This is atimeline ofIndian history, comprising important legal and territorial changes andpolitical events in India and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, seeHistory of India. Also see thelist of governors-general of India,list of prime ministers of India andlist of years in India.
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 4,000,000 – 100,000 BCE | Tools crafted by proto-humans that have been dated back two million years have been discovered in the northwestern subcontinent.[1][2] The earliest archaeological site in the subcontinent is the palaeolithichominid site in theSoan River valley.[3] Soanian sites are found in theSivalik region across what are now India, Pakistan, and Nepal.[4][5] Some of theBhimbetka rock shelters were inhabited byHomo erectus more than 100,000 years ago.[6][7] Evidence suggested that occupation of the Indian subcontinent by hominins was sporadic until circa 700,000 years ago, and was geographically widespread by around 250,000 years ago.[8] Madrasian culture sites have been found inAttirampakkam (Attrambakkam=13° 13' 50", 79° 53' 20"), which is located nearChennai (formerly known as Madras), Tamil Nadu.[9] Thereafter, tools related to this culture have been found at various other locations in this region.Bifacial handaxes and cleavers are typicalassemblages recovered of this culture.[10] Flake tools,microliths and other chopping tools have also been found. Most of these tools were composed of the metamorphic rockquartzite.[9] The stone tool artifacts in this assemblage have been identified as a part of the secondinter-pluvial period inIndia.[11] Evidence for presence of Hominins withAcheulean technology 150,000–100,000 BCE in Tamil Nadu.[12] | |
| 74,000 – 30,000 BCE | Technology similar to contemporary artifacts found used by Homo sapiens in Africa found inJwalapuram around 74,000 BCE. Paleolithic industries in South India Tamil Nadu 30,000 BCE.[13] |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 9,000 BCE | Early Neolithic culture with first confirmed semi-permanent settlements appeared 11,000 years ago in theBhimbetka rock shelters in modernMadhya Pradesh, India. Some of the Stone Agecave paintings found among the Bhimbetka rock shelters are approximately 30,000 years old.[14] The ancient history of the region includes some of Indian subcontinent's oldest settlements[15] and some of its major civilisations.[16][17] |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 4000 BCE | Phase of theIndus Valley Civilisation begins. The civilization used an early form of the Indus signs, now calledIndus script. Over the course of the next 1000–1500 years, inhabitants of the Civilization developed new techniques in handicraft (carnelian products, seal carving) and metallurgy (copper, bronze, lead, and tin) had elaborate urban planning, baked brick houses, efficient drainage systems, water supply systems, and clusters of large non-residential buildings.[18] The civilization depended significantly on trade, was the first civilization to use wheeled transport in the form of bullock carts, and also used boats.[19] |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 2800 BCE | The Indus Valley Civilization expand across the whole of modern-day Pakistan, much of northern India, and large parts of Afghanistan, withHarappa andMohenjo-daro becoming large metropolises.[20] | |
| 2600 BCE | End of the Early Indus Valley Civilization culture. Start of Mature Indus Valley Civilization culture |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 BCE | End of Mature Indus Valley Civilization culture, late Indus Valley Civilization period starts |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 BCE | Adichanallur urn-burial site inTirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu. In 2004, a number of skeletons dating from around 3,800 years ago. |
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| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1700 BCE | Brihadratha also known asMaharatha, was the initiator of theBrihadratha dynasty, the earliest ruling dynasty ofMagadha according to the Puranas. | |
| Jarasandha was the son ofBrihadratha and became the 2nd ruler of theBarhadratha dynasty ofMagadha succeeding his father. | ||
| 1665 BCE | Sahadeva of Magadha became the 3rd ruler of theBarhadratha dynasty ofMagadha succeedingJarasandha. | |
| 1661 BCE | Somadhi became the 4th ruler of theBarhadratha dynasty ofMagadha succeedingSahadeva of Magadha. | |
| 1603 BCE | Srutasravas became the 5th ruler of theBarhadratha dynasty ofMagadha succeeding Somadhi. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1539 BCE | Ayutayus became the 6th ruler of theBarhadratha dynasty ofMagadha succeeding Srutasravas | |
| 1503 BCE | Niramitra became the 7th ruler of theBarhadratha dynasty ofMagadha succeeding Ayutayus |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1500 BCE | EarlyVedic period (to 1000 BCE) | |
| 1463 BCE | Sukshatra became the 8th ruler of theBarhadratha dynasty ofMagadha succeedingNiramitra. | |
| 1405 BCE | Brihatkarman became the 9th ruler of theBarhadratha dynasty ofMagadha succeeding Sukshatra. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1400 BCE | Gopala Dynasty established byGopa | |
| 1382 BCE | Senajit became the 10th ruler of theBarhadratha dynasty ofMagadha succeeding Brihatkarman | |
| 1332 BCE | Srutanjaya became the 11th ruler of theBarhadratha dynasty ofMagadha succeeding Senajit |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1300 BCE | Cemetery H culture comes to an end | |
| 1300 BCE | End of late Indus Valley Civilization period | |
| 1292 BCE | Vipra became the 12th ruler of theBarhadratha dynasty ofMagadha succeeding Srutanjaya | |
| 1280 BCE | Pundravardhana Kingdom was established sometime before 1280 BCE. | |
| 1257 BCE | Suchi became the 13th ruler of theBarhadratha dynasty ofMagadha succeeding Vipra |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1200 BCE | Rigveda Codified.Kuru kingdom Established. | |
| 1199 BCE | Kshemya became the 14th ruler of theBarhadratha dynasty ofMagadha succeeding Suchi | |
| 1171 BCE | Subrata became the 15th ruler of theBarhadratha dynasty ofMagadha succeeding Kshemya | |
| 1107 BCE | Dharma became the 16th ruler of theBarhadratha dynasty ofMagadha succeeding Subrata |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1043 BCE | Dharma stepped down as the 16th ruler of theBarhadratha dynasty ofMagadha. | |
| 1008 BCE | Susuma became the 17th ruler of theBarhadratha dynasty ofMagadha succeeding Dharma |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1000 BCE | Middle and LateVedic period (to 500 BCE) | |
| 1000 – 300 BCE | Kanchi district, gold mine ofMegalithic sites in Tamil Nadu, South India[21] | |
| 1000- 900 BCE | Kingdom of the Videhas was established. | |
| 1000- 900 BCE | Pañcāla Kingdom was established. | |
| 970 BCE | Dridhasena became the 18th ruler of theBarhadratha dynasty ofMagadha succeeding Susuma | |
| 912 BCE | Sumati became the 19th ruler of theBarhadratha dynasty ofMagadha succeeding Dridhasena |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 879 BCE | Subala became the 20th ruler of theBarhadratha dynasty ofMagadha succeeding Sumati | |
| 877 BCE | Birth ofParsvanatha, 23rd JainTirthankara (traditional date) | |
| 857 BCE | Sunita became the 21st ruler of theBarhadratha dynasty ofMagadha succeedingSubala | |
| 841 BCE | Gopala Dynasty was de-established. | |
| 817 BCE | Satyajit became the 22nd ruler of theBarhadratha dynasty ofMagadha succeeding Sunita |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 767 BCE | Viswajit became the 23rd ruler of theBarhadratha dynasty ofMagadha succeeding Satyajit | |
| 732 BCE | Ripunjaya became the 24th and the last ruler of theBarhadratha dynasty ofMagadha succeeding Viswajit. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 700 BCE | TheUpanishads, a sacred text ofHinduism, are written. | |
| 700 BCE | Kingdom of Kosala was established.Kosala belonged to theNorthern Black Polished Ware culture (c. 700–300 BCE).[22] |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 600 BCE | SixteenMaha Janapadas ("Great Realms" or "Great Kingdoms") emerge. | |
| TheChola,Pandya, andChera dynasties are established. | ||
| The capital of theEarly Pandyan Kingdom was initiallyKorkai, all around 600 BCE, and was later moved to Koodal (now Madurai) during the reign ofNedunjeliyan I. | ||
| 599 BCE | Mahavira of the 24th Tirthankara is born. This turns out to become the most famous wave of Jainism. | |
| 563 BCE | Siddhārtha Gautama, Buddha-to-be, is born in Lumbini into a leading royal family in the republic of the Shakyas, which is now part of Nepal. | |
| 543 BCE | The Vanga-basedPrince Vijaya (c. 543 BCE) married a daughter of the Pandyan king of Madurai, to whom he was sending rich presents every year.Sinhala chronicleMahavamsa or the Great Chronicle of Sri Lanka mentions thisevent[citation needed] | |
| 538 BCE | Cyrus the Great, founder of the PersianAchaemenid Empire reached up to northwestern parts of theIndian subcontinent, today's Afghanistan. | |
| 527 BCE | Nirvana ofMahavira, | |
| c. 525 BCE | Kuru kingdom was de-established.[23] |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| c. 500 BCE | TheVedic period ends. | |
| 483 BCE | Proposed Mahaparinirvana date ofGautama Buddha at Kushinagar. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 400 BCE | Siddhartha Gautama 'Buddha' of the Shakya polity in South Nepal, foundsBuddhism (older date: 563–483 BCE) | |
| 350 BCE | Pāṇini, labelled as the father oflinguistics, a resident ofGandhara, describes thegrammar andmorphology ofSanskrit in the textAṣṭādhyāyī. Pāṇini's standardized Sanskrit is known asClassical Sanskrit. | |
