TimeLine of Indian History

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TimeLine - Overview
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1 Stone age
1.1 Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka (9000-7000 BC)
1.2 Mehrgarh Culture (7000-3300 BC)
2 Bronze age
2.1 Indus Valley Civilization (3300-1900 BC)
2.2 Vedic Era (1500-500 BC)
3 Iron age
4 Ancient India (500 BC - 550 AD)
5 Medieval India (550-1526 AD)
6 Post-Medieval Era (1526-1818)
7 Colonial Era (1818-1947)
8 Post-Partition (1947 - Present)
8.1 Republic of India
8.2 Pakistan



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TimeLine - A bit detailed
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Stone Age 70,000–3300 BCE
• Mehrgarh Culture • 7000–3300 BCE
Indus Valley Civilization 3300–1700 BCE
Late Harappan Culture 1700–1300 BCE

Iron Age 1200–1 BCE
• Maha Janapadas • 700–300 BCE
• Magadha Empire • 545 BCE - 550
• Maurya Empire • 321–184 BCE
• Chera Empire • 300 BCE–1200 CE
• Chola Empire • 300 BCE–1279 CE
• Pandyan Empire • 250 BCE–1345 CE
• Satavahana • 230 BCE–220 CE

Middle Kingdoms 1CE–1279 CE
• Kushan Empire • 60–240 CE
• Gupta Empire • 280–550
• Pala Empire • 750–1174
• Chalukya Dynasty • 543–753
• Rashtrakuta • 753–982
• Western Chalukya Empire • 973–1189
• Yadava Empire • 850–1334

Hoysala Empire 1040–1346

Kakatiya Empire 1083–1323

Islamic Sultanates 1206–1596
• Delhi Sultanate • 1206–1526
• Deccan Sultanates • 1490–1596

Ahom Kingdom 1228–1826
Vijayanagara Empire 1336–1646
Mughal Empire 1526–1858
Maratha Empire 1674–1818
Sikh Confederacy 1716–1799
Sikh Empire 1799–1849
Company rule in India 1757–1858
British Raj 1858–1947
indian government 1947–present


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TimeLine - A bit of description
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Nearly five thousand years back
India's first major civilisation flourished along the Indus River valley.
The twin cities of Mohenjodaro and Harappa now in Pakistan were ruled by priests and held the rudiments of Hinduism. These civilisations are known to possess a sophisticated lifestyle, a highly developed sense of aesthetics, an astonishing knowledge of town planning and an undecipherable script language. The Indus civilization at one point of time extended nearly a million square kilometres across the Indus river valley. It existed at the same time as the ancient civilizations of Egypt and Sumer but far outlasted them.

1700 BC
Surviving for nearly a thousand years the Indus valley civilisation fell to tectonic upheavals in about 1700 BC, which caused a series of floods.

1500 BC
The coming of the Aryans , gave the final blow to the collapsing Indus Valley civilisation. At the dawn of Vedic ages the Aryans came in from the North and spread through large parts of India bringing with them their culture and religious beliefs. The Four Vedas or the important books of Hinduism were compiled in this period.

567 B.C
The founder of the Buddhist Religion Gautama Buddha was born. During this time lived Mahavira, who founded the Jain Religion. The Indian subcontinent is full of caves and monuments devoted to these religions and are worth a visit.

4th century B.C
Emperor Ashoka, one of the greatest King of Indian history, led the Mauryan Empire to take over almost all of what is now modern India. This great leader embraced Buddhism and built the group of monuments at Sanchi (a UNESCO world heritage site). The Ashoka pillar at Sarnath has been adopted by India as its national emblem and the Dharma Chakra on the Ashoka Pillar adorns the National Flag.

Till the end of the 1100s
They were followed by the Guptas in the north, while in the south part of India several different Hindu empires, the Cholas, the Pandyas and the Cheras spread and grew, trading with Europe and other parts of Asia .

