India chronology

Prehistoric Period: ca. 3000-1200 BC

ca. 3000-2600: Indus Valley civilization: Harappan civilization

• 2600-2500: Harappan Civilization at its height
• 2000-1900: Harappan Civilization collapses
• c. 1300: Aryan Migration into the Indus Valley
• c. 1000: Aryans migrate into Ganges Valley

ca. 1200-500 BC: Vedic Era

• ca. 1200-900: Rig Veda summary
• ca. 900-500: Later Vedas and early Upanishads

ca. 550-100 BC: Rivals to Hinduism

• ca 550: Birth of Mahavira
• ca. 563-483: Siddhartha Gautama Buddhism Chronology

ca. 322-185 BC: Mauryan Empire

• 321-297 BC: Chandragupta Maurya
• ca. 273-237: Asoka
• ca. 185-100: The Laws of Manu

ca. AD 320-540: Gupta Era

• ca. 320-335: Chandragupta I
• ca. 335-376: Samudragupta
• ca. 376-415: Chandragupta II
• ca. 454-500: Hun Invasions
• ca. 540: End of Gupta Dynasty

ca. AD 500-1001: Period of Political instability

• ca. 540: Rise of Chalukyas at Vatapi
• ca. 606-646: Harsha of Kanauj
• ca. 700-800: Buddhism spreads to Tibet and Nepal
• 711: Arabs invade Sind
• ca. 750: Rise of imperial Pratiharas and Rashtrakutas
• 760: Palas in Bengal
• ca. 846: Rise of Cholas and defeat of Pallavis
• ca. 970: Revival of Chalukyas and defeat of Rashtrakutas

1000-1750: Period of Muslim dominance

• 1001: Raids by Mahmud of Ghanzi
• 1206-1290: Slave Dynasty and Beginning of Delhi Sultanate
• 1290-1320: Khalji Sultanate
• 1320-1413: Tughlug Sultanate
• 1414-1451: Sayyid Sultanate
• 1451-1526: Lodi Sultanate
• 1498: Vasco da Gama arrives in India
• 1483-1757: The Mughal Empire
  • 1502: Portuguese establish colony at Cochin
  • 1526-1530: Reign of Babur
  • 1556-1605: Reign of Akbar
  • 1600: British East India Company is chartered
  • 1605-1627: Reign of Jahangir
  • 1628-1658: Reign of Shah Jahan
  • 1658-1707: Reign of Aurangzeb
  • 1744-1748: War between French and British

1750-1947: India under British Rule

• 1857: Indian (Sepoy) Mutiny
• 1885: First Meeting of the Indian National Congress.
• 1921: First Meeting of the Indian Parliament.
• 1930: Gandhi leads the Salt March against British rule.
• 1932: Indian National Congress is declared illegal; Gandhi is arrested.

1947-present: The Indian Republic

• 1947: The British colony of India achieves independence and is divided into India and Pakistan.
• 1949: Indian constitution is adopted.
• 1966: Indira Gandhi is elected prime minister of India.

Primary Sources

• Harappan images
• hymn to purusha
• The Upanishads
• The Bhagavad Gita
• Two Buddhist Texts
• A Jain text: Acaranga Sutra
• Deeds of Sultan Firuz Shah

Secondary Sources