Indian history begins with the birth of the Indus Valley Civilization and continues with many famous incidents and events. Here we are preparing a list of Indian history timeline with ancient India facts for exam preparation. Starting from ancient India to the Indian independence history it is long list to know…
• 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 by Nathuram Godse (30th January)
• 1950 ——— Constitution of India came into effect and Jawaharlal Nehru became the Indian first prime minister (26th January)