India was a thorough 'melting-pot' long before the term was invented for America. In spite of attacks, Hellenic, Muslim, and European among others, Hindu culture has maintained its tradition unbroken to the present day. The spiritual life of the Hindus at the present time has not precisely the same proportion or orientation as that of either the Indus people or the Vedic Aryans or even the great teachers, Sankara and Ramanuja. Its changes in emphasis reflect individual temperaments, social conditions, and the changing intellectual environment, but the same persistent idea reappears in different forms. Hinduism grows in the proper sense of the word, not by accretion, but like an organism, undergoing from time to time transformation as a whole. It has carried within it much of its early possessions. It has cast aside a good deal and often it has found treasures which it has made its own. The history of Hinduism is chequered by tragic failures and wonderful victories, by opportunities missed and taken. New truth has been denied and persecuted occasionally. The unity of its body, realized at the cost of centuries of effort and labour, now and then came near being shattered by self-seeking and ignorance. Yet the religion itself is not destroyed. It is alive and vigorous and has withstood attacks from within and without. It seems to be possessed of unlimited powers of renewal. Its historic vitality, the abounding energy which it reveals, would alone be evidence of its spiritual genius.

1. Why was India seen as a melting-pot like America

2. Which elements are seen not as part of Hindu tradition

3. How would you explain change in the continuity of religious tradition

4. Why is Hinduism seen growing like organism

5. What is reflected in the changes seen in Hinduism over centuries of its history

6. Discuss the significance of fire pits discovered at the Harappan sites.

7. What do you know of Makkhali Gosala

8. Describe the basic features of Asokan Pillars.

9. Discuss the significance of the Devaputra title of the Kushanas.

10. Write a note on the Sarvastivada School of Buddhism.

11. Describe the types of Durga (fort) as mentioned in ancient Indian works on polity.

12. Account for the popularity of the Panchatantra.

13. Discuss the role of Sanskrit in the culture of South-East Asia.

14. Comment on the Vesara style of temple architecture.

15. Explain the musical term Khyal.

16. What do you mean by Jama'at Khana and Khanqahs.

17. Explain Pustimarg.

18. Bring out the contribution of Jyotiba Phule to the upliftment of down trodden in Maharashtra.

19. Write a note on the Gandhian idea of 'Satyagraha'.

20. What do you understand by generalization in writing history

21. Throw light on 'Phallus Worship' in early India.

22. Explain the concept of 'henotheism' in early Vedic religion.

23. Give an outline of the Jain-Agama literature.

24. What is the significance of the Second Buddhist Council

25. Discuss the idea of Karma-yoga in the Gita.

21. Comment on the sculptural art of the Indus Valley Civilization.

22. Describe the salient features of the Great Stupa of Sanchi.

23. How was Gautama Buddha represented in Sunga art

24. Give an account of the Rathas of Mamallapuram.

25. Describe the iconographic features of Jain Tirthankaras.

21. Explain the term 'Varnasrama-dharma'.

22. Compare the social philosophy of Buddhism and Jainism.

23. Trace the development of diplomatic relations of the Mauryas.

24. Give a brief account of the salient features of the local self government of the Cholas. How could it co-exist with their centralised administration

25. Discuss the economic significance of the Gupta gold coins.

21. Discuss the contributions of South Indian Acharyas to Indian Philosophy and religion.

22. Describe the new techniques and features introduced by the Turks in the field of architecture.

23. What were the features common to the different Bhakti movements of medieval period

24. What light do the accounts of foreign travellers throw on the cultural achievements of the Vijayanagar State

25. Discuss the contributions of Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya in the growth of Chishti Silsilah.

21. Bring out the contrast between the policies of Warren Hastings and Lord Dalhousie.

22. Raja Rammohun Roy's reform ideas represent a break with the tradition, but it was incomplete. Elaborate.

23. Bring out the contribution of Sayyid Ahmed Khan to the modernisation of Indian mind.

24. What was the 11 point program of Gandhi put forward during the Civil Disobedience Movement

25. What precautions one has to take in writing objective history of India using classical texts

26. Discuss the nature of 'Avataravada' in various sects of Hinduism.

27. Make a comparison of the accounts of Fahien and HieunTsang regarding the Indian society.

28. Describe the basic elements of Indian iconography.

29. Discuss the structure of rural society in Mughal India with special reference to peasant stratification.

30. Write an essay on various perspectives on Indian National Movement. Illustrate.