| 333 BCE | Persian rule in the northwest ends afterDarius III is defeated byAlexander the Great, who establishes theMacedonian Empire after inheriting the Persian Achaemenid Empire. | |
| 326 BCE | Ambhi king ofTakshila surrenders to Alexander. | |
| May | Porus who ruled parts of thePunjab, fought Alexander at theBattle of the Hydaspes. | |
| 321 BCE | Maurya Empire is founded byChandragupta Maurya inMagadha after he defeats theNanda dynasty andMacedonianSeleucid Empire. Mauryan capital city isPataliputra (ModernPatna in Bihar) | |
| 305 BCE | Chandragupta Maurya defeatsSeleucus I Nicator of theSeleucid Empire. | |
| 304 BCE | Seleucus gives up his territories in the subcontinent (Afghanistan/Baluchistan) to Chandragupta in exchange for 500 elephants. Seleucus offers his daughter in marriage to Chandragupta to seal their friendship. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 290–270 BCE | Pingala, ancient Indian mathematician and poet writes theChandaḥśāstra (also called the Pingala-sutras), which presents the description of abinary numeral system for prosody. He described meters in the form of short and long syllables. | |
| 273 BCE | Ashoka the Great regarded as the greatest ancient Indian emperor, grandson of Chandragupta Maurya, ascends as emperor of theMaurya Empire. | |
| 266 BCE | Ashoka conquers and unifies most of Indian subcontinent, along with most ofAfghanistan andBalochistan. | |
| 265 BCE | Kalinga War takes place between Ashoka and thekingdom of Kalinga. | |
| After conquering Kalinga, Ashoka who recently converted into buddhism and made it a quasi-official state religion of the Mouryan Empire, reportedly regrets what he has done and relinquishes violence. | ||
| 261 BCE | Conquest of Kalinga | |
| 260 BCE | Ashoka inscribes theEdicts of Ashoka, written down usingBrahmi script. The Edicts describe his Buddhist religious views and his commitment to the welfare of his subjects. | |
| 232 BCE | Ashoka dies and is succeeded byKunala. | |
| 230 BCE | Simuka declares independence fromMauryan rule and establishes theSatavahana Empire. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 200 BCE | Kuninda Kingdom is established. | |
| Tolkāppiyam describes thegrammar andmorphology of Tamil; it is the oldest existing Tamil grammar (dates vary between 200 BCE and 100 CE). | ||
| Indo-Greek Kingdom (also known as the Yavana Kingdom) is established. It was aHellenistic-era Greek kingdom covering various parts of Afghanistan and the northwestern regions of the Indian subcontinent (parts of modern-dayPakistan and northwestern India). The kingdom was founded when theGraeco-Bactrian kingDemetrius (and laterEucratides) invaded India from Bactria in 200 BCE. During its existence, the kingdom was ruled over by 30 successive kings, with Menander I being the most famous Indo-Greek king. | ||
| 184 BCE | The Mauryan Empire, declines | |
| 165/155 BCE | Menander I becomes the king of the Indo-Greek Kingdom. Menander is noted for having become a patron of and convert toGreco-Buddhism and he is widely regarded as the greatest of the Indo-Greek kings. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 100 BCE | Birth ofCharaka,[24] ancient Indian physician who writes theCharaka Samhita, an ancient text that describes theories on human body, etiology, symptomology and therapeutics for a wide range of diseases and is based on theAgnivesha Samhitā. | |
| 65 BCE | ThePandyan king sends ambassadors to the Greek and Roman lands. | |
| 58 BCE | Beginning ofVikram Era | |
| 1 BCE | Fall of theIndo-Greek Kingdom. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 35 | Western Satraps formed. | |
| 68 | Establishment of theKushan Empire byKujula Kadphises. | |
| 79 | Gautamiputra Satakarni becomesSatavahanaemperor and startsShalivahana era calendar after defeatingScythian kingMaues. | |
| 100 or after | Sugar was first produced from sugarcane plants in northern India sometime after the first century.[25] |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 113 | Vima Kadphises becomes the ruler of the Kushan Empire. He was the Kushan Emperor to first introduce gold coinage, in addition to the existing silver and copper coinage. | |
| 127 | Kanishka ascends the throne of the Kushan Empire, succeeding Vima Kadphises. Under his reign, the Kushan Empire reached its zenith. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 240 | Sri-Gupta starts theGupta Empire in Magadha, with its capital inPataliputra | |
| 250 | TheVakataka Dynasty in the Deccan is formed byVindyashakti. He rules until 275. | |
| 275 | ThePallava dynasty is established | |
| Pravarasena ascends the throne of the Vakataka Dynasty, expanding his empire. He was the first Vakataka ruler who called himself aSamrat, or emperor. He is perhaps the only emperor in his dynasty. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 320 | Chandragupta I ascends theGuptathrone. | |
| 335 | Samudragupta ascends the Gupta throne and expands the empire. | |
| 345 | Kadamba Kingdom established byMayurasharma,Banavasi as its capital and they were the first kingdom to useKannada in administration. | |
| 380 | Chandragupta II, Samudragupta's son becomes the GuptaEmperor. | |
| 390 | Prabhavatigupta, a Gupta Princess who was the daughter of Chandragputa II, becomes the regent of the Vakataka dynasty after the death of her husbandRudrasena II, effectively ruling the Vakatakas until 410. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 413 | Kumaragupta I, Adopted the title of Mahendraditya. | |
| 455 | Skandagupta, FacedHunas effectively. | |
| 467 | Invasions by theHuna. Pallavas became a major power during the reign of Mahendravarman I (571 – 630 CE) | |
| 475 | Harishena takes over the Vakataka Dynasty. He was a great patron of Buddhist Art. The World Heritage monumentAjanta Caves is a surviving example of his works. | |
| 476 | Birth ofAryabhata, ancient Indian mathematician and astronomer who goes on to write theAryabhatiya, a Sanskrit astronomical treatise and the Arya-siddhanta. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 502 | Mihirakula becomes the ruler of theAlchon Huns. He was the second and last of the Alchon Huns. He was considered to be an extremely violent and cruel ruler. He destroyed many Buddhist monasteries in his kingdom. | |
| 528 | Confederation of Indian rulersYashodharman,Narasimhagupta andAdityavardhana defeat theHuna emperor Mihirakula in theBattle of Sondani. | |
| 528–540 | Yashodharman conquers vast territories from the Hunas and Guptas after theBattle of Sondani, and establishes the short-livedAulikara Empire | |
| 554 | Collapse ofGupta Empire after the death ofVishnugupta. | |
| 573 | Varāhamihira, ancient Indian astrologer, astronomer, andpolymath writes the Pañcasiddhāntikā, a treatise on mathematical astronomy which summarises five earlier astronomical treatises by five authors. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 606 | Harsha crownedMonarch of Kannauj. | |
| 628 | Ancient Indian mathematician and astronomerBrahmagupta completes theBrāhmasphuṭasiddhānta, a text on mathematical astronomy explaining the role ofzero, rules for manipulating bothnegative and positive numbers, a method for computingsquare roots, methods of solvinglinear andquadratic equations, and rules for summingseries,Brahmagupta's identity, andBrahmagupta's theorem. Brahmagupta described gravity as a force of attraction. He posited that it is the nature of the Earth to attract objects, a significant departure from the Aristotelian view of objects seeking their "natural place". | |
| 637 | BadamiChalukya power at its peak.Pulakeshin II pushes north up to the Narmada and defeats the invadingHarshavardhana ofKanauj | |
| 647 | Death ofHarsha | |
| 665 | Ancient Indian mathematician and astronomerBrahmagupta completes the astronomical treatiseKhandakhadyaka covering topics such as the longitudes of the planets, diurnal rotation, lunar and solar eclipses, risings and settings, the moon's crescent and conjunctions of the planets. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 700 | According to theQissa-i Sanjan, the immigrantsParsi are granted permission to stay by the local rulerJadi Rana | |
| 711 | Arab commander of theUmayyad Caliphate,Muhammad bin Qasim defeatsRaja Dahir, king of Sindh Region in modern-dayPakistan | |
| 728 | Narasimhavarman II of thePallava dynasty constructs theShore Temple ofMamallapuram | |
| 736 | Delhi is re-established by Bilan Deo Tomar also known asAnangpal Tomar | |
| 738 | Confederacy of Indian kings consisting ofNagabhata I ofGurjara-Pratihara dynasty andBappa Rawal, ruler ofMewar defeat ArabUmayyad Caliphate invasion attempts in the Battle of Rajasthan (738 CE) | |
| 739 | Avanijanashraya Pulakeshin of theChalukyas of Navasarika kingdom defeats an invasion attempt by the Arab Umayyad Caliphate.[26] | |
| 753 | Establishment ofRashtrakuta Kingdom of Manyakhet byDantidurga by defeating Chalukyas of Badami | |
| 753 | Saindhava naval fleet defeats Arab naval fleet sent by the Arab governor of Sindh. | |
| 776 | Saindhava naval fleet underAgguka I defeats second Arab naval expedition.[27][28] | |
| 788 | Birth ofAdi Shankara |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 800 | Vikramashila University is established by thePala emperorDharmapala in present-dayBhagalpur district inBihar, in early 9th century | |
| 814 | NripatungaAmoghavarsha I becomesRashtrakuta emperor.Kannada literature flourishes. | |
| 836 | Gurjara-Pratihara (to 910) |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 935 | Chandrapur University established in 935 CE bySrichandra, a ruler of theChandra dynasty | |
| 985 | Rajaraja Chola ascends to the throne ofChola empire. He expands the empire toSri Lanka and to the north to includeKalinga kingdom | |
