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.
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:
An Introduction to Indian History
The Indus valley civilization saw its genesis in the holy land now known as India around 2500 BC. The people
inhabiting the Indus River valley were thought to be Dravidians, whose descendants later migrated to the south of India. The
deterioration of this civilization that developed a culture based on commerce and sustained by agricultural trade can be attributed
to ecological changes. The second millennium BC was witness to the migration of the bucolic Aryan tribes from the North West
frontier into the sub continent. These tribes gradually merged with their antecedent cultures to give birth to a new milieu.
The
Aryan tribes soon started penetrating the east, flourishing along the Ganga and Yamuna Rivers. By 500 BC, the whole of northern
India was a civilized land where people had knowledge of iron implements and worked as labor, voluntarily or otherwise. The
early political map of India comprised of copious independent states with fluid boundaries, with increasing population and
abundance of wealth fueling disputes over these boundaries.
Unified under the famous Gupta Dynasty, the north of India touched the skies as far as administration and the Hindu religion were concerned. Little wonder then, that it is considered to be India’s golden age. By 600 BC, approximately sixteen dynasties ruled the north Indian plains spanning the modern day Afghanistan to Bangladesh. Some of the most powerful of them were the dynasties ruling the kingdoms of Magadha, Kosla, Kuru and Gandhara.
Known to be the land of epics and legends, two of the world’s greatest epics find their birth in Indian settings - the Ramayana, depicting the exploits of lord Ram, and the Mahabharta detailing the war between Kauravas and Pandavas, both descendants of King Bharat. Ramayana traces lord Ram’s journey from exile to the rescue of his wife Sita from the demonic clutches of Ravana with the help of his simian companions. Singing the virtues of Dharma(duty), the Gita, one of the most priced scriptures in Indian Mythology, is the advice given by Shri Krishna to the grief laden Arjun, who is terrified at the thought of killing his kin, on the battle ground.
Mahatma Gandhi revived these virtues again, breathing new life in them, during India’s freedom struggle against British Colonialism. An ardent believer in communal harmony, he dreamt of a land where all religions would be the threads to form a rich social fabric.
Other good resources for History of India
