Year |
Event |
2,000,000 - 100,000 BC |
A skull fragment found in Hathnora in the Narmada Valley in central India indicate that India might have been inhabited in the Middle Pleistoceneera around 250,000 years ago |
7500 BC |
Sangam periodbegins in Tamil nadu. Early Neolithic culturebegins in the Indian Subcontinent in Bhirrana in Haryana. |
7000 BC |
Later Neolithic culturebegins in Mehrgarh currently in Balochistan, Pakistan. |
3300 BC |
Indus Valley Civilization begins. |
2600 BC |
The cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro become large metropolises. |
2600 BC |
Mature Harappan phase of the Indus Valley Civilization begins. |
2500 BC |
Dravidian Civilization begins in South India. |
1900 BC |
Late Harappan Phase of the Indus Valley Civilization begins, including Cemetery H culture and other cultures. |
1800 BC |
Beginning of Iron Age in India. |
1700 BC |
Indus Valley Civilizationcomes to an end but is continued by the Cemetery H culture. |
1500 BC |
Early Vedic Period begins. |
1300 BC |
Cemetery H culturecomes to an end. |
1200 BC |
Composition of Rigveda. |
1000 BC |
Middle and Late Vedic period begins. Iron Age kingdoms takes shape. |
877 BC |
Birth of Parsvanath, 23rd Jain Tirthankara. |
777 BC |
Nirvanaof Parsvanath, 23rd Jain Tirthankara |
700 BC |
The Upanishads, a sacred text of Hinduism, are written. |
600 BC |
Sixteen Maha Janapadas emerge. |
599 BC |
Birth of Mahavira, 24th Jain Tirthankara. |
563 BC |
Birth of Buddha(Siddhārtha Gautama). |
527 BC |
Nirvanaof Mahavira |
483 BC |
Mahaparinirvana of Gautama Buddha at Kushinagar. |
400 BC |
Siddhārtha Gautama(Buddha)founds Buddhism |
350 BC |
Panini, a resident of Gandhara, describes the grammar and morphology of Sanskrit in the text Ashtadhyayi. Panini's standardized Sanskrit is known as Classical Sanskrit. |
326 BC |
Ambhiking of Taksashila surrenders to Alexander. |
321 BC |
Chandragupta Maurya establishes Mauryan Empireafter defeating the Nanda dynasty and Macedonian Seleucid Empire. Mauryan capital city is Pataliputra. |
305 BC |
Chandragupta Mauryadefeats Seleucus Nicator of the Seleucid Empire. |
304 BC |
Seleucus gives up his territories in the subcontinent (Afghanistan/Baluchistan) to Chandragupta in exchange for 500 elephants. Seleucus offers his daughter in marriage to Chandragupta to seal their friendship. |
273 BC |
Ashoka ascends the throne of Mauryan Empire. |
265 BC |
Kalinga Wartakes place between Ashoka and the kingdom of Kalinga. |
261 BC |
Conquest of Kalinga |
260 BC |
Ashoka begins displaying religious tolerance, grants animal rights, builds hospitals for people and animals, treats his subjects as equals regardless of caste or creed, and promotes non-violence and republicanism. Ashoka inscribes the Edicts of Ashoka, written down using Brahmi script. |
230 BC |
Simukadeclares independence from Mauryan rule and establishes the Satavahana Empire. |
200 BC |
Tholkappiyam,the oldest existing Tamil grammar and morphology of the language was composed. |
184 BC |
The by his general Pushyamitra Sunga. Pushyamitra Sunga then establishes the Sunga dynasty after assassinating Brihadratha(last ruler of Mauryan empire) |
180 BC |
Establishment of the Indo-Greek kingdom. |
65 BC |
The Pandyan king sends ambassadors to the Greek and Roman lands. |
57 BC |
Beginning of Vikram Era |
10 |
Establishment of the Indo-Parthian kingdom. |
35 |
Western Satrapsformed. |
68 |
Establishment of the Kushan empire by Kujula Kadphises. |
78 |
Gautamiputra Satakarnibecomes Satavahana emperor and starts Shalivahana era calendar after defeating Scythian king Maues. |
240 |
Sri-Gupta starts the Gupta Empire in Magadha, with its capital in Pataliputra |
320 |
Chandragupta Iascends the Gupta throne. |
335 |
Samudraguptaascends the Gupta throne and expands the empire. |
380 |
