cbse class 12 history syllabus

CBSE Class 12 History Syllabus 2025 PDF Download, Topics, Maps, Project Work

Latest: CBSE Syllabus 2025 is available for all subjects.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had released the CBSE Class 12 History Syllabus 2025 on its official website. The CBSE 12th class history syllabus 2025 consists of all the topics along with the projects that have to be covered by the candidates.

The CBSE 12th syllabus 2025 PDF for History is made available online on cbseacademic.nic.in. Candidates can download the CBSE class 12 history syllabus 2025 and get a better understanding of the topics. Given below are a few important details regarding the CBSE 12th history syllabus 2025.

Links to Download CBSE 12th History Syllabus 2025 

Given below is a table consisting of the important link for the CBSE syllabus 2025 class 12 history.

How to Download CBSE Class 12 History Syllabus 2025

Candidates must ensure they follow the appropriate steps to download the CBSE 12th history syllabus 2025. They should cover the topics before the CBSE exam date Class 12 2025. Given below are a few steps that will assist candidates in downloading the CBSE 12th history syllabus 2025.

  • Candidates must go to the CBSE’s official website, cbseacademic.nic.in.
  • They are required to click on the “Download CBSE Class 12th Syllabus” link.
  • After they have clicked on the syllabus link, they will be redirected to another page.
  • The CBSE class 12th history syllabus, pages 2025, will be made available in PDF form.
  • Candidates can download the CBSE class 12 history syllabus 2025 for future purposes.

Sectional Breakdown CBSE Class 12th History Syllabus 2025

The CBSE class 12 history syllabus 2025 is divided into three parts. The syllabus consists of three themes in Indian history. The first three parts are subparts of Indian history.

Each theme consists of 25 marks. Also, five marks are included for mapwork, for a total of 20 marks for the CBSE 12th history syllabus 2025. Given below is a detailed theme-by-theme explanation of the CBSE 12th history syllabus 2025.

ThemesPeriodsMarks
Themes In Indian History Part-I
Theme 1 Bricks, Beads and Bones1525
Theme 2 Kings, Farmers and Towns15
Theme 3 Kingship, Caste and Class15
Theme 4 Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings15
Themes In Indian History Part-II
Theme 5 Through the Eyes of Travellers1525
Theme 6 Bhakti –Sufi Traditions15
Theme 7 An Imperial Capital: Vijayanagar15
Theme 8 – Peasants, Zamindars and the State15
Themes In Indian History Part-III
Theme 10 Colonialism and The Countryside1525
Theme 11 Rebels and the Raj15
Theme 13 Mahatma Gandhi and the Nationalist Movement15
Theme 15 Framing of the Constitution15
Map work155
Project Work2520
Grand Total220100
CBSE Class 12 History Syllabus 2025

Themes in Indian History Part-1

Given below are a few important themes that are a part of the CBSE class 12 history syllabus 2025.

BRICKS, BEADS, AND BONES The Harappan Civilization:

  • Detailed Overview: Early Urban Centers
  • Story of Discovery: Harappan Civilization
  • Excerpt: Archaeological reports based on a major site
  • Discussion: Explanation of its utility by historians

KINGS, FARMERS, AND TOWNS: Early States and Economies (c. 600 BCE-600 CE)

  • Detailed Overview: Political & Economic History of Sub-Continent.
  • Story of Discovery: Inscriptions and the Inscriptions and the Decipherment of the script. Shifts in the Understanding of political and economic processes.
  •  Excerpt: Ashokan inscription and Gupta period land grant 
  • Discussion: Use of Archaeological Evidence Videos

KINGSHIP, CASTE, AND CLASS Early Society Societies (C. 600 BCE-600 CE)

  • Detailed overview: To Familiarize the learners with issues in social history
  • Story of discovery: To appraise the condition of women during Mahabharata age.
  • Excerpt: Debate & Group discussion condition of women during Mahabharata age.
  • Discussion: To examine, analyse the issues of social history

THINKERS, BELIEFS AND BUILDINGS Cultural Developments (c. 600 BCE – 600 CE)

 Detailed overview: A History of Buddhism: Sanchi Stupa

  • Discuss the major religious developments in early India
  • Introduce strategies of visual analysis and their use in reconstructing the theories of religion.
  • Reconstructing the Mauryan administration with help of Arthasastra Indica and other sources
  • Elucidate the rich religious sculpture and infer the stories hidden in it.
  • To create a picture album of the Buddhist sculpture

Themes in Indian History Part-2

Given below are a few important details regarding the themes in Indian history, part two.

