India - History

Indian History Timeline

India is one of the countries which has a very rich history. It can be traced back as long as to the ancient Indus Valley Civilization around 6500 BC. The Vedic period, Maurya empire, Gupta Dynasty were the major eras which the Indian history during the ancient times.

In the Medieval period there were many small kingdoms ruling all over the country until the formation of the Delhi Sultanate in 13th century AD by the central Turks. They were later succeeded by the Mughals in the 16th century. These kingdoms occupied the major portion of northern India.
The other major kingdom which was formed during this period was the Maratha kingdom in western India.

The modern history of India is all about the British rule and the struggle for Independence.


Ancient History :-

The ancient history of India can be divided into 4 major parts

1.  The Indus Valley Civilization
2.  The Vedic Period
3.  The Maurya Dynasty
4.  The Gupta Dynasty  

The Indus Valley Civilization :-

This civilization also known as the "Cradle Of Civilization" spread and flourished across the north-western part of India. This civilization was situated along the banks of the Indus river and its tributaries, The civilization included urban centers such as Dholavira, Kalibangan, Ropar and Rothar in modern-day India and Harappa, Ganeriwala and Mohenjo-daro in modern-day Pakistan.

This civilization is famous for its town planning, which included road side drainage system, multi storied houses which were built in bricks. It is also believed to have some municipal corporation. A total of 1022 cities and settlements were found, 616 of which are in India and the remaining ones are in modern-day Pakistan. 

The Vedic Period :-

The Vedic period or Vedic age(1500 BC to 600 BC) is the period in the history of Indian sub-continent intervening between the end of urban Indus Valley Civilization and the second urbanization which began in 600 BC. It gets its names from Vedas, which are liturgical texts containing details of life.

There were four Vedas composed during this period

1. Rigveda - “Knowledge of the Hymns of Praise”, for recitation
2. Yajurveda - “Knowledge of the Sacrificial formulas”, for liturgy
3. Samveda - “Knowledge of the Melodies”, for chanting
4. Atharvaveda - “Knowledge of the Magic formulas”, named after a kind of group of priests.

The Maurya Empire :-

The Maurya Empire (322 BC to 185 BC) was the first empire to unify India into one state ans was the largest on the Indian subcontinent. At its great extent, the Maurya Empire stretched to the north upto the natural boundaries of Himalayas and to the east what is now Assam. To the west, it stretched beyond Pakistan , to Hindu Kush mountains in modern-day Afghanistan.

It was established by Chandragupta Maurya with the help of Chanakya by overthrowing the Nanda dynasty.

Ashoka is the most well known of the Maurya emperors. The battle of Kalinga was the turning point of the Maurya kingdom. After the battle Ashoka  was filled with remorse, which lead him to shun violence and embrace Buddhism. After his death the Maurya Empire began to decline.

The last Maurya ruler Brihadratha was assassinated by Pushyamitra Shunga to establish the Shunga empire.

The Gupta Dynasty :-

Classical India refers to the period when much of the India was under the Gupta Empire(320 to 550 AD). It was established by Chandragupta I.

The military exploits of the first three rulers Chandragupta I, Smaudragupta and Chandragupta II - brought much of India under their leadership. Science and political administration reached its new heights during Gupta Era. Strong trade ties also made the empire a important cultural center and established as a base that would influence near by kingdoms in Burma, Sri Lanka, South East Asia and Indo China.

This period is referred to as the Golden Age of India owing to the remarkable achievements in science, literature, mathematics, medicine, religion, astronomy and philosophy. The high points of this cultural creativity are magnificent architectures, sculptures and paintings. This period also saw scholars such as Kalidasa, Aryabhatta, Varahamahira and Vatsyayana. 

Medieval History :-

The Medieval Age of Indian history began with the end of Gupta and Harsha dynasty in 6th century. The Rajputs came into prominence after Harsha's death in the northern province. The next couple of centuries were marked with constant battles among various Rajput rulers. The disunity among the Rajputs allowed the foreign rulers to enter(the Turks)  to enter India. Prithvi Raj Chauhan was the last and the greatest Rajput ruler of India.

