The University of Delhi has dropped a specialised paper on the Delhi Sultanate from the newly notified postgraduate History syllabus, according to a report. The paper, titled "The Delhi Sultanate: Structures of Authority in Medieval North India (13th-14th Centuries)," was taught in Semester III.
The course focused on the formation of the medieval state, structures of political authority, and the ways power was exercised in medieval North India. It also examined political, religious, and cultural developments during the 13th and 14th centuries.
The paper had been taught as an important core Medieval India course for several decades. Its removal has drawn attention because of its specialised focus on a major period in Indian history.
The Delhi Sultanate paper offered at the postgraduate level was a specialised thematic and historical study of Medieval India. A History professor cited in the report said it should not be compared with the Delhi Sultanate-related paper offered at the undergraduate level.
The undergraduate course is broader and works as a survey of Indian history, while the postgraduate paper examined the period through a more focused historical and thematic approach.
A similar distinction was made for the postgraduate paper "History of North India, c. 1400-1550," which has also been omitted from the Semester III syllabus.
The changes extend beyond medieval history. Other papers missing from the final Semester III 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."
DU's History Department had proposed 38 Discipline Specific Elective (DSE) papers, but only 16 were included in the final notified Semester III syllabus. This leaves 22 proposed DSE papers outside the final notification.
The university syllabus document confirms that the revised postgraduate programme is based on PGCF 2024 under NEP 2020 and is effective from July 2026.
Several proposed courses also remain listed in university records as "Under Discussion" or "Undiscussed". The final syllabus notification was issued on August 7.