Ancient History One Liners: The Most Important

Watch this video to learn top most Ancient History One Liners for UPSC Prelims 

Medieval History One Liners: The Most Important

Watch this video to learn top most Medieval History One Liners for UPSC Prelims

Ancient and Medieval History One Liners for UPSC

Learn from the following extensive list of 300+ one liners for UPSC Prelims. This list is updated every year. A seperate list is maintained for Books and Literature.

• Adhisthana: The capital city or headquarters of a kingdom.
• Agrahara: Land or Village Gifted by a King
• Alvars: The Vaishnava Saint: Poets of Early Medieval South India
• Anuloma Marriage: A marriage in which a man of a higher caste marries a woman of a lower caste.
• Apabhramsha: A Stage of the Later Development of the Prakrit Language up to the End of the 1^st Millennium CE.
• Aranyakas: Literally 'forest Books'; Part of the Vedic Corpus
• Abwab: extra legal charges exacted by landlords
• Akhra: gymnasium
• Amils: Revenue Officers
• Amla: zamindari official
• Ajlaf: Muslim commoners
• Atrap: Muslim commoners—same as ajlaf.
• Azad dastas: guerrilla bands
• Arz-I-Mamalik: Minister in-Charge of the Army of the Whole Country.
• Ahl-I-Qalam: Reporter
• Akam: Sangam love poems
• Amphorae: A type of Roman pottery—jars with a large oval body, narrow cylindrical neck, and two handles
• Antarala: The vestibule or antechamber of a temple
• Anvikshiki: Literally, 'looking at'; logical reasoning
• Araghatta: Persian wheel
• Ardha-Magadhi: an eastern dialect of Prakrit; the earliest Jaina texts are written in this dialect
• Ardhamandapa: the hall preceding the sanctum in a temple
• Arhat: a person who has attained enlightenment
• Ariya-sachchani: the Four Noble Truths related to suffering; an important part of the Buddha's teaching
• Astika schools: philosophical schools that accepted the authority of the Vedas, comprising those that later came to be described as the six classical systems of Hindu philosophy
• Ayyavole: a powerful merchant guild of early medieval South India
• Bahramand: A term for the royal stable in medieval India.
• Bhikkhu Pali: (Sanskrit Bhikshu), Literally 'one Who Lives by Begging Alms'; A Buddhist Monk.
• Bhimini: A form of land tenure in the Vijayanagara Empire.
• Brahmacharya: The Stage of Celibate Studenthood in The Ashrama Scheme
• Brahmadeya: Land Gifted to Brahmanas, Generally by Kings
• Baqqal: Trader, Grain-Dealer
• Batai: Division of Crop Between The Cultivator and Landlord or The Government, Payments May Be in Kind or Cash
• Barid: An Intelligence Officer Appointed by The State to Collect Information
• Banjar: Waste and Fallow Land.
• Banjara: Itinerant tribe.
• Bahas: Muslim religious meeting
• Bakasht: land where permanent tenancies has been converted into short-term tenancies
• Bigha: A unit of land measurement used in medieval India.
• Bodhisattva: a future Buddha
• Bojha: A tax levied on goods transported by land.
• Boustrephedon style: a style of writing in which consecutive lines start in opposite directions
• Brahmadeya: land gifted to Brahmanas, generally by kings
• Burin: a small stone tool, made on a blade, with a 'screw-driver' edge
• Chahalgani: A council of forty Turkish nobles in the Delhi Sultanate.
• Chakri: Office job
• Cairn stone circle: a type of megalithic burial, marked by a stone circle
• Chaitya: a Buddhist shrine. Also known as Chaitya-Griha: A rock-cut Buddhist shrine with a stupa.
• Charana: school of Vedic study
• Chahraman: A revenue officer under the Khalji and Tughlaq rulers.
• Chhattrapati: A title adopted by the Maratha rulers, meaning ‘Lord of the Umbrella.’
• Charvaka: an atheistic materialist philosophical school, also known as Lokayata
• Chetti: Merchant in South India
• Chiraghdar: A servant responsible for lighting lamps in Mughal palaces.
