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The history of India is called one of the great chapters of the history of the world, then it cannot be called an exaggeration. Describing it, India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had said, “Full of contradictions but bound by strong invisible threads“. The specialty of Indian history is that it is engaged in the continuous process of finding itself and constantly growing, so those who try to understand it at once find it elusive.
Indian history began with Homo sapiens about 65000 years ago. Homo sapiens reached the Indus Valley through Africa, South India, Balochistan and settled here for urbanization, which led to the development of the Indus Valley Civilization. Indian history, starting from the Rahasyamai culture of the Indus Valley, extended to the farming community in the southern parts of India. There is a detailed description of stone age, bronze age, iron age in Indian history.
According to the ages, the history of India is as follows:
Pre-historic period
Stone Age:
The Stone Age began between 500,000 and 200,000 years ago and recent discoveries in Tamil Nadu reveal the first human presence in the region. Human-made weapons dating back 200,000 years have also been discovered from the northwestern part of the country.
Bronze Age:
The Bronze Age in the Indian subcontinent began around 3,300 BC with the Indus Valley Civilization. Apart from being a historical part of ancient India, it is one of the earliest civilizations of the world along with Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt. People of this era developed new technology in metallurgy and handicrafts and produced copper, brass, lead and tin.
Early historical period
Vedic period:
The first among those who invaded India were the Aryans. They came from the north around 1,500 BC and brought with them strong cultural tradition. Sanskrit was one of the oldest languages spoken by him and was also used to write the Vedas, which date back to the 12th BC and are considered to be the oldest texts.
The Vedas are considered to be the oldest texts after Mesopotamia and Egyptian texts. The Vedic period in the subcontinent lasted from about 1,500-500 BC and it was here that Hinduism and other cultural dimensions were founded in early Indian society. The Aryans spread Vedic civilization throughout North India, especially in the Gangetic plains.
Mahajanapada:
This period saw the second largest rise of urbanization in India after the Indus Valley Civilization. The word ‘Maha‘ means great and ‘Janapada‘ means the basis of a tribe. At the end of the Vedic era many small dynasties and kingdoms began to flourish throughout the subcontinent. It is also described in Buddhist and Jain literatures that date back to 1,000 BC. By 500 BC, 16 republics or say Mahajanapadas had been established, Such as Kasi, Kosala, Anga, Magadha, Vajji or Vrji, Malla, Chedi, Vatsa or Vams, Kuru, Panchala, Matsya, Surasena, Asaka, Avanti, Gandhara and Kamboja.
Persian and Greek conquests:
Most of the northwestern region of the subcontinent, which is currently Pakistan and Afghanistan, came under the rule of Darius the Great of the Persian Achaemenid Empire in c. 520 BC and lasted for about two centuries. In 326 BC, Alexander conquered Asia Minor and the Achaemenid Empire, then he reached the northwestern border of the Indian subcontinent and defeated King Porus and captured most of the punjab.
Maurya Empire:
The Mauryan Empire of the Mauryan descendants lasted from 322-185 BC and was a geographically comprehensive and political and military-very powerful state of ancient India. Chandragupta Maurya established it in magadha in the subcontinent, which is today Bihar, and it was greatly advanced under the rule of the great king Ashoka.
Parts of Indian History
Indian history is divided into three parts
- Ancient India
- medieval India
- Modern India
Ancient India
The history of ancient India ranges from the Stone Age to Islamic invasions. After the Islamic invasion, medieval India begins in India.
Events in Ancient Indian History
Prehistoric period (400000 BC-1000 BC): In this time man discovered fire and wheel.
Indus Valley Civilization (2500 BC-1500 BC): The Indus Valley Civilization was the first systematically settled civilization. Urbanization is believed to have originated from the Indus Valley Civilization.
Epic Era (1000 BC-600 BC): In this time period, the Vedas were compiled and there were distinctions of varnas such as Aryans and Dass.