Around 52 A.D
Christianity entered India at about the same time from Europe. Legend has it that St. Thomas the Apostle arrived in India. Even earlier than that people of the Jewish religion arrived on India's shores.

7th century A.D
A group of Zoroastrians, or Parsees, landed in Gujarat and became a part of the large mix of religions in India today, each of which adds its important and distinctive flavour.

15th Century
Guru Nanak laid the foundation of the Sikh religion in Punjab.

Year 1192
Mohammed of Ghori, a ruler from Afghanistan, came into India and captured several places in the north including Delhi. When he went home he left one of his generals in charge who became the first Sultan of Delhi. During this time Islam, was introduced into a major part of Northern India. It may be mentioned that even before that, just after the period of the prophet, Islam was brought to the western coast of India by Arab traders and flourished in what is now Kerala.
The Delhi Sultanate gradually took control of more and more of North India over the next 200 years,

In 1398
Timur, who was called "Timur the Lame" or "Tamberlane" came from Turkey in to attack India. He and his army stole all the valuables that they could carry and left again, and after that the Delhi Sultanate was never so strong again. Soon the Mughals, who were from Iran, came in and took control of the north.

In 1336
In the meantime south, the Hindu Vijayanagar empire was set up and became very strong.

Early 1600s
The Europeans - Portuguese, French, Dutch, Danish and British - started arriving. All of them held territories in India and made friends and enemies among India's rulers as they got more and more involved, with the Indian politics, but it was the British who eventually controlled most of India and finally made it one of their colonies.

In 1947
India got its independence from Britain in 1947 after a long struggle led mostly by Mahatma Gandhi. In the process of becoming independent, India became, two countries instead of one. In the years since independence India has made huge progress and coped with great problems, and has developed its industry and its agriculture, and has maintained a system of government which makes it the largest democracy in the world.


ONe MOre Way of timeline (Detailed)
India has a rich historical legacy. This mystical country has seen the earliest civilizations and has preserved evidence of the same till today. Many cultures came and left behind their impact on Indian history. India was invaded many times by foreign rulers and has preserved their cultural heritage too. One finds a cultural and historical mish mash of various ethnicities and religions in India co-existing very harmoniously and beautifully. This timeline of Indian history tries to capture the vast history of India in a few pages. So check out the ancient India time line.