• Cowries: marine shells, once used as currency in many parts of the world; in India cowries from the Maldive islands were used as currency from ancient times till the colonial period
• Chaouth or Chauthaai: One-Fourth of The Land Revenue, Originally A Zamindari Charge in Gujrat Demanded by Shivaji As A War Expense.
• Charai: A Tax on Cattle.
• Dadan: Advance
• Dadani: merchants who procured goods by paying advances to primary producers
• Dalam: revolutionary units
• Dalwai: Prime minister of the Mysore state
• Dastak: permits issued by the local councils of the East India Company certifying their goods for the purpose of tax exemption
• Deshpande: revenue collector
• Desbmukh: revenue officer
• Dikhu - foreigner: term used by the tribals (Santhals) to identify outsiders
• Dakshinapatha: the great southern trade route
• Dana: ritual giving
• Dashala System: A revenue system introduced by Akbar based on a ten-year average yield.
• Danda: A term used for punishment or penalty in medieval Hindu law.
• Darshana: literally, 'view'; philosophy
• Dhamma: a Pali word (Sanskrit, dharma), referring to the ideal conduct of an individual living in society
• Dhammasasana: The Buddhist concept of ruling by the principles of dharma.
• Dharamarth: The practice of religious charity by rulers in medieval India.
• Dhamma Chakka-pavattana: Pali, literally 'turning the wheel of dhamma'; the Buddha's first sermon in the deer park near Benaras
• Dhamma-mahamatas: a new cadre of officials created by Ashoka to propagate dhamma
• Drangika: A toll tax levied in medieval Indian kingdoms.
• Dvija: literally 'twice born'; those entitled to the performance of the upanayana (sacred thread) ceremony, which is considered analogous to a second birth, viz., the upper three varnas, namely the Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, and Vaishyas
• Dvyamushyayana: A child having inheritance rights from both maternal and paternal families.
• Dagh System: A System of Branding of Horses and Animal.
• Dam: A Copper Coin Considered As 1/40^th The Silver Rupee for The Official Purposes.
• Dastur-At-Amal: Rule Book
• Dhimmi: A Non-Muslim Client or Subject
• Darul Mulk: Capital
• Diwan: Function of Finance
• Diwan-I-Arz: Ministry of Military Affairs
• Diwan-I-Insha: Ministry of Royal Correspondence
• Diwan-I-Kul Wazir: or Chief Imperial Fiscal Minister
• Daroga: Minor Officer or in Charge of Local Office
• Diwan-I-Risalat: Religious Affairs
• Diwan-I-Wizarat: Department of Finance
• Epithets: Epithet is a descriptive term used in place of a person's name to describe his character or most important quality.
• Farman: An imperial order or decree issued by the Mughal emperor.
• Faujdar: in Charge of Sarkar
• Fitna: sedition
• Gadyanaka: A term used for medieval Indian silver coins.
• Ghaznavid: A dynasty of Turkic origin that ruled parts of India in the 11th century.
• Fituris: a tradition of tribal rebellion
• Four Noble Truths (Ariya-sachchani): an important part of the Buddha's teaching, viz., there is suffering; it has a cause; it can be eliminated; and the way to eliminate it is to follow the Eight-fold Path
• Ganika: A courtesan, often trained in music and dance.
• Gramabhojaka: The headman of a village in ancient India.
• Gumashta: An Agent or Representative
• Garbha Griha: The Inner Sanctum of A Temple, Where The Image of The Main Deity Is Placed and Worshiped
• Grihastha: The Householder Stage in The Ashrama Scheme
• Ghatwali: service tenure for village watchmen
• Giras: customary dues
• Gomustah: Indian agent of the East India Company
• Gahapati: Pali for Sanskrit grihapati, i.e., householder; a wealthy property-owner
• Gana: a word which has many meanings, including an oligarchy
• Grantha script: a South Indian script used for writing Sanskrit
• Ganj: A Grain Market
• Hadd: A term used in Islamic law referring to prescribed punishments.
• Hiranya: A tax paid in gold, common in early medieval India.
• Hun: A Gold Coin
• Hamam: A Room for The Bath of Hot and Cold Water
• Hundi: A Bill of Exchange (UPSC Prelims 2020)
• Hundikas: bills of exchange used by traders in early medieval India
• Ibadat Khana: House of Worship
• Ijarah: The farming of revenue or tax collection rights in Mughal India.
