Indian History Timeline: Chronology of Ancient to Modern History of India

Year

Event

Importance

2 Million BC to 10,00 BC

2 Million BC to 50,000 BC

50,000 BC to 40,000 BC

40,000 BC to 10,000 BC

Paleolithic Period

Lower Palaeolithic

Middle Palaeolithic

Upper Palaeolithic

Fire was discovered

Tools made of limestones were used. They are found in the Chotanagpur plateau and Kurnool district

From 10,000 BC

The Mesolithic Age

Hunters and Herders

Microlith tools were used

7000 BC

The Neolithic age

Food producers

Use of polished tools

Pre-Harappan Phase – 3000 BC

Chalcolithic Age

Use of Copper – first metal

2500 BC

Harappan Phase

Bronze age civilization, development of Urban culture

1500 BC-1000 BC

Early Vedic period

Rig Veda period

1000BC-500BC

Later Vedic period

Growth of 2^nd Urban phase with the establishment of Mahajanapadhas

600 BC – 325 BC

Mahajanapadhas

16 kingdoms with certain republics established

544 BC – 412 BC

Haryanka Dynasty

Bimbisara, Ajatshatru and Udayin

412 BC – 342 BC

Shisunga Dynasty

Shisunga and Kalashoka

344BC – 323 BC

Nanda Dynasty

Mahapadmananda

563 BC

Birth of Gautama Buddha

Buddhism established

540 BC

Birth of Mahavira

24^th Tirthankara of Jainism

518 BC

Persian Invasion

Darius

483 BC

1^st Buddhist council

Rajgir

383 BC

2^nd Buddhist Council

Vaishali

326 BC

Macedonian Invasion

Direct contact between Greek and India

250 BC

3^rd Buddhist council

Pataliputra

322 BC – 185 BC

322 BC – 298 BC

298 BC – 273 BC

273 BC – 232 BC

232 BC – 185 BC

Mauryan Period

Chandragupta Maurya

Bindusara

Ashoka

Later Mauryans

Political unification of India, the Dhamma policy of Ashoka, the growth of Art and Architecture

185 BC – 73 BC

Sunga Dynasty

Pushyamitra Sunga

73 BC – 28 BC

Kanva dynasty

Vasudeva founded the dynasty

60 BC – 225 AD

Sathavahana dynasty

Capital at Paithan, MH

2^nd BC

Indo-Greeks

Menander(165-145AD)

1^st BC – 4^th AD

The Shakas

Rudradaman (130 AD – 150 AD)

1^st BC – 1^st AD

The Parthians

St Thomas arrived in India during the reign of Gondophernes

1^st AD -4^th AD

The Kushans

Kanishka (78 AD – 101 AD)

72 AD

4^th Buddhist Council

Kashmir

3^rd BC – 3^rd AD

Sangam age

Convene of Sangam Commune, Rule of Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas

319 AD – 540 AD

319 – 334 AD

335 – 380 AD

380 – 414 AD

415 – 455 AD

455 – 467 AD

The Gupta Age

Chandragupta I

Samudragupta

Chandragupta II

Kumaragupta

Skandagupta

319 AD – Gupta Age

The golden age of India

Development of numerous art and literature.

Nagara style of Temple Building

550 AD – 647 AD

Vardhana Dynasty

Harsha (606-647 AD)

