which historians have used the text to reconstruct history.

Unit IX: The Mughal Court: Reconstructing Histories through Chronicles

Broad Overview:
(a) Outline of political history c. 15th-17th centuries.
(b) Discussion of the Mughal court and politics.
Story of Discovery: Account of the production of court chronicles, and their subsequent translation and transmission.
Excerpts: from the Akbarnama and Padshahnama.
Discussion: Ways in which historians have used the texts to reconstruct political histories.

Unit X: Colonialism and Rural Society: Evidence from Official Reports

Broad overview:
(a) Life of zamindars, peasants and artisans in the late 18 century.
(b) East India Company, revenue settlements and surveys.
(c) Changes over the nineteenth century.
Story of official records: An account of why official investigations into rural societies were undertaken and the types of records and reports produced.
Excerpts: From Firminger’s Fifth Report, Accounts of Francis Buchanan-Hamilton, and Deccan Riots Report.
Discussion: What the official records tell and do not tell, and how they have been used by historians.

Unit XI: Representations of 1857

Broad Overview:
(a) The events of 1857-58.
(b) How these events were recorded and narrated.
Focus: Lucknow.
Excerpts: Pictures of 1857. Extracts from contemporary accounts.
Discussion: How the pictures of 1857 shaped British opinion of what had happened.

Unit XII: Colonialism and Indian Towns: Town Plans and Municipal Reports

Broad Overview: The growth of Mumbai, Chennai, hill stations, and cantonments in the 18th and 19th century.
Excerpts: Photographs and paintings. Plans of cities. Extract from town plan reports. Focus on Kolkata town planning.
Discussion: How the above sources can be used to reconstruct the history of towns. What these sources do not reveal.

Unit XIII: Mahatma Gandhi through Contemporary Eyes

Broad Overview:
(a) The nationalist movement 1918-48,
(b) The nature of Gandhian politics and leadership.
Focus: Mahatma Gandhi in 1931.
Excerpts: Reports from English and Indian language newspapers and other contemporary writings.
Discussion: How newspapers can be a source of history.

Unit XIV: Partition through Oral Sources

Broad Overview:
(a) The history of the 1940s;
(b) Nationalism, Communalism and Partition.
Focus: Punjab and Bengal.
Excerpts: Oral testimonies of those who experienced partition.
Discussion: Ways in which these have been analysed to construct the history of the event.

Unit XV: The Making of the Constitution

Broad Overview: (a) Independence and the new nation-state. (b) The making of the Constitution.
Focus: The Constitutional Assembly debates.
Excerpts: From the debates.
Discussion: What such debates reveal and how they can be analyzed.

CUET History Syllabus 2025 PDF

The students who are preparing for the CUET 2025 exam must prepare well for the history exam as it contains some of the most important topics that can help students score high marks in the exam. To prepare well for the exam it is required to understand the syllabus thoroughly, therefore, we have added the CUET History Syllabus 2025 PDF here.

Best Books For CUET 2025 History

To prepare for the CUET UG History course exams, it’s important to use the right books. These books cover important events and concepts in Indian history in a clear and easy-to-understand way. They are especially good for beginners who want to build a strong foundation in history. Reading these books will help you understand the topics better and do well in your exams. Some of the best books are:

NCERT History Textbooks (Class 11 & 12) – These are easy to understand and cover all important topics.
“India’s Ancient Past” by R.S. Sharma – Great for ancient history.
“Medieval India” by Satish Chandra – Helpful for medieval history.
“Modern India” by Bipan Chandra – Perfect for modern history.
“History of Modern World” by Jain and Mathur – Covers world history.
“A Brief History of Modern India” by Spectrum – Good for revision.