Indian History Chronology:
Ancient India to Modern India – Learn faster!
Indian History Chronology: Indian History is a topic of interest to many including foreigners
because of the cultures and civilizations existed in this sub-continent.
History of India can be studied under political, cultural, religious or
economic heads.
Indian History
Chronology
Chronologically, Indian History can be classified
into three periods – Ancient India, Medieval India and Modern India.
Ancient India (Pre-historic to AD 700)
There were activities of proto-humans (Homo erectus) in the Indian subcontinent 20 lakh years (2 million years) ago, and of Homo sapiens since 70,000 BC. But they were gathers/hunters.
The first inhabitants of
Indian subcontinent might have been tribals like Nagas (North-East),
Santhals (East-India), Bhils (Central India), Gonds (Central India), Todas
(South India) etc. Most of them are speakers of the Austric, pre-Dravidian
languages, such as Munda and Gondvi. Dravidians and Aryans
are believed to be immigrants who came later to the sub-continent.
Ancient India can be studied under other heads like
Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic and Chalcolithic period – based on the type
of stone/ metal tools people used.
Paleolithic
Period (2 million BC – 10,000 BC)
·
Fire
·
Tools made up of lime stone
·
Ostrich Eggs
·
Important Paleolithic sites: Bhimbetka (M.P),
Hunsgi, Kurnool Caves, Narmada Valley (Hathnora, M.P), Kaladgi Basin
Mesolithic
Period (10,000 BC – 8,000 BC)
·
Major Climatic Change happened
·
Domestication of animals ie Cattle rearing started
·
Microliths found at Brahmagiri (Mysore), Narmada,
Vindya, Gujarat
Neolithic Period
(8000 BC – 4,000 BC)
·
Agriculture Started
·
Wheel discovered
·
Inamgaon = An early village
·
Important Neolithic Sites : Burzahom(Kashmir),
Gufkral(Kashmir), Mehrgarh(Pakistan), Chirand(Bihar), Daojali
Hading(Tripura/Assam), Koldihwa(UP), Mahagara(UP), Hallur(AP), Paiyampalli(AP),
Maski, Kodekal, Sangana Kaller, Utnur, Takkala Kota.
·
NB: Megalithic Sites: Brahmagiri, Adichanallur
Chalcolithic
Period (4000 BC – 1,500 BC)
·
Copper Age. Can be considered part of Bronze Age.
(Bronze = Copper + Tin)
·
Also cultures at Brahmagiri, Navada Toli (Narmada
region), Mahishadal (W.Bengal), Chirand (Ganga region)
Iron Age (BC
1500 – BC 200)
·
Vedic Period (Arrival of Aryans ie. BC 1600 –
BC 600) – Nearly 1000 years (Basic books of Hinduism, ie Vedas were
composed, might have written down later.)
·
Jainism and Buddhism
·
Mahajanapadas – Major Civilization after Indus
Valley- On banks of river Ganga
·
Magadha empire – Bimbisara of Haryanka Kula
·
Sisunga dynasty – Kalasoka (Kakavarnin)
·
Nanda empire – Mahapadma-nanda, Dhana-nanda
·
Persian- Greek: Alexander 327 BC
Mauryan
Empire (321-185 BC)
Important rulers
of Mauryan Empire: Chandra Gupta Maurya, Bindusara, Asoka
Post-Mauryan
Kingdoms (Middle Kingdoms):
·
Sunga (181-71 BC), Kanva (71-27BC), Satavahanas
(235-100BC), Indo-Greeks, Parthians (19-45AD), Sakas (90BC-150AD),
Kushanas(78AD)
·
South Indian Kingdoms – Chola, Chera, Pandyas (BC
300)
Gupta Kingdom
(300AD – 800AD): Classical Period
Important ruler of
Gupta Period: Samudra Gupta (Indian Napoleon)
Post Guptas or
Contemporary Guptas
·
Harshvardana, Vakatakas, Pallavas, Chalukyas.
Also, Hunas, Maitrakas, Rajputs,
Senas and Chauhans.
Medieval India (AD 700 – AD 1857)
·
Attack of Muhammed Bin Kassim (AD 712)
·
Rise of Islam and Sufism
·
Mohammed Ghazni (AD 1000-27)
·
Mohammed Ghori (AD 1175-1206)
* Kingdoms of
South India During Medieval India – Bhamini and Vijayanagara
Delhi Sultanate
(1206 AD – 1526 AD)
1.
Slave Dynasty
2.
Kilji Dynasty
3.
Tuglaq Dynasty
4.
Sayyid Dynasty
5.
Lodi Dynasty
Mughals (AD 1526 – AD 1857)
·
Great Mughals
·
Later Mughals
Mughals from Babar
(1526) to Aurangazeb (1707) were more
powerful and hence known as Great Mughals. Mughals who ruled from 1707 to 1857
were known as Later Mughals.
·
Arrival of
Europeans
·
Other Kingdoms of
North India – Marathas, Sikhs
Modern India (AD 1857 +)
·
First War of
Indian Independence (1857)
·
Formation of
Indian National Congress (1885)
·
Formation of
Muslim League (1906)
·
Non-Co-operation
Movement (1920)
·
Civil Disobedience
Movement (1930)
·
Quit India
Movement (1942)
·
Partition of India
(1947)
·
Economic
Development of India
·
Wars – India-Pak –
Formation of Bangladesh; India- China
·
New Economic
Policy of 1991
·
Nuclear, Space and
Defense Development
History Schools
·
Orientalist School
– West Patronizing the East Culture – Not active now
·
Cambridge School –
Downplays ideology
·
Nationalist School
– Importance to Congress and Gandhi; Hindu Nationalists for Hindutva version
·
Marxists School –
Class conflict
·
Subaltern School –
Caste conflict