THROUGH THE EYES OF TRAVELLERS Perceptions of Society (c. tenth to the seventeenth century)

  • Discuss how traveller’s accounts can be used as sources of social history.
  • Narration of the writings of all the travellers.
  • Compare and contrast the perspectives of Al Biruni, Ibn Battuta and Bernier towards Indian society.
  • Think Pair and share the features of social history as narrated by travellers.

BHAKTI –SUFI TRADITIONS: Changes in Religious Beliefs and Devotional Texts (c. eighth to eighteenth centuries)

  • Detailed overview: Summarize the philosophies of different Bhakti and Sufi saints to understand the religious developments during medieval period.
  • Story of Transmission: Discuss ways of analysing devotional literature as sources of history.
  • Use chronological order to track the developments.
  • Comprehend the religious movement in order to establish unity, peace harmony and brotherhood in Society.

AN IMPERIAL CAPITAL: VIJAYANAGARA (c. fourteenth to sixteenth centuries)

  • Detailed overview: New Architecture: Hampi Classify the distinctive architectural contributions of the Vijayanagar empire to comprehend the richness of mingled cultures of deccan.
  • To learn about the nature, characteristics and significance of archaeological artefacts, historical monuments which could be of political, social, or religious
  •  Story of Discovery: Account of how Hampi was found. 
  • Excerpt: To examine the ‘excerpts or the sources more closely and discuss the ways in which architecture can be analysed to reconstruct history.
  • Discussion:
  • Graphic organisers to make comparison of the study reports.

PEASANTS, ZAMINDARS AND THE STATE: Agrarian Society and the Mughal Empire (c. sixteenth-seventeenth centuries)

  • Detailed overview: Elaborate the agrarian changes occurred during sixteenth and seventeenth centuries
  • Story of Discovery: Explain the changes and differences in the agrarian sectors.
  • Excerpt: Debate on the differences in the sector and arrive on the impact.
  •  Discussion: Compare and contrast the agrarian changes occurred during sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Themes in Indian History Part 3

Given below is a detailed explanation of the CBSE class 12th history syllabus 2025 in Indian history. 

COLONIALISM AND THE COUNTRYSIDE: Exploring Official Archives

  • Colonialism and Rural Society: Discuss how colonialism affected zamindars, peasants and artisans
  • Santhals and Paharias Story of official records: list the problems for understanding the lives of the people.
  •  Excerpts: Classify the records and reports.
  •  Discussion: Analyse the colonial official records& reports to understand the divergent interest of British and Indians.

REBELS AND THE RAJ: 1857 Revolt and its Representations

  • Detailed overview: Discuss how the events of 1857 are being interpreted.
  • Focus: Lucknow. Movie or video watching on events of 1857 followed by discussion
  • Excerpts: Correlate the Planning and coordination of the rebels of 1857 to infer its domains and nature.
  • Discussion: Interpret visual images to understand the emotions portrayed by the nationalist and British

MAHATMA GANDHI AND THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT: Civil Disobedience and Beyond

  •   Detailed overview: To acquaint the learner with significant elements of the Nationalist movement and the nature of Gandhian leadership.
  • Focus:
  • Examine how historians need to read and interpret newspapers diaries and letters as a historical source
  • Excerpts:
  • Doing a Project on historical source such as newspapers, biographies and autobiographies diaries and letters.
  • Discussion: Explore the ways of interpreting historical source such as newspapers, biographies and autobiographies diaries and letters.

FRAMING THE CONSTITUTION: The Beginning of a New Era 

  • Broad overview: Discuss how the founding ideals of the new nation state were debated and formulated.
  •  Focus: Mock session of the assembly to debate and discuss the ideals.
  •  Excerpts: Understand how such debates and discussions can be read by historians.
  • Discussion: Highlight the role of Constituent Assembly to understand functionaries in framing the constitution of India.