• Iqta: It Was the Land-Grant System Adopted by Ala-Ud-Din Khilji to Grant His Officers As Reward for Services Rendered.
• Khalisa: Land Revenue Directly for Imperial Treasury
• Khots: Village Head
• Khums: Tax on Plunder
• Khutba: A Sermon Made in Friday Mosque.
• Kulah: pointed cap of the Sayyids. Hence, the Sayyids were known as Kulah- Daran. (UPSC Prelims 2022)
• Janapada: Literally, 'foothold of A Tribe'; A Territorial State; A Region Consisting of Urban and Rural Settlements, Along with Its Inhabitants
• Jatakas: One of the 15 Books of the Khuddaka Nikaya, Containing Stories of the Previous Births of the Buddha
• Jati: A Word With Several Meanings Including Caste, Birth, and Type.
• Jina: Literally 'victor '; A Jaina Saint
• Jama: Estimated land revenue income
• Janmi: Holder of janmam tenure
• Jatha: Sikh bands of warriors
• Jatra: Rural theatrical performance
• Jital: A small silver coin used during the Delhi Sultanate period.
• Jagirdar: A feudal landlord assigned land in return for military or administrative service.
• Jotedar: Intermediary tenure holders
• Jamabandi: Settlement of the Amount of Revenue Assessed Upon An Estate or District
• Jarib: A Measurement, Land Measurement or Survey
• Jihat: Extra Cesses
• Jizya: (a) in the Literature of Delhi Sultanate, Any Tax Which Is Not Kharai or Land Tax (b) in the Shariati a Personal and Yearly Tax On Non-Muslims.
• Kalachakra: A Buddhist doctrine meaning "Wheel of Time."
• Kankut: Estimation of Land Revenue
• Karori: A Revenue Officer.
• Khirai: Land Revenue
• Kula: A Word With A Range of Meanings, Including An Extended Patrilineal Family
• Kanamdar/Kanak: Holder of kanam tenure
• Khanazad: hereditary Muslim aristocrats in the Mughal court
• Khanqah: A Sufi monastery or religious retreat.
• Khudkasht: Peasants with occupancy rights
• Khutba: Friday prayers in the mosque
• Kulin: some castes among the Brahmans and Kayasthas of Bengal who are considered to be the purest
• Kani rights: rights over land in early medieval South India, sometimes also associated with certain duties and obligations
• Kara-shasanas: tax-paying agraharas
• Kottam: settlement clusters in the Pallava kingdom, similar to the nadus kraya-shasana: a secular land-sale deed
• Kshatra: secular power
• Kshatrapa: a viceroy or subordinate ruler of the Scytho-Parthians; a title assumed by kings of the Kshaharata and Kardamaka dynasties
• Linga: A Phallic Emblem of the God Shiva
• Lokayata: an atheistic materialist philosophical school, also known as Charvaka
• Madad-I-Massh: Tax Free Grants of Land
• Malfuzat: Saying of Sufi Saint
• Mal-e-Wajibat: Fixed state revenue under the Mughal administration.
• Mamluk: White Slaves
• Marzban: A Persian term for a frontier governor in early medieval India.
• Mir Bhakshi: Military Department
• Mir Saman: Supply Department
• Muquaddam: Village Head
• Mahal: A Group of Land Regarded As A Unit for Land Revenue Purposes.
• Mansab: A Military Rank Conferred by the Mughal Emperor.
• Mauza: Revenue Term for Village
• Mokasa: Grant of Land for Military Service, Rent-Free Land.
• Madhayamaka: A Major Mahayana School Founded by Nagarjuna, in Which the Idea of Shunyata (Emptiness) Is of Great Importance
• Mahajanapadas: The Great States of the 6th Century BCE.