Ancient India Timeline

3000 BC: Beginning of the Indus Valley Civilization
2500 BC: Establishment of the cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro in the Indus Valley
2000 BC: Decline of the Indus Valley Civilization
1600 BC: India is invaded by the Aryans from the west who drive away the Dravidians
1100 BC: With the discovery of iron, Indo-Aryans start using iron tools
1000 BC: One of the earliest Holy Scripture, Rig-Veda is composed
750 BC: Indo-Aryans rule over 16 Mahajanapadas (16 Great States) in northern India, from the Indus to the Ganges
700 BC: Beginning of the caste system, with the Brahmans taking the highest class
600 BC: The Upanishads are composed in Sanskrit
543 BC: Bimbisara of Bihar conquers the Magadha region in the northeast
527 BC: Prince Siddhartha Gautama attains enlightenment and becomes the Buddha
500 BC: The ascetic prince Mahavira establishes Jainism in northern India
493 BC: Bimbisara dies and is succeeded by Ajatashatru
461 BC: Ajatashatru expands the Magadha territory and dies shortly afterwards
327 BC: Alexander the Great of Macedonia invades the Indus valley, fights the famous battle with Porus
304 BC: Magadha king Chandragupta Maurya buys the Indus valley and establishes the Maurya dynasty with Pataliputra as the capital
300 BC: Ramayana, a famous epic is composed
300 BC: Chola dynasty establishes his kingdom over southern India with capital in Thanjavur
290 BC: Chandragupta's son Bindusara, extends the empire to the Deccan region
259 BC: Mauryan emperor Ashoka converts to Buddhism and sends out Buddhist missionaries to nearby regions
220 BC: Maurya dynasty expands to almost all of India
200 BC: Mahabharata, another famous epic is composed
200 BC: Andhras occupy the east coast of India
184 BC: Maurya dynasty ends and marks the beginning of Sunga dynasty
150 BC: Patanjali writes the "Yoga Sutras"
100 BC: Bhagavata Gita is composed
78 BC: End of Sunga dynasty
50 AD: Thomas, an apostle of Jesus, visits India
50 AD: The first Buddhist stupa is constructed at Sanchi
200 AD: The Manu code puts down the rules of everyday life and divides Hindus into four major castes (Brahmins, warriors, farmers/traders, non-Aryans)
300 AD: The Pallava dynasty is established in Kanchi
350 AD: The Sangam is compiled in the Tamil language in the kingdom of Madurai and the Puranas are composed
380 AD: Two giant Buddha statues are carved Buddhist monks in the rock at Afghanistan
390 AD: Chandra Gupta II extends the Gupta kingdom to Gujarat
450 AD: Kumaragupta builds the monastic university of Nalanda
499 AD: Hindu mathematician Aryabhatta writes the "Aryabhattiyam", the first book on Algebra
500 AD: Beginning of Bhakti cult in Tamil Nadu
528 AD: Gupta Empire sees a downfall due to continuous barbaric invasions
550 AD: Chalukyan kingdom is established in central India with capital in Badami
600 AD: Pallava dynasty governs southern India from Kanchi
606 AD: Harsha Vardhana, a Buddhist king builds the kingdom of Thanesar in north India and Nepal with capital at Kannauj in the Punjab
625 AD: Pulikesin extends the Chalukyan Empire in central India
647 AD: King Harsha Vardhana is defeated by the Chalukyas at Malwa
650 AD: Pallavas of Kanchipuram are defeated by the Chalukyas
670 AD: Pallavas establish themselves at a new city at Mamallapuram
750 AD: Gurjara - Pratiharas rule the north of India and the Palas establish themselves in eastern India
753 AD: Rashtrakutas, a Chalukya dynasty, expands from the Deccan into south and central India
775 AD: Chalukyas defeat the Rashtrakutas and move the capital at Kalyani
800 AD: Many kingdoms are created in central India and in Rajastan by Rajputs
846 AD: Cholas get back their independence from the Pallavas
885 AD: Pratihara Empire reaches its peak and extends its empire from Punjab to Gujarat to Central India
888 AD: End of the Pallava dynasty
985 AD: Rajaraja Chola extends the Chola Empire to all of south India and constructs the temple of Thanjavur
997 AD: Mahmud of Ghazni raids northern India
998 AD: Mahmud of Ghazni conquers the area of Punjab
1000 AD: Chola king Rajaraja builds the Brihadeshvara Temple in Thanjavur
1019 AD: Mahmud Ghazni attacks north India and destroys Kannauj, which is the capital of the Gurjara-Pratihara Empire
1050 AD: Chola Empire conquers Srivijaya, Malaya and the Maldives
1084 AD: Mahipala raises the Palas to the peak of their power
1190 AD: Chalukya Empire is split among Hoysalas, Yadavas and Kakatiyas

