Timeline of Indian history

This is a timeline of Indian history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events in India and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, see History of India. See also the list of Governors-General of India, list of Prime Ministers of India and Years in India.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

Pre 90th century BC

Year	Date	Event
2,000,000 - 100,000 BC
		A skull fragment found in Hathnora in the Narmada Valley in central India indicate that India might have been inhabited in the Middle Pleistocene era around 250,000 years ago. Anek R. Sankhyan describes it as "debated and conveniently interpreted as "evolved" Homo erectus or "archaic". Tools crafted by proto-humans that have been dated back two million years have been discovered in the northwestern part of the subcontinent. The earliest archaeological site in the subcontinent is the palaeolithic hominid site in the Soan River valley. Soanian sites are found in the Sivalik region across what are now India, Pakistan, and Nepal. Some of the Bhimbetka shelters were inhabited by Homo erectus more than 100,000 years ago. Dravidian Culture is a prehistoric (aka Paleolithic) culture of South India. It flourished in the Lower Paleolithic, the earliest subdivision of the Stone Age, about 2.5 million years ago. It is called the Dravidian culture because artifact tools thought to be related to this culture were first found at sites in Attirampakkam (Attrambakkam=13° 13' 50", 79° 53' 20"), which is located near Chennai (formerly known as Madras),Tamil Nadu. Thereafter, tools related to this culture have been found at various other locations in this region. Bifacial handaxes and cleavers are typical assemblages recovered of this culture. Flake tools, microliths and other chopping tools have also been found. Most of these tools were composed of the metamorphic rock quartzite. The stone tool artifacts in this assemblage have been identified as a part of the second inter-pluvial period in India. Evidence for presence of Hominins with Acheulean technology 150,000-100,000 BCE in Tamil Nadu. Paleolithic industries in South India Tamil Nadu 30,000 BCE

90th century BC

Year	Date	Event
9,000 BC
		Early Neolithic culture with first confirmed semi permanent settlements appeared 9000 years ago in the Bhimbetka rock shelters in modern Madhya Pradesh, India. Some of the Stone Age rock paintings found among the Bhimbetka rock shelters are approximately 30,000 years old. The ancient history of the region includes some of South Asia's oldest settlements and some of its major civilisations.

60th century BC

Year	Date	Event
6000 BC		Stone carvings of Edakkal Caves in Kerala.

35th century BC

Year	Date	Event
3300 BC		Phase of the Indus Valley Civilization begins. The civilization used an early form of the Indus signs, the so-called Indus script.

27th century BC

Year	Date	Event
2600 BC		The cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro become large metropolises and the civilization expands to over 2,500 cities and settlements across the whole of Pakistan, much of northern India, and large parts of Afghanistan, covering a region of around one million square miles, which was larger than the land area of its contemporaries Egypt and Mesopotamia combined, and also had superior urban planning and sewage systems. The civilization began using the mature Indus script for its writing system.
2600 BC		End of the Early Dynastic II Period and the beginning of the Early Dynastic IIIa Period in Mesopotamia.
2900 BC – 2334 BC		Mesopotamian wars of the Early Dynastic period.

26th century BC

Year	Date	Event
2600 BC		Mature Harappan phase of the Indus Valley Civilization begins. The cities of Harappa, Lothal, Kalibangan, Dholavira, Rakhigarhi and Mohenjo-daro become large metropolises and the civilization expands to over 2,500 cities and settlements. The civilization began using the mature Indus script

25th century BC

Year	Date	Event
2500 BC
		Dravidian Civilization begins in South India.

18th century BC

Year	Date	Event
1800 BC		Adichanallur urn-burial site in Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu. In 2004, a number of skeletons dating from around 3,800 years ago.
1800 BC		Indo-Aryan migration

15th century BC

Year	Date	Event
1500 BC		Early Vedic Period (to 1000 BC)

13th century BC

Year	Date	Event
1300 BC		Cemetery H culture comes to an end

12th century BC

Year	Date	Event
1200 BC		Rigveda (to 1000 BC)

11th century BC

The other Vedas come into existence.

10th century BC

1000 BC		Middle and Late Vedic period (to 500 BC)
		Iron Age India
		1000 - 300 BCE-Kanchi district, gold mine of Megalithic sites in South India, Tamil Nadu
		Iron Age kingdoms rule India— Panchala, Kuru, Kosala, Videha.