• Mahakshatrapa Viceroy, Subordinate Ruler; A Title Assumed by Some Kings of the Kshaharata and Kardamaka Dynasties
• Mahayana: Literally 'the Greater Vehicle', A Set of Buddhist Schools
• Mandapika: A Local Centre of Exchange, in Between Small Periodic Markets and Larger Trade Centres
• Manigramam: A Powerful Merchant Guild of Early Medieval South India
• Matha: Monastery
• Moksha: Liberation From the Cycle of Birth and Death
• Masand: A deputy of the Sikh guru
• Mulgujar: Landholding primary zamindar
• Meli: Anti-feudal demonstrations
• Mirasidar: Land Rights (Mirasi) in South India
• Misls: Combinations of Sikh sardars based on kinship ties
• Mofussil: Small town or subdivisional town
• Muhtasib: A censor of public morals and market regulations in medieval India.
• Muktiyar Namah: Power of attorney
• Mushaira: Public recital
• Muttadars: Estate holders
• Menhir: a type of megalithic burial, marked by a single, large, standing stone
• Mithuna figures: amorous couples that occur often in the sculptural decoration of shrines
• Mukhamandapa: the porch of a temple
• Nabud: Remission of Land Revenue On Account of Natural Disasters.
• Nagara Style: The Northern Style of Temple Architecture, Marked, Among Other Things, by A Curvilinear Shikara (Tower)
• Nagarams: Market or Commercial Centres in Early Medieval South India
• Nagarattar: The Corporate Organization of the Nagaram
• Northern Black Polished Ware (NBP or NBPW): A Distinctive Type of Fine Pottery With A Glossy Surface, Made and Used Between C. 700 and 200 BCE.
• Nakdi Mansabdar: Mansabdars who were paid in cash
• Nankar: Revenue free land
• Nadu: the locality, consisting of several settlements, in early medieval South India
• Nagarakkani: land owned and managed by the nagaram
• Nalayira Divya Prabandham: a work by Nathamuni, containing the hymns of the Alvar saints
• Nattar: the leading men of the nadu (locality) in early medieval South India
• Nibbana: a term used often in the Buddhist tradition for liberation from the cycle of birth and death
• Niyati: The Jaina doctrine of predetermination.
• Nitishastra: Sanskrit works on statecraft
• Niyoga: levirate; the ancient custom of a widow cohabiting with her brother-in-law or another man in order to produce sons
• Nyaya: a philosophical school concerned primarily with logic and epistemology
• Ochre Coloured Pottery (OCP): A Protohistoric Pottery Type Found At Several Sites in the Doab
• Panam / Phanam: A gold currency used only in Southern India in 17th – 19th ce. The word Fanam is Europeanized version of the word Panam which means coin. (UPSC Prelims 2022)
• Paibaqi: Land Reserved for Allotment in Jagir
• Polaj: Land Continuously in Cultivation
• Painted Grey Ware (PGW): A Distinctive Type of Fine, Grey Pottery With Designs Painted On in Black, Made and Used in Parts of North India Between C. 1000 and 500 BCE
• Paramitas: Perfections Whose Attainment Led to the Bodhisattva Path; A Mahayana Idea
• Pariharas: Exemptions and Privileges Granted to Donees in Royal Land Grants
• Parinibbana: The Passing Away of the Buddha
• Parivrajaka: literally means 'one who roams about all round the place. i.e. Wanderer. (UPSC Prelims 2020)
• Pahikasht: Vagrant Peasants
• Patadar: Landowners
• Patil: Village headmen
• Podu: A tribal term for shifting cultivation prevalent in the Andhra region
• Pali: an ancient language belonging to the Indo-European family of languages; the language of the canon of the Theravada school
• Paribbajaka: Pali, literally, 'wanderer', renunciant
• Patichcha- samuppada: Pali, the law of dependent origination; a part of the Buddha's teaching
• Periyapuranam: A 12th century work containing hagiographies of the Nayanmar saints
• Prakrit: an ancient language belonging to the Indo-European family of languages, with various dialects such as Maharashtri, Shauraseni, and Magadhi
• Pramanas: grounds of knowledge
• Prashasti: panegyric
• Pravara: the names of one, two, three, or five supposed ancestral rishis, connected with the gotra system of the Brahmanas
• Puram: war poems of the Sangam corpus
• Pargana: Around Hundred Village. (UPSC Prelims 2021 - Suba, Sarkar, Pargana)
• Qanungos: Caretaker of Revenue Records
• Risalas: Units of the army of Haidar Ali of Mysore
• Sabha: Assembly of Brahmins in Chola period
• Sadr Us Sadur: Ecclesiastical Affairs
• Sarkar: Administrative Unit or Units of Paragana. Suba (largest administrative unit of Mughals) was further divided into Sarkar. (UPSC Prelims 2021- Suba, Sarkar, Pargana)
• Shaikhzadas: Indian Muslims Nobility
• Sharia: Muslim Law
• Shiqdar: Head of Administrative Unit
• Sandhar: Loans
• Subas (Provinces): Mughal Empire was divided into Suba (largest administrative unit). (UPSC Prelims 2021- Suba, Sarkar, Pargana)
• Sabha: tribal assembly mentioned in Vedic texts; the assembly of a Brahmana village in early medieval South India.