Class 12th History Syllabus 2025: List of Maps 

The class 12th history syllabus 2025 section will consist of maps. The maps will have five marks. Given below is a table consisting of a detailed explanation of the list of maps required for the exam.

Books

Page number Details

Map work

Book 1

 

Page 2

Mature Harappan sites: Harappa, Banawali, Kalibangan, Balakot, Rakhigarhi, Dholavira, Nageshwar, Lothal, Mohenjodaro, Chanhudaro, KotDiji.

Page 3

Mahajanapada and cities: Vajji, Magadha, Kosala, Kuru, Panchala, Gandhara, Avanti, Rajgir, Ujjain, Taxila, Varanasi.

 

 

Page 33

Distribution of Ashokan inscriptions: Kushanas, Shakas, Satavahanas, Vakatakas,Guptas

  • Pillar inscriptions -Sanchi, Topra, Meerut Pillar and Kaushambi.
  • Kingdom of Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas.

Page 43

Important kingdoms and towns:

  • Kushanas, Shakas, Satavahanas, Vakatakas,Guptas.
  • Cities/towns: Mathura, Kanauj, Puhar, Braghukachchha, Shravasti, Rajgir, Vaishali, Varanasi,Vidisha

Page 95

Major Buddhist Sites:

  • Nagarjunakonda, Sanchi, Amaravati, Lumbini, Nasik, Bharhut, BodhGaya, Shravasti, Ajanta.

Book 2 

 

Page 174

Bidar, Golconda, Bijapur, Vijayanagar, Chandragiri, Kanchipuram, Mysore, Thanjavur, Kolar, Tirunelveli, Quilon

Page 214

Territories under Babur, Akbar and Aurangzeb: Delhi, Agra, Panipat, Amber, Ajmer, Lahore, Goa.

Book 3

Page 287

Territories/cities under British Control in 1857: Punjab, Sindh, Bombay, Madras, Berar, Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, Surat, Calcutta, Patna, Allahabad.

 

 

Page 260

Main centres of the Revolt of 1857:

  • Delhi, Meerut, Jhansi, Lucknow, Kanpur, Azamgarh, Calcutta, Benaras, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Agra, Avadh.

 

Important centres of the National Movement:

  • Champaran, Kheda, Ahmedabad, Benaras, Amritsar, Chauri Chaura, Lahore, Bardoli, Dandi, Bombay (Quit India Resolution), Karachi.

CBSE Class 12th History Syllabus 2025: Project Work 

The CBSE class 12 history syllabus for 2025 consists of a detailed explanation of the project work and what has to be done by the candidates. Candidates must ensure they go through the syllabus, as the project work section consists of 20 marks. Given below are a few important topics regarding the CBSE 12th grade history syllabus 2025 project.

  • The Indus Valley Civilization-Archeological Excavations and New Perspectives 
  • The History and Legacy of Mauryan Empire
  •  “Mahabharat”- The Great Epic of India
  •  The History and Culture of the Vedic period
  • Buddha Charita 
  •  A Comprehensive History of Jainism 
  •  Bhakti Movement- Multiple interpretations and commentaries.
  •   “The Mystical Dimensions of Sufism 
  • Global legacy of Gandhian ideas
  •   The Architectural Culture of the Vijayanagar Empire
  • Comparative Analysis of the Land Revenue Systems introduced by the Britishers in India 
  •  The Revolt of 1857- Causes; Planning & Coordination; Leadership, Vision of Unity
  •  The Philosophy of Guru Nanak Dev 
  • The Vision of Kabir 
  • An insight into the Indian Constitution
  • Comparative study of Stupas and Pillar edicts
  • Comparative study of Mughal and Vijayanagar architecture

Prescribed Books

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FAQs Related to CBSE Class 12th History Syllabus 2025

  1. Where will the CBSE 12th history syllabus for 2025 be released?

    The CBSE class 12 history syllabus 2025 is available on the CBSE board’s official website, cbseacademic.nic.in.

  2. How many marks does the project’s work consist of?

    The project work section of the CBSE 12th history syllabus 2025 comprises 20 marks.