Medieval India Timeline

1192 AD: Mohammad of Ghori defeats Prithvi Raj, captures Delhi and establishes a Muslim sultanate at Delhi
1206 AD: The Ghurid prince Qutub-ud-din Aibak becomes the first sultan of Delhi
1250 AD: Chola dynasty comes to an end
1290 AD: Jalal ud-Din Firuz establishes the Khilji sultanate at Delhi
1325 AD: The Turks invade and Muhammad bin Tughlaq becomes sultan of Delhi
1343 AD: The southern kingdom builds its capital at Vijayanagar (Hampi)
1345 AD: Muslim nobles revolt against Muhammad bin Tughlaq and declare their independence from the Delhi sultanate. The Bahmani kingdom is established in the Deccan.
1370 AD: Vijayanagar kingdom takes over the Muslim sultanate of Madura in Tamil Nadu
1490 AD: Guru Nanak Dev Ji establishes Sikhism and the city of Amritsar
1497 AD: Babur, a ruler of Afghan, becomes the ruler of Ferghana and establishes the Mughal dynasty in India
1530 AD: Babur dies and his son Humayun succeeds as the next Mughal emperor
1540 AD: Babur's son Humayun loses the empire to Afghan Leader Sher Shah and goes into exile in Persia
1555 AD: Mughal king Humayun comes to fight Sher Shah and regains India
1556 AD: Humayun dies and his son Akbar becomes one of the greatest rulers of India
1605 AD: Akbar dies and is succeeded by his son Jahangir
1611 AD: East India Company is established in India by the British
1617 AD: Jahangir's son, Prince Khurram receives the title of Shah Jahan
1627 AD: Shivaji establishes the Maratha kingdom
1631 AD: Shah Jahan succeeds Jahangir and builds the world famous Taj Mahal
1658 AD: Shah Jahan's son Aurangzeb seizes power
1707 AD: Aurangzeb dies, destabilizing the Mughal Empire

Modern India Timeline

1751 AD: Britain becomes the leading colonial power in India
1757 AD: British defeat Siraj-ud-daulah at the Battle of Plassey
1761 AD: Marathas rule over most of northern India
1764 AD: Britain expands to Bengal and Bihar
1769 AD: A famine kills ten million people in Bengal and the East India Company does nothing to help them
1773 AD: Warren Hastings, governor of Bengal establishes a monopoly on the sale of opium. Regulating Act passed by the British.
1793 AD: Permanent Settlement of Bengal
1799 AD: British defeat Tipu Sultan
1829 AD: Prohibition of Sati by law
1831 AD: Administration of Mysore is taken over by East India Company
1848 AD: Lord Dalhousie becomes the Governor-General of India
1853 AD: Railway, postal services & telegraph line introduced in India
1857 AD: First War of Indian Independence also known as Revolt of 1857 or Sepoy Mutiny
1858 AD: British Crown officially takes over the Indian Government
1877 AD: Queen of England is proclaimed as the Empress of India
1885 AD: First meeting of the Indian National Congress
1899 AD: Lord Curzon becomes Governor-General and Viceroy of India
1905 AD: The First Partition of Bengal takes place
1906 AD: Muslim League is formed
1912 AD: The Imperial capital shifted to Delhi from Calcutta
1919 AD: The cruel Jallianwalla Bagh massacre takes place due to protests against the Rowlatt Act
1920 AD: Non-cooperation Movement launched
1922 AD: Chauri-Chaura violence takes place due to Civil Disobedience Movement
1928 AD: Simon Commission comes to India and is boycotted by all parties
1930 AD: Salt Satyagraha is launched as an agitation against salt tax. First Round Table Conference takes place
1931 AD: Second Round Table Conference takes place and Irwin-Gandhi Pact is signed
1934 AD: Civil Disobedience Movement is called off
1942 AD: Cripps Mission is formed; Quit India Movement is launched; Indian National Army is formed.
3rd June 1947 AD: Lord Mountbatten's plan for partition of India comes into light
15th August 1947 AD: Partition of India and Independence from the British rule

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Economic History of India

Economic History of India

Indian economic history is all about the development of the economy from ancient times to the present. The economic history of India can be traced back to the time of ancient Indus Valley civilization. Humans learned how to settle at one place instead of being nomads. Due to the fertile lands, they learnt how to cultivate and do farming. Slowly they made farming tools, domesticated animals, invented the plough, etc. With the discovery of metals, tools were made out of metals like copper, bronze, tin, etc. Read here about the economic history of India in brief.