| 993 | Rajaraja Chola invadesSri Lanka and captures the northern half of Sri Lanka. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1000 | Invasion ofMahmud of Ghazni Begins (1000–1025 CE) | |
| 1003–1010 | TheBrihadisvara Temple is built byRaja Raja Chola I. | |
| 1014 | Rajaraja Chola adds theLakshadweep andMaldives islands to the Chola empire.[29] | |
| Rajendra Chola I became the king ofChola empire after his fatherRajaraja Chola. During his reign, he extended the influences of the already vast Chola empire up to the banks of the river Ganges in the north and across the ocean. Rajendra's territories extended coastalBurma, theAndaman and Nicobar Islands,Lakshadweep,Maldives, conquered the kings ofSrivijaya (Sumatra,Java andMalay Peninsula inSouth East Asia) andPegu islands with his fleet of ships. He defeatedMahipala, thePala king ofBengal andBihar, and to commemorate his victory he built a new capital calledGangaikonda Cholapuram. TheCholas became one of the most powerful dynasties in Asia during his reign. The Tamil Chola armies exacted tribute from Thailand and the Khmer kingdom ofCambodia.Rajendra Chola I was the first Indian king to take his armies overseas and make conquests of these territories, even though there is epigraphical evidence of Pallava presence in these very areas. | ||
| 1014 | Mahmud Ghazni defeats theHindu Shahi kingTrilochanapala and annexes Punjab. He then attempts to invade Kashmir, but is defeated bySangramaraja | |
| 1017 | al-Biruni travelled to the Indian subcontinent | |
| 1017 | 26 April | Ramanuja is born atSriperumbudur,Tamil Nadu. |
| 1021 | Mahmud of Ghazni again attempts to invade Kashmir, but is defeated by Samgrāmarāja | |
| 1025 | 30 April | Last invasion ofMahmud Ghazni, sacked and destroyed temple ofSomnath |
| 1027 | TheSun Temple of Modhera is completed byBhima I of theChaulukya dynasty | |
| 1030 | 30 April | Death of Mahmud of Ghazni |
| 1033 | 15 June | Suhaldev, king ofShravasti defeats and killsGhazi Saiyyad Salar Masud, nephew ofMahmud of Ghazni. |
| 1035 | TheBrihadisvara Temple, Gangaikonda Cholapuram is built byRajendra Chola I. | |
| 1058 | Soomra dynasty ends the Arab domination and establishes its own rule overSindh. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1120 | Kalyani Chalukyas power at its peak.Vikramaditya VI ushers inVikrama Chalukya era. | |
| 1121 | Ajayaraja II, of theChahamanas of Shakambhari dynasty repulse Ghaznavid invasions. | |
| 1134 | Life ofBasaveshwara, philosopher and social reformer. (to 1196) | |
| 1149 | 30 September | Birth of the Great poet and writer of IndiaChand Baradai in Lahore |
| 1150 | Bhāskara II, mathematician and astronomer writes theSiddhānta Shiromani, consisting of three booksLīlāvatī on arithmetic and measurement,Bijaganita on algebra andGaṇitādhyāya and Golādhyāya on astronomy. | |
| 1157 | TheKalachuris of Kalyani underBijjala II capture Kalyani | |
| 1175 | Muhammad of Ghor invades India.[30] | |
| 1178 | Forces of theChaulukya kingMularaja II led by his regent mother Naikidevi defeatGhurid invaders led byMuhammad of Ghor who escapes back to Ghazni, in theBattle of Kasahrada. | |
| 1191 | First Battle of Tarain betweenMohammed Ghori andPrithviraj III. Ghori is defeated by Prithivi Raj Chauhan III. | |
| 1192 | Second Battle of Tarain fought betweenMuhammed Ghori and Prithviraj Chauhan III. Prithviraj Chauhan III is defeated by Mohammed Ghori. | |
| 1193 | Muslim generalMuhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji destroys the ancient university of Vikramashila | |
| 1194 | Battle of Chandawar fought betweenMuhammad of Ghor andJaichand of Kannauj. Ghori defeated Jayachandra and killed him. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1206 | 15 March | Khokhars killedMuhammad Ghori during a raid on his camp on theJhelum River, marking the end of 14 years of Ghurid rule over northern India (1192–1206). |
| 1206 | 25 June | Qutb ud-Din Aibak establishes slave dynasty (Mamluk) later to be known as Delhi Sultanate, beginning 320 years rule over India (1206–1526). |
| 1206 | Raja Prithu defeatsMuhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji, destroying his army of 12,000 with only about 100 survivors.[31][32] | |
| 1210 | Qutb ud-Din Aibak died while playing polo. | |
| 1210 | Shams ud-Din Iltutmish, the third ruler of theDelhi Sultanate, belonging to theMamluk dynasty (slave dynasty), introduced IQTA (tax, revenue) system. Died in 1236. | |
| 1211–1215 | Anangabhima Deva III of theEastern Ganga dynasty in present-day Odisha defeats invasions byGhiyāth ad-Dīn ʿIwaz Khalji the ruler of Bengal.[33] | |
| 1221 | Genghis Khan invades Punjab in pursuit of the fleeingKhwarezm ShahJalal al-Din Mangburni and defeats him in theBattle of the Indus. | |
| 1226 | Raja Prithu repulses invading forces ofGhiyas ud din Balban the ninthsultan of theMamluk dynasty of Delhi, in present-dayAssam[31][32] | |
| 1229 | Sandhya (ruler of Kamarupa) in present-day Assam drives Muslims out of his territory and captures territory till Karatoya river. Thereafter, to avenge previous defeats, he invades the western border of Gaur (Lakhnauti) and annexes regions across the Karatoya into his kingdom. | |
| 1236 | Narasingha Deva I ruler of theEastern Ganga dynasty in present-day Odisha launches attacks against the Turko-Afghan rulers ofMamluk dynasty in Bengal that had captured Bihar and Bengal and not only repulses their attacks, but pushes them as far back as Padma River in current-day Bangladesh.[33] | |
| 1236 | 10 November | Rule ofRazia Sultana – Daughter of Iltutmish. |
| 1238 | October | Sri Madhwacharya born inPajaka nearUdupi,Karnataka |
| 1240 | 14 October | Murder ofRazia Sultan by Turkish nobles.(Chalisa) |
| 1243 | Narasingha Deva I ruler of theEastern Ganga dynasty defeatsTughral Tughan Khan of theMamluk Sultanate of Delhi in theBattle of Katasin and annexes several districts of Bengal into his empire. | |
| 1246–66 | Rule ofNasiruddin Mahmud with support ofBalban (Wazir and powerful member of Chalisa). Chalisa- a council of 40 members | |
| 1250 | TheKonark Sun Temple is completed, built by Narasingha Deva I. | |
| 1257 | The Kamrup kingdom, led by its ruler Sandhya defeats and executesMalik Ikhtiyaruddin Yuzbak, the Mamluk Governor of Bengal. His domains are split between the Kamrup kingdom and Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga Empire. | |
| 1266–1286 | Rule of Balban; Chalisa wiped out. | |
| 1267 | TheMahanubhava philosophy established byChakradhar Swami. | |
| 1275 | Birth of saintDnyaneshwar. | |
| 1290 | Murder ofMuiz ud din Qaiqabad byJalaluddin Firuz Khalji, an army commander. | |
| 1290–96 | Jalal-ud-din Khilji. Founder of Khiliji Dynasty |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1309 | Alauddin Khalji sends Malik Kafur to South. Malik Kafur Lays siege on the Kakatiya Capital Warangal and Extracts Tribute. The diamond Kohinoor was among the loot collected. | |
| 1310 | Ala-ud-din Khilji's army underMalik Kafur occupiesDevagiri ending theSeuna Yadava Kingdom | |
| 1311 | Malik Kafur attacks the Hoyasalas. In the aftermath of the destruction Hoyasalas abandon the old capital Halebidu. He later attacks Madurai. The attacks on Warangal, Halebidu and Madurai is accompanied by wide scale killing, destruction of temples and repatriation of wealth back to Delhi. | |
| 1323 | 9 November | Ulugh Khan (Muhammad bin Tughluq) defeatsPrataparudra II ending theKakatiya dynasty |
| 1333 | Prithvi Chand II of theHinduKatoch kingdom ofKangra defeats the army of Muhammad bin Tughluq who loses nearly all his 10,000 soldiers and is forced to retreat.[34] | |
| 1334 | Musunuri Kapaya Nayaka with assistance from theHoysala rulerVeera Ballala III leads a rebellion against the Tughluq rule ofDelhi Sultanate, driving it out ofWarangal region in present-dayTelangana. | |
| 1336 | 18 April | Vijayanagara Empire established byHarihara I and his brotherBukka Raya I. |
| Rana of MewarHammir Singh defeats and capturesTughlaq dynasty rulerMuhammad bin Tughluq in theBattle of Singoli. | ||
| 1340 | Birth of great mathematicianMadhava of Sangamagrama who goes on to found theKerala school of astronomy and mathematics and write theVenvaroha, which describes the methods for the computation of the true positions of the Moon at intervals of about half an hour for various days in an anomalistic cycle. | |
| 1343 | Veera Ballala III captured and killed in theBattle of Kannanur. | |
| 1347 | GovernorHasan Gangu revolts againstMuhammad bin Tughluq founding theBahmani Sultanate | |
| 1351 | Samma Dynasty assumes rule overSindh | |
| 1370 | Bukka, theVijayanagara ruler and his son Kumara Kamapna capture the entire Tamil speaking parts. | |
| 1398 | Timur plundersLahore |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1401 | Dilawar Khan establishes theMalwa Sultanate in present-day northern India | |
| 1407 | Zafar Khan: governor of Gujarat, declares himself as Sultan Muzaffar Shah founding theGujarat Sultanate/Muzaffarid dynasty | |
| 1414 | Khizr Khan, deputized byTimur to be the governor ofMultan takes over Delhi founding theSayyid dynasty | |
| 1424 | Deva Raya II succeeded his fatherVeera Vijaya Bukka Raya as monarch of theVijayanagara Empire | |
| 1437 | Rana Kumbha ofMewar andRao Ranmal Rathore ofMarwar defeat and take prisonerMahmud Khalji,Sultan of the Malwa Sultanate in the Battle of Sarangpur | |
| 1442 | Rana Kumbha of Mewar defeats Mahmud Khalji in theBattle of Mandalgarh | |
| 1443 | Abdur Razzaq visits India | |
| 1446 | Rana Kumbha of Mewar defeats Mahmud Khalji in theBattle of Banas | |
| Mallikarjuna Raya succeeds his fatherDeva Raya II | ||
| 1449 | 26 September | Sankardev, founder ofEkasarana Dharma was born in Nagaon, Assam. |
