Earliest Human Presence
Earliest Human Presence
Earliest Human Presence
The evidence for remains (stone tools and a skull) in central India show
the presence of an early species of man, Homo Erectus. Archaeologists
think they lived in India between 200,000 to 500,000 years ago. This
period is known as the Paleolithic era.
Vedic Era
During the period of the Vedic civilization, there were many Aryan
clans (disputed by some Indian Historians) and tribes. Some of them
combined and became bigger like the kingdom of the Kurus.
The vedic period is one of the most important time for Hindu Religion
and ancient history of India. Many Hindu religious texts were composed
during this time. This period is called Vedic because the four Vedas
were composed during this period.
Vedic period (BC 1500-600) is divided into two periods-early Vedic periods (BC
1500-1000) and Late Vedic period (BC 1000-600)
Western Kshatrapa
For about 350 years, from the years 35-405, Saka kings ruled India.
They ruled the western and central parts of India. These areas are in
today’s states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Madhya
Pradesh. There were 27 independent rulers, collectively known as the
Kshatrapas.
Saka kings ruled India along aside the Kushan kings and the Satvahana
kings. Kushan kings ruled the northern parts of India. Satvahana kings
ruled the central and some of the southern parts of India.
Indo-Scythians
Indo-Scythians came to India from Siberia passing through several
places like Bactria, Sogdiana, Kashmir and Arachosia. Their coming to
India continued from the 2nd century BC to the 1st century BC. They
defeated the Indo-Greek rulers of India, and ruled India from Gandhara
to Mathura.
Gupta dynasty
The Gupta dynasty reigned from around 320 to 550 AD. The Gupta
Empire covered most of North-central India, the region Gupta Empire
(never included Pakistan); and what is now western India and
Bangladesh. Gupta society was ordered in accordance with Hindu
beliefs. The time of the Gupta Empire is seen as the Golden Age of
India. Historians place the Gupta dynasty alongside the Han Dynasty,
Tang Dynasty and Roman Empire as a model of a classical civilization.
Hun invasion
Harsha’s empire
After the collapse of the Gupta Empire, it was Harsha of Kanauj (a
place now in Uttar Pradesh state of India) who united the northern
parts of India in one kingdom. After his death several dynasties tried to
control north India and ruled from time to time from 7th century till the
9th century as described in some of the sections below. Some of these
dynasties were the Pratiharas of Malwa and later Kannauj; the Palas of
Bengal, and the Rashtrakutas of the Deccan.
The Rajputs
In the 6th century, several Rajput kingdoms came into being in
Rajasthan. Many other Rajput kings ruled in different parts of north
India. Some of these kingdoms continue to survive for hundreds of
years during different periods of the history of India.
Vijayanagar empire
In 1336, two brothers named Harihara and Bukka founded the
Vijayanagara Empire in an area which is now in the Karnataka state of
India. The most famous king of this empire was Krishnadevaraya. In
1565, rulers of this empire were defeated in a battle. But, the empire
continued for about the next one hundred years.
Islamic sultanates
Islamic Sultanate History of India
Delhi Sultanate
Red Fort Delhi
Punjab
Guru Nanak founded Sikhism and his followers were called Sikhs. The
power of Sikhs continued to increase in the northwestern part of India.
Till Maharaja Ranjit Singh was alive, Britishers were not able to cross
the Sutlej river. After his death, they took over entire Punjab after
battles with disorganized Sikh troops.
The Sikhs had a major influence in the history of India and multi-
religious common thread with Hindus.
Durrani Empire
For a short period, a person named Ahmed Shah Durrani the founder of
Afghanistan ruled some parts of northwestern India. Historians have
named his rule as the Durrani Empire
. In 1748, he crossed the Indus River and attacked Lahore, now a part
of Pakistan. He also attacked many parts of Punjab.
Then, he attacked Delhi. At that time, Delhi was the capital of the
Mughal Empire. He took many valuable things from India. This included
the Peacock Throne of Shah Jahan and the famous diamond named
Kohinoor.
Colonial Era
Colonial period means the period during which Western countries ruled
India. These countries also ruled many other countries of Asia, Africa,
and South America.
Company Raj
Starting in the 1600s the British East India Company began a very
profitable trading empire in India, centered in Bengal. In the mid-
1700’s Robert Clive (1725-1774) led the Company to an expanded
influence in India with victories over the French, the Bengalis, and the
Mughals. With a victory at the Battle of Plassey in 1757, Clive became
the first British Governor of Bengal.
In the hundred years after the battle, the East India Company
conquered the entire subcontinent of India. They did this by trade,
political intrigue, and direct military action. The British were very
efficient administrators of their domains. But in 1857 the Indian Mutiny
almost destroyed the Company’s rule of India. Afterward, the British
government took control away from the Company. In 1858, India
became a part of the British Empire and Queen Victoria became the
Empress of India.
The British did some very harmful things to culture and society. They
took valuables, tortured and raped many Indians. T
he way they conquered India was often divided and rule. In the end,
many kingdoms were defeated by the British and the riches taken.
For example, many of the Royal Crown Jewels were taken from
previous kingdoms in India- including the Koh-I-Noor diamond (one of
the world’s largest diamonds) and also stole many other large
diamonds and gold.
During famines and floods, many people died because the government
did not help enough. Any Indian not able to pay the British taxes could
be forced into prison and/or publicly beaten. Political opponents were
jailed and sometimes killed for speaking out against colonial rule.
After taking much of the India’s natural resources for hundreds of
years, England was criticized for not protecting Indians during the
partition of India and Pakistan. During the partition of India and
Pakistan, millions of Indians and Pakistanis died.
The British also did good things. They built railroads, telegraphs and
telephones, improved trade, standardized laws, and water supplies.
Many of these things were done to help improve commerce in India
and taxes provided to England.
They created the Indian Civil Service for administering rules and
regulations. They also tried to eliminate practices like burning widows.
The British ruled India primarily for the economic benefit of Britain.
India produced cheap raw materials for British industry. Indians had to
buy British manufactured goods and profits went back to Britain.
During the colonial era, India was mostly economically deprived and a
very rich civilization had a period of extreme poverty first time in the
history of India
Many people in India wanted to be free from British rule. The struggle
for independence was long and difficult. Many people protested against
the British.
The British tortured the Indians. They tried hard to break the equality
and fraternity of Indians. Their motto was divide and rule. They made
wars between Hindus and Muslims and as a result, India was separated
into Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.
The most important leader of the struggle for Indian independence was
Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi believed in a non-violent opposition towards
the British.
India won its independence, along with Muslim Pakistan, and became a
free country on August 15, 1947. Pakistan won independence in 14
August, some hours before India. It was a turning point in the history of
India and an advent of a new modern India
Republic of India
Emblem of India
On 15 August 1947, the British Indian Empire was partitioned into two
countries, India (Hindustan) and Pakistan. With this, the British Raj in
the Indian subcontinent ended. On 26 January 1950, Hindustan
adopted a constitution. From that day, Hindustanis became the
Republic of India or Indians.
It was in the 17th century that the Europeans came to India. This
coincided with the disintegration of the Mughal Empire, paving the way
for regional states. In the contest for supremacy, the English emerged
‘victors’. The Rebellion of 1857-58, which sought to restore Indian
supremacy, was crushed; and with the subsequent crowning of Victoria
as Empress of India, the incorporation of India into the empire was
complete. It was followed by India’s struggle for independence, which
we got in the year 1947.
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