Historiography: Indian Tradition
Complete Textbook Exercise Solutions
Detailed answers • Completed charts • Short notes • Project • Mind map
Study Class 10 History Chapter 2: Historiography: Indian Tradition with complete Maharashtra State Board textbook solutions. This chapter follows the development of historical writing in India from ancient records and medieval chronicles to colonial, nationalistic and later approaches. The answers explain each concept clearly and follow the order of the textbook exercise.
Indian history has been preserved in many forms. Inscriptions, coins, literature, travel accounts, official records and oral traditions all provide clues about the past. Historians examine these sources and ask who created them, what they describe and whether another source supports their account. The chapter also shows that different historians can interpret the same past from different viewpoints.
Correct options with explanations, the corrected wrong pair, reasons explaining regional history and the importance of Bakhars, detailed answers on Marxist history and V. K. Rajwade, completed charts, short notes on three schools of historiography, an illustrated project model and a final-page chapter mind map.
How did the Indian tradition of historiography develop?
In ancient India, memories of events and people were preserved through oral traditions as well as written records. Inscriptions provide evidence about rulers, administration and society. Literature and accounts by travellers also help historians study different periods. A source may describe an event directly or reveal details indirectly through the language, objects and customs it mentions.
In the medieval period, writers produced chronicles and accounts of rulers and regions. Kalhana’s Rajtarangini is associated with the history of Kashmir. Ziauddin Barani discussed the purpose of writing history. In Maharashtra, Bakhars became an important form of historical narrative. These works help us understand the past, but historians must still compare their statements with other evidence.
During British rule, colonial writers produced influential histories of India. Indian scholars later questioned interpretations that showed prejudice against Indian society. Nationalistic historians sought to study India’s achievements and collect regional sources. After independence, historical research expanded further to examine economic structures, caste, marginalised communities and women’s experiences.
Important sources and historians
Inscriptions and ancient records
An inscription is writing engraved on a durable surface such as stone or metal. Inscriptions may record an order, donation, achievement or other event. For example, an inscription associated with a ruler can help historians study administration and the ideas promoted during that ruler’s time.
Bakhars
Bakhars are historical narratives written in Marathi prose. They contain accounts of rulers, battles, dynasties and other events. Sabhasad Bakhar describes the reign of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, while Panipatachi Bakhar is associated with the Battle of Panipat.
V. K. Rajwade
Itihasacharya Vishwanath Kashinath Rajwade collected and edited original documents relating to Maratha history. He stressed that Indians should write their history using authentic sources and that history should include the wider life of society, not only rulers and wars.
Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar
Ambedkar examined caste and the experiences of oppressed communities. His work Who Were the Shudras? is associated with the study of people whose perspectives were often missing from histories centred on rulers and elites.
Different approaches to writing Indian history
Colonial historiography
Colonial history was written largely by scholars and officials connected with British rule. Writers such as James Mill and James Grant Duff produced accounts of India’s past. Their books are historical sources, but their interpretations should be examined for colonial assumptions and prejudice. A historian can use the information they collected while still questioning how they explained it.
Orientalist historiography
Orientalist scholars studied the languages, literature and civilisations of the East. Sir William Jones founded the Asiatic Society, while Friedrich Max Muller studied Sanskrit literature and translated Hitopadesh into German. Their work drew attention to Indian texts, although the viewpoint of any scholar must be examined critically.
Nationalistic historiography
Nationalistic historians challenged prejudiced colonial interpretations and sought to restore confidence in India’s past. This approach encouraged the collection of local documents and the writing of regional histories. For example, researching letters and records preserved in Maharashtra could provide a fuller account of Maratha history than one based only on a colonial writer’s description.
Marxist historiography
Marxist historians examine the economic foundations of society. They study production, ownership of resources, relations between groups and the effects of economic inequality. Rather than describing only the actions of rulers, this approach also asks how farmers, workers and other communities lived and how material conditions changed.
Subaltern and feminist historiography
Subaltern history studies people in the bottommost or marginalised ranks of society, including groups whose actions received little attention in official histories. It may use oral memories and folklore alongside documents. Feminist historiography examines women’s experiences and contributions and asks whether older accounts overlooked their role. Both approaches help broaden the historical picture.
