India’s Climatic Calendar – The Summer Season Temperature Conditions during this season: As the sun shifts northward towards the Tropic of Cancer after the vernal Equinox, the whole India experiences an increase in temperature. In most parts of India, temperatures recorded are between 30°-32°C. North India: April, May and June are the months of summer… Continue reading The Pre-Monsoon Season/ Summer Season (Mar – May)

When done with basic book reading and Prelims is near, many aspirants face the dilemma of how to revise entire syllabus and then remember important points from it. We understood this problem and our team worked together to compile all important topics at one place through excel sheets and Dr V compiled all important static syllabus… Continue reading Civilsdaily Listicles & Titbits | High Yield Material for Quick Prelims Revision

There are two major island groups in India The island groups of Bay of Bengal: Andaman & Nicobar Islands The island groups of Arabian Sea: Lakshadweep and Minicoy Islands The Physiographic Divisions of India | The Islands Let’s take these up one by one: Andaman & Nicobar Islands: Also called the emerald islands. Location and… Continue reading The Islands

The Indian desert is also known as the Thar Desert or the Great Indian Desert. Location and Extent: Location – To the north-west of the Aravali hills. It covers Western Rajasthan and extends to the adjacent parts of Pakistan. The Physiographic Divisions of India | The Indian Desert Geological History and Features Most of the… Continue reading The Indian Desert

Of the total coastline of India (7517 km), that of the peninsula is 6100 km between the peninsular plateau and the sea. The peninsular plateau of India is flanked by narrow coastal plains of varied width from north to south. The Physiographic Divisions of India | The Coastal Plains On the basis of the location… Continue reading The Coastal Plains

In the previous posts, we studied the Himalayan and Peninsular river systems in detail. Before we move further, let’s list the key differences between them: Key Differences between the Himalayan and Peninsular Rivers The Shifting Courses of Rivers: An interesting phenomenon observed in the case of most of the peninsular and extra-peninsular rivers is that… Continue reading Drainage System | Part 6

The Peninsular Drainage: The Peninsular drainage system is older than the Himalayan one. This is evident from the broad, largely-graded shallow valleys, and the maturity of the rivers. Evolution: Three major geological events in the distant past have shaped the present drainage systems of Peninsular India: Subsidence of the western flank of the Peninsula leading… Continue reading Drainage System | Part 5

The Ganga River System The Ganga river system is the largest in India having a number of perennial and non-perennial rivers originating in the Himalayas in the north and the Peninsula in the south, respectively. It accounts for 26.3% of the geographical area of the country and is shared by ten states. Ambala is located… Continue reading Drainage System | Part 4

The Indian Drainage System The Indian drainage system consists of a large number of small and big rivers. It is an outcome of: The evolutionary process of the three major physiographic units The nature and characteristics of precipitation. Source Classification of Drainage Systems in India: 1. On the basis of discharge of water – the… Continue reading Drainage System | Part 3

Area of interest: North India, Central India, and South India. After the decline of Harsha’s empire, a number of large states rose in North India, Deccan, and South India. 3 of the most prominent among these were – the Palas, the Pratiharas, and the Rashtrakutas. NORTH INDIA The political confusion created by the fall of… Continue reading Chapter 9 | Post-Gupta Period II (750AD – 1000AD)

Area of interest: North India, Deccan India & South India The political situation became complex with the passing away of the Guptas and the demise of the Vakataka rulers. Vassals of the Guptas became independent in the North.In the Deccan and far South too, a multiplicity of powers were witnessed. NORTH INDIA Political Background Harshavardhana… Continue reading Chapter 8 | Post-Gupta Period I (600AD – 750AD) Later Guptas, Badami Chalukyas, Pallavas, Pandyas

Areas of Interest: North India, Central India, and South India Unlike the previous period, this period saw was marked by political stability that ensured and encouraged cultural florescence. The Guptas and Vakatakas were the major powers in north and central India respectively. South however witnessed a transitionary period called the Kalabhra Interregnum. This transitionary period… Continue reading Chapter 7 | Gupta Period (300AD – 600AD)

Areas of Interest – North, South & East India (specifically Kalinga) The five centuries that passed between the fall of the Mauryas and the rise of the Guptas witnessed a lot of political instability and upheaval in the North of India. The South however remained fairly stable. NORTH INDIA I. Political Background As the maps… Continue reading Chapter 6 | Post Mauryan Period (200BC to 300AD)

Areas of Interest: North India NORTH INDIA I. Political Background The period from the sixth to the late fourth century BC witnessed the rise of territorial polities-mahajanapadas in North India. This culminated in the establishment of the Mauryan Empire in about 325 BC. The Mauryan Empire was a pan-Indian empire founded by Chandragupta Maurya. Ashoka… Continue reading Chapter 5 | Mauryan Period (400BC – 200BC)

Note4Students It is important to understand the transformations that occur from the Vedic to the Later Vedic period as many of them are carried forward. During this time, the class-divided society transformed into a caste-divided one, polytheistic religion into a sacrificial ritual-dominated one, the condition of women deteriorated, and simple tribal polity transformed into a… Continue reading Chapter 4 | Vedic and Later Vedic Period (1500BC – 600BC)

Note4Students This topic is not one of UPSC’s favorites. A deeper understanding is not required. You need to make a note of 2 things. 1. Understand the evolution of tool technology, memorize which technology(flint, flakes, microliths) corresponds to which age. 2. Refer to the table at the end. Memorize what started in which age. Paleolithic… Continue reading Chapter 1 | Stone Age – Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic

What is Agroforestry? Agroforestry is a sustainable management mechanism for land that: increases overall production, combines agricultural crops, tree crops, forest plants and animals simultaneously, and applies management practices that are compatible with cultural practices of the local population. It is a type of social forestry in which an individual farmer undertakes tree farming and… Continue reading Agroforestry

Cropping Pattern refers to a yearly sequence and spatial arrangement of crops and fallow in a given area Cropping pattern used on a farm and its interaction with farm resources, other farm enterprises and available technology that determines its make up, is called a cropping system. A farmer’s choice of crops is governed by several… Continue reading Part 4 | Cropping Patterns and Systems in India

Important Food Crops 1. Rice: Geographical Conditions of Growth: Rice grows best in areas of warm, humid climate; rice requires temperatures between 20°C and 35°C and a well-distributed rainfall of about 100 cm or irrigation facilities. Fertile soil. Delta and valley soils are the most suitable. Soils with higher clay content are preferred for its… Continue reading Part 2 | Important Food Crops (Rice, Wheat, Maize, Millets, Pulses and Barley) and Horticultural Crops