Chronology of Important Events in Indian History

Ancient India
Year Event Importance

2 Million BC to
10,00 BC2 Million Fire was discoveredTools
BC to 50,000 made of limestones were
BC50,000 BC to Palaeolithic PeriodLower used. They are found in
40,000 BC40,000 PalaeolithicMiddle Chotanagpur plateau and
BC to 10,000 BC PalaeolithicUpper Palaeolithic Kurnool district

Hunters and
HerdersMicrolith tools were
From 10,000 BC The Mesolithic Age used

Food producersUse of
7000 BC The Neolithic age polished tools

Pre-Harappan
Phase – 3000 BC Chalcolithic Age Use of Copper – first metal

Bronze age civilization,

development of Urban
2500 BC Harappan Phase culture

1500 BC-1000 BC Early Vedic period Rig Veda period

Growth of 2nd Urban phase

with the establishment of
1000BC-500BC Later Vedic period Mahajanapadhas

16 kingdoms with certain

600 BC – 325 BC Mahajanapadhas republics established

Bimbisara, Ajatshatru and

544 BC – 412 BC Haryanka Dynasty Udayin

412 BC – 342 BC Shisunga Dynasty Shisunga and Kalashoka

344BC – 323 BC Nanda Dynasty Mahapadmananda

563 BC Birth of Gautama Buddha Buddhism established

540 BC Birth of Mahavira 24th Tirthankara of Jainism

518 BC Persian Invasion Darius

483 BC 1st Buddhist council Rajgir

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 383 BC 2nd Buddhist Council Vaishali

Direct contact between Greek

326 BC Macedonian Invasion and India

250 BC 3rd Buddhist council Pataliputra

322 BC – 185
BC322 BC – 298
BC298 BC – 273 The political unification of
BC273 BC – 232 Mauryan PeriodChandragupta India, Dhamma policy of
BC232 BC – 185 MauryaBindusaraAshokaLater Ashoka, the growth of art and
BC Mauryans architecture

185 BC – 73 BC Sunga Dynasty Pushyamitra Sunga

Vasudeva founded the

73 BC – 28 BC Kanva dynasty dynasty

60 BC – 225 AD Sathavahana dynasty Capital at Paithan, MH

2nd BC Indo-Greeks Menander(165-145AD)

Rudradaman (130 AD – 150

1 BC – 4 AD
st th The Shakas AD)

St Thomas arrived in India

during the reign of
1st BC – 1st AD The Parthians Gondophernes

1st AD -4th AD The Kushans Kanishka (78 AD – 101 AD)

72 AD 4th Buddhist Council Kashmir

Convene of Sangam
Commune, Rule of Cheras,
3rd BC – 3rd AD Sangam age Cholas and Pandyas

319 AD – 540 319 AD – Gupta AgeThe

AD319 – 334 golden age of
AD335 – 380 IndiaDevelopment of
AD380 – 414 The Gupta AgeChandragupta numerous art and
AD415 – 455 ISamudraguptaChandragupta literature.Nagara style of
AD455 – 467 AD IIKumaraguptaSkandagupta Temple Building

Harsha (606-647 AD)Kannauj

assembly and Prayag
assembly heldHuan-Tsang
550 AD – 647 AD Vardhana Dynasty visited Harsha’s assembly

543 – 755 AD Chalukyas of Vatapi Development of Vesera style

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 Structural temples in Dravida
575 – 897 AD Pallavas of Kanchi style started to develop

Medieval India
Early Medieval Period (650 – 1206 AD)
Year Event Importance

750 – 1150
AD Rule of the Palas Capital at Munger, Bihar

752 – 973
AD The Rasthrakutas Capital at Malkhed

730 – 1036
AD The Pratiharas Ruled western India

First Muslim
712 AD Invasion Mahmud Bin Qasim invaded India

850 – 1279
AD The Cholas Capital at Tanjore, epitome moment for Dravidian Architecture

998 – 1030 First Turk

AD invasion Mahmud of Ghazni

1175 – Second Turk

1206 AD invasion Mahmud of Ghori

1178 – Prithviraj The first battle of Tarain in 1191 between Prithviraj and Mahmud of
1192 AD Chauhan Ghori1192, Second battle of Tarain

The Sultanate Period (1206 – 1526 AD)

The Slave
Dynasty

Year Event Importance

Known as Lal Bakhsh, began the construction of Qutb

1206 – 1210 AD Qutbuddin Aibak Minar

Shamsuddin
1211 – 1236 AD Iltumish The real founder of Delhi sultanate

1236 – 1240 AD Razia Sultana First and only Muslim lady who ever ruled India

1240 – 1266 AD Weak successors

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 1266 – 1287 AD Ghiyasuddin Balban Established Diwan-i-Arz