| 1450 | Shri Guru Ravidas Ji was born in 1450 in Varanasi. He was an Indian mystic poet-sant of theBhakti movement during the 15th to 16th century CE. Venerated as a guru in the region of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, the devotional songs of Ravidas have had a lasting impact upon the bhakti movement. | |
| 1451 | 19 April | Bahlul Khan Lodhi ascends the throne of theDelhi sultanate starting theLodhi dynasty |
| 1456 | Rana Kumbha of Mewar defeats the combined armies of Shams Khan (sultan of Nagaur) andQutbuddin Ahmad Shah II (Sultan of Gujarat) in theBattle of Nagaur and captures Nagaur, Kasili, Khandela and Shakambhari. Nagaur Sultanate ceases to exist. | |
| 1469 | 15 April | Guru Nanak, the founder ofSikhism is born |
| 1483 | 14 February | Birth ofBabur inAndijan,Fergana Valley in Central Asia |
| 1485 | Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya drives outPraudha Raya ending theSangama Dynasty | |
| 1486 | Advent ofChaitanya Mahaprabhu, founder ofGaudiya Vaishnavism and leader of the world's first civil disobedience movement, inNavadwip,West Bengal | |
| 1490 | Ahmadnagar declares independence, followed byBijapur andBerar in the same year thus breaking up theBahmani Sultanate. | |
| 1492 | 30 March | Satal Rathore of Marwar kills Afghan warlord Gudhla Khan in the Battle of Peepar, to rescue 140 girls abducted by the Afghans. He later succumbs to injuries sustained in the battle. |
| 1498 | 20 May | Vasco de Gama was the first portage's sailor first voyage from Europe to India and back (in 1499) |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1503 | Kingdom of Cochin is taken over by the Portuguese creating the first European settlement in India. | |
| 1508 | 3 February | The Christian-Islamic power struggle in Europe and the Middle East. Spills over into the Indian Ocean asBattle of Chaul during thePortuguese-Mamluk War |
| 1509 | 3 February | Battle of Diu marks the beginning of the dominance of the Europeans in the Asian naval theater. |
| 1518 | Kingdom of Mewar underRana Sanga defeatsLodi Empire underIbrahim Lodhi in the Battle of Khatoli, gains control over north eastern Rajasthan. | |
| 1519 | Kingdom of Mewar under Rana Sanga defeats theMalwa Sultanate and theGujarat Sultanate in theBattle of Gagron, obtains control ofMalwa. | |
| The Kingdom of Mewar under Rana Sanga again defeats Lodi Empire under Ibrahim Lodi in theBattle of Dholpur, extends control up to Agra. | ||
| 1520 | Vijayanagara Empire underKrishnadevaraya defeats theSultanate of Bijapur in theBattle of Raichur. | |
| Rana Sanga leads a coalition of Rajput armies to invade theGujarat Sultanate, reinstates Raimal as the Rao ofIdar. The Sultan of Gujarat is forced to flee toMuhammadabad. | ||
| The mystic poet-sant of the Bhakti movement, Shri GuruRavidas, dies. | ||
| 1522 | The Portuguese land on theCoromandel Coast. | |
| 1526 | 21 April | SultanIbrahim Lodi, of theDelhi Sultanate, angers local nobles, who respond by invitingBabur, theMughal ruler ofKabul, to invadeDelhi andAgra. The local population, plus the possession of artillery, assists Babur in killing the Sultan (whose soldiers desert him) at theBattle of Panipat. Marks the Beginning of Mughal Empire for 331 Years Rule Over India (1526–1757) CE. |
| 1527 | 17 March | Babur defeats Rana Sanga of Mewar in the Battle of Khanwa. |
| 1530 | Astronomer-mathematicianJyeṣṭhadeva of theKerala school of astronomy and mathematics writes theYuktibhāṣā, a major treatise on mathematics and astronomy inMalayalam | |
| 28 March,27 January | Babur[7] completes hisBaburnama, reflecting on society, politics, economics, history, geography, nature, flora and fauna, which to this day is a standard textbook in 25 countries. Babur dies, and is succeeded by his sonHumayun. | |
| 1532 | Ahoms under kingSuhungmung defeat Turbak Khan of theBengal Sultanate in Battle of Hatbor. | |
| 1539 | Battle of Chausa fought betweenHumayun andSher Shah Suri in which Humayun is defeated. | |
| Guru Angad Dev becomes second guru of Sikhs. | ||
| 1540 | 18 September | Battle ofKannauj fought between Humayun and Sher Shah Suri and Humayun was completely defeated. Humayun lost the Mughal empire to Afghans (Suri Dynasty), and passed 12 years in exile. |
| 9 May | Maharana Pratap Singh of Mewar (son of Maharana Udai Singh II) is born. | |
| 1542 | 15 October | Akbar is born atUmerkot. |
| 1545 | 22 May | Death ofSher Shah Suri and succeeded byIslam Shah Suri. |
| 1552 | 26 March | Guru Amar Das becomes third Guru of Sikhs. |
| 1554 | 22 November | Islam Shah Suri dies. |
| 1555 | 22 May | Humayun regained the throne of Delhi from the hands of weak successors of Sher Shah after Battle of Sirhind. |
| 1556 | 27 January | Humayun dies, and is succeeded by his sonAkbar. |
| 7 October | Hindu kingHemu defeats Mughal forces in theBattle of Tughlaqabad | |
| 5 November | Hindu kingHemu establishes his raj in North India and bestowed with title of Vikramaditya.He was defeated at theSecond Battle of Panipat by Akbar and Bairam Khan's forces. | |
| 1565 | 26 January | Battle of Talikota results in the rout of Vijayanagara empire. |
| 1568 | Paradesi Synagogue, the first Jewish synagogue in India constructed by theParadesi Jews. | |
| 1572 | Akbar annexesGujarat, also shifts the Mughal capital to Fatehpur Sikri where a new township and citadel containing buildings of a unique all-India character—inspired by the architecture of Bengal, Gujarat, Malwa, Kashmir as well as the Timurid world—is born. | |
| 1574 | 1 September | Guru Ram Das becomes fourth Guru of Sikhs. |
| Akbar annexesBengal. | ||
| 1581 | 1 September | Guru Arjan Dev becomes fifth Guru of Sikhs. |
| 1582 | Maharana Pratap defeatsMughal governor inBattle of Dewair in present-dayRajasthan[35] | |
| 1586 | 6 October | Akbar annexesKashmir. |
| 1589 | Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) build in Amritsar byGuru Arjan | |
| 1600 | 31 December | East India Company is formed in England. Gets exclusive trading rights with India. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1602 | Dutch came to India atPulicut (back to 1825). | |
| 1605 | 27 October | Akbar dies, and is succeeded by his sonJahangir. |
| 1606 | 25 May | Guru Hargobind is selected to becomes the sixth guru of Sikhs byGuru Arjan |
| 30 May | Guru Arjan is tortured and killed under orders of Mughal EmperorJahangir for refusing to convert to Islam. | |
| 1612 | 30 November | British India (to 1947) |
| 24 August | East India Company enters into a trade agreement with the Mughal EmperorJahangir | |
| 1616 | Susenghphaa, ruler of theAhom kingdom defeats Mughal forces in a land and naval battle at Bharali, Assam.[36] | |
| 1621 | Sikhs army led byGuru Hargobind defeat Mughals in theBattle of Rohilla | |
| 1628 | Jahangir announces "Chain of Justice" outside his palace that anyone can ring the bell and get a personal hearing with the emperor. Jahangir dies, and is succeeded by his sonShah Jahan. | |
| 1630 | 19 February | Birth ofChhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.[citation needed]. |
| 1634 | Sikhs armies led byGuru Hargobind defeat Mughal armies in theBattle of Amritsar (1634) and Battle of Lahira. | |
| 1635 | 25 April | Sikhs army led byGuru Hargobind defeat a Mughal army in theBattle of Kartarpur |
| 1636 | Establishment ofKohra (estate) byBabu Himmat Sah. | |
| 1644 | 8 March | Guru Har Rai becomes seventh guru of Sikhs |
| 1640 | Rani Karnavati of theGarhwal Kingdom repels and defeats invasion attempt by Mughal army ofShah Jahan.[37] | |
| 1658 | Shah Jahan completesTaj Mahal,Jama Masjid, andRed Fort. Imperial treasuries drained by architectural and military overexpenditures. Shah Jahan put under house arrest, and is succeeded by his sonAurangzeb. | |
| 1659 | 19 February | Shivaji's ill-equipped and smallMaratha army defeat numerically much largerAdilshahi troops at theBattle of Pratapgarh marking the first victory of theMaratha Kingdom. Shivaji personally killsAdilshahi commanderAfzal Khan (general). |
| 27 December | Marathas underShivaji defeat theAdilshahi troops in theBattle of Kolhapur | |
| 1660 | 13 July | Maratha army of 600 defeats a much larger army of theBijapur Sultanate of 10,000 in theBattle of Pavan Khind, near the city ofKolhapur. |
| 1661 | 3 February | Marathas underShivaji defeatMughal Empire forces in the Battle of Umberkhind. |
| 6 October | Guru Har Krishan becomes eight guru of Sikhs. | |
| 1664 | 6–10 January | Marathas underShivaji defeatMughal Empire forces in theBattle of Surat. |
| 1665 | 13 February | Shivaji conducts a raid on thePortuguese colony inBasrur and gains a large booty which enables him to strengthen the base of his new kingdom by building a strong navy and forts. |
| 20 March | Guru Tegh Bahadur becomes ninth Guru of Sikhs. | |
| 11 June | Treaty of Purandar (1665) (or पुरंदर चा तह) was signed between Shivaji and the Rajput ruler Jai Singh I. | |
| 1669 | 28 November | Jats defeats theMughal Empire in theBattle of Tilpat takes control ofMathura |
| 1670 | 4 February | Marathas underShivaji capture the fort of Sinhagad (then known as Kondhana) from the Mughals in theBattle of Sinhagad. |
| 1671 | Ahom kingdom defeats theMughal Empire in theBattle of Saraighat, takes back control ofGuwahati | |
| Chhatrasal revolts against the Mughal Empire with an army of only 5 horsemen and 25 swordsmen. In ten years he conquers a large tract of land between Chitrakoot, Chhatarpur and Panna in the east and Gwalior in the west, and from Kalpi in the north to Sagar, Garhakota, Shahgarh and Damoh in the south. | ||
| 1672 | February | Maratha forces underPrataprao Gujar defeat a Mughal army twice its size in the Battle of Salher |
| 1674 | 6 June | Shivaji is crownedChhatrapati. |
| 1675 | 6 May | Marathas defeat theBijapur Sultanate and capture the Fortress of Ponda after theSiege of Ponda |
