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India Timeline
Indian timeline takes us on a journey of the history of the
subcontinent. Right from the ancient India, which included
Bangladesh and Pakistan, to the free and divided India, this
time line covers each and every aspect related to the past as
well
as present of the country. Read on further to explore the
timeline of India:
Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka (9000 BC to 7000 BC)
The earliest records of the Indian history exist in the form of
the Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka. These shelters are situated on
the
southern edge of the central Indian plateau, in the foothills of
the Vindhyan Mountains. There are five groups of rock shelters,
each of them adorned with paintings that are believed to date
from the Mesolithic Period right through to the historical
period.
Mehrgarh Culture (7000 BC to 3300 BC)
Mehrgarh is one of the most significant sites belonging to the
Neolithic Age. At the same time, it is one of the oldest sites
that
indicate the introduction of the concept of farming and herding.
Situated on the Kachi plain of Baluchistan (Pakistan), it lies
to
the west of the Indus River valley. The site of Mehrgarh, spread
over an area of 495-acre, was discovered in the year 1974.
Indus Valley Civilization (3300 BC to 1700 BC)
The Indus Valley Civilization was discovered in the 1920s. The
major events in the timeline of the Indus Valley are given
below:
Early Harappan Phase (3300 BC to 2600 BC)
The early Harappan Phase lasted for approximately 700 years,
starting with the Ravi Phase. It is one of the three earliest
urban
civilizations and made use of an early form of the Indus script,
known as Harappan script, for writing purposes. Around 2800
BC, the Kot Diji phase of the Indus Valley Civilization
started.
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Mature Harappan Phase (2600 BC to 1700 BC)
The Mature Harappan Phase started around 2600 BC. Large cities
and urban areas started emerging and the civilization
expanded to over 2,500 cities and settlements. Urban planning,
excellent sewage and drainage system, system of uniform
weights and measures, knowledge of proto-dentistry, etc are some
of the other elements that characterize the mature phase.
Late Harappan Phase (1700 BC to 1300 BC)
The Late Harappan Phase began around 1700 BC and came to an end
around 1300 BC. However, one can find many
elements of the Indus Valley Civilization in later cultures.
Vedic Period/Age (1700 BC to 500 BC)
The Vedic Period or the Vedic Age refers to the time of the
compilation of the sacred Vedic Sanskrit texts in India. Situated
on
the Indo-Gangetic Plain, the Vedic Civilization formed the basis
of Hinduism and the sIndian culture. The Vedic Period can be
divided into the following two phases:
Early Vedic/Rig Vedic Period (1700 BC to 1000 BC)
Early Vedic Period represents the time period when the Rig Veda
was compiled. During this period, the king was believed to be
the protector of the people, who took an active part in the
government. The caste system started becoming rigid and the
families started becoming patriarchal. The major events of this
time are:
1700 BC - Late Harappan and Early Vedic period coincide
1300 BC - The end of Cemetery H culture
1000 BC - Iron Age of India
Later Vedic Age (1000 BC to 500 BC)
The emergence of the later Vedic period was marked with
agriculture becoming the dominant economic activity and a decline
in
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the significance of cattle rearing. The political organization
changed completely, with the reduction in the involvement of
people
in the administration. The major events are:
600 BC - The formation of Sixteen Maha Janapadas (Great
Kingdoms)
599 BC - The birth of Mahavira, founder of Jainism
563 BC - The birth of Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha), founder of
Buddhism
538 BC - Cyrus the Great conquered parts of Pakistan
500 BC - Earliest written records in Brahmi
500 BC - Panini standardized grammar and morphology of Sanskrit,
converting it
into Classical Sanskrit. With this, the Vedic Civilization came
to an end.
Ancient India (500 BCE - 550 AD)
Rise of Jainism and Buddhism
Jainism or Jain Dharma is the religious philosophy that
originated in the Ancient India. The religion is based on the
teachings of
the Tirthankaras. The 24th Tirthankara, Lord Mahavira, is
credited with propagating the religion in the various parts of the
world.
Buddhism is based on the teachings of Lord Buddha, who was born
as Prince Siddhartha Gautama. After attaining
Enlightenment, Lord Buddha set on a task of teaching others how
to achieve nirvana. His teachings were later propagated
throughout the world by Emperor Asoka. The other major events of
the Ancient Indian period are:
333 BC - Darius III was defeated by Alexander the Great. The
Macedonian Empire was established
326 BC - Ambhi, King of Taxila surrendered to Alexander, Battle
of the Hydaspes River
321 BC - Chandra Gupta Maurya established the Maurya Empire
273 BC - Emperor Ashoka took over the Maurya Empire
266 BC - Ashoka conquered most of South Asia, Afghanistan and
Iran
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265 BC - The battle of Kalinga, after which Emperor Ashoka
embraced Buddhism
232 BC: Ashoka died and was succeeded by Dasaratha
230 BC - Satavahana Empire was established
200 to 100 BC - Tholkappiyam standardized grammar and morphology
of Tamil
184 BC - Collapse of Maurya Empire with the assassination of
Emperor Brihadrata, Establishment of the Sunga dynasty
180 BC - Establishment of the Indo-Greek kingdom
80 BC - Establishment of the Indo-Scythian kingdom
10 BC - Establishment of the Indo-Parthian kingdom
68 AD - Establishment of the Kushan Empire by Kujula
Kadphises
78 AD - Gautamiputra Satkarni took over Satavahana Empire and
defeated Scythian king Vikramaditya
240 AD - Establishment of the Gupta Empire by Sri-Gupta
320 AD - Chandragupta I took over the Gupta Empire
335 AD - Samudragupta took over the Gupta Empire and started
expanding it
350 AD - Establishment of the Pallava Empire
380 AD - Chandragupta II took over the Gupta Empire
399 to 414 AD - Chinese scholar Fa-Hien traveled to India