Hinduism and Transformation (600 BC-322 BC): The caste system was at its peak in this time. The result of this orthodoxy in the society was the birth of Mahavira and Buddha. Mahajanapadas were formed during this time. 600 BC – 322 BC. In Bimbisara, Ajat Shatru, Shisunanga and Nanda dynasties were born.
Mauryan period (322 BC-185 BC): Founded by Chandragupta Maurya, this empire had the whole of North India, which Bindusara expanded further. The Kalinga War is a time-old event, after which King Ashoka embraced Buddhism.
Invasion (185 BC-320 AD): During this time period, there were attacks of Bactrian, Parthian, Shaka and Kushan. Central Asia opened for trade, the circulation of gold coins and the beginning of the Saka era.
Deccan and South (65 BC-250 AD): During this period, the Chola, Cheras and Pandya dynasties ruled South India. The construction of the caves of Ajanta Ellora is a gift of this time period, besides Sangam literature and christianity in India.
Gupta Empire (320 AD-520 AD): In this period, Chandragupta I established the Gupta Empire, the classical era arrived in North India, Samudragupta expanded his dynasty and Chandragupta II fought against Shaka. It was in this era that Shakuntalam and Kamasutra were composed. Aryabhatta did amazing work in astronomy and bhakti cult also emerged at this time.
Emergence of small states (500 AD-606 AD): This era saw migration to Central Asia and Iran due to the arrival of the Huns in north India. Many small kingdoms were formed due to the mutual war of many dynasties in the north.
Harshavardhana (606 AD-647 AD): During the reign of Harshavardhana, the famous Chinese traveler Hen Tsang visited India. Harshavardhana’s kingdom was divided into many small states due to the attack of the Huns. In this time deccan and south became very powerful.
South Dynasty (500 AD-750 AD): During this time, the Chalukya, Pallava and Pandya empires originated and parsis came to India.
Chola Empire: 9th century AD-13th century AD: The Chola Empire, founded by Vijayalas, adopted the sea policy. During this time, temples began to become cultural and social centers and The Dravidian language began to flourish.
Northern Empire (750 AD-1206 AD): At this time Rashtrakuta became powerful, Pratihara ruled Avanti and Palas ruled Bengal. With this, Rajputs were emerging in central India. During this time, there was a Turkish invasion of India, after which medieval India started.
Medieval India
Babur, a descendant of present-day Uzbekistan rulers Timur and Genghis Khan, crossed the Khyber Pass in 1526 and established the Mughal Empire there, where today Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh are. With the arrival of Babur in India, the Mughal dynasty was established in India. By 1600, the Mughal dynasty ruled India. After 1700, this dynasty began to decline and British power began to spread. At the time of India’s first war of independence, the Mughal dynasty was completely eliminated in 1857.
Developments in Medieval India
In this blog of History of India, the developments of medieval India are given below:-
Early medieval era (8th to 11th centuries): During this time, after the fall of the Gupta Empire and the beginning of the Delhi Sultanate, as a result of which India was divided into many small states.
The last medieval era (12th to 18th centuries): During this time, Muslim invasions had gained momentum in the West, on the other hand, the Slave Dynasty, Khilji Dynasty, Tughlaq Dynasty, Syed Dynasty and Lodi Dynasty emerged in the Delhi Sultanate.
Rise of Vijayanagar Empire: The Vijayanagara Empire was founded by two brothers named Harihara and Bukka. It was the only Hindu kingdom of that time which was invaded by Allauddin Khilji. After which Harihar and Bukka converted to Muslim religion.
Mughal Dynasty: The Delhi Sultanate came to an end with the beginning of the Mughal dynasty. The Mughal dynasty was established in India after Babur invaded India. With the revolution of 1857, the Mughal dynasty collapsed, and modern India began with British rule.
Modern India
From the fall of the Mughal period to the independence of India and the present is placed in the category of modern India. At the beginning of the twentieth century, struggles started in India to get independence from British rule. This time period gave rise to movement, revolution, protest.
