Ancient & Early Medieval Indian History – Key Vocabulary

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering sources, prehistoric ages, Indus civilisation, Vedic literature, religions, dynasties and cultural achievements from ancient and early-medieval Indian history.

Archaeological Sources

Material evidence—inscriptions, coins, pottery, tools, buildings—used to study India’s past.

Literary Sources

Written records (Vedas, epics, foreign accounts) that provide historical information.

Epigraphy

The study and interpretation of inscriptions.

Numismatics

The study of coins and monetary history.

Punch-Marked Coins

Earliest Indian coins, mostly silver pieces stamped with symbols.

Red and Black Ware

Distinctive Indus Valley pottery with red outside and black inside surfaces.

Painted Grey Ware (PGW)

Fine, grey-coloured Vedic pottery decorated with black paint.

Palaeolithic Age

Old Stone Age (2.5 million-10 000 BCE) marked by crude stone tools and cave life.

Mesolithic Age

Middle Stone Age (10 000-6 000 BCE) noted for microliths and beginnings of plant cultivation.

Neolithic Age

New Stone Age (6 000-3 500 BCE) with polished tools, farming and settled villages.

Chalcolithic Age

Stone-Copper Age (3 500-1 000 BCE) when copper tools and painted pottery appeared.

Indus Valley Civilisation

Urban Bronze-Age culture (c. 2500-1750 BCE) known for planned cities, seals and script.

Great Bath (Mohenjo-daro)

Large brick water tank used for ritual bathing in the Indus city of Mohenjo-daro.

Granary (Harappa)

Massive brick storage building in Harappa, likely used for grain.

Dockyard (Lothal)

Harappan tidal port structure facilitating overseas trade.

Pashupati Seal

Indus steatite seal depicting a horned deity, believed to be a proto-Śiva.

Boustrophedon Script

Writing style that alternates right-to-left and left-to-right lines (used by Harappans).

Sapta Sindhu

‘Land of Seven Rivers’—Vedic region of Punjab and adjoining areas.

Rigveda

Oldest Veda; collection of 1 028 hymns in ten mandalas.

Samaveda

Vedic ‘Book of Chants’ set to music.

Yajurveda

Veda of sacrificial formulas and rituals.

Atharvaveda

Veda containing spells, charms and folk practices.

Upanishads

Philosophical texts (Vedānta) exploring Ātman and Brahman; total 108.

Mundaka Upanishad

Source of India’s motto ‘Satyameva Jayate’ (Truth alone triumphs).

Indra

Vedic god of heaven and thunderstorms.

Agni

Vedic god of fire and sacrifice.

Varuna

Vedic deity guarding cosmic order.

Mahajanapada

Large territorial kingdom of 6th-century BCE North India.

Magadha

Powerful Mahajanapada that evolved into a major empire.

Bimbisara

Haryanka king (544-492 BCE); built Rajgir and expanded Magadha.

Ajatashatru

Magadhan king (492-460 BCE) who fortified Pataligrama and warred with Vajji.

Udayin

Magadhan ruler who founded Pataliputra as capital.

Mahapadma Nanda

Founder of Nanda dynasty; called ‘Destroyer of Kshatriyas’.

Dhana Nanda

Last Nanda king defeated by Chandragupta Maurya.

Chandragupta Maurya

Founder of Maurya Empire (322 BCE); guided by Chanakya.

Chanakya (Kautilya)

Author of Arthashastra; strategist for Chandragupta Maurya.

Bindusara

Mauryan king (298-273 BCE) nicknamed Amitraghāta, follower of Ajivikas.

Ashoka

Mauryan emperor (273-232 BCE) who embraced Buddhism after Kalinga War.

Kalinga War

Bloody conflict (261 BCE) prompting Ashoka’s adoption of Dhamma.

Rock Edict XIII

Ashokan inscription mentioning Kalinga War and remorse.

Devanampiya

Title of Ashoka meaning ‘Beloved of the Gods’.

Third Buddhist Council

Council at Pataliputra (250 BCE) under Ashoka and Moggaliputta Tissa.

Pushyamitra Shunga

General who ended Mauryan rule and founded Shunga dynasty (185 BCE).

Patanjali

Grammarian who composed Mahābhāṣya during Shunga period.

Satavahanas

Deccan dynasty (1st cent BCE–220 CE) with capital Paithan.

Gautamiputra Satakarni

Greatest Satavahana ruler; known from Nasik inscription.

Indo-Greeks

Bactrian Greek rulers of NW India; issued portrait and gold coins.

Menander (Milinda)

Prominent Indo-Greek king converted to Buddhism by Nāgasena.

