Indian History Timeline

Timeline of Indian History ......

•          2800 BC        Indus Valley Civilization begins in the northwestern region of India

•          2600 BC        Mohenjo-daro and Harappa phase of the Indus Valley Civilization begins, in Punjab and

                                  Sindh. Other cities like Lothal, Mehrgarh also emerged during this period.

•          1600 BC         India is invaded by the Aryans from the west

•          1400 BC        The Vedas, the Hindu scripture, was written

•          600 BC           The Upanishads written

•          599 BC           Mahavira, 24th Tirthankar of Jainism is born

•          563 BC           Gautam Buddha, founder of Buddhism is born in Lumbini

•          527 BC           Nirvana of Mahavira

•          492 BC           Bimbisara dies and is succeeded by Ajatashatru in Magadha Empire

•          483 BC           Death of Gautama Buddha in Kushinagar

•          326 BC           Alexander the Great moved into India, King Porus who ruled parts of the Punjab, fought

                                   Alexander at the Battle of the Hydaspes River.

•          321 BC           Chandragupta Maurya established Mauryan dynasty defeating Dhana Nanda

•          305 BC           Chandragupta Maurya defeats Seleucus Nicator of the Seleucid Empire.

•          300 BC           Chola dynasty establishes his kingdom over southern India with capital in Thanjavur

•          269 BC           Ashoka the Great, grandson of Chandragupta Maurya, becomes the emperor of India

•          261 BC           Kalinga War takes place between Magadha Empire and the kingdom of Kalinga.

•          232 BC           Death of King Ashoka

•          185 BC           The Mauryan Empire,  collapsed after its emperor Brihadrata was assassinated by his

                                   general Pusyamitra Sunga who then established the Sunga dynasty

•          50 AD             Establishment of the Kushan empire by Kujula Kadphises, first Buddhist stupa is

                                   constructed at Sanchi

•          300                 The Pallava dynasty is established in Kanchi

•          320                 The Gupta dynasty founded by Maharaja Sri Gupta, reunited northern India initiating

                                    the "golden Age" of India

•          335                 King Samudragupta ascends the Gupta throne and expands the empire.

•          380                 Chandragupta II, Samudragupta's son becomes the Gupta Emperor.

•          450                 Invasions by the Huna.

•          606                 Harshavardhana crowned Monarch.

•          712                 First Muslim, Md. Bin Qasim defeats Raja Dahir

•          1021              Mahmud Ghazni defeats Tarnochalpal and annexes Punjab

•          1206              Qutb ub-din Aybak establishes the Delhi Sultanate

•          1221              Genghis Khan invades Punjab

•          1236              Razia Sultana, only lady ruler of Delhi

•          1290             Jalal ud-Din Firuz establishes the Khilji sultanate at Delhi

•          1298              Marco Polo visits India

•          1336              Vijayanagara Empire established by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I

•          1398              Timur conquered India resulting in the decline of the Delhi Sultanate

•          1469              Birth of Guru Nanak Dev

•          1497              Vasco de Gama's first voyage from Europe to India and back (to 1499)

•          1526              Babur established the Mughal Empire

•          1555              Mughal king Humayun comes to fight Sher Shah and regains India

•          1556              Humayun dies, and is succeeded by Akbar

•          1600             Queen Elizabeth I granted a charter to the East India Company established trading posts

                                  in Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras

•          1605              Akbar dies, and is succeeded by his son Jehangir.

•          1612              British arrives India

•          1632              Taj Mahal construction initiated by Mughal ruler Shah Jahan

•          1653              Shah Jahan completes Taj Mahal. Shah Jahan dies, and is succeeded by his son

                                   Aurangzeb.

•          1675              Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Guru of Sikhs is executed in Delhi. Guru Gobind Singh

                                   becomes tenth Guru of Sikhs.

•          1680              Shivaji dies at Raigad, Sambhaji became 2nd Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire

•          1707              Death of Aurangzeb the Mughal emperor.

•          1757             In Battle of Plassey, Robert Clive, leads British forces which defeated the Mughal

                                  governor of Bengal Mir Jafar

•          1774             Warren Hastings appointed the first governor general of India by the East India

                                  Company

•          1775              First Anglo-Maratha War

•          1799              Death of Tipu Sultan

•          1853              Started Post Service

•          1853              First Railway established between Bombay and Thane

•          1857              Indian Mutiny Rebellion of 1857(10th May)

•          1857              Establishment of University of Mumbai, University of Madras and University of Calcutta 

                                  in India

•          1858             The British government ruled India, Lord Dalhousie becomes the Governor-General of

                                  India

•          1862             Death of Bahadur Shah Zafar

•          1869              "Arya Samaj" Established

•          1876              Queen Victoria was given the title Empress of India by the British Parliament

•          1885              Burma became an Indian province

•          1885              The Indian National Congress was formed (28th December)

•          1905              The British government divided Bengal into separate Hindu and Muslim sections

•          1909              Morley-Minto Reforms

•          1914             World War 1

•          1915              Mahatma Gandhi returns back to India

•          1919              Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (13th April)

•          1920              Mahatma Gandhi became president of Indian National 

                                  Congress, Non-cooperation movement Khilafat Movement

•          1927              Simon Commission

•          1929              Central Assembly Bombed by Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt.

•          1930              Purna Swaraj resolution in Lahore, Salt Satyagraha started

•          1931              Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev Martyred (23rd  March)

•          1935              Government of India Act

•          1939              World War 2 began

•          1940              Muhammad Ali Jinnah demanded that a new country be formed from India for the

                                  Muslims, which would be called Pakistan

•          1942              Quit India Movement

•          1942              Indian National Army Established by Subhas Chandra Bose

•          1945              World War II ended when United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and

                                  Nagasaki (August)

•          1946              Royal Indian Navy Mutiny

•          1946              The British government agreed to grant India independence

•          1947             British and Indian leaders agreed to divide the country into India and Pakistan

•          1947              India became independent (15th August)

•          1948              Mahatma Gandhi assassinated Nathuram Godse (30th January)

•          1950              Constitution of India came into effect and Jawaharlal Nehru became the Indian first

                                   prime minister (26th January)