Developments in Modern India
In this blog of history of India, let us know the developments of modern India: –
Rise of regional states and European power: Smaller states like Punjab, Mysore, Awadh, Hyderabad, Bengal expanded in this time. This was accompanied by the establishment of Portuguese colonies, Dutch colonies, French colonies and English colonies.
British supremacy and Act: At this time the Battle of Buxar, subsidiary treaty, principle of lapse, regulating act 1773, Pitts India Act 1784, charter act, 1793, charter act of 1813, charter act of 1833 AD, charter act of 1853 AD, government of India act of 1858 AD, act of 1861, act of 1892 AD, 1909 Carried out incidents like The Government of India Act – 1935, Montangue-Chelmsford Reforms i.e. Government of India Act-1919.
Revolts and reforms of the 18th century: During this time period, social reformers like Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, Ishwarchand Vidyasagar, Degerio and Young Bengal, Rammohan Roy and Brahmo Samaj were born.
Types of History
The list of types of history in Indian History is given below:
- political history
- social history
- cultural history
- religious history
- economic history
- constitutional history
- diplomatic history
- colonial history
- parliamentary history
- military history
- History of the World
- regional history
History of India Books
The list of Indian History Books is given below:
Book | Writer |
Indian Culture and Modern Life | Shiv Prakash Singh |
India after Gandhi, | Ramachandra Guha |
Hindutva | Vinayak Damodar Savarkar |
Inside Story of Emergency | Kuldip Nayar |
Ancient History of India | Ram Sharan Sharma |
Indian Art and Culture | Nitin Singhania |
Indian Constitution | Dr. B.R. Ambedkar |
The Last Mughal (2006) | William Dalrymple |
Days of Longing (1972) | Krishna Baldev Vaid |
Cast, Class and Power (1965) | Andre Bettelle |
Famous People of 1857:
Bahadur Shah Zafar: Most of the Indian rebels elected Bahadur Shah Zafar as the King of India and under him they united. They also could not stand in front of the conspiracy of the British. His fall marked the end of the over three-century-old Mughal rule in India.
Bakht Khan: Bakht Khan, who was a subedar in the East India Company, built an army of Rohilla soldiers. In May 1857, after the sepoys revolted in Meerut against the British, he became the commander of the Sepoy Army in Delhi.
Mangal Pandey: Mangal Pandey, who was part of the 34th Bengal Native Infantry, is known for attacking a senior British officer in Barrackpore on March 29, 1857. This event is considered to be the beginning of India’s freedom struggle.
Nana Sahib: Nana Sahib, the adopted son of exiled Maratha Peshwa Baji Rao II, led the rebellion in Kanpur.
Rani Lakshmibai: Rani Lakshmibai, along with Tatya Tope, fought bravely against the British soldiers. On June 17, 1858, he laid down his life fighting the British near The Phool Bagh area of Gwalior.
Tatya Tope: Tatya Tope, a close associate and general of Nana Sahib, fought the British along with Rani Lakshmibai.
Veer Kunwar Singh: The King of Jagdishpur, who was currently part of Bhojpur district of Bihar, led the armed forces against the British.
Indian Independence Movement and Mahatma Gandhi: In the 20th century, Mahatma Gandhi led millions of people and in 1947 launched a non-violent civil disobedience movement for independence.
What is the Full Form of India?
There is no full form of India but somewhere you can see some interesting full form of this like:
- I: Independent
- N: National
- D: Democratic
- I: Intelligent
- A: Area
FAQs
How old is India’s civilization?
The civilization of India is believed to be about 8,000 years old.
How many periods are there in history?
4
History is divided into how many periods?
History is divided into three periods
- ancient times
- medieval period
- modern period
Conclusion
In today’s article, we know history of India. Also, we have known Parts of Indian History, all these we discussed. Hope you read today’s article and you will have got the answers to all the questions related History of India
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