9th century BC

Year	Date	Event
877 BC		Birth of Parsvanatha, 23rd Jain Tirthankara (traditional date)

7th century BC

Year	Date	Event
700 BC		The Upanishads, a sacred text of Hinduism, are written.

6th century BC

Year	Date	Event
600 BC		Sixteen Maha Janapadas ("Great Realms" or "Great Kingdoms") emerge.
		Vedic period ends.
		The capital of the Early Pandyan Kingdom was initially Korkai, all around 600 BCE, and was later moved to Koodal (now Madurai) during the reign of Nedunjeliyan I.
599 BC		Mahavira, 24th Tirthankar of Jainism is born (traditional date).
563 BC		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 BC		The odisha based Prince Vijaya (c. 543 BCE) married a daughter of the Pandyan king of ThenMadurai, to whom he was sending rich presents every year. Sinhalese chronicle Mahawamsa mentions this event
538 BC		Cyrus the Great, founder of the Persian Achaemenid Empire conquers northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent.
527 BC		Nirvana of Mahavira

5th century BC

Year	Date	Event
483 BC		Proposed Mahaparinirvana date of Gautama Buddha at Kushinagar.

4th century BC

Year	Date	Event
400 BC		Siddharta Gautama 'Buddha' of the Shakya polity in S. Nepal, founds Buddhism (older date: 563–483 BC)
350 BC		Panini, a resident of Gandhara, describes the grammar and morphology of Sanskrit in the text Ashtadhyayi. Panini's standardized Sanskrit is known as Classical Sanskrit.
333 BC		Persian rule in the northwest ends after Darius III is defeated by Alexander the Great, who establishes the Macedonian Empire after inheriting the Persian Achaemenid Empire.
326 BC		Ambhi king of Takshasheela surrenders to Alexander.
		Porus who ruled parts of the Punjab, fought Alexander at the Battle of the Hydaspes River.
321 BC		Mauryan Empire is founded by Chandragupta Maurya in Magadha after he defeats the Nanda dynasty and Macedonian Seleucid Empire. Mauryan capital city is Pataliputra (Modern Patna in Bihar)
305 BC		Chandragupta Maurya defeats Seleucus Nicator of the Seleucid Empire.
304 BC		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.

3rd century BC

Year	Date	Event
273 BC		Ashoka the Great regarded as the greatest ancient Indian emperor, grandson of Chandragupta Maurya, ascends as emperor of the Mauryan Empire.
266 BC		Ashoka conquers and unifies most of South Asia, along with most of Afghanistan and Balochistan.
265 BC		Kalinga War takes place between Ashoka and the kingdom of Kalinga.
		After conquering Kalinga, Ashoka reportedly regrets what he had done, leading him to adopt Buddhism, which then became the quasi-official state religion of the Mauryan Empire.
261 BC		Conquest of Kalinga
260 BC		Ashoka begins displaying religious tolerance, grants animal rights, builds hospitals for people and animals, treats his subjects as equals regardless of caste or creed, and promotes non-violence and republicanism.
		Ashoka inscribes the Edicts of Ashoka, written down using Brahmi script.
232 BC		Ashoka dies and is succeeded by Kunala.
230 BC		Simuka declares independence from Mauryan rule and establishes the Satavahana Empire.

2nd century BC

Year	Date	Event
200 BC		Kuninda Kingdom is established.
		Tholkappiyam describes the grammar and morphology of Tamil; it is the oldest existing Tamil grammar (dates vary between 200 BCE and 100 CE). (to 100 BC)
184 BC		The Mauryan Empire, which shrunk considerably, collapses after its emperor Brihadrata is assassinated by his general Pushyamitra Shunga. Pushyamitra Shunga then establishes the Shunga dynasty.
180 BC		Establishment of the Indo-Greek kingdom.

1st century BC

Year	Date	Event
80 BC		Establishment of the Indo-Scythian kingdom.
65 BC		The Pandyan king sends ambassadors to the Greek and Roman lands.
57 BC		Beginning of Vikram Era

1st century

Year	Date	Event
10		Establishment of the Indo-Parthian kingdom.
35		Western Satraps formed.
68		Establishment of the Kushan empire by Kujula Kadphises.
78		Gautamiputra Satkarni becomes Satavahana emperor and starts Shalivahana era calendar after defeating Scythian king Maues.
90		Sung jae has established kingdom.

