The University of Delhi has removed the Delhi Sultanate paper from its newly notified postgraduate History syllabus, according to a report. The course, titled “The Delhi Sultanate: Structures of Authority
in Medieval North India (13th–14th Centuries),” was previously offered in Semester III, reported NDTV.
The paper provided an in-depth study of the emergence of the medieval state, systems of political authority, and the exercise of power in medieval North India. It also explored the political, religious and cultural developments that shaped the region during the 13th and 14th centuries. Its removal has attracted attention given its specialised examination of a significant period in Indian history.
A History professor stressed that the postgraduate paper should not be equated with the Delhi Sultanate-related course taught at the undergraduate level. While the undergraduate paper provides a broader survey of Indian history, the postgraduate course approached the Delhi Sultanate through a more specialised historical and thematic framework.
History of North India from 1400-1450 Left Out
Another postgraduate course, “History of North India, c. 1400–1550,” has also been left out of the revised Semester III syllabus. The omissions are not limited to medieval history.
Other proposed courses absent from the final syllabus include “Gender and Women in Early India: 1500 BCE to 1000 CE,” “Political Processes and Structure of Polities in Ancient India,” and “Religion and Society in Ancient Indian Literature.”
The department had initially proposed 38 Discipline Specific Elective (DSE) papers for the programme. However, only 16 have been included in the final Semester III notification, leaving 22 proposed DSE courses outside the notified syllabus.
University records also show that several of the proposed courses continue to be marked as “Under Discussion” or “Undiscussed.” The revised postgraduate programme has been prepared under the Postgraduate Curriculum Framework (PGCF) 2024 in accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and is applicable from July 2026.
