How to do map work (and score all 5 marks)
The map question gives you an outline map. It has no names. You must mark a place with a dot or a sign and write its name next to it. Some parts ask you to identify places already marked with letters (A, B, C).
- Use an anchor. Anchor means a thing you already know, like a river or a coast. Delhi sits on the Yamuna. Kolkata sits near the mouth of the Hooghly.
- Use neighbours. Agra is south of Delhi. Fatehpur Sikri is just west of Agra.
- Group by age. Learn one theme at a time, just like the 3D steps.
- Write neatly. Small dot, clear name, and add the sign the question asks for.
Note: the board gives visually impaired students written questions instead. Use only the official list of map items for your year.
Harappan sites
The Harappan (Indus Valley) cities grew about 4,500 years ago. Most of them lie on the Indus and its branches, on the dry bed of the Ghaggar-Hakra, and along the Gujarat coast.
| Site | Where to look | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Harappa | On the Ravi, in west Punjab | First site dug; the culture is named after it |
| Mohenjodaro | On the Indus, in Sindh | Great Bath, planned streets and drains |
| Kalibangan | On the Ghaggar, north Rajasthan | Ploughed field, fire altars |
| Banawali, Rakhigarhi | Haryana | Rakhigarhi is one of the largest sites |
| Lothal | Near the Gulf of Khambhat, Gujarat | Dockyard-like tank, bead making |
| Dholavira | Island in the Rann of Kachchh | Water tanks, big sign board |
| Chanhudaro, Balakot, Nageshwar | Sindh, Makran coast, Kachchh | Craft centres: beads and shell work |
| Shortughai | Far north, in the Oxus area | Trade post for lapis lazuli |
Mahajanapadas and their capitals
A mahajanapada means a 'great state'. About 2,600 years ago there were 16 of them. Buddhist and Jaina books list them. Most lay in the Ganga valley.
| Mahajanapada | Capital |
|---|---|
| Magadha | Rajagaha (Rajgir), later Pataliputra |
| Kosala | Shravasti |
| Vajji | Vaishali |
| Kashi | Varanasi |
| Anga | Champa |
| Malla | Kusinara |
| Vatsa | Kaushambi |
| Chedi | Suktimati |
| Avanti | Ujjayini |
| Kuru | Indraprastha |
| Panchala | Ahichchhatra |
| Matsya | Viratanagara |
| Shurasena | Mathura |
| Assaka | Potana (on the Godavari, the only one in the south) |
| Gandhara | Taxila |
| Kamboja | Rajapura |
Vajji and Malla were ganas (ruled by a group), not kings.
Ashokan inscriptions
Emperor Ashoka (about 268–232 BCE) had his messages about dhamma cut on rocks and pillars. Most are in Prakrit in the Brahmi script; in the north-west they use Kharosthi, and at Kandahar Greek and Aramaic.
Major rock edicts
Girnar (Gujarat), Kalsi (Uttarakhand), Sopara (near Mumbai), Dhauli and Jaugada (Odisha, near Kalinga), Shahbazgarhi and Mansehra (north-west), Yerragudi (Andhra), Kandahar (far west). They sit near the edges of the empire, on trade roads.
Pillar edicts
Topra and Meerut (both later moved to Delhi), Kaushambi (now at Allahabad), Lauriya Nandangarh, Rampurva, Sarnath, Sanchi, Lumbini (Rummindei). These stand in the Ganga plain, the heart of the empire.
Minor rock edicts
Maski, Brahmagiri (Karnataka), Rupnath, Bairat, Sasaram, Gujarra. The Maski edict names the king as 'Ashoka'.
Buddhist sites
Four places of the Buddha's life
- Lumbini: where he was born.
- Bodh Gaya: where he gained enlightenment (a deep understanding).
- Sarnath: where he gave his first sermon (talk).
- Kusinagara: where he died.
Other important sites
Stupas (dome-shaped mounds holding relics) at Sanchi, Bharhut, Amaravati and Nagarjunakonda. Rock-cut caves at Ajanta, Nasik and Karle. Towns he visited: Shravasti, Vaishali, Rajagaha. Taxila in the north-west was a centre of learning.