The Indus Valley Civilization had a flourishing economy with the introduction of agriculture. Very soon, they found out trade routes and developed trade links with Middle East countries. The main economic activity of people during the Vedic Age was agriculture. With time, they started to go towards urbanization and many urban centers started to develop in the north of India. This boosted economic growth and India started to have trade relations with the Roman Empire and South East Asia.

With further developments in agriculture, small industries like textile, crafts and food processing started to develop. Many other small employees and workers came into light like barbers, carpenters, doctors, goldsmiths, weavers, etc. By this time, coins came into use and were used for purchasing materials. In the villages, barter system was widely prevalent. As time went by, caste system came into existence and the profession of a person was decided by the caste in which he was born. This was much prevalent during the rule of Indian kings and princes. This formed a hierarchy in the society which became stronger by the day.

With foreign invasions like that of Turks and Mughals in India, the wealth of India was plundered time and again. Yet, India never ran out of royal riches and was known as the Golden Bird. This is what attracted foreign rulers to come and establish their kingdoms in India. The wealth was accumulated by exporting exotic items like spices, Kashmiri shawls, textile and handicrafts, muslin, etc. in exchange for gold and silver. During the medieval age, the Mughals and other emperors encouraged the growth of small scale industries like pottery and handicrafts.

The Europeans came to India in the 16th century to develop their trade prospects with India. They completely changed the face of trade and commerce in India. The Europeans were interested basically in spices, ethnic handicrafts, cotton etc. Among the various European nations, the British proved themselves to be the strongest and broke the Dutch monopoly of trade in India. The British got political control and began to exploit Indian resources and India was drained of its wealth badly. The industrial infrastructure was in a pathetic state after 200 years of British rule in India. Small scale industries suffered badly and were facing near extinction.

Independence was gained after much efforts and sacrifices by great people. After independence India began to plan carefully its needs and resources. Planned economic development was the call of the hour. The focus was on developing large scale and heavy industries. The state controlled the economic policies of development. A blend of liberalization, privatization and globalization was pursued to achieve desired results. The economy was essentially mixed in nature with a blend of capitalism and socialism that has led India to the present state.

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Cultural History Of India

India has a rich cultural history and continues to preserve it beautifully. India has accepted gracefully the good qualities of different religions which led to the rise of many different cultures in this mystical sub-continent. Different rulers and empires came here and ruled and left behind a rich legacy of their cultural heritage. The Indian cultural history is very rich and has carved a niche of its own. It continues to inspire other cultures of the world. Every state in India has a culture of its own and even then they all stand unified and form one single culture of India. Read about the cultural history of India.

Many religions took birth India like Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, etc. These religions influenced not just our country but nations all over the world. With Islamic rule in India, Islam became one of the religions in India. Ancient architectural specimens and monuments of India stand testimony to the confluence of different religions in India. The Hindus and Muslims took inspiration from each other and formed new architectural styles like rounded domes and construction of pillars.

Art developed right from the Stone Age when early man used to draw animal figures and paint them in caves. This developed to a much more refined formed of painting as time went by like decorating the front porch of the house. This custom is still followed in modern India in many homes in the southern regions. Music and dance developed from a crude form to a beautiful refined form and took the form of present classical music and dance forms like Carnatic, Hindustani, Kathak, Bharatanatyam, etc. With the development of regions and states, they developed their own folk dances that were exclusive to one particular region.

There was great advancement in literature since ancient times. India has been the birth land of great thinkers, philosophers and scholars. This is evident in great literary works like Vedas, Ramayana, Mahabharata, etc. which are considered no less than holy epics. With time, languages developed and many great literary masterpieces and plays were written like Shakuntalam, Shilpadhikaram, etc. With the culmination of different religions, different cuisines came into the limelight that are now considered to be the traditional food of India. The culture of India is truly the blend of some of the best cultures of this world and is one of those very few cultures that are surviving since ancient times.

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