Kannauj assembly and Prayag assembly held

Huan-Tsang visited Harsha’s assembly

543 – 755 AD

Chalukyas of Vatapi

Development of Vesera style

575 – 897 AD

Pallavas of Kanchi

Structural temples in the Dravida style started to develop

Year

Event

Importance

750 – 1150 AD

Rule of the Palas

Capital at Munger, Bihar

752 – 973 AD

The Rasthrakutas

Capital at Malkhed

730 – 1036 AD

The Pratiharas

Ruled western India

712 AD

First Muslim Invasion

Mahmud Bin Qasim invaded India

850 – 1279 AD

The Cholas

Capital at Tanjore, epitome moment for Dravidian Architecture

998 – 1030 AD

First Turk invasion

Mahmud of Ghazni

1175 – 1206 AD

Second Turk invasion

Mahmud of Ghori

1178 – 1192 AD

Prithviraj Chauhan

First battle of Tarain in 1191 between Prithviraj and Mahmud of Ghori

1192, Second battle of Tarain

The Slave Dynasty

Event

Importance

1206 – 1210 AD

Qutbuddin Aibak

Known as Lakh Bakhsh, began the construction of Qutb Minar

1211 – 1236 AD

Shamsuddin Iltumish

Real founder of Delhi Sultanate

1236 – 1240 AD

Razia Sultana

First and only Muslim lady who ever ruled India

1240 – 1266 AD

Weak successors

–

1266 – 1287 AD

Ghiyasuddin Balban

Established Diwan-i-Arz

Year

Events

Importance

1290 – 1296 AD

Jalaluddin Khalji

Founder of Khalji dynasty

1296 – 1316 AD

Allaudin Khalji

Did many administrative reforms, introduced the Dagh and Chehra system

The Tuglaq dynasty

Year

Events

Importance

1320 – 1325 AD

Ghiyasuddin Tuglaq

Founder

1325 – 1351 AD

Mohammed-Bin-Tuglaq

Introduction of administrative reforms and certain ambitious projects

1351 – 1388 AD

Firoz Shah Tuglaq

Built great cities

1398 – 1399 AD

Taimur Invasion

Taimur, the descendant of Chengiz Khan, invaded during the reign of Muhammad Shah Tuglaq

The Lodhi Dynasty (1451 – 1526 AD)

Year

Events

Importance

1451 – 1488 AD

Bahlol Lodhi

Founder of Lodhi dynasty

1489 – 1517 AD

Sikander Lodhi

Founded the city of Agra

1517 – 1526 AD

Ibrahim Lodhi

Babur defeated Lodhi in the first battle of Panipat

Vijaynagar Kingdom

Year

Events

Importance

1336 – 1485 AD

Sangama Dynasty

Founded by Harihara and Bukka

1485 – 1505 AD

Saluva Dynasty

Saluva Narasgima

1505 – 1570 AD

Tuluva Dynasty

Veer Narashima

1509 – 1529 AD

Krishna Deva Raya

A gifted Scholar, contemporary of Babur

1570 – 1650 AD

Aravidu Dynasty

Founded by Tirumala

Bahmani Kingdom

Year

Events

Importance

1347 – 1358 AD

Alaudin Hasan Bahman Shah

Founded the Bahmani Kingdom at Gulbarga

1397 – 1422 AD

Tajuddin Firoz Shah

1422 – 1435 AD

Ahmad Shah Wali

1526 – 1530 AD

Babur

Founder of Mughal empire after the 1^st Battle of Panipat

1530 – 1540 AD

1555 – 1556 AD

Humayun

He was defeated by Sher Shah

1540 – 1555 AD

Sur Empire

Sher Shah defeated Humayun and ruled from 1540-45 AD

1556

2^nd Battle of Panipat

Akbar Vs. Hemu

1556 – 1605 AD

Akbar

Established Din-i-illahi, expanded Mughal empire

1605 – 1627 AD

Jehangir

Captain William Hawkins and Sir Thomas Roe visited the Mughal court

1628 -1658 AD

Shahjahan

The pinnacle of Mughal empire and art and architecture

1658 – 1707 AD

Aurangazeb

Beginning of the decline of Mughal empire

1707 – 1857 AD

Later Mughals

Decline and disintegration of Mughal empire with the gaining strength of the British

