From the Indus Valley to 1947, a simple timeline of Indian history with the rulers, battles and dates that quiz questions ask about most.
๐ In this article
Indian history covers nearly five thousand years, and no one can memorise all of it. Fortunately, quiz questions return to a limited set of periods, rulers and dates. If you can place those on a single timeline, most history questions become a matter of working out what came before and what came after.
The Indus Valley Civilisation
The story usually begins with the Indus Valley Civilisation, which was at its height roughly 4,500 years ago. It was one of the world's earliest urban cultures.
- Its best-known cities are Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, now in Pakistan, and Dholavira and Lothal in Gujarat.
- The cities were laid out in a grid, with brick houses and covered drains.
- Mohenjo-daro is famous for the Great Bath, and Lothal for what is believed to be a dockyard.
- The script of the civilisation has never been deciphered.
The Age of the Buddha and Mahavira
In the sixth century BC two great teachers lived in northern India. Gautama Buddha was born at Lumbini, attained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, gave his first sermon at Sarnath and died at Kushinagar. Vardhamana Mahavira is regarded as the twenty-fourth Tirthankara of Jainism. In 326 BC Alexander of Macedon reached the north-west of the subcontinent and fought King Porus on the banks of the river Jhelum.
The Mauryan Empire
- Chandragupta Maurya founded the empire around 321 BC, guided by his adviser Chanakya, also known as Kautilya, the author of the Arthashastra.
- The capital was Pataliputra, near modern Patna.
- Ashoka, his grandson, fought the Kalinga War, was horrified by the bloodshed and turned to Buddhism. His messages were carved on rocks and pillars across the empire.
- The national emblem of India is taken from Ashoka's pillar at Sarnath.
The Gupta Period and the South
The Gupta Empire, which began around AD 320, is often called the Golden Age of ancient India. Its notable rulers include Samudragupta and Chandragupta II. The poet Kalidasa and the mathematician and astronomer Aryabhata belong to this era, and the great centre of learning at Nalanda flourished.
In the south, the Chola dynasty rose to great power. Rajaraja Chola I built the Brihadeeswarar Temple at Thanjavur about a thousand years ago, and his son Rajendra Chola I sent naval expeditions as far as South-East Asia.
The Delhi Sultanate and Vijayanagara
- The Delhi Sultanate lasted from 1206 to 1526 and was ruled by five successive dynasties.
- Its first ruler was Qutb-ud-din Aibak, who began the Qutub Minar.
- Razia Sultan was the first and only woman to rule from the throne of Delhi.
- In the south, the Vijayanagara Empire was founded in 1336. Its capital was Hampi, and its most celebrated ruler was Krishnadevaraya.
The Mughal Empire
- Babur founded the empire by defeating Ibrahim Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat in 1526.
- Humayun lost the throne for a time to Sher Shah Suri, who is remembered for rebuilding the Grand Trunk Road.
- Akbar secured the empire at the Second Battle of Panipat in 1556. He built Fatehpur Sikri and gathered talented men at his court, known as the Navaratnas.
- Jahangir followed him, and then Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.
- Aurangzeb ruled until 1707, after which the empire declined.
During this period Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj founded the Maratha kingdom and was crowned at Raigad in 1674.
The Three Battles of Panipat
These three battles, all fought near the same town in Haryana, are a favourite quiz question.
- 1526: Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi.
- 1556: Akbar's forces defeated Hemu.
- 1761: Ahmad Shah Abdali defeated the Marathas.
The Arrival of the Europeans
- 1498: the Portuguese sailor Vasco da Gama reaches Calicut by sea.
- 1600: the English East India Company is founded.
- 1757: the Battle of Plassey, in which Robert Clive defeats Siraj-ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal.
- 1764: the Battle of Buxar confirms British power in eastern India.
- 1857: the great Revolt, associated with Mangal Pandey, Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi and the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar.
- 1858: rule passes from the East India Company to the British Crown.
The Freedom Movement
- 1885: the Indian National Congress is founded.
- 1905: the Partition of Bengal leads to the Swadeshi movement.
- 1915: Mahatma Gandhi returns to India from South Africa.
- 1919: the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, on 13 April.
- 1920: the Non-Cooperation Movement begins.
- 1930: the Dandi March and the Civil Disobedience Movement.
- 1942: the Quit India Movement.
- 1947: independence on 15 August.
- 1950: the Constitution comes into force on 26 January.
How to Study a Timeline
- Fix a few anchor dates first: 1526, 1757, 1857 and 1947. Everything else can be placed around them.
- Learn rulers in order within each dynasty, as a chain.
- Draw the timeline on one sheet of paper and keep it where you will see it.
- For each date, ask what changed as a result. Causes and effects are easier to remember than numbers.
Test Your History
Ready to check how much of the timeline you remember? Try Quizlino's History.