Delhi Sultanate :-

The defeat of Prithvi Raj Chauhan at the hands of Mohammed Ghori in 1192 marked a new chapter in Indian history. This lead to the foundation of Delhi Sultanate in India. Some of the notable Delhi Sultanate rulers were Allauddin Khilji, Balban and Mohammed Bin Tughlaq.

The Sultanate ushered in a period of cultural Indian renaissance. The resulting 'Indo-Muslim' fusion of cultures left lasting syncretic monuments in architecture, music, literature, religion and clothing.

With the death of Ibrahim Lodi at the hands of Babur in the first battle of Paniput, the Delhi Sultanate came to end.

The Mughal Empire :- 

Babur then led the foundation of Mughal Empire in India. He was succeeded by son Humayun. Although he was ousted by Sher Shah, he regained Delhi but was not destined to rule it for long. He died in the same year. 

With this began the reign of one of the glorious rulers of India, Akbar the Great. Consolidating his political powers, Akbar expanded the Mughal Empire all over North India and also in some parts of South India.

After Akbar, Jehangir came to power, who was later followed by Shah Jahan. He was a great lover of architecture. Among many buildings built during his reign, Taj Mahal which he built for his brloved wife is the most famous. The other notable buildings were the Red Fort and the Jama Masjid. 

Taj Mahal

Red Fort

Aurangzeb was the last well known Mughal rulers. He was known for his religious dogmatism and fanaticism. After his death, the Mughal empire began to totter. 

The Maratha Empire :-

Founded by Chhatrapati Shivaji, a aristocrat of the Bhosale clan, who was determined to establish a Hindavi Swarajya. He along with his successors Sambhaji and Rajaram saw the expansion of the Maratha Empire.

The credit of making Marathas a formidable power goes to Peshwa Bajirao I.

The Marathas also saw the foundation of Indian navy in 1660. They used it to attack the British, Portuguese, Dutch naval ship and keep an eye on their naval ambitions. The Maratha navy also had a base on Andaman Islands in Bay of Bengal.

The Maratha empire came to end after the third Anglo-Indian war in 1818, which left the East India Company with control of most of India.

                                                          Janjira Fort

Modern History :-

The modern history of India is mainly about the British rising to power and India's fight for independence. The British East India Company was given permission by Jehangir to trade in India. After a series of wars between the British and the various forces of India, the British came to power. These battles were going on in various princely states all over the country until the National Uprising of 1857. In 1857, there started a large scale rebellion by the soldiers of the East India Company in northern and central parts of India. This rebellion was led by different leaders in different parts of the country. Some of the major leaders during this rebellion were Mangal Pandey, Rani of Jhansi, Tatya Tope and Nana Sahib. 

The East India company emerged victorious in this battle and all the power was transferred to the Britisn Crown.

Later in 1885, the Indian National Congress was formed and the fight for freedom took a new turn. Under Mahatma Gandhi, many mass movements were started to campaign against the British rule using largely peaceful methods. Gandhi led the independence movement, opposed the British using non violent methods like non co-operation, civil disobedience and economic resistance.

Along with this there were many other leaders carrying out revolutionary activities to overthrow the British rule by armed struggle. The well known among them are Chandrashekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru.

In the Second World War which broke out in 1929, the British government unilaterally included the Indian Army, enraging the nationalists. Gandhi and the whole of India opposed the move, pointing out that it was hypocritical and wrong for the Indian Army to join a fight in favor of a democratic struggle when such freedom was unavailable to the citizens of India.

What is popularly known as the 'Quit India' movement followed, marked by massive boycotts and civil disobedience. Citizens who were arrested in the protests which seriously disrupted British trade, especially around the Indian Ocean.

These developments culminated in the call for independence and, finally led to the grant of independence on 15th August 1947.

But India was divided into three regions namely India, West Pakistan (modern day Pakistan) and East Pakistan (modern day Bangladesh).

Some of the National leaders during the fight for freedom :-

Also See :-
India-culture-and-festivals
India - geography