Maratha state 1674 – 1720 AD

Year

Events

Importance

1674 – 1680 AD

Shivaji

Contemporary of Aurangazeb and the biggest challenge for the Mughals in Deccan

1680 – 1689 AD

Sambhaji

– 

1689 – 1700 AD

Rajaram

–

1700 – 1707 AD

Tarabai

–

1707 – 1749 AD

Shahu

The rise of Peshwas

1713 – 1720 AD

Balaji Vishwanath

The first Peshwa

1720 – 1740 AD

Baji Rao I

–

1740 – 1761 AD

Balaji Baji Rao

–

1761 AD

Third battle of Panipat

Defeat of Marathas by Ahmad Shah Abdali

1761 – 1818 AD

Later successors

–

1775 – 1782 AD

1^st Anglo-Maratha War

British were defeated

1803 – 1806 AD

2^nd War

Marathas were defeated and they signed the Subsidiary Alliance

1817 – 1818 AD

3^rd War

Marathas were decisively defeated

Bengal

Year

Events

Importance

1717 – 1727 AD

Murshid Quli Khan

Capital of Bengal transferred to Murshidabad

1727 – 1739 AD

Shujauddin

–

1739 – 1740 AD

Sarfaraj khan

–

1740 – 1756 AD

Alivardi Khan

–

1756 – 1757 AD

Sirajuddaulah

Battle of Plassey

1757 – 1760 AD

Mir Jafar

–

1760 – 1764 AD

Mir Qasim

Battle of Buxar

Mysore

Events

1761 – 1782 AD

Haider Ali

Establishment of Modern Mysore state

1766 – 1769 AD

1^st Anglo – Mysore war

Haider Ali defeated the British

1780 – 1784 AD

2^nd Anglo – Mysore war

Haider Ali was defeated by Sir Eyrecoot

1782 – 1799 AD

Tippu Sultan

Continued the 2^nd war

1790 – 1792 AD

3^rd Anglo – Mysore war

Tipu ceded half of his territory

1799

4^th Anglo – Mysore war

Tipu sultan died

Punjab

1792 – 1839 AD

Maharaja Ranjit Singh

Founder of Sikh rule

1845 – 1846 AD

1^st Anglo – Sikh war

Sikhs were defeated

1848 – 1849 AD

2^nd Anglo – Sikh war

Dalhousie annexed Punjab

1498

Portuguese East India Company

Headquarters at Cochin and Goa

1600

English East India Company

Madras, Calcutta and Bombay

1602

Dutch East India Company

Pulicat, Nagapattinam

1616

Danish East India Company

Serampore

1664

French East India Company

Pondicherry

1746-48

1^st Anglo-French war

Treaty of Aix-la-chapelle

1749-54

2^nd Anglo-French war

Treaty of Pondicherry

1758-63

3^rd Anglo-French war

Treaty of Paris

1857

First war of Indian independence

Revolt due to socio-religious and economic causes

1885

Formation of Congress

A O Hume

1885 – 1905

Moderate phase

Dominated by Dadabai Naoroji, Surendranath Banerjea

1905 – 1917

Extremists Phase

Dominated by Lal-Bal-Pal and Aurobindo Ghosh

1905

Bengal Partition

Curzon announced the partition

1905 – 1908

Swadeshi movement

Boycott of foreign products

1906

Muslim league formation

 –

1906

Calcutta Session of INC

Swaraj as the goal

1907

Surat split

Question on extending the movement to the rest of India

1909

Morley – Minto reforms

Separate electorate for Muslims

1915 – 1916

Home rule movement

BG Tilak and Annie Besant

1916

Lucknow pact

Pact between Congress and League

1916

Lucknow session

Extremists admitted in Congress

Early life

1893 – 1914

Gandhi in South Africa

Foundation of Natal Indian Congress, Sathyagraha and CDM against British excesses

1915 – 1948

Gandhi in India

 –

1915

Arrived in Bombay. First two years to tour India and not to participate in any political movement

 –

1917

Champaran Campaign

Against the Indigo cultivators

1918

Ahmedabad

First hunger strike

1918

Kheda

First non-cooperation movement

1919

Rowlatt Sathyagraha

Against the Rowlatt act and Jallianwala massacre

1920-22

Non-cooperation and Khilafat movement

 –

1924

Belgaum session

Gandhi elected as Congress president

1930 -34

Civil disobedience movement

Dandi March

Gandhi – Irwin Pact

2^nd Roundtable conference

Resuming the Civil disobedience movement

1940-41

Individual satyagraha

 –

1942

Quit India movement

Do or die

1919

Rowlatt act

Gandhi gave a call for Rowlatt satyagraha

1919

Jallianwala Massacre

–

1920-22

Khilafat and Non-cooperation movement

Hindu Muslim unity

1922

Chauri Chaura incident

Gandhi called off NCM

1923

Congress Khilafat Swaraj Party

Enter legislative councils

1927

Simon Commission

All white commission to review the 1919 act

1928

Nehru committee report

To determine the principles of the constitution

1929

Jinnah’s 14 points

 –

1929

Lahore session

Purna Swaraj

1930

Civil disobedience movement

Dandi March

1931

Gandhi Irwin Pact

To ask Gandhi to participate in the 2^nd RTC

1931

2^nd RTC held in London

 –

1932

Communal award

 –

1932

Poona Pact

 –

1935

Government of India act

Provisional autonomy

1937

18 months rule of Congress begins

 –

1939-45

World War II begins

 –

1939

Congress ministries resign

 –

1940

August offer

Linlithgow proposed to seek India’s cooperation in the World War

1941

Individual Satyagraha

 –

1942

Cripps mission

 –

1942

Quit India movement

–

1943

Gandhi’s 21 days fast

 –

1944

C R Formula

 –

1945

Wavell Plan and Shimla Conference

 –

1945

INA Trails

 –

1946

RIN Ratings Mutiny

 –

1946

Cabinet mission plan

 –

1946

Formation of Interim government

 –

1946

Formation of the constituent assembly

 –

1947

Atlee’s announcement

–

1947

Mountbatten Plan

–

1947

Indian Independence act, 1947

–