The Khalji
Dynasty

Year Events Importance

Jalaluddin
1290 – 1296 AD Khalji Founder of Khalji dynasty

Did many administrative reforms, introduced the Dagh and Chehra

1296 – 1316 AD Allaudin Khalji system

The Tuglaq
dynasty

Year Events Importance

1320 – 1325 AD Ghiyasuddin Tuglaq Founder

Mohammed-Bin- Introduction of administrative reforms and certain ambitious

1325 – 1351 AD Tuglaq projects

1351 – 1388 AD Firoz Shah Tuglaq Built great cities

Taimur, the descendant of Chengiz Khan, invaded during the reign

1398 – 1399 AD Taimur Invasion of Muhammad Shah Tuglaq

The Sayyid dynasty 1414 – 1451 AD

The Lodhi Dynasty (1451 – 1526

AD)

Year Events Importance

1451 – 1488 AD Bahlol Lodhi Founder of Lodhi dynasty

Sikander
1489 – 1517 AD Lodhi Founded the city of Agra

Babur defeated Lodhi in the first battle of

1517 – 1526 AD Ibrahim Lodhi Panipat

Vijaynagar and Bahmani Kingdoms

Vijaynagar Kingdom

Year Events Importance

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 1336 – 1485 AD Sangama Dynasty Founded by Harihara and Bukka

1485 – 1505 AD Saluva Dynasty Saluva Narasimha

1505 – 1570 AD Tuluva Dynasty Veer Narashima

1509 – 1529 AD Krishna Deva Raya A gifted Scholar, contemporary of Babur

1570 – 1650 AD Aravidu Dynasty Founded by Tirumala

Bahmani Kingdom

Year Events Importance

1347 – 1358 AD Alaudin Hasan Bahman Shah Founded the Bahmani Kingdom at Gulbarga

1397 – 1422 AD Tajuddin Firoz Shah

1422 – 1435 AD Ahmad Shah Wali

Mughal Empire
Yera Event Importance

1526 – 1530 AD Babur Founder of Mughal empire after the 1st Battle of Panipat

1530 – 1540 AD1555 –

1556 AD Humayun He was defeated by Sher Shah

1540 – 1555 AD Sur Empire Sher Shah defeated Humayun and ruled from 1540-45 AD

2nd Battle of
1556 Panipat Akbar Vs. Hemu

1556 – 1605 AD Akbar Established Din-i-illahi, expanded Mughal empire

Captain William Hawkins and Sir Thomas Roe visited the

1605 – 1627 AD Jehangir Mughal court

1628 -1658 AD Shahjahan The pinnacle of Mughal empire and art and architecture

1658 – 1707 AD Aurangazeb Beginning of the decline of Mughal empire

Decline and disintegration of Mughal empire with gaining

1707 – 1857 AD Later Mughals strength of the British

Maratha State and Maratha Confederacy

Maratha state 1674 –
1720 AD

Year Events Importance

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 Contemporary of Aurangazeb and the biggest challenge for
1674 – 1680 AD Shivaji the Mughals in Deccan

1680 – 1689 AD Sambhaji

1689 – 1700 AD Rajaram

1700 – 1707 AD Tarabai

1707 – 1749 AD Shahu The rise of Peshwas

Balaji
1713 – 1720 AD Vishwanath The first Peshwa

Maratha Confederacy 1720 – 1818 AD

Year Event Importance

1720 – 1740 AD Baji Rao I

1740 – 1761 AD Balaji Baji Rao

1761 AD The third battle of Panipat The defeat of Marathas by Ahmad Shah Abdali

1761 – 1818 AD Later successors

Anglo Maratha Wars

Year Event Importance

1775 – 1782 1st Anglo Maratha

AD War British were defeated

1803 – 1806 Marathas were defeated and they signed the Subsidiary
AD 2nd War Alliance

1817 – 1818
AD 3rd War Marathas were decisively defeated

Modern India
Bengal

Year Events Importance

1717 – 1727 AD Murshid Quli Khan Capital of Bengal transferred to Murshidabad

1727 – 1739 AD Shujauddin

1739 – 1740 AD Sarfaraj khan

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 1740 – 1756 AD Alivardi Khan