Chandragupta II, Samudragupta's son becomes the Gupta Emperor. |
450 |
Huna invasions. |
554 |
Collapse of Gupta Empire after the death of Skandagupta. |
753 |
Establishment of Rashtrakuta Kingdom of Manyakheta by Danti Durga by defeating Chalukyas of Badami |
788 |
Birth of Adi Shankaracharya |
985 |
Rajaraja Cholaascends to the throne of Chola empire. He expands the empire to Sri Lanka and to the north to include Kalinga kingdom |
1000 |
Invasion of Mahmud of Ghazni |
1014 |
Rajendra Chola Ibecame the king of Chola empire after his father Rajaraja Chola. Rajendra’s territories extended coastal Burma, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Maldives, conquered the kings of Srivijaya (Sumatra, Java and Malay Peninsula in South East Asia) and Peguislands with his fleet of ships. He defeated Mahipala, the Pala king of Bengal and Bihar, and to commemorate his victory he built a new capital called Gangaikonda Cholapuram. The Cholas became one of the most powerful dynasties in Asia during his reign. The Tamil Chola armies exacted tribute from Thailand and the Khmer kingdom of Cambodia. Rajendra Chola I was the first Indian king to take his armies overseas and make conquests of these territories, even though there is epigraphical evidence of Pallava presence in these very areas. |
1021 |
Mahmud Ghaznidefeats Tarnochalpal and annexes Punjab |
1025 |
Last invasion of Mahmud Ghazni, sacked and destroyed temple of Somnath |
1030 |
Alberuniarrives in India; death of Mahmud of Ghazni |
1190 |
Mohammed Ghauri invades India. |
1206 |
Qutb-ud-din Aibakestablishes Ghulam Dynasty later to be known as Delhi Sultanate |
1210 |
Qutb-ud-din Aibakdied while playing polo. |
1221 |
Genghis Khaninvades Punjab |
1323 |
Ulugh Khandefeats Prataparudra ending the Kakatiya dynasty |
1336 |
Vijayanagara Empireestablished by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I |
1347 |
Governor Hasan Gangu revolts against Muhammad bin Tughlaq founding the Bahmani Sultanate |
1401 |
Dilawar Khanestablishes the Malwa Sultanate in present-day northern India |
1407 |
Zafar Khan: governor of Gujarat, declares himself as Sultan Muzaffar Shah founding the Gujarat Sultanate/Muzaffarid dynasty |
1414 |
Khizr Khan, deputized by Timur to be the governor of Multan takes over Delhi founding the Sayyid dynasty |
1451 |
Bahlul Khan Lodhiascends the throne of the Delhi sultanate starting the Lodhi dynasty |
1469 |
Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism is born |
1490 |
Ahmednagar declares independence, followed by Bijapur and Berar in the same year thus breaking up the Bahmani Sultanate. |
1498 |
Vasco de Gama's first voyage from Europe to India. |
1503 |
Kingdom of Kochi is taken over by the Portuguese creating the first European settlement in India. |
1522 |
Portuguese land on the Coromandel Coast |
1530 |
Babur completes his Baburnama. Babur dies, and is succeeded by his son Humayun. |
1539 |
Battle of Chausa fought between Humayun and Sher Shah Suri in which Humayun defeated. |
1540 |
Battle of Kannauj fought between Humayun and Sher Shah Suri and Humayun was completely defeated. Humayun lost the Mughal empire to Afghans (Suri Dynasty), and passed 12 years in exile. |
1555 |
Humayun regained the throne of Delhi from the hands of weak successors of Sher Shah. |
1565 |
Battle of Talikotaresults in the rout of Vijayanagara empire. |
1572 |
Akbar the Great annexes Gujarat, also shifts the Mughal capital to Fatehpur Sikri. |
1574 |
Akbar annexes Bengal. |
1586 |
Akbar annexes Kashmir. |
1600 |
East India company is formed in England. Gets exclusive trading rights with India. |
1605 |
Akbar dies, and is succeeded by his son Jahangir. |
1606 |
Guru Hargobindbecomes sixth guru of Sikhs. |
Ancient and Medieval India
Current Affairs
powered by Surfing Waves