| 24 November | Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Guru of Sikhs is tortured and executed in Delhi by the order of Aurangzeb for his support for the Kashmiri Hindus to practice their religion and for refusing to convert to Islam. Guru Gobind Singh becomes tenth Guru of Sikhs. | |
| 1680 | 3 April | Shivaji dies of fever atRaigad. |
| 20 July | Sambhaji becomes 2nd Chhatrapati of theMaratha Kingdom | |
| Kingdom of Venad defeats the Mughal Empire in the Battle of Manacaud | ||
| 1681 | Aurangzeb invades theDeccan | |
| 31 January – 2 February | Maratha rulerSambhaji attacks andsacks the Mughal city Burhanpur | |
| 1682 | August | Ahom kingdom defeats theMughal Empire in theBattle of Itakhuli, takes back control ofKamrup region |
| 1684 | Marathas under Sambhaji repel aMughal attempt to invade Konkan. Mughals are forced into a slow retreat and suffer great losses. | |
| 1687 | 16 December | Marathas under Sambhaji defeat the Mughal Army in theBattle of Wai. However, Maratha GeneralHambirrao Mohite is killed. |
| 1688 | The Sikandara was plundered byRajaram Jat. Even the skeleton of Akbar, was taken out and the bones were consumed to flames. | |
| 1689 | 11 March | After being ambushed and captured by the Mughals,Sambhaji is tortured and killed for refusing to convert to Islam. Rajaram I becomes the third Chhatrapati of the Maratha Kingdom. |
| 1690 | Maratha Kingdom defeats the Mughal Empire in theBattle of Athani | |
| 1691 | Joint forces ofBhim Chand (Kahlur) ofBilaspur and Guru Gobind Singh defeat Mughal army in theBattle of Nadaun. | |
| 1692 | December | Maratha GeneralSantaji Ghorpade defeats Mughal General Alimardan Khan and captures him. Mughal army underZulfikhar Ali Khan defeated by Santaji andDhanaji Jadhav and Zulfiquar Khan is forced to sue King Rajaram for peace |
| 1693 | 21 November | Maratha GeneralSantaji Ghorpade defeats Mughal General Himmat Khan. |
| 1695 | 20 November | Maratha GeneralSantaji Ghorpade defeats and kills Mughal General Kasim Khan. |
| 1696 | Sikhs under Guru Gobind Singh defeat Mughal forces in theBattle of Guler (1696) | |
| 20 November | Danish India (to 1869) | |
| 1699 | 3 October | Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Guru of Sikhs createsKhalsa, the saint-soldier atAnandpur Sahib, Punjab. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1700 | Sikhs army of 1000 under Guru Gobind Singh defeats Mughal army numbering 10,000 in theBattle of Anandpur (1700) | |
| 3 March | Rajaram I dies. The infantShivaji II becomes the Chhatrapati of the Maratha Kingdom, with his motherTarabai as the regent. She continues the Maratha battles against the Mughal Empire, leading the Maratha army herself. | |
| 1702 | Sikhs army under Guru Gobind Singh defeats Mughal army in the Battle of Nirmohgarh (1702) | |
| 1707 | 13 February | Birth ofSuraj Mal son ofBadan Singh |
| 3 March | Death ofAurangzeb the Mughal emperor. Marks the end of Mughal Territorial Expansion over India. | |
| 1708 | 7 October | Guru Gobind Singh is assassinated by Mughals and theGuru Granth Sahib becomes the eternal Guru of the Sikhs. |
| 1710 | 12 May | Sikh army underBanda Singh Bahadur defeats Mughal Empire in theBattle of Chappar Chiri and establishes Sikh rule from Lahore to Delhi. |
| 1717 | Meitei king Pamheipa (Gharib Nawaz (Manipur)) introduces Hinduism as the state religion and changes the name of the kingdom to the Sanskrit Manipur. | |
| 1721 | March – October | Attingal Outbreak takes place |
| 13–14 November | Madras cyclone occurs | |
| 1720 | Bajirao I appointed by Shahu asPeshwa (prime minister) who would later expand the Maratha Kingdom. | |
| 1724 | Meitei kingGharib Nawaz of theNingthouja dynasty invades Burma. | |
| 1728 | 28 February | Bajirao I defeats the combined forces of the Mughal Empire and theNizam of Hyderabad in theBattle of Palkhed |
| 1729 | March | Maratha Kingdom under Bajirao defeats Mughal Empire, in response for an appeal for help fromChhatrasal, ruler ofBundelkhand in theBattle of Bundelkhand |
| 1731 | Maratha Kingdom under Bajirao defeats Mughal Empire and Maratha rebel factions in theBattle of Dabhoi | |
| 1737 | 16 March | Marathas under Bajirao I defeat theMughal Empire in the Battle of Delhi (1737) |
| 24 December | Marathas defeat a combined army of the Mughal Empire,Nizam of Hyderabad,Nawab of Awadh andNawabs of Bhopal in theBattle of Bhopal | |
| 1739 | 17 February – 16 May | Marathas under Bajirao I defeat the Portuguese in theBattle of Vasai, Portuguese army and administration pulled out of Baçaim (Vasai). |
| March | Nader Shah invades India from Iran. Nader Shah captures and sacks Delhi. | |
| 1740 | May | Raghoji I Bhonsle of the Maratha Confederacy defeats and killsDost Ali Khan the Mughal Nawab of Arcot in the Battle of Damalcherry.[38] |
| 1741 | 26 March | Maratha army defeats the Nawab of Carnatic and captures Trichinopoly after theSiege of Trichinopoly (1741) |
| 10 August | Kingdom ofTravancore underMarthanda Varma defeats theDutch Empire in theBattle of Colachel. | |
| 1753 | 10 May | Jats underSuraj Mal defeat the Mughal Empire in theCapture of Delhi (1753) |
| 15 August | Treaty of Mavelikkara signed between theKingdom of Travancore and theDutch East India Company, effectively ending the political and commercial dominance of the Dutch on the Kerala coast and beginning of the end of Dutch influence in India. | |
| 1754 | 20 January – 18 May | Bharatpur State defeat the Marathas inBattle of Kumher. |
| 1756 | Black Hole of Calcutta infamous incident where soldiers of East India Company were held hostage in tortuous conditions, later served as a precedent for the Battle of Plassey | |
| 1757 | 16 January | Maratha Confederacy defeatsDurrani Empire, in theBattle of Narela. |
| 23 June | British East India Company defeats theNawab of Bengal in theBattle of Plassey, marking the End of Islamic period of 565 Years over India (1192–1757) & beginning of British conquests in India. | |
| 11 August | Maratha Confederacy defeatsRohilla Afghans in theBattle of Delhi (1757), captures Delhi. | |
| 1757 | 12 February | Jats underSuraj Mal defeat Durrani Empire, in the Battle of Bharatpur. |
| Third Carnatic War.[39] | ||
| 1758 | 28 April | |
| Maratha Confederacy led byRaghunathrao andMahadaji Shinde defeatsDurrani Empire in theBattle of Attock (1758), capturesAttock. | ||
| 8 May | Maratha Confederacy led by Raghunathrao,Malhar Rao Holkar andTukoji Rao Holkar defeats Durrani Empire in the Battle of Peshawar (1758), capturesPeshawar. | |
| 1759 | French India (to 1954) | |
| Maratha Confederacy supported bySikh Sukerchakia Misl defeats Durrani Empire in the Battle of Lahore (1759) | ||
| 1760 | 3 January | Marathas comprehensively defeat theNizam in the Battle of Udgir. Maratha Confederacy reaches its zenith. |
| 22 January | Battle of Wandiwash, British troops beat French | |
| 1761 | January | TheMarathas are routed in theThird Battle of Panipat on 14 January 1761, by the Afghans led byAhmad Shah Durrani, also known as Ahmad Shah Abdali. The battle is considered one of the largest battles fought in the 18th century. |
| 12 June | Capture of Agra Fort by theKingdom of Bharatpur led by kingSuraj Mal, defeating the armies of the Mughal Empire andRohilla Afghans | |
| August | TheSukerchakia Misl ofDal Khalsa (Sikh Empire) defeats theDurrani Empire in theBattle of Sialkot (1761) | |
| September | TheSikh Confederacy defeats theDurrani Empire in theBattle of Gujranwala (1761) | |
| 1762 | 5 January | The Marathas under the leadership ofPeshwa Madhavrao defeat the Nizam's forces in the Battle of Uruli |
| 5 February | Vadda Ghalughara, the massacre of 30,000 Sikhs, mostly non-combatants, by the army ofAhmad Shah Durrani | |
| May | Sikh Misls underJassa Singh Ahluwalia defeat theDurrani Empire in theBattle of Harnaulgarh | |
| 1763 | 10 August | Maratha Confederacy led byMadhavrao I defeats the Nizam of Hyderabad in the Battle of Rakshasbhuvan and gains territory. |
| 25 December | Suraj Mal dies | |
| 1764 | 26 February | Sikh Misls underJassa Singh Ahluwalia defeat theDurrani Empire in theBattle of Sirhind (1764) and captureSirhind |
| 22 October | Battle of Buxar (British victory against allied Mughal, Bengal and Oudh forces) | |
| 1765 | February | Kingdom of Bharatpur led by kingJawahar Singh defeats the Mughal Empire in theBattle of Delhi (1764) |
| 1767 | First Anglo-Mysore War begins, in which Hyder Ali of Mysore defeats the armies of the British East India Company. | |
| 1770 | Great Bengal famine of 1770, estimated to have caused the deaths of about 10 million people.[40]Warren Hastings's 1772 report estimated that a third of the population in the affected region starved to death. The famine is attributed to failed monsoon and exploitative policies of the East India Company.[41] | |
| 1771 | Marathas led by Mahadaji Shinde defeatRohilla Afghans andre-capture Delhi and parts ofNorth India, thus reasserting their supremacy in north India. As revenge for the losses in the Battle of Panipat, the Maratha army devastated Rohilkhand by looting and plundering and also took the members of royal family as captives. | |
| 1772 | 22 May | Ram Mohan Roy Born (to 1833) |
| 1773 | Narayanrao Peshwa is murdered by his uncleRaghunathrao's wife in front of Raghunathrao. | |
| Regulating Act 1773 | ||
| Warren Hastings appointed as firstGovernor-General of Bengal | ||
| 1774 | Chief Justice of theMaratha Confederacy,Ram Shastri passes death sentence against the rulingPeshwaRaghunathrao for murdering his nephew. | |
| 1775 | First Anglo-Maratha War | |
| June | Alliance ofShekhawat chieftains andKingdom of Jaipur defeat theMughal Empire supported by Baloch chieftains in theBattle of Mandan | |