Shakas

Scythian tribes who introduced Saka era (78 CE) in India.

Rudradaman I

Western Kshatrapa ruler; issued first long Sanskrit inscription, repaired Sudarshan Lake.

Kushans

Central Asian dynasty that ruled NW India (1st–3rd CE).

Kanishka

Great Kushan emperor; patron of Mahayana Buddhism; convened 4th Buddhist Council.

Mathura

One of the Kushan capitals; later Gupta cultural centre.

Gupta Empire

North Indian ‘Golden Age’ power (c. 320-550 CE).

Sri Gupta

Founder of Gupta dynasty.

Chandragupta I

First Gupta ‘Maharajadhiraja’; began Gupta era (320 CE).

Samudragupta

Gupta conqueror hailed as ‘Napoleon of India’; celebrated in Allahabad Pillar inscription.

Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya)

Gupta emperor presiding over cultural zenith; patron of Navaratnas.

Fa-Hien

Chinese monk who visited India during Chandragupta II’s reign.

Aryabhatta

Gupta mathematician-astronomer, author of Aryabhatiya and Surya Siddhanta.

Nalanda Mahavihara

Ancient Buddhist university founded by Kumaragupta I.

Skandagupta

Last strong Gupta ruler; repelled Hunas.

Harshavardhana

Pushyabhuti king (606-647 CE) ruling north India from Kannauj.

Banabhatta

Court poet of Harsha; author of Harshacharita and Kadambari.

Pulakeshin II

Chalukya king who defeated Harsha; commemorated in Aihole inscription.

Chalukyas of Badami

Deccan dynasty (6th-8th CE) noted for Vesara temples at Aihole and Pattadakal.

Pallavas

South Indian dynasty (6th-9th CE) with capital Kanchipuram.

Narasimhavarman I (Mamalla)

Great Pallava ruler who built Mahabalipuram rock-cut temples.

Dravida Style

South Indian temple architecture pioneered by Pallavas.

Sangam

Assembly of Tamil poets patronised by Pandya kings at Madurai.

Cheras

Sangam-age dynasty of Kerala, emblem Bow.

Cholas

Tamil dynasty; maritime power with port Puhar; emblem Tiger.

Karikala Chola

Early Chola king who built Kaveri embankments and won Battle of Venni.

Pandyas

Tamil dynasty of Madurai; emblem Fish; traded with Rome.

Palas

Bengal-Bihar dynasty (8th-12th CE) founded by Gopala; patrons of Buddhism.

Pratiharas

Rajput dynasty of western India; ruler Mihir Bhoja adopted title ‘Adivaraha’.

Rashtrakutas

Deccan empire (8th-10th CE); built Kailash Temple at Ellora under Krishna I.

Vesara Style

Hybrid temple architecture of Deccan developed by Early Chalukyas.

Vardhana (Pushyabhuti) Dynasty

North Indian house that produced Harshavardhana.

Bhimbetka

Madhya Pradesh site with Palaeolithic cave paintings.

Mehrgarh

Balochistan Neolithic site with earliest evidence of agriculture in South Asia.

Bagor

Rajasthan Mesolithic site with earliest animal domestication evidence.

Burzahom

Kashmir Neolithic site featuring pit-dwellings.

Daimabad

Maharashtra Chalcolithic site with copper artefacts and Harappan links.

Rakhigarhi

Largest Indus site in India, located in Haryana.

Dholavira

Gujarat Indus site famous for water management and three-part town plan.

Surkotada

Gujarat Harappan site containing horse remains.

Kalibangan

Rajasthan Indus site with ploughed field evidence.

Lothal

Gujarat Indus town with dockyard and bead factory.

Mohenjo-daro

Largest excavated Indus city on the Indus river (Sindh).

Harappa

First discovered Indus site on river Ravi; yielded granary and male torso.

Stone Cist Burials

Neolithic practice found at sites like Brahmagiri and Maski.

Microlith

Tiny, sharp Mesolithic stone tool used as arrow or spear tip.

Celt

Polished Neolithic stone axe.

Tirthankara

Jain saviour; total 24, last is Mahavira.

Mahavira

24th Jain Tirthankara (599-527 BCE); preached five vows and Jain Sangha.

Panch Mahavratas

Five cardinal vows of Jainism—Ahimsa, Satya, Asteya, Brahmacharya, Aparigraha.

Triratna (Jainism)

Right Faith, Right Knowledge, Right Conduct.

Gautama Buddha

Founder of Buddhism (563-483 BCE) who attained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya.

Mahabhinishkramana

Buddha’s ‘Great Renunciation’ at age 29.