It is pleasures to present our readers-university students, candidates preparing for the I.A.S. and various states civil services examination. The syllabus of history is very vast. So it is tough to posses a general but accurate knowledge of Indian history without going through a large number of texts and journals dealing with the subject. This book not only serves the needs of I.A.S. aspirants but also of general students as a basic book who require a through grasp of essential facts before appearing in any competitive examinations. I also kept in view the requirements of the growing number of candidates for competitive examination in which questions from Ancient History are asked. I make this book useful not only to IAS aspirants but also to general students and candidates for competitive examinations.   The revised edition of this book I hope is going to achieve a wide popularity among the “cream of our society”. The civil servants of our country were called the cream of our society by Pandit Nehru and while presenting this book, I have keep in mind the high expectation of this talented lot.   History is not a mere collection of facts. Though the facts are as important to history as the bones are of human body. However, more crucial is their interpretations and analysis. So, it is most important to gain conceptual clarity, acquired through development of a proper perspective and understanding of under lying process