| 1779 | MarathasardarMahadji Shinde routs theEast India Companyarmy at theBattle of Wadgaon. War ends with the restoration of status quo as perTreaty of Salbai. | |
| 1780 | Second Anglo-Mysore War begins. | |
| 1781 | Maratha Confederacy defeats forces of theBritish East India Company in theBattle of Bhorghat. | |
| 1784 | Second Anglo-Mysore War ends with theTreaty of Mangalore. | |
| Captivity of Mangalorean Catholics at Seringapatam, suffer extreme hardships, torture, death, forcibly converted to Sunni Islam. Of the 60,000–80,000 Christians taken captive, only 15,000–20,000 survive. | ||
| 1786 | District collectors inBengal were made responsible for settling the revenue and collecting it. | |
| 1787 | Maratha Confederacy defeatsTipu Sultan, theking of Mysore in theMaratha–Mysore War, resulting in the Treaty of Gajendragad. Tipu Sultan is forced to pay 4.8 million rupees as a war cost to the Marathas, an annual tribute of 1.2 million rupees and return all the territory captured by his fatherHyder Ali | |
| 1789 | Third Anglo-Mysore War begins. | |
| Tipu Sultan invadesMalabar (present day Kerala), destroys a number of temples including the temples ofBhagamandala,Payyavoor, Ammakoottam Mahadevi temple and Thrikkadamba Sri.mahavishnu temple. Thousands are killed, women raped and populace forced to convert to Islam, | ||
| 1790 | TheMarathas underHolkar andGeneral de Boigne defeat theRajputs ofJaipur andMughals at the Battle of Patan, where 3000+ Rajput cavalry is killed and the entire Mughal unit vanquished. The defeat crushes Rajput hope of independence from external influence | |
| May | Kingdom of Travancore defeats theKingdom of Mysore in theBattle of Nedumkotta | |
| 1792 | Third Anglo-Mysore War ends. | |
| 1793 | Birth ofRani Rashmoni, one of the pioneers of theBengali Renaissance. | |
| 1795 | 11 March | Maratha Confederacy defeats the Nizam of Hyderabad in theBattle of Kharda, Nizam ceded territory. |
| 13 August | Death ofAhilyabai Holkar | |
| 1796 | Ching-Thang Khomba movesManipur's capital toKangla | |
| 1798 | Fourth Anglo-Mysore War begins. | |
| 1799 | Fourth Anglo-Mysore War ends with the death ofTipu Sultan, the victory of the East India Company, and the restoration of their ally, theWodeyar dynasty of Mysore. | |
| Polygar War | ||
| 1800 | 13 March | Death ofNana Fadnavis |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1801 | 12 April | MaharajaRanjit Singh establishesKhalsa rule of Punjab from Lahore. Khalsa army liberatesKashmiri Pandits and invades Afghanistan via the Khyber Pass. |
| 1802 | 11 October | TheKingdom of Kottayam defeats theBritish East India Company in theBattle of Panamarathukotta |
| 1803 | 11 September | TheSecond Anglo-Maratha War begins. |
| 1805 | 24 December | TheSecond Anglo-Maratha War ends. |
| 1806 | 10 July | Vellore Mutiny, the first instance of a large-scale and violentmutiny by Indiansepoys against theEast India Company. |
| 1807 | 10 February | Hari Singh Nalwa, commander of theSikh Khalsa Army of theSikh Empire defeats theDurrani Empire in theBattle of Kasur, the first in a series of battles. |
| 1809 | 25 April | The East India Company signs the firstTreaty of Amritsar with Ranjit Singh. |
| 1811 | 28 October | The death ofYashwantrao Holkar. |
| 1813 | 13 July | Dewan Mokham Chand and Hari Singh Nalwa, commanders of the Sikh Khalsa Army of the Sikh Empire defeat the Durrani Empire in theBattle of Attock and captureAttock |
| 1814 | 15 January | "Atmiya Sabha" is established byRaja Ram Mohan Roy. |
| 1817 | 20 January | Establishment of Hindu College (Presidency College, nowPresidency University, Kolkata) |
| 13 June | TheThird Anglo-Maratha War begins. | |
| 1818 | March – 2 June | Sikh Empire defeats the Durrani Empire and capturesMultan after theSiege of Multan (1818). |
| 1819 | 3 July | Sikh Empire defeats the Durrani Empire in theBattle of Shopian and capturesSrinagar andKashmir. Islamic rule ends in Jammu and Kashmir. |
| 9 April | TheThird Anglo-Maratha War ends with the capture ofAsirgarh Fort and the end of theMaratha Confederacy, leaving theEast India Company with control of almost the whole ofIndia. | |
| 1820 | 26 September | Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar is born (to 1891). |
| 1823 | 14 March | Sikh Empire defeats theEmirate of Afghanistan and theNawab of Amb to annexPeshawar Valley, in theBattle of Nowshera |
| 1824 | 12 February | Dayananda Saraswati is born[42] (to 1883) |
| 5 March | First Anglo-Burmese War (to 1826) | |
| 1825 | December 1825 – January 1826 | Battle betweenEast India Company andBharatpur State |
| 1826 | 4 January | British rule in Burma (to 1947) |
| 1827 | 11 April | Jyotirao Phule is born[43] (to 1890) |
| 1828 | 19 November | Rani of Jhansi was born[44] (to 1858) |
| 1831 | Kol uprising[45] | |
| 6 May | Sikh Empire defeats theMujahideen forces ofSyed Ahmad Barelvi in theBattle of Balakot | |
| 1834 | 6 May | Sikh Empire defeats the forces of AfghanDurrani Empire in theCapture of Peshawar (1834). Peshawar becomes part of the Sikh Empire. |
| 1836 | 18 February | Ramakrishna is born[46] (to 1886) |
| 1837 | 18 February | Hari Singh Nalwa, commander of theSikh Khalsa Army defeats theDurrani Empire in theBattle of Jamrud and extends the frontier ofSikh Empire to beyond the Indus River right up to the mouth of theKhyber Pass. |
| 1845 | 11 December | First Anglo-Sikh war[47] (to 1846) |
| 4 November | Vasudev Balwant Phadke is born (to 1883) | |
| 1848 | 22 November | TheSikh Empire underSher Singh Attariwalla defeats theBritish East India Company underSir Hugh Gough in theBattle of Ramnagar |
| 1849 | 13 January | TheSikh Empire underSher Singh Attariwalla defeats theBritish East India Company under Sir Hugh Gough in theBattle of Chillianwala |
| 1853 | 1 April | The Post Service started. |
| 1853 | 16 April | The first railway is established betweenBombay andThane. |
| 1855 | 31 May | Rani Rashmoni complete theDakshineswar Kali Temple with the installation of Ma Kali.[48] |
| 30 June | Santhal rebellion | |
| 1856 | 25 July | Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act, 1856 |
| 23 July | Bal Gangadhar Tilak is born (to 1920) | |
| 20 August | Narayana Guru is born (to 1928) | |
| 1857 | 10 May | British victory inIndian Rebellion of 1857. LastMughal EmperorBahadur Shah Zafar was deposed byBritish East India Company and India transferred toBritish Crown. Marks the End of Mughal Dynasty rule over India. |
| 18 July, 24 January | India's first three universities, theUniversity of Mumbai, theUniversity of Madras and theUniversity of Calcutta, are established. | |
| 1858 | 1 November | British Raj (to 1947) Marks the Beginning Of Direct British Rule Over India For 89 Years(1858–1947). |
| 7 November | Bipin Chandra Pal is born (to 1932) | |
| 1859 | 18 April | Death ofTatya Tope |
| 1861 | 7 May | Rabindranath Tagore is born. |
| 1862 | The high courts of Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay are established.[49] | |
| 1863 | 12 January | Swami Vivekanand is born (to 1902) |
| 1865 | 28 January | Lala Lajpat Rai is born (to 1928) |
| 1867 | 31 March | "Prarthana Samaj" established earlier known as "Atmiya Sabha", "Tahzeeb-ul-Akhlaq" was started |
| 1869 | 2 October | Mahatma Gandhi is born (to 30 January 1948) |
| 29 November | Thakkar Bapa is born (to 1951) | |
| 1873 | 24 September | Jyotirao Phule establishes theSatyashodhak Samaj society. |
| 1875 | May–June | Deccan Riots |
| 10 April | "Arya Samaj" is established. | |
| Aligarh Muslim University | ||
| 1876 | 25 December | Muhammad Ali Jinnah was born (1876–1948) |
| 1877 | 1 January | The firstDelhi Durbar |
| 1883 | 30 October | Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati dies |
| 1885 | 28 December | TheIndian National Congress is established[50] |
| 1889 | 14 November | Jawaharlal Nehru is born (to 1964). |
| 1889 | 3 December | Khudiram Bose is born (to 1908). |
| 1891 | 14 April | B. R. Ambedkar is born (to 1956). |
| 1891 | 31 March | Anglo-Manipur War. |
| 1895 | 11 May | jiddu krishnamurti is born (to 17 February 1986). |
| 1897 | 23 January | Subhas Chandra Bose is born (to 1945); the first fingerprint bureau of India is established in Calcutta. |
| 11 June | Ram Prasad Bismil is born | |
| 22 June | Chapekar brothers assassinate W.C.Rand. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 3 March | Maghfoor Ahmad Ajazi is born (to 1966). |
| 1902 | Anushilan Samiti, revolutionary association formed. | |
| 1903 | 11 December | British expedition to Tibet |
| 1 January | Delhi Durbar Second Time. | |
| 1904 | 5 November | University Act |
| 1905 | Bharat Sevak Samaj founded byGopal Krishna Gokhale. | |
| 16 October | Partition of Bengal (1905) | |
| 1906 | April | Jugantar formed.[51] |
| 30 December | All-India Muslim League formed inDacca. | |
| 1907 | Surat Split | |
| 1908 | May | Alipore bomb case |
| 1909 | 25 May | Indian Councils Act 1909 |
| 1911 | Cancellation ofPartition of Bengal | |
| December | Delhi Durbar Third Time | |
| 1911 | 12 December | The British government moves the capital fromCalcutta toDelhi.[52] |
| 1912 | December | Delhi conspiracy case |
| 1913 | 15 July | Gadar Party formed. |
| Rabindranath Tagore wonNobel Prize in Literature | ||
| 1914 | 26 August | Rodda company arms heist, in which members of Bengali revolutionary organisation Anushilan Samiti intercept and make away with a shipment of Mauser Pistols and ammunition. In the following years, these pistols and ammunitions were linked to almost all the instances of nationalist struggles in Bengal. |
| Hindu–German Conspiracy | ||
| 1915 | Ghadar conspiracy | |
| 1 December | Provisional Government of India formed in Kabul. | |
| Mahatma Gandhi returns to India. | ||
| 1916 | 29 December | Lucknow Pact.[53] |
