Alagiri B
UPSC content author · 53 articles
Articles by Alagiri B
The Mughal Empire: Political History, Consolidation and Decline — Part 8: One-Page Revision SummaryPart 8: One-page revision summary — Mughal timeline (1526–1707); key administrative terms; religious policy spectrum; JAMMED mnemonic for decline causes; 8 key primary sources; 12-term glossary.The Mughal Empire: Political History, Consolidation and Decline — Part 7: Six Great Mughals and Causes of DeclinePart 7: Six Great Mughals comparison table; causes of Mughal decline — jagirdari crisis (JAMMED mnemonic), Aurangzeb's religious policy, Maratha challenge, weak successors, Deccan overextension, Nadir Shah; UPSC PYQs.The Mughal Empire: Political History, Consolidation and Decline — Part 6: Aurangzeb and Key BattlesPart 6: Aurangzeb — jizya reimposed (1679), temple destructions, Bijapur (1686), Golconda (1687), Deccan overextension; rise of the Marathas — Shivaji's sack of Surat, coronation (1674), chauth; key battles table (1526–1658).The Mughal Empire: Political History, Consolidation and Decline — Part 5: Jahangir and Shah JahanPart 5: Jahangir — Chain of Justice, Khusrau rebellion, Mewar peace (1615), Do aspa sih aspa, Nur Jahan, Thomas Roe; Shah Jahan — Taj Mahal, chakla, Balkh failure, loss of Qandahar, war of succession and Battle of Samugarh (1658).The Mughal Empire: Political History, Consolidation and Decline — Part 4: Akbar — Administration and Rajput PolicyPart 4: Akbar's administrative reforms — Mansabdari (66 grades, zat-sawar ranks), Jagir system, Todar Mal's zabt settlement (1580), 12 subas; Rajput policy — matrimonial alliances, Haldighati (1576), Mewar resistance.The Mughal Empire: Political History, Consolidation and Decline — Part 3: Akbar — Military Campaigns and Religious PolicyPart 3: Akbar — Second Panipat (1556), Gujarat (1572), Bengal (1576), Kashmir (1586); sulh-i-kul policy; abolition of jizya (1564) and pilgrimage tax (1563); Ibadatkhana (1575); Mahzar (1579); Din-i-Ilahi (1582).Medieval Administrative Systems: Iqta, Mansab, Jagir and Revenue — Part 3: The Mansabdari SystemPart 3: Mansabdari system — origins under Akbar (66 grades), dual Zat-Sawar ranks from 1595–96, three classes, Do Aspa Sih Aspa under Jahangir, pay scale, escheat, month-scale; advantages and defects.The Mughal Empire: Political History, Consolidation and Decline — Part 1: Introduction and BaburPart 1: Introduction to the Mughal Empire; Babur's four battles — First Panipat (1526), Khanwa (1527), Chanderi (1528), Ghaghra (1529); tulughma strategy; Baburnama as primary source.The Vijayanagara Empire — Part 5: Battle of Talikota, Decline, Legacy and UPSC RelevancePart 5: Battle of Talikota (1565), Rama Raya's flawed diplomacy, empire's decline, Hampi's rediscovery (Colin Mackenzie, 1800; UNESCO 1986), legacy, and UPSC prelims/mains focus areas.Medieval Administrative Systems: Iqta, Mansab, Jagir and Revenue — Part 7: Comparison, UPSC Relevance and Revision SummaryPart 7: Sultanate vs Mughal comparison table; UPSC Prelims and Mains focus; one-page revision summary (iqta, mansabdari, jagir, Mughal revenue, central admin); 12-term glossary.The Mughal Empire: Political History, Consolidation and Decline — Part 9: FAQPart 9: FAQ — significance of First Panipat; Akbar's mansabdari vs iqta; Aurangzeb as apogee and beginning of decline; Sher Shah's administrative contributions; Akbar vs Aurangzeb Rajput policy.The Vijayanagara Empire — Part 6: One-Page Revision Summary and GlossaryPart 6: One-page revision summary covering all four dynasties, Krishnadeva Raya, amara-nayaka system, economy, Talikota, and Hampi architecture — plus a 10-term glossary.Medieval Administrative