• Samana: A Pali Word (Sanskrit Shramana); Literally, 'one Who Strives', A Renunciant (UPSC Prelims 2020)
• Samanta: Subordinate Ruler; Feudatory
• Samhita: A Collection of Hymns, Associated With the Vedas
• Samskaras: Literally 'preparation', 'arrangement'; Rituals Marking Important Life Stages
• Sandhara: A Temple Style With An Enclosed Passage for Circumambulation
• Shruti: Literally 'that Which Has Been Heard', the Veda
• Shvetambara: Literally 'white-clad', A Jaina Sect
• Smriti: Literally Texts'; A Category of Sanskrit Texts That Includes the Vedangas, Puranas, Epics, Dharmashastras, and Nitishastra
• Stri-Dhana: 'women's Wealth'; Various Types of Moveable Property Given to A Woman On Various Occasions During Her Life-Time, Passed On From Mother to Daughter
• Syadavada: Literally 'doctrine of Maybe'; the Jaina Doctrine of the Partial Nature of All Statements About Reality
• Sahajdhari: Non-Khalsa Sikhs
• Sahukar: Moneylender
• Sajjad Nisbins: Custodians of Sufi shrines
• Sanad: Mughal imperial order
• Saranjam: Transferable land rights
• Sawar: A numerical rank for Mughal military commanders indicating the number of horsemen they were supposed to maintain
• Sharif: Respectable Muslim
• Sud: A tribal term for foreigners prevalent in the Choto Nagpur region
• Swaraj Ziladish: independent district magistrate
• Samkhya: a very ancient philosophical school which views the world as consisting of two fundamental categories of purusha (the spiritual principle) and prakriti (matter or nature)
• Sangam literature: texts in old Tamil, comprising the earliest parts of the Ettutokai, Pattuppattu, and Tolkappiyam
• Sangha: a word with many different meanings including oligarchy, the Buddhist monastic order, and the Jaina monastic order
• Sannyasa: the stage of complete renunciation in the ashrama scheme
• Sapindas: people who are held to be related to each other, an important category in Dharmashastra discussions on rules of marriage, inheritance, and rules of purity and impurity to be observed among relatives when a person died
• Saptanga rajya: literally 'the seven-limbed state', the Arthashastra concept of the state as consisting of seven elements
• Setthi: Pali (Sanskrit sreshthin); a high-level businessman associated with trade and money-lending
• Shakha: a recension of a Veda
• Siddhamatrika: an ancient script, known from the 6th century CE; also known as Kutila
• Tevaram: A Collection of Hymns, Part of the Canon of South Indian Shaiva Bhakti
• Tipitaka Pali: Literally 'the Three Baskets' or 'three Collections', Buddhist Canonical Texts; the Pali Tipitaka Is the Canon of the Theravada School
• Triratna: Literally, 'the Three Gems'; in Jainism, Refers to the Triple Path of Right Faith, Knowledge, and Conduct.