| 1917 | Champaran Satyagraha and Kheda Satyagraha | |
| Justice Party (India) is founded | ||
| 1918 | Kheda Satyagraha andAhmedabad Mill Strike | |
| 1919 | 13 April | Jallianwala Bagh massacre |
| Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms | ||
| 18 March | Rowlatt Act is passed | |
| 23 December | Government of India Act 1919 introduces a system ofdiarchy | |
| 1920 | Non-cooperation movement andKhilafat Movement | |
| 1922 | 5 February | Chauri Chaura incident |
| 1924 | October | TheHindustan Socialist Republican Association is formed. |
| 1925 | 9 August | Kakori conspiracy |
| 1925 | 27 September | Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is founded. |
| 1927 | 20 March | Mahad Satyagraha |
| November | Simon Commission | |
| 1928 | Bardoli Satyagraha | |
| 1929 | Central Assembly bombed byBhagat Singh andBatukeshwar Dutt. | |
| Purna Swaraj resolution. | ||
| 1930 | Salt Satyagraha, the civil disobedience movement, begins with the Dandi march. | |
| The firstRound Table Conferences (India) | ||
| 1931 | March | Gandhi–Irwin Pact |
| 23 March | Bhagat Singh,Rajguru andSukhdev martyred | |
| September–December | The secondRound Table Conferences (India) | |
| 1932 | 24 September | Poona Pact |
| 16 August | Communal Award | |
| November–December | The thirdRound Table Conferences (India) | |
| 1935 | August | Government of India Act 1935 |
| 1937 | 1937 Indian provincial elections | |
| 1939 | TheAll India Forward Bloc established bySubhas Chandra Bose | |
| 1940 | 23 March | Lahore Resolution |
| TheAll-India Jamhur Muslim League established byMaghfoor Ahmad Ajazi to support a united India | ||
| 8 August | August Offer.[54] | |
| 1942 | late March | Cripps Mission |
| August | 1.Quit India Movement 2. TheIndian National Army is established bySubhas Chandra Bose. | |
| 1943 | Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind, the Provisional Government of Free India is formed by Netaji. | |
| 1944 | Subhas Chandra Bose callsMahatma Gandhi the Father of the Nation. | |
| 1945 | 18 August | Subhas Chandra Bose died in a plane crash at Taiwan. |
| Wavell Plan,Simla Conference | ||
| 1946 | February | Royal Indian Navy mutiny |
| March | Cabinet Mission | |
| 16 August | Direct Action Day/Great Calcutta Killings | |
| October–November | Noakhali riots | |
| 1947 | July | Indian Independence Act 1947 byBritish Raj |
| 14 August | Partition of India and Pakistan becomes an independent state.[50] | |
| 15 August | Indian independence from theBritish Raj. | |
| 22 October | Pakistan starts theIndo-Pakistani war of 1947–1948 a few weeks after its independence by launching tribal lashkar (militias) from Waziristan supported by irregular Pakistani forces, in an effort to capture Kashmir. | |
| 7 November | Battle of Shalateng is fought on the outskirts of Srinagar, where on the advance of the tribal lashkar and Pakistani irregulars is halted and a counter-attack begins to push them back. | |
| Hundreds of thousands die in widespread communal bloodshed after partition, continuing to 1948. | ||
| 1948 | 30 January | Mahatma Gandhi is assassinated byNathuram Godse.[55] |
| War with Pakistan over disputed territory ofKashmir. | ||
| Telangana and other princely states are integrated into Indian union. | ||
| 1950 | 26 January | India became a republic. |
| 1951 | Reconstruction of theSomnath temple under the orders of the Home Minister of IndiaVallabhbhai Patel.[56] | |
| 1951 | Congress Party wins first general elections under leadership ofJawaharlal Nehru (to 1952). | |
| 1955 | Nationalisation of the Indian insurance sector. | |
| 1956 | 1 September | Establishment ofLIC. |
| 14 October | B. R. Ambedkar converted toBuddhism along with 600,000 followers. | |
| 6 December | B. R. Ambedkar died.States Reorganization Act in force from 1 November. | |
| 1962 | War over disputed territory of Kashmir[50] with China. | |
| India seizesDiu,Daman andGoa fromPortuguese India. | ||
| 1964 | 27 May | Death of Prime MinisterJawaharlal Nehru. |
| 1965 | 6–23 September | Second war with Pakistan over Kashmir. |
| 1966 | 11 January | Prime MinisterLal Bahadur Shastri's mysterious death in Tashkent. |
| 24 January | Nehru's daughterIndira Gandhi becomes prime minister. | |
| 1969 | 19 July | Nationalisation of 14 major private Banks. |
| 15 August | Indian Space Research Organisation formed underDepartment of Space. | |
| 1971 | 3–16 December | Third war withPakistan, culminating in the creation ofBangladesh |
| Twenty-year treaty of friendship signed with Soviet Union. | ||
| 1974 | 18 May | TheSmiling Buddha is the firstnuclear device in underground test. |
| 1975 | 15 May | Sikkim becomes part of Indian Union after a referendum in the Sikkim Assembly. |
| 25 June | Indira Gandhi declaresa state of emergency after being found guilty of electoral malpractice. Nearly 1,000 political opponents imprisoned and programme of compulsory birth control introduced. (to 1977) | |
| 1977 | Indira Gandhi's Congress Party loses general elections. Janata Party comes to power. TheCommunist Party of India (Marxist) comes into power in West Bengal. | |
| 1979 | The Janata Party splits. ChaudharyCharan Singh becomes Prime Minister. | |
| 1980 | Indira Gandhi returns to power heading the Congress party splinter group, Congress (Indira). | |
| 1983 | N. T. Rama Rao NTR's nine-month-old Telugu Desam assumes power in AP becoming a challenger post Loknayak Jayprakash Narayan against Indira Gandhi. | |
| 1983 | India won World Cup for the first time, in one day international Cricket led by Kapil Dev. | |
| 1984 | Troops stormGolden Temple, the Sikhs' most holy shrine, afterJarnail Singh Bhindranwale seeks refuge inside. There are a movement to flush out Sikh separatism and calls for secularism, calledOperation Blue Star. "Anti-Sikh Riots 1984". | |
| Indira Gandhi is assassinated by her bodyguards; her son, Rajiv, takes over. | ||
| Many Sikhs were killed due to the assassination of Indira Gandhi.see1984 anti-Sikh riots. | ||
| 1987 | India deploys troops for peacekeeping operation in Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict. | |
| 1988 | SEBI was established by TheGovernment of India on 12 April 1988 and given statutory powers in 1992 with SEBI Act 1992 being passed by theIndian Parliament. | |
| 1989 | Falling public support leads to a Congress defeat in general election. | |
| 1989 | TheNational Front (India), headed byV. P. Singh and led by Janata Dal, is formed and storms into power with outside support from BJP and CPI(M). | |
| 1990 | Muslim separatist groups begin campaign of violence against Hindus in Kashmir resulting inExodus of Kashmiri Hindus. | |
| 1991 | Rajiv Gandhi is assassinated by a suicide bomber sympathetic to Sri Lanka'sTamil Tigers. | |
| An economic reform programme orEconomic liberalisation in India is begun by Prime MinisterP. V. Narasimha Rao. | ||
| 1992 | December | Thedemolition of the Babri Masjid, triggering theBombay riots. |
| May | Over 200 people die inCuttack inOdisha, after drinking illegally brewed liquor in the1992 Odisha liquor deaths incident. | |
| 1995 | July | West Bengal Chief MinisterJyoti Basu made the first call from Kolkata to inaugurate the cellular services in India. |
| 1996 | Congress suffers its worst electoral defeat ever as BJP emerges as the largest single party. | |
| 1996 | August | TheAmarnath Yatra tragedy in which at least 194 pilgrims are reported to have frozen to death in northern Kashmir after being stranded by violent rain and snow storms. |
| 1998 | BJP forms coalition government under Prime MinisterAtal Bihari Vajpayee. | |
| India and Pakistan carry out nuclear tests, leading to widespread international condemnation. | ||
| 1999 | February | Vajpayee makes a historic bus trip to Pakistan to meet PremierNawaz Sharif and to sign bilateral Lahore peace declaration. |
| May | Indian Army launches operations to evict Pakistani forces occupying Indian positions on the icy heights inKargil district, known as theKargil War. | |
| October | TheCyclone devastates eastern state of Odisha, leaving at least 10,000 dead. | |
| 2000 | March | US PresidentBill Clinton makes a groundbreaking visit to improve ties. |
| May | India marks the birth of its billionth citizen. | |
| 15 November | The states ofJharkhand,Chhattisgarh andUttarakhand were created |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 26 January | The 7.7 Mw Gujarat earthquake shakesWestern India with a maximumMercalli intensity of X (Extreme), leaving 13,805–20,023 dead and about 166,800 injured. |
| July | Vajpayee meets Pakistani PresidentPervez Musharraf in the first summit between the two neighbours in more than two years. The meeting ends without a breakthrough or even a joint statement because of differences over Kashmir. | |
| July | Vajpayee's BJP party declines his offer to resign over a number of political scandals and the apparent failure of his talks with Pakistani PresidentMusharraf. | |
| September | US lifts sanctions which it imposed againstIndia andPakistan after they staged nuclear tests in 1998. The move is seen as a reward for their support for the US-led anti-terror campaign. | |
| October | India and Pakistan fire at each other's military posts in the heaviest firing along the dividing line of control in Kashmir for almost a year.[57] | |
| October | Pakistani forces shelled the village of Arnia about three km (two miles) from the border in the early hours of Monday 6 June, killing five and wounding at least two dozen civilians.[57] | |
| December | Suicide squad attacks parliament in New Delhi, killing several police. The five gunmen die in the assault. | |
| December | India imposes sanctions against Pakistan, to force it to take action against two Kashmir militant groups blamed for the suicide attack on parliament. Pakistan retaliates with similar sanctions, and bans the groups in January. | |