1756 – 1757 AD Sirajuddaulah Battle of Plassey

1757 – 1760 AD Mir Jafar

1760 – 1764 AD Mir Qasim Battle of Buxar

Mysore

Year Events Importance

1761 – 1782 AD Haider Ali Establishment of Modern Mysore state

1766 – 1769 AD 1st Anglo – Mysore war Haider Ali defeated the British

1780 – 1784 AD 2nd Anglo – Mysore war Haider Ali was defeated by Sir Eyrecoot

1782 – 1799 AD Tippu Sultan Continued the 2nd war

1790 – 1792 AD 3rd Anglo – Mysore war Tipu ceded half of his territory

1799 4th Anglo – Mysore war Tipu sultan died

Punjab

1792 – 1839 AD Maharaja Ranjit Singh Founder of Sikh rule

1845 – 1846 AD 1st Anglo – Sikh war Sikhs were defeated

1848 – 1849 AD 2nd Anglo – Sikh war Dalhousie annexed Punjab

The advent of Europeans in India

Year Company

1498 Portuguese East India company Headquarters at Cochin and Goa

1600 English East India company Madras, Calcutta and Bombay

1602 Dutch East India company Pulicat, Nagapattinam

1616 Danish East India company Serampore

1664 French East India company Pondicherry

Carnatic wars
1746-48 1st Anglo-French war Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle

1749-54 2nd Anglo-French war Treaty of Pondicherry

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 1758-63 3rd Anglo-French war Treaty of Paris

Freedom Struggle
Year Event

The First war of Indian

1857 independence Revolt due to socio-religious and economic causes

Formation of Indian National

1885 Congress A.O. Hume

1885 – Dominated by Dadabai Naoroji, Surendranath

1905 Moderate phase Banerjea

1905 –
1917 Extremists Phase Dominated by Lal-Bal-Pal and Aurobindo Ghosh

1905 Bengal Partition Curzon announced the partition

1905 –
1908 Swadeshi movement Boycott of foreign products

1906 Muslim league formation

1906 Calcutta Session of INC Swaraj as the goal

Question on extending the movement to the rest of

1907 Surat split India

1909 Morley – Minto reforms The separate electorate for Muslims

1915 –
1916 Home rule movement BG Tilak and Annie Besant

1916 Lucknow Pact The pact between Congress and League

1916 Lucknow session Extremists admitted in Congress

Gandhian Era
Early
life

1893 – Foundation of Natal Indian Congress, Sathyagraha

1914 Gandhi in South Africa and CDM against British excesses

1915 –
1948 Gandhi in India

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 Arrived in Bombay. First two years to tour
India and not to participate in any political
1915 movement

1917 Champaran Campaign Against the Indigo cultivators

1918 Ahmedabad First hunger strike

1918 Kheda First non-cooperation movement

1919 Rowlatt Sathyagraha Against the Rowlatt act and Jallianwala massacre

1920-
22 Non-cooperation and Khilafat movement

1924 Belgaum session Gandhi elected as Congress president

Dandi MarchGandhi – Irwin Pact2nd Roundtable

1930 - conferenceResuming the Civil disobedience
34 Civil disobedience movement movement

1940-
41 Individual satyagraha

1942 Quit India movement Do or die

Important Events during this period

Year Event

1919 Rowlatt act Gandhi gave a call for Rowlatt satyagraha

1919 Jallianwala Massacre

1920- Khilafat and Non-cooperation

22 movement Hindu Muslim unity

1922 Chauri Chaura incident Gandhi called off NCM

1923 Congress Khilafat Swaraj Party Enter legislative councils

1927 Simon commission All white commission to review the 1919 act

1928 Nehru committee report To determine the principles of the constitution

1929 Jinnah’s 14 points

1929 Lahore session Purna Swaraj

1930 Civil disobedience movement Dandi March

1931 Gandhi Irwin Pact To ask Gandhi to participate in the 2nd RTC

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 1931 2nd RTC held in London

1932 Communal award

1932 Poona Pact

1935 Government of India act Provisional autonomy

1937 18 months rule of Congress begins

1939-
45 World War II begins

1939 Congress ministries resign

Linlithgow proposed to seek India’s cooperation in the

1940 August offer World War

1941 Individual Satyagraha

1942 Cripps mission

1942 Quit India movement

1943 Gandhi’s 21 days fast

1944 C R Formula

1945 Wavell Plan and Shimla Conference

1945 INA Trails

1946 RIN Ratings Mutiny

1946 Cabinet mission plan

1946 Formation of Interim government

Formation of the constituent

1946 assembly

1947 Atlee’s announcement

1947 Mountbatten Plan

1947 Indian independence act, 1947

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