Systems: Iqta, Mansab, Jagir and Revenue — Part 5: Mughal Revenue SystemPart 5: Mughal revenue — Ain-i-Dahsala (1580) by Todar Mal; five assessment methods: Ghalla Bakhshi, Kankut, Zabti, Nasaq, Ijara; tanab measurement; dastur circles; relief measures (nabud, taqavi loans).Medieval Administrative Systems: Iqta, Mansab, Jagir and Revenue — Part 4: The Jagir SystemPart 4: Jagir system — four types (Tankha, Mashrut, In'am, Watan); khalisa proportions under Akbar/Jahangir/Shah Jahan/Aurangzeb; Jagirdari Crisis under Aurangzeb — paibaqi, jama-hasil gap, Mughal decline.Medieval Administrative Systems: Iqta, Mansab, Jagir and Revenue — Part 2: Delhi Sultanate AdministrationPart 2: Delhi Sultanate central administration (Sultan, Wazir, Diwan-i Arz, Insha, Risalat, intelligence); provincial and village administration; revenue — kharaj, jizya, ghari, Alauddin's 50% demand and market control.Medieval Administrative Systems: Iqta, Mansab, Jagir and Revenue — Part 1: IntroductionPart 1: Introduction to medieval administrative systems; the Iqta system — origins, types (large/small/wajh), muqti duties, reforms under Balban, Alauddin Khalji, Muhammad Tughlaq, Firuz Tughlaq, and decline.The Gupta Empire: The Golden Age of India — Part 9: FAQPart 9: FAQ — Why is the Gupta period called the Golden Age? What was the Prayaga-prashasti? How did land grants cause decline? Aryabhatta's science. Chandragupta II's conquests.The Gupta Empire: The Golden Age of India — Part 8: One-Page Revision SummaryPart 8: One-page revision summary of the Gupta Empire — timeline, key themes table (polity, economy, literature, science, art, society, religion, decline), and 12-term glossary.The Gupta Empire: The Golden Age of India — Part 7: Decline and UPSC RelevancePart 7: Gupta decline — Huna invasions, samanta system, land grants, dynastic disputes; Gupta vs Maurya comparison table; UPSC PYQ examples on the Allahabad Pillar, Aryabhatta, and Dashavatara temple.The Gupta Empire: The Golden Age of India — Part 6: Art, Architecture and Scientific AdvancesPart 6: Gupta art — Sarnath Buddha, Dashavatara temple, Ajanta cave paintings; literature (Kalidasa's works, Devi Chandraguptam); and science — Aryabhatta's pi and earth rotation, Varahamihira, Sushruta Samhita.The Gupta Empire: The Golden Age of India — Part 5: Society and ReligionPart 5: Gupta society — revival of varna system, deterioration of women's status, slavery, Brahmanical revival (Vaishnavism, Shaivism), and toleration of Buddhism (Nalanda) and Jainism.The Vijayanagara Empire — Part 7: FAQPart 7 FAQ: Vijayanagara's founding, amara-nayaka vs iqta, Krishnadeva Raya's achievements, Battle of Talikota causes and consequences, and why Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.The Gupta Empire: The Golden Age of India — Part 3: Administration and PolityPart 3: Gupta kingship (divine titles, samantas), central administration (Sandhi-Vigrahika, Mahadandanayaka), provincial/district structure (Bhukti, Vishaya), revenue (land 1/6), and land grants (Devadana, Agrahara).The Gupta Empire: The Golden Age of India — Part 2: Chandragupta II Vikramaditya and Later RulersPart 2: Chandragupta II Vikramaditya — defeat of Shakas, Vakataka alliance, Mehrauli Iron Pillar, Fa-Hien's visit; and later rulers Kumaragupta I, Skandagupta, and the Gupta decline.Akbar Administration: Mansab System, Din-i-Ilahi and Religious PolicyAkbar Administration (1556–1605) introduced the Mansab system, Todar Mal's land revenue reforms and the policy of sulh-i-kul reflecting Mughal syncretic governance at its peak.The Gupta Empire: The Golden Age of India — Part 1: Introduction and Rise of the GuptasPart 1: Why the Gupta period (320–550 CE) is the Golden Age, the political vacuum preceding it, and the rise of the Guptas — Chandragupta I and Samudragupta's Allahabad Pillar campaigns.The Vedic Age: Society, Economy, Religion and Transition (c. 1500–600 BCE) — Part 1: IntroductionPart 1 of the comprehensive UPSC guide on The Vedic Age. Covers: Introduction.Decline of Mughals & 18th-Century India — Part 9: One-Page Revision Summary & GlossaryPart 9: One-page revision summary table covering all 18th-century India themes plus a 12-term glossary of key concepts.The Vijayanagara Empire — Part 4: Art, Architecture at Hampi and Relations with Deccan SultanatesPart 4: Art and architecture at Hampi — sacred centre, raya gopurams, Virupaksha and Vitthala temples, Mahanavami Dibba, Lotus Mahal, and Vijayanagara's diplomatic relations with the Deccan Sultanates.Bhakti and Sufi Movements — Part 4: Bhakti–Sufi Interface and Cultural SynthesisPart 4: Why the Chishti order was most popular, Sufi saints' social role, and the deep Bhakti-Sufi interface — shared features, Rishi Order, Nathpanthi interaction, Kabir, Guru Nanak, Chandayan, and qawwali.The Vijayanagara Empire — Part 2: Krishnadeva Raya and AdministrationPart 2: Krishnadeva Raya (1509–1529) — military campaigns, Ashtadiggajas, Amuktamalyada; and the amara-nayaka administrative system compared with iqta and mansab.The Vijayanagara Empire — Part 1: Introduction and Four Dynasties (1336–1646)Part 1: Introduction to the Vijayanagara Empire (1336–1646), Hampi as UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the four dynasties — Sangama, Saluva, Tuluva (peak under Krishnadeva Raya), and Aravidu.Socio-Religious Reform Movements of 19th-Century India — Part 9: Glossary and FAQPart 9: 12-term glossary and FAQ — Brahmo Samaj vs Arya Samaj, Vidyasagar's widow remarriage contribution, Aligarh Movement significance, and reform movements' link to Indian nationalism.Socio-Religious Reform Movements of 19th-Century India — Part 8: Comparison Table, UPSC Questions and Revision SummaryPart 8: Comparison table of all major reform organisations, UPSC prelims key dates (1805–1925), mains and optional question templates, and a complete one-page revision summary.Socio-Religious Reform Movements of 19th-Century India — Part 7: Common Themes, Significance and Link to NationalismPart 7: Common themes — rationalism, caste reform, women's rights, education as change, prelude to nationalism, and limitations of 19th-century reform movements. Plus their link to the national movement.The Vijayanagara Empire — Part 3: Economy and SocietyPart 3: Vijayanagara economy — irrigation works (Kamalapuram Tank, Hiriya Canal), horse and spice trade with Portuguese, urban bazaar culture, and the pluralistic religious society.Socio-Religious Reform Movements of 19th-Century India — Part 2: Bengal — Rammohan Roy and Young BengalPart 2: Bengal as the epicentre of reform — Rammohan Roy, the Brahmo Samaj (1828), abolition of sati (1829), Vedanta College, and the Young Bengal movement under Henry Derozio.Socio-Religious Reform Movements of 19th-Century India — Part 5: Northern IndiaPart 5: Northern India — Arya Samaj (Dayananda Saraswati, 1875), DAV schools, Shuddhi movement, Aligarh Movement (Syed Ahmad Khan, MAO College), and the Theosophical Society (Annie Besant).Socio-Religious Reform Movements of 19th-Century India — Part 4: Western IndiaPart 4: Western India reform movements — Prarthana Samaj (Ranade), Jyotiba Phule's Satyashodhak Samaj (first school for untouchables, 1854), and Gopal Ganesh Agarkar's radical rationalism.Socio-Religious Reform Movements of 19th-Century India — Part 3: Debendranath Tagore, Keshab Sen and VidyasagarPart 