| Date |
Event |
| 9000 BC to 7000 BC |
The Rock Shelters at Bhimbetka. These are situated at the foothills of the Vindhyan Mountains. There are five groups of rock shelters that are adorned with paintings are date from the Mesolithic Period. |
| 7000 BC to 3300 BC |
Mehrgarh Culture. This dates back to the Neolithic period. Oldest site to introduce farming and herding. Situated in Baluchistan. |
| 3300 BC to 1700 BC |
Indus Valley Civilization |
| 3300 BC to 2600 BC |
The Early Harappan Phase, which lasted for about 700 years, starting with the Ravi Phase. |
| 2600 BC – 1700 BC |
Mature Harappan Phase, wherein large cities and urban areas emerged and the civilization expanded. |
| 1700 BC – 1300 BC |
The Late Harappan Phase began. |
| 1700 BC – 500 BC |
Vedic Period, when the sacred Vedic Sanskrit Texts in India were compiled. |
| 1700 BC – 1000 BC |
Early Vedic Period. The period of the compilation of Rig Veda. Caste system becomes rigid and families become patriarchal. |
| 1700 BC |
The Late Harappan and the Early Vedic Period coincide |
| 1300 BC |
The end of the Cemetary H Culture |
| 1000 BC |
Iron Age in India |
| 1000 BC – 500 BC |
Later Vedic Period. Agriculture became the predominant economic activity. There was a change in the political organization and the involvement of people in administration. |
| 600 BC |
Formation of the Sixteen Maha Janapadas – The Great Kingdoms |
| 599 BC |
The founder of Jainism – Mahavira was born. |
| 563 BC |
The founder of Buddhism – Siddhartha Gautama was born |
| 538 BC |
Cyrus the great conquered parts of Pakistan |
| 500 BC |
Panini standardized grammer and the morphology of Sanskrit. Converted it into classical Sanskrit. The earliest written records in Brhami exist. The end of the Vedic Period. |
| 333 BC |
Darius III was defeated by Alexander the Great. The Macedonian Empire was established |
| 326 BC |
In the Battle of the Hydaspes River, The King of Taxila, Ambhi, surrendered to Alexander |
| 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 |
| 265 BC |
Emperor Ashoka embraced Buddhism after the Battle of Kalinga |
| 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 |
The assassination of Emperor Brihadrata ended the Mauryan Empire and the 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 |
The Kushan Empire is established by Kujula Kadphises |
| 78 AD |
The Satvahana Dynasty was taken over by Gautamiputra Satkarni |
| 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 |
| 550 AD to 1300 AD |
The Early Medieval Period |
| 606 AD |
Harshavardhana became the King |
| 630 AD |
Hiuen Tsiang traveled to India |
| 761 AD |
Mohammed Bin Qasim, the first Muslim Invader invades |
| 800 AD |
The birth of Shankaracharya |
| 814 AD |
Nripatunga Amoghavarsha I became Rashtrakuta king |
| 1000 AD |
Invasion by Mahmud of Ghazni |
| 1017 AD |
Alberuni traveled to India |
| 1100s AD |
Majority of India was ruled by the Rashtrakutas, Chandelas, Cholas, Kadambas. |
| 1120 AD |
Kalyani Chalukya Empire attained peak, Vikramaditya VI introduced Vikrama Chalukya Era |
| 1191 AD |
Mohammed Ghori & Prithivi Raj Chauhan III fight the First battle of Tarain |
| 1192 AD |
Second battle of Tarain between Ghauri and Prithivi Raj Chauhan III |
| 1194 AD |
The Battle of Chandawar took place between Ghauri and Jayachandra |
| 1288 AD |
Marco Polo came to India |
| 1300 AD to 1500 AD |
Late Medieval Period |
| 1300 AD |
Establishment of the Khilji Dynasty |
| 1336 to 1565 AD |
Vijayanagar Empire |
| 1498 AD |
First voyage of Vasco-da-Gama to Goa |
| 1526 AD to 1818 AD |
Post Medieval Era |
| 1526 AD |
Sultan of Delhi, Ibrahim Lodi was defeated by Babur, the Mughal ruler of Kabul. |
| 1527 AD |
Battle of Khanwa, in which Babur annexed Mewar |
| 1530 AD |
Babur died and was succeeded Humayun |
| 1556 AD |
Humayun died and was succeeded by his son Akbar |
| 1600 AD |
The formation of The East India company in England |
| 1605 AD |
Akbar died and was succeeded by Jehangir |
| 1628 AD |
Jehangir died and was succeeded by Shah Jahan |
| 1630 AD |
Shivaji was born |
| 1658 AD |
Shah Jahan built Taj Mahal, Jamia Masjid and Red Fort |
| 1659 AD |
Shivaji defeated Adilshahi troops at the Battle of Pratapgarh |
| 1674 AD |
Maratha Empire was established |
| 1680 AD |
Shivaji died |
| 1707 AD |
Aurangzeb died and was succeeded by Bahadur Shah I |
| 1737 AD |
Bajirao I conquered Delhi |
| 1740 AD |
Balaji Bajirao took over after Bajirao I’s death |
| 1757 AD |
Battle of Plassey was fought |
| 1761 AD |
Third battle of Panipat ended the expansion of Maratha Empire |
| 1766 AD |
First Anglo-Mysore War |
| 1777 AD |
First Anglo-Maratha War |
| 1780 AD |
Second Anglo-Mysore War |
| 1789 AD |
Third Anglo-Mysore War |
| 1798 AD |
Fourth Anglo-Mysore War |
| 1799 AD |
Tipu Sultan died, Wodeyar dynasty was restored |
| 1803 AD |
Second Anglo-Maratha War |
| 1817 AD |
Third Anglo-Maratha War begins |
| 1818 AD |
End of the Maratha Empire and British control over most of India |
| 1857 AD |
First Indian war of Independence, known as Indian Mutiny |
| 1885 AD |
Indian National Congress was formed |
| 1930 AD |
Dandi Salt March, Simon Commission, First Round Table Conference |
| 1919 AD |
Massacre at Jallianwala Bagh |
| 1921 AD |
Civil Disobedience Movement |
| 1930 AD |
Dandi Salt March Took Place; First Round Table Conference, Simon Commission |
| 1931 AD |
Bhagat Singh was hanged by the British, Second Round Table Conference, Gandhi-Irvin Pact |
| 1942 AD |
Quit India Movement, Rise of Subhash Chandra Bose |
| 1946 AD |
There was pressure from the Muslim League for the formation of Pakistan |
| 1947 AD |
India gained independence and witnessed partition |