| December | India, Pakistan mass troops on common border amid mounting fears of a looming war. | |
| 2002 | War of words between Indian and Pakistani leaders intensifies. Actual war seems imminent. | |
| January | India successfully test-fires a nuclear-capable ballistic missile – the Agni – off its eastern coast. | |
| February | Inter-religious bloodshed breaks out after 59 Hindu pilgrims returning from Ayodhya are killed in a train fire in Godhra, Gujarat. More than 1,000 people, die in subsequent riots. (Police and officials blamed the fire on a Muslim mob; a 2005 government investigation said it was an accident, though later court and SIT report held Muslim mob responsible.) | |
| May | Pakistan test-fires three medium-range surface-to-surface Ghauri missiles, which are capable of carrying nuclear warheads. | |
| June | UK, US urge their citizens to leave India and Pakistan, while maintaining diplomatic offensive to avert war. | |
| July | Retired scientist and architect of India's missile programmeA. P. J. Abdul Kalam is elected president. | |
| 2003 | August | At least 50 people are killed in two simultaneous bomb blasts in Bombay. |
| November | India matches Pakistan's declaration of a Kashmir ceasefire. | |
| December | India, Pakistan agree to resume direct air links and to allow overflights. | |
| 2004 | January | Groundbreaking meeting is held between government and moderate Kashmir separatists. |
| May | Surprise victory for Congress Party in general elections.Manmohan Singh is sworn in as prime minister. | |
| September | India, along with Brazil, Germany and Japan, launches an application for a permanent seat on theUN Security Council. | |
| November | India begins to withdraw some of its troops from Kashmir. | |
| December | Thousands are killed whentsunami, caused by the2004 Indian Ocean earthquake off theIndonesian coast, devastate coastal communities in the south and in theAndaman andNicobar Islands. | |
| 2005 | July | More than 1,000 people are killed in floods and landslides caused by monsoon rains in Mumbai (Bombay) and Maharashtra region. |
| 8 October | The 7.6 Mw Kashmir earthquake strikes with a maximumMercalli intensity of VIII (Severe), leaving 86,000–87,351 people dead, 69,000–75,266 injured, and 2.8 million homeless. | |
| 2006 | February | India's largest-ever rural jobs scheme is launched, aimed at lifting around 60 million families out of poverty. |
| March | US and India sign a nuclear agreement during a visit by US President George W. Bush. The US gives India access to civilian nuclear technology while India agrees to greater scrutiny for its nuclear programme. | |
| 2007 | February | India and Pakistan sign an agreement aimed at reducing the risk of accidental nuclear war. |
| 18 February | 68 passengers, most of them Pakistanis, are killed by bomb blasts and a blaze on a train travelling from New Delhi to the Pakistani city of Lahore. | |
| March | Maoist rebels in Chhattisgarh state kill more than 50 policemen in a dawn attack. | |
| April | India's first commercial space rocket is launched, carrying an Indian satellite. | |
| May | Government announces its strongest economic growth figures for 20 years – 9.4% in the year to March. | |
| May | At least nine people are killed in a bomb explosion at the main mosque in Hyderabad. Several others are killed in subsequent rioting. | |
| July | India says the number of its people with HIV or AIDS is about half of earlier official tallies. Health ministry figures put the total at between 2 million and 3.1 million cases, compared with previous estimates of more than 5 million. | |
| 25 July | Pratibha Patil becomes first woman to be elected president of India | |
| 2008 | July | Series of explosions kills 49 in Ahmedabad, in Gujarat state. The little-known terrorist group Indian Mujahideen claims responsibility. |
| October | Following approval by the US Congress, PresidentGeorge W. Bush signs into law a nuclear deal with India, which ends a three-decade ban on US nuclear trade with Delhi. | |
| 22 October | India successfully launches its first mission to the moon, the uncrewed lunar probeChandrayaan-1.[58] | |
| 26–29 November | The2008 Mumbai attacks (often called the 26/11 attacks) kill 174 people, including 9 of the 10 terrorists fromLashkar-e-Taiba, an Islamic terrorist organisation based in Pakistan. India decides not to attack Pakistan in retaliation. | |
| December | India announces "pause" in peace process with Pakistan. Indian cricket team cancels planned tour of Pakistan. | |
| 2009 | February | India and Russia sign deals worth $700 million, according to which Moscow will supply Uranium to Delhi. |
| May | Resounding general election victory gives governing Congress-led alliance of PMManmohan Singh an enhanced position in parliament, only 11 seats short of an absolute majority. | |
| July | Delhi court decriminalizes gay sex | |
| 2010 | 13 February | 16 people are killed in abomb explosion at German Bakery in the city ofPune, Maharashtra.[59] |
| 2011 | 2 April | India wins cricket world cup after 28 years under the captaincy ofMS Dhoni. |
| 13 May | After 34 years ofLeft Front Government,Trinamool Congress and Congress alliance come to power inWest Bengal. | |
| 2012 | 25 July | Pranab Mukherjee, the former Finance Minister is elected as the 13th president of India. |
| 2013 | 12 February | Indian helicopter bribery scandal comes to light. |
| 21 February | Terror attacks in Hyderabad inDilsukhnagar area. | |
| 5 November | Mars Orbiter Mission, is successfully launched into Mars orbit by theIndian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).[60][61][62] | |
| 2014 | 16 May | Narendra Modi elected as prime minister of India, Congress was routed in the general elections. |
| 2 June | Telangana, The state of Telangana was officially formed on 2 June 2014. | |
| 2016 | 2–5 January | Terror Attacks onPathankot Air Base.[63] |
| 27 June | India becomes a member ofMissile Technology Control Regime. | |
| 23 September | India signs a billion-dollar defence deal with France to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets. | |
| 27 September | India launches its first space laboratory,AstroSat, in its biggest project since its Mars orbiter mission in 2014. | |
| 28 September | India conducted Surgical Strike in response to Uri attack on army base on September 18, 2016 | |
| 8 November | In a surprise announcement, the government withdraws high denomination notes from circulation causing chaotic scenes at banks across the country as customers try to exchange old notes. | |
| 2017 | 30 June | TheGoods and Services Tax (GST) launched, the biggest tax reform in history of India. |
| 2019 | 14 February | A convoy of vehicles carryingCentral Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel on theJammu–Srinagar National Highway was attacked by a vehicle-bornesuicide bomber in thePulwama district,Jammu and Kashmir, India. |
| 26 February | The2019 Balakot airstrike was conducted by India, when Indian warplanes crossed thede facto border in the disputed region ofKashmir, and dropped bombs in the vicinity of the town of Balakot inKhyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. | |
| 27 February | The 2019 Balakot strike from Indian side was given a reply named "Swift Retort". After a dog fight between Pakistani and Indian Fighter Pilots. Indian Wing CommanderAbhinandan Varthaman was captured by the Pakistani side. However acting to the pressure of various global leaders and bound by theVienna Convention. Pakistan was Forced to release the Indian Pilot with all due respect. | |
| 22 May | Narendra Modi gets re-elected as the Prime Minister of India. | |
| 5 August | The state of Jammu and Kashmir divided into two separate union territories known as Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh by scrapping ofArticle 370 of the Constitution of India. | |
| 11 December | TheCitizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 was passed by the Parliament of India on 11 December 2019. It amended the Citizenship Act of 1955 by providing a path to Indian citizenship for members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian religious minorities, who had fled persecution from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan before December 2014. | |
| 2020 | 30 January | The first COVID-19 case of the country was reported in Kerala's Thrissur district. |
| 2021 | 12 May | COVID-19 pandemic in India: The country's death toll exceeds 250,000.Delhi cremation grounds were running out of places while hundreds of bodies were reported washed up on the banks of theGanges. |
| 2022 | 18 July | Droupadi Murmu iselected asPresident of India, making her the first tribal woman and youngest person to the office. |
| 30 October | Thecollapse of a suspension bridge in Gujarat, leaves at least 135 dead. | |
| 2023 | 2 June | Atrain collision in Odisha results in at least 296 deaths and more than 1,200 others injured. |
| 3 July | Indianoil refiners start payments for Russian oil imports inChinese yuan as an alternative to theUS dollar due to increasingsanctions against Russia. | |
| 23 August | Chandrayaan-3 becomes the first spacecraft to land near thelunar south pole, carrying alunar lander namedVikram and alunar rover namedPragyan. | |
| 2 September | TheIndian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launchesAditya-L1, India's first solar observation mission. |
... prehistoric cave paintings at Bhimbetka (ca. 30000 BCE) ...
In 776 AD, Arabs tried to invade Sind again but were defeated by the Saindhava naval fleet. A Saindhava inscription provides information about these naval actions.