DU drops Delhi Sultanate paper from revised postgraduate History syllabus

Delhi University has removed a specialised Delhi Sultanate paper from the Semester III curriculum for its postgraduate History programme, in a revised syllabus effective from July 2026.

The omitted course, *The Delhi Sultanate: Structures of Authority in Medieval North India (13th-14th Centuries)*, examined the formation of the medieval state, political authority, and religious and cultural developments during the period. It had been taught for several decades as a core Medieval India paper at the postgraduate level.

The final syllabus notification, issued on August 7, is based on the Postgraduate Curriculum Framework 2024 under the National Education Policy 2020. Of 38 Discipline Specific Elective papers proposed by the History Department, 16 appear in the notified Semester III syllabus.

Other omitted courses include *History of North India, c. 1400-1550*; *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*. Some proposed papers remain marked in university records as “Under Discussion” or “Undiscussed.”