BHIE 144 Question Paper December 2025 is the sharpest practice set for Traditions of History Writing in India. It shows how IGNOU frames Buddhist biographies, inscriptions as sources, Bakhar narratives and Nationalist historiography. If your Term-End Exam is in 2026, this is where to begin.
About IGNOU BHIE-144 Traditions of History Writing in India
BHIE-144 is the historiography course offered in the IGNOU B.A. Honours History (BAHIH) and B.A. General (BAG) programmes. Rather than teaching events, it asks how Indians across the ages recorded and made sense of their past, and how historians read those records today.
The course moves through the historical sense embedded in early Indian texts and inscriptions, the views of the past in Buddhist biographies, the praise-poetry of Prashastis, the Mahabharata and Sangam literature as sources, and on into medieval Persian chronicles and Maratha Bakhar narratives. It closes with the colonial compilers and the Nationalist school that answered them.
This page was prepared by Prateek Talwar and reviewed by the Unnati Educations academic team with history and historiography content reviewers. It is anchored to the IGNOU Term-End Examination, December 2025. Last updated June 2026.
What is the BHIE-144 December 2025 Question Paper?
The BHIE 144 December 2025 question paper is the official IGNOU Term-End Examination paper for Traditions of History Writing in India. It is bilingual in English and Hindi, set for 100 marks across 3 hours, split into two Sections.
The paper holds eight questions, four in each Section. You answer any five, with at least two from each Section, and every question carries 20 marks. The sweep runs from how early Indian contexts shaped history writing and what inscriptions reveal, through Buddhist biographies and Sangam literature, to Bakhar narratives, Firishta and Nationalist historiography.
BHIE-144 Question Paper December 2025 Exam Pattern and Marks
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Medium | Bilingual, English and Hindi |
| Duration | 3 hours |
| Total marks | 100 |
| Total questions in the paper | 8, across Section I and Section II |
| Questions to attempt | Any five, with at least two from each Section |
| Marks per question | 20 each, all questions carry equal marks |
| Word guidance | About 400 words per main answer and about 200 words per short note |
| Question type | Long descriptive essays plus short-note clusters worth 10+10 |
| Language of answers | English or Hindi |
All Questions in the BHIE-144 December 2025 Paper
ENGLISH VERSION
BHIE-144 : TRADITIONS OF HISTORY WRITING IN INDIA
Time : 3 Hours Maximum Marks : 100
Note : Attempt any five questions in about 400 words each. Attempt at least two questions from each Section. All questions carry equal marks.
Section—I
How did social, political and economic contexts shape the tradition of history writing in early India ? 20
How are the views of the past reflected in Buddhist biographies ? Discuss. 20
What does the change in the language of inscriptions tell us about historical change in ancient India ? 20
Write short notes on any two of the following in about 200 words each : 10+10
(a) Mahabharata
(b) Prashastis
(c) Paumacariyam
(d) Historical consciousness in Sangam Literature
Section—II
Critically examine the historical importance of Bhakti hagiographies. 20
What can we understand of medieval and early modern Maratha polity from Bakhar narratives ? 20
Evaluate the significance of Firishta's history writing. 20
Write short notes on any two of the following in about 200 words each : 10+10
(a) Elliot and Dowson
(b) Main aspects of Nationalist historiography
(c) Fa-Hien
(d) Chachnama
HINDI VERSION
बी.एच.आई.ई.-144 : भारत में इतिहास लेखन की परंपराएँ
समय : 3 घण्टे अधिकतम अंक : 100
नोट : किन्हीं पाँच प्रश्नों के उत्तर लगभग 400 शब्दों (प्रत्येक) में दीजिए। प्रत्येक भाग से कम-से-कम दो प्रश्न अवश्य कीजिए। सभी प्रश्नों के अंक समान हैं।
भाग—I
प्रारम्भिक भारत में सामाजिक, राजनीतिक एवं आर्थिक संदर्भों ने इतिहास लेखन को किस प्रकार आकार दिया ? 20
बौद्ध जीवनियों में अतीत-संबंधी विचार किस प्रकार परिलक्षित होते हैं ? चर्चा कीजिए। 20
अभिलेखों की भाषा में परिवर्तन हमें प्राचीन भारत में ऐतिहासिक परिवर्तन के बारे में क्या बताता है ? 20
निम्नलिखित में से किन्हीं दो पर लगभग 200 शब्दों (प्रत्येक) में संक्षिप्त लेख लिखिए : 10+10
(क) महाभारत
(ख) प्रशस्तियाँ
(ग) पौमचरियम्
(घ) संगम साहित्य में ऐतिहासिक चेतना
भाग—II
भक्ति संत-जीवनियों के ऐतिहासिक महत्व का आलोचनात्मक परीक्षण कीजिए। 20
बखर आख्यानों से हम मध्यकालीन और प्रारम्भिक आधुनिक मराठा राजव्यवस्था के बारे में क्या समझ सकते हैं ? 20
फरिश्ता के इतिहास-लेखन के महत्व का मूल्यांकन कीजिए। 20
निम्नलिखित में से किन्हीं दो पर लगभग 200 शब्दों (प्रत्येक) में संक्षिप्त लेख लिखिए : 10+10
(क) इलियट तथा डाउसन
(ख) राष्ट्रवादी इतिहास-लेखन के मुख्य पहलू
(ग) फाह्यान
(घ) चचनामा
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