3: Debendranath Tagore's Tattvabodhini Sabha (1839), Keshab Chandra Sen's Nav Bidhan, and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar's campaign for widow remarriage culminating in the first legal Hindu widow marriage in 1856.Bhakti and Sufi Movements — Part 5: Impact on Society, Culture and ComparisonPart 5: Impact on society and culture — challenge to caste, regional language development, music, dargah architecture, women saints, and a full comparison table of Bhakti vs Sufi movements.Socio-Religious Reform Movements of 19th-Century India — Part 1: Introduction and BackgroundPart 1: Why reform? The colonial context, causes of 19th-century reform movements, scope of social and religious issues addressed, and four major methods of reform used by Indian reformers.Bhakti and Sufi Movements — Part 7: FAQPart 7 FAQ: Nirguna vs Saguna Bhakti, Chishti order's popularity, regional language contributions, Ramananda's significance, and Kabir's synthesis of Bhakti and Sufi traditions.Bhakti and Sufi Movements — Part 6: UPSC Questions, Revision Summary and GlossaryPart 6: UPSC prelims high-yield facts, mains question templates, one-page revision summary, and a 12-term glossary for Bhakti and Sufi movements.The Delhi Sultanate — Part 2: The Slave (Mamluk) Dynasty (1206–1290)Part 2: The Slave (Mamluk) Dynasty (1206–1290) — Aibak, Iltutmish, Raziya Sultana, and Balban's theory of kingship.Bhakti and Sufi Movements — Part 3: Origins of Sufism & Major Sufi OrdersPart 3: Origins of Sufism, key concepts (silsilah, khanqah, sama, fana), and the six major Sufi orders in India (Chishti, Suhrawardi, Naqshbandi, Qadiri, Firdausi, Rishi).The Delhi Sultanate — Part 6: Lodi Dynasty & Comparative Policy TablePart 6: The Lodi Dynasty (1451–1526) — Bahlul Lodi, Sikandar Lodi (founded Agra), Ibrahim Lodi and the First Battle of Panipat (1526) that ended the Sultanate.Bhakti and Sufi Movements — Part 2: Key Saints, Saguna/Nirguna Schools & Regional TraditionsPart 2: Key Bhakti saints comparison table, Saguna vs Nirguna Bhakti schools, and regional traditions from Maharashtra, Bengal, Assam, Karnataka and Kashmir.Bhakti and Sufi Movements — Part 1: Introduction & Origins of the Bhakti MovementPart 1: Introduction to Bhakti and Sufi Movements in medieval India — origins in South Indian Alvars and Nayanars, spread to North India through Ramananda, and the socio-economic context.The Delhi Sultanate — Part 9: FAQPart 9 FAQ: Why Iltutmish not Aibak, Alauddin's market reforms, Muhammad bin Tughlaq's failed experiments, Sayyid dynasty's weakness, and significance of First Battle of Panipat.Supreme Court judges increased from 33 to 37: The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026On 5 August 2026, Parliament passed the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, raising the sanctioned strength of Supreme Court judges from 33 to 37 (excluding the CJI). Including the CJI, total strength rises from 34 to 38.RBI Keeps Repo Rate at 5.25%: August 2026 Monetary Policy ExplainedRBI Keeps Repo Rate at 5.25%: August 2026 Monetary Policy Explained
Featured Snippet: In its August 2026 meeting (3–5 August), the Reserve Bank of India's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) unanimously kept the repo rate unchanged at 5.25% and retained a "neutral" stance....Open Justice and Live-Streaming: Supreme Court on Reporting of Court Proceedings (2026)Open Justice and Live-Streaming: Supreme Court on Reporting of Court Proceedings (2026)
Featured Snippet: On 5 August 2026, the Supreme Court clarified that news outlets can report court proceedings without sharing audio-video clips of live-streamed hearings. The clarification fo...