• Tankha Jagir: Hereditary possessions of the Rajput chiefs under the Mughals
• Tufan dal: Revolutionary village units
• Taniyur: a special status given to certain brahmadeyas in early medieval South India, making them independent of the nadu wherein they were located
• Terra sigilatta: moulded, decorated wares as well as undecorated, wheel- made ones made in Italy or imitations thereof; earlier referred to as Arretine ware
• Tipitaka: Pali, literally 'the three baskets' or 'three collections', Buddhist canonical texts; the Pali Tipitaka is the canon of the Theravada school
• Tirthankara: literally, 'ford builder'; a Jaina saint
• Tirumurai: the canon of South Indian Shaiva bhakti
• Tiruttondar-Tiruvantai: a work by Nambi Andar Nambi, which gives a short hagiography of the Nayanmar saints
• Tiruttondar-Tokai: a work by Sundarar, which lists 62 Nayanmar saints
• Torana: the gateway of a shrine
• Transepts: vertical stone slabs that divide a megalithic chamber tomb into sections
• Tankah: Silver Coin
• Ulama: Muslim priests
• Ummah: Community based on allegiance to the common Islamic faith
• Upanishads: Philosophical Texts That Are Part of the Vedic Corpus
• Utar: Forced labour
• Ur: a non-brahmadeya village of South India; the corporate assembly of such a village
• Upasaka: A Male Lay Follower of the Buddha's Teaching. (UPSC Prelims 2020)
• Vanaprastha: The Stage of Partial Renunciation in the Ashrama Scheme Varahathe Boar Incarnation of the God Vishnu
• Varna: Literally 'colour '; The Concept of Four Hereditary Classes— Brahmana, Kshatriya,Vaishya, and Shudra
• Varna-Samkara: The Mixture of Varnas Due to Inter-Varna Unions
• Vassavasa: The Monsoon Retreat of Buddhist Monks
• Vedanga: Six auxiliary disciplines related to the study of the Vedas.
• Vesara: A Style of Temple Architecture Which Has A Blend of Elements Associated With the Nagara and Dravida Styles; Also Referred to As Karnata-Dravida
• Vihara: A Buddhist Monastery
• Vimana: The Sanctum of a Temple and Its Superstructure
• Viragal: The Word for a 'hero Stone' in the Tamil Nadu Area
• Vishnuism (Vaishnavism): The Worship of Vishnu As A Supreme God
• Vatan: Hereditary land rights
• Vaisheshika: a philosophical school of pluralistic realism
• Vapa / Vape: It is derived from the root “vap”, means the act of sowing (throwing or scattering). Kulyavapa, Dronavapa, Adhavapa are the terms related to land measurements mainly mentioned in the copper plate incriptions of Gupta era that were found in Bengal. (UPSC Prelims 2021)
• Varaha: the boar incarnation of the god Vishnu
• Vatakkiruttal / Vadakiruthal and vadakiruttal: Literal meaning; "fasting facing north". It was a Tamil ritual of fasting till death during the Sangam age to save their honour and prestige. (UPSC Prelims 2023)
• Vatteluttu: An ancient South Indian script used for writing Tamil
• Velir: chiefains of South India
• Vellala/vellalar: cultivating groups of South India
• Vellanvagai: non-brahmadeya villages of early medieval South India; same as ur
• Vendar: the three 'crowned kings' of early historical South India, i.e., the Cholas, Cheras, and Pandyas
• Vihara: a Buddhist monastery
• Waqf: Grants to Muslim Religious Establishments
• Watandar: Desais and Deskmukh
• Wilayat: Spiritual Territory of A Sufi
• Yajamana: the person for whom the yajna (sacrifice) is performed and who bears its expenses
• Yakshas: deities associated with water, fertility, trees, forests, and the wilderness
• Yakshis: female deities associated with fertility, consorts of yakshas
• Yavana: Greeks, foreigners from the West
• Yogachara: a major Mahayana school which attached great importance to meditation as a means of attaining the highest goal
• Yupa: sacrificial post
• Yajamana: The Person for Whom the Yajna (Sacrifice) Is Performed and Who Bears Its Expenses
• Yajna: Sacrifice
• Yakshas: Delites Associated With Water, Fertility, Trees, Forests, and the Wilderness
• Yakshis: Female Deities Associated With Fertility, Consorts of Yakshas
• Zabt: Revenue Based On Land Measurement
• Zawabit: Non-Shariat State Laws (Secular laws issued by the Mughal emperor, distinct from Sharia laws)
• Zimmis: Protected Non-Muslims
• Zenana: The women's quarter in the inner part of the house
• Zillah: Administrative District

Some More One liners

* To be added from more books. Please refer once this section before your Prelims.