Deccan and Mughal places
Deccan
Vijayanagara (Hampi) stood on the Tungabhadra from 1336. To its north lay the Bahmani kingdom (Gulbarga, then Bidar). It later broke into the Deccan Sultanates: Bijapur, Golconda, Ahmadnagar, Bidar and Berar. They defeated Vijayanagara at Talikota (Rakshasi-Tangadi) in 1565.
Mughal places
- Capitals: Agra, Fatehpur Sikri (built by Akbar), Delhi (Shahjahanabad), Lahore.
- Battle: Panipat (1526), which began Mughal rule.
- Other cities: Ajmer (Sufi shrine), Burhanpur (gate to the Deccan), Ahmedabad and Surat (trade and port), Patna, Dhaka (Bengal), Kabul.
Centres of 1857 and the national movement
Revolt of 1857
It began at Meerut on 10 May 1857. Soldiers marched to Delhi and declared Bahadur Shah Zafar their leader. Other big centres: Lucknow and Faizabad (Awadh), Kanpur (Nana Sahib), Jhansi and Gwalior (Rani Lakshmibai), Bareilly, Allahabad, Banaras, Arrah (Kunwar Singh). An earlier unrest was at Barrackpore near Calcutta.
National movement
| Place | Year | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Champaran | 1917 | Gandhiji's satyagraha for indigo farmers |
| Kheda, Ahmedabad | 1918 | Peasants' tax relief; mill workers' strike |
| Amritsar | 1919 | Jallianwala Bagh massacre |
| Chauri Chaura | 1922 | Violence; Non-Cooperation called off |
| Bardoli | 1928 | No-tax campaign |
| Lahore | 1929 | Congress asks for Purna Swaraj |
| Dandi | 1930 | Salt March |
| Karachi | 1931 | Resolution on Fundamental Rights |
| Bombay | 1942 | Quit India resolution |
Always mark only the places in the official CBSE list for your exam year.
Key formulas and definitions
- Harappan sites: Indus + Ghaggar-Hakra + Gujarat coast
- 16 mahajanapadas: mostly Ganga valley; Assaka is the only one south of the Vindhyas
- Rock edicts at the edges, pillar edicts in the centre (Ganga plain)
- Buddha's life: Lumbini → Bodh Gaya → Sarnath → Kusinagara
- Vijayanagara on the Tungabhadra; Sultanates to its north
- 1857: Meerut (start) → Delhi (centre); Awadh, Kanpur, Jhansi, Arrah
- National movement: Champaran 1917 → Dandi 1930 → Bombay 1942
Worked examples
1. You must mark Lothal. How do you find it on an outline map with no names?
Find the Gulf of Khambhat on the Gujarat coast (the deep cut between Saurashtra and mainland Gujarat). Lothal lies near its head, at about 22.5°N, 72°E. Put a dot there and write 'Lothal'.
2. Name the capitals of Magadha, Kosala and Avanti, and say which lies farthest west.
Magadha: Rajagaha; Kosala: Shravasti; Avanti: Ujjayini. Ujjayini (about 75.8°E) lies farthest west; Rajagaha (about 85.4°E) is farthest east.
3. A map shows a place marked A on the coast of Odisha with a rock edict. Identify it.
Odisha coast + rock edict = Dhauli (near Bhubaneswar) or Jaugada. Dhauli is the more common answer. Both were placed near Kalinga, the land Ashoka conquered.
4. Arrange in order from north to south: Vijayanagara, Ahmadnagar, Golconda, Bijapur.
Ahmadnagar (about 19°N) → Golconda (17.4°N) → Bijapur (16.8°N) → Vijayanagara (15.3°N).
5. Why is Meerut marked first among 1857 centres?
The revolt began there on 10 May 1857, when soldiers freed their jailed comrades. They then went to Delhi, about 70 km south-west. So Meerut is the start and Delhi the centre.
6. Mark three places linked to Gandhiji before 1920 and one after 1929.
Before 1920: Champaran (1917), Kheda (1918), Ahmedabad (1918). After 1929: Dandi (Salt March, 1930).
Common mistakes
- Putting Harappan sites in the Ganga valley. Most are on the Indus, the Ghaggar-Hakra and in Gujarat.
- Mixing up Sanchi (a stupa in central India) with Sarnath (first sermon, near Varanasi).
- Placing Vijayanagara north of Bijapur. Vijayanagara (Hampi) is to the south, on the Tungabhadra.
- Marking places not in the official list, or drawing borders. Mark only a dot and a clear name.