origin of india

India (also known as Republic of India) is a land of ancient civilisation and cultural diversity.It is believed that the modern human arrived on indian subcontinent from africa nearly 55,000 years ago.The name derived from the river 'sindhu' or indus as called by the ancient greeks.'S' from bharat become 'I' in west,hence sindhu became indus,and the land of indus was called indica or india.

        The history of india begins with the indus valley civilization.

Indus valley civilization (2700-1900 BC) :

Along with the mesopotamian civilization and egyptian civilization ,rose the indus valley civilization spanning northwest india and modern day pakistan.The indus valley civilization flourished around  2600BC,at that time agriculture in india started flourishing too.The fertile land of indus valley made agriculture possible to be carried out on a large scale.The most well-known town of this civilization is Mohenjo Daro and Harappa.There are evidenced in ruins like household articles,war weapons,gold and silver ornament etc.They lived in well designed houses made of baked bricks.Unfortunately, this era came to an end by around 1300 BC, mainly due to natural calamities.

Mohenjo-daro ruins

Harappa ruins

Iron age (1500-200 BC) :

vedic civilization :

• The next era was vedic civilization, named after the Vedas, which illustrate the early literature of the hindus.The Vedas, the great religious and literary work of the Puranas, the Mahabharata, Bhagavad-gita, and the Ramayana all come from this period.

Buddhist era :

• Next came the buddhist era, during the time of Mahajanapadas  which were the sixteen great powers, during the 6th and 7th centuries BC.
• Rise of jainism too.
• Buddha whose original name was Siddhartha Gautam, was the founder of buddhism- a religion based on spiritualism.He died at the age of 80 in 480 BC but his teaching proliferate throughout southern and eastern Asia.

The Invasion Of Alexander :

• Alexandar invaded india in 326 BC,he crossed the indus river and defeated the indian rulers in battle,and later took over their lands.

Mauryan Empire (324-187 BC) :

• Chandragupta I  - 322–298 BCE ---- the gupta period has been refered to as a golden age of indian history. His empire extended from the river ganges or ganga to the city of allahabad. He ruled for 15 years.
• Bindusara - 298–272 BCE
• Ashoka - 268–232 BCE
• Mauryan Kingdoms was succeeded by
  1. Sunga (181-71 BC)
  2. Kanva (71-27BC)
  3. Satavahanas (235-100BC)
  4. Indo-Greeks, Parthians (180BC-45AD)
  5. Sakas (90BC-150AD)
  6. Kushanas (78AD)

     

     Mauryan empire

     
     

Sangam age (300 BC -300AD) :

• Chola
• Cheras
• Pandyas

Gupta Empire (300-800 AD) :

• The high points of this period are the great cultural developments which took place primarily during the reigns of Samudragupta, Chandragupta II and Kumaragupta I.
• The empire eventually died out because of factors such as substantial loss of territory and imperial authority caused by their own erstwhile feudatories.

  

  Gupta empire

  
  

Medieval India (700-1857 AD) :

• Tripartite struggle (AD 800-1200 )- Prathiharas, Palas and Rashtrakutas.
• In AD 712, Attack of Muhammed Bin Kassim
• Growth of Sufism
• Succeeded by:
  1. Muhammad Ghazni (AD 1000-27)
  2. Muhammad Ghori (AD 1175-1206)

Delhi sultanate (1206-1526 AD) :

• Slave Dynasty
• Khilji Dynasty
• Tuglaq Dynasty
• Sayyid Dynasty
• Lodi Dynasty

Mughals (1526-1857 AD) :

• Major empire, antecede by a rise in islamic rulers.In the 16th century mughal empire started to rise.Mughal empire was opulent and glorious one, with the whole india ruled by one monarch.   
• The mughals king were :
  
1. Babar
2. Humayun
3. Sher shah suri(not a mughal king)
4. Akbar
5. Jahangir
6. Shah jahan
7. Aurangzeb
• They were responsible for setting up efficient public administration, laying out infrastructure, and promoting the arts. A large number of monuments in India today exist from the Mughal period. 
• The death of the last Mughal King, Aurangzeb, sowed the seeds of disintegration within India.

  

  Mughal empire

  
  

Modern india (1700-1991 AD) :

• At the time of late 16th and 17th centuries,the european trading companies competed with each other in india ferociously,by the quarter of the 18th century the britishers had outmanoeuvre all other and inveterate themselves as the dominant power in india.
• The british administered india for about two century using the strategy of 'divide and rule'.
• 1857- First War of Indian Independence
• 1885- Formation of Indian National Congress
• 1906-Formation of Muslim League
• 1920-Non Cooperation Movement
• 1930-Civil Disobedience Movement
• 1942- Quit India movement
• 1947- Partition of India
• 1946 – 1950 Constitutional Development of India
• 1962- India- China war
• 1965-India-Pakistan war
• 1971- Formation of Bangladesh
• 1991-New Economic Policy

note - we will discuss each in detail in later blogs....stay updated.