The history of India starts with the existence of India itself as it located in the continent of Asia, India covers 2,973,193 square kilometers of land and 314,070 square kilometers of water.
Making it the 7th largest nation in the world with a total area of 3,287,263 square kilometers. Surrounded by Bhutan, Nepal, and Bangladesh to the Northeast, China to the North, Pakistan to the Northwest, and Sri Lanka on the Southeast coast.
India is a land of ancient civilizations. India's social, economic, and cultural configurations are the products of a long process of regional expansion. Indian history begins with the birth of the Indus Valley Civilization and the coming of the Aryans. These two phases are usually described as the pre-Vedic and Vedic age. Hinduism arose in the Vedic period.
The fifth century saw the unification of India under Ashoka, who had converted to Buddhism, and it is in his reign that Buddhism spread in many parts of Asia. In the eighth century, Islam came to India for the first time and by the eleventh century had firmly established itself in India as a political force. It resulted in the formation of the Delhi Sultanate, which was finally succeeded by the Mughal Empire, under which India once again achieved a large measure of political unity.
It was in the 17th century that the Europeans came to India. This coincided with the disintegration of the Mughal Empire, paving the way for regional states. In the contest for supremacy, the English emerged 'victors'. The Rebellion of 1857-58, which sought to restore Indian supremacy, was crushed; and with the subsequent crowning of Victoria as Empress of India, the incorporation of India into the empire was complete. It was followed by India's struggle for independence, which we got in the year 1947. Here is a brief timeline about the history of India:
Ancient Indian History
The Indus Valley Civilization
A long time ago, in the eastern world, there rose a few civilizations. The main reasons for the rise of these urban civilizations were access to rivers, which served various functions of human beings. Along with the Mesopotamian civilization and the Egyptian civilization, rose the Indus Valley civilization spanning Northwest India and modern-day Pakistan. The largest amongst the three civilizations, the Indus Valley civilization flourished around 2600 BC, at which time agriculture in India started flourishing. The fertile Indus valley made it possible for agriculture to be carried out on a large scale. The most well-known towns of the Indus Valley in today’s date are Mohenjo Daro and Harappa. Unearthing these two towns showed excavators glimpses into the richness of the Indus Valley civilization, evidenced in ruins and things like household articles, war weapons, gold and silver ornament - and so on. The people of the Indus Valley civilization lived in well-planned towns and well-designed houses made of baked bricks. In an era of developments and prosperity, civilization, unfortunately, came to an end by around 1300 BC, mainly due to natural calamities.
Vedic Civilization
The next era that India saw was that of the Vedic civilization, flourishing along the river Saraswati, named after the Vedas, which depict the early literature of the Hindus. The two greatest epics of this period were the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, still held in great reverence by the followers of Hinduism.
Buddhist Era
Next came the Buddhist era, during the time of the Mahajanapadas which were the sixteen great powers, during the 7th and the 6th centuries BC. Prominent powers at the time were the Sakyas of Kapilavastu and the Licchavis of Vaishali. Buddha, whose original name was Siddhartha Gautam, was born in Lumbini near Kapilavastu and was the founder of Buddhism - a religion based on spiritualism. He died at the age of 80 in 480 BC, but his teachings spread throughout southern and eastern Asia and are followed across the world today.
The Invasion of Alexander
When Alexander invaded India in 326 BC, he crossed the Indus River and defeated the Indian rulers in battle. Noteworthy of the Indians’ attempts at war, was the use of elephants, something that the Macedonians had never seen before. Alexander then took over the lands of the defeated kings.
The Gupta Dynasty
The Gupta period has been referred to as the Golden Age of Indian history. When Chandragupt I received the gift of Pataliputra in dowry when he married the daughter of the chief of the ‘Licchavis’, he started to lay down the foundation of his empire, which extended from the river Ganges or the Ganga to the city of Allahabad. He ruled for 15 years and was also referred to as the ‘king of kings’ for his strategic conquests and the flourishing state of India.
Harshavardhana
The last of the ancient kingdoms in India was by the king Harshavardhana, who ascended the throne at Thanneshwar and Kannauj after his brother died. While successful in a few of his conquests, he eventually got defeated by the Chalukya Kingdom of Deccan India. Harshavardhana was well-known for establishing relations with the Chinese, and also for having high religious tolerance and strong administrative capabilities.
Mahajanapadas
The period of Mahajanpadas
(600 BCE) is also known as the Period of 2nd urbanization (IVC was the 1st urbanization) as
the center of polity and economy shifted from India’s North-west to Eastern states (mainly Bihar).
Urban settlement and the use of Iron tools enabled the formation of large territories called
Mahajanapadas. At that time there were 16 such
Mahajanapadas (as per Buddhist text Anguttara
Nikaya)
Some of the Mahajanapada are (*arranged east to west)
|
Mahajanapada |
Capital |
Unique Aspect |
|
Anga (South of Ganga, Bihar) |
Champa |
Important trade center for traders moving to
South-East Asia (Suvarnabhumi) |
 Vajji (North Bihar) |
Vaishali |
It was Republic state with many clans e.g.
Lichchavis (capital Vaishali), Videhans (capital Mithila), and Jnatrikas
(Mahavira belonged to this clan) |
|
Malla |
Kushinagar and Pava |
It was also a Republic state. Buddha took his last
meal at Pava and entered Mahaparinirvana at Kushinagar |
|
Kashi (Eastern UP) |
Varanashi |
|
|
Magadha (Bihar) |
Rajgir |
Haryanka Dynasty (* we will read this in detail) |
|
Koshala (Ayodhya, Eastern UP)  |
Shravasti |
Its King was Prasenjit (a contemporary of Buddha) |
 |
Kaushambi (confluence of river Ganga and Yamuna,
modern Allahabad) |
Its King Udayana is the central character in three
Sanskrit dramas:
|
|
Chetiya or Cheti (Central India) |
Shuktimati |
Its king was Shishupala (also mentioned in
Mahabharata) |
|
Panchala (Western UP) |
Ahichchhatra (modern Bareilly) |
|
|
Kuru (Western UP) |
Indraprastha |
Mahabharata tells the story of the conflict in the
Kuru clan |
|
Shurasena (Western UP) |
Mathura |
Its king Avantipura was the disciple of Buddha |
|
Matsya (Eastern Rajasthan) |
Viratanagara |
|
|
Avanti ( Central Malwa)- Divided by Vindhya Range |
North Avanti: Ujjain |
|
|
Assaka (situated on the bank of Godavari River) |
Potali (modern Nizamabad, Telangana) |
Only Mahajanapada lying south of Vindhyas |
|
Gandhara (North-west Pakistan) |
Taxila |
The Behistun Inscription of the Achaemenid Emperor
Darius mentions that Gandhara being conquered by the Persians in 2nd half of
the 6th Century BC |
|
Kamboja (North-west Pakistan) |
Poonch (J&K) |
It was situated on the Uttarapatha and was known
for its excellent breed of horses and as remarkable horsemen |
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