How to prepare the textbook exercise
Begin with the two correct-option questions. Remember that Alexander Cunningham was the first Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India and Friedrich Max Muller translated Hitopadesh into German. For the wrong-pair question, connect V. D. Savarkar’s The Indian War of Independence 1857 with nationalistic historiography, not Marxist history.
For the question asking why regional history gained momentum, explain how Indian scholars challenged colonial accounts and began collecting sources from their own regions. For the question on Bakhars, first define them, then describe the information they preserve, give an example and mention why their accounts must be checked against other sources.
The detailed answers on Marxist history and V. K. Rajwade require more than definitions. Organise each answer into distinct points. In the Rajwade answer, remember his collection of original documents, his view of history as a picture of society and his contribution to historical research. The completed charts in the PDF help you revise historians, books and historical works together.
Illustrated project and chapter mind map
The PDF includes a model project on Indian historians. It introduces figures such as Kalhana, Barani, William Jones, Max Muller, Rajwade, D. D. Kosambi, Ambedkar, Tarabai Shinde, Pandita Ramabai and Ranjit Guha. You can add pictures and place each person’s major work and contribution beside it.
The final-page mind map brings the ancient and medieval traditions together with colonial, Orientalist, nationalistic, Marxist, subaltern and feminist approaches. Use it for quick revision after reading the complete answers.
Frequently asked questions
These questions address common student doubts about the chapter. The examples make the terms easier to understand; consult the solutions PDF for full textbook answers.
What is a Bakhar in Class 10 History?
A Bakhar is a historical narrative written in Marathi prose. Bakhars describe rulers, battles, dynasties and other events. For example, Sabhasad Bakhar gives an account of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s reign.
Why is a Bakhar an important historical document?
It preserves information about political events and aspects of regional society that help historians study the past. For example, a Bakhar about a battle may name people and describe decisions made during it. Because a writer may exaggerate or favour one side, historians compare its account with other contemporary evidence.
What are some types of Bakhars?
Bakhars may take the form of a ruler’s biography, a dynastic history, an account of an event, an autobiography or an account of administration. Sabhasad Bakhar concerns Shivaji Maharaj’s reign, while Bhausahebanchi Bakhar and Panipatachi Bakhar describe the Battle of Panipat.
Why did writing regional history receive momentum?
Indian scholars began questioning prejudiced colonial histories and collecting sources from their own regions. This encouraged research into local rulers, institutions, culture and society. In Maharashtra, Rajwade’s collection of original documents helped support the study of Maratha history.
What did V. K. Rajwade contribute to historiography?
Rajwade collected, examined and edited original documents, including twenty-two volumes of Marathyanchya Itihasachi Sadhane. He argued for history based on authentic sources and saw it as a broad account of past society. He also founded the Bharat Itihas Sanshodhak Mandal in Pune.
What is the difference between colonial and nationalistic historiography?
Colonial historiography was written largely from the viewpoint of British rule and could contain prejudice against Indian society. Nationalistic historiography challenged such interpretations and highlighted India’s history from an Indian perspective. Historians should examine evidence critically in works from both approaches.
What is Orientalist historiography?
It is an approach associated with scholars who studied Eastern languages, literature and civilisations. William Jones and Max Muller are examples in this chapter. Their research drew attention to Indian texts, but their interpretations, like all historical interpretations, should be read critically.
What is Marxist history?
Marxist history examines the past through economic conditions, production, ownership and relationships between social classes. For example, a historian could study who owned agricultural land, who worked on it and how those relationships affected people’s lives.
What does subaltern history mean?
Subaltern history studies people at the bottommost or marginalised levels of society whose experiences were often left out of official accounts. For example, an account of a movement can examine what peasants and workers did, not only what prominent leaders said.
What is the difference between subaltern and feminist historiography?
Subaltern historiography focuses on marginalised social groups, while feminist historiography examines the past from women’s perspectives and questions their exclusion from older histories. Their subjects can overlap: a study of women agricultural workers, for example, can ask questions relevant to both approaches.
Who were Alexander Cunningham and Friedrich Max Muller?
Alexander Cunningham was the first Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India. Friedrich Max Muller was an Orientalist scholar who studied Sanskrit texts and translated Hitopadesh into German. Both names appear in the chapter’s correct-option questions.
Download