3rd century

Year	Date	Event
240		Sri-Gupta starts the Gupta Empire in Magadha, with its capital in Pataliputra

4th century

Year	Date	Event
320		Chandragupta I ascends the Gupta throne.
335		Samudragupta ascends the Gupta throne and expands the empire.
380		Chandragupta II, Samudragupta's son becomes the Gupta Emperor.

5th century

Year	Date	Event
450		Invasions by the Huna.

6th century

Year	Date	Event
554		Collapse of Gupta Empire after the death of skandagupta.

7th century

Year	Date	Event
606		Harshavardhana crowned Monarch.
637		Badami Chalukya power at its peak. Pulakeshin II pushes north up to the Narmada and defeats the invading Harshavardhana of Kanauj

8th century

Year	Date	Event
700		According to the Qissa-i Sanjan, the immigrants Parsi are granted permission to stay by the local ruler Jadi Rana
712		First Muslim, Muhammad Bin Qasim defeats Raja Dahir
736		Delhi is re-established by Bilan Deo Tomar also known as Anangpal Tomar
753		Establishment of Rashtrakuta Kingdom of Manyakhet by Danti Durga by defeating Chalukyas of Badami
788		Birth of Adi Shankaracharya

9th century

Year	Date	Event
814		Nripatunga Amoghavarsha I becomes Rashtrakuta emperor. Kannada literature flourishes.
836		Gurjara-Pratihara (to 910)
985		Rajaraja Chola ascends to the throne of Chola empire. He expands the empire to Sri Lanka and to the north to include Kalinga kingdom

10th century

Year	Date	Event
1000		Invasion of Mahmud of Ghazni

11th century

Year	Date	Event
1014		Rajendra Chola I became the king of Chola empire after his father Rajaraja 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 coastal Burma, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Maldives, conquered the kings of Srivijaya (Sumatra, Java and Malay Peninsula in South East Asia) and Pegu islands with his fleet of ships. He defeated Mahipala, the Pala king of Bengal and Bihar, and to commemorate his victory he built a new capital called Gangaikonda Cholapuram. The Cholas became one of the most powerful dynasties in Asia during his reign. The Tamil Chola armies exacted tribute from Thailand and the Khmer kingdom of Cambodia. 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.
1021		Mahmud Ghazni defeats Tarnochalpal and annexes Punjab
1025		Last invasion of Mahmud Ghazni, sacked and destroyed temple of Somnath
1030		Alberuni arrives in India; death of Mahmud of Ghazni
1058		Sumra Dynasty ends the Arab domination and establishes its own rule over Sindh.

12th century

Year	Date	Event
1120		Kalyani Chalukyas power at its peak. Vikramaditya VI ushers in Vikrama Chalukya era.
1134		Life of Basaveshwara, philosopher and social reformer. (to 1196)
1157		The Kalachuris under Bijjala II capture Kalyani
1175		Mohammed Ghauri invades India.
1191		"Victory of Prithviraj Chauhan". First battle of Tarain between Mohammed Ghori and Prithviraj III. Ghauri is defeated by Prithivi Raj Chauhan III.
1192		"Victory of Mohammed Ghauri". Second battle of Tarain fought between Ghauri and Prithivi Raj Chauhan III. Prithvi Raj Chauhan III is defeated by Mhammed Ghori.
1194		Battle of Chandawar fought between Ghauri and Jaichand of Kannauj. Ghauri defeated Jayachandra and killed him.

13th century

Year	Date	Event
1206	15 March	Gakhars kill Muhammad Ghori during a raid on his camp on the Jhelum River
1206	12 June	Qutb-ud-din Aibak establishes slave Dynasty later to be known as Delhi Sultanate
1210		Qutb-ud-din Aibak died while playing polo.
1221		Genghis Khan invades Punjab
1237		Sri Madhwaharya born in Pajaka near Udupi, Karnataka
1240	14 October	Murder of Razia Sultan by Turkish nobles.
1267		The Mahanubhava philosophy established by Chakradhar Swami.
1275		Birth of Saint Dyaneshwara.
1290		Murder of Muiz ud din Qaiqabad.

14th century

Year	Date	Event
1310		Ala-ud-din Khilji's army under Malik Kafur occupies Devagiri ending the Seuna Yadava Kingdom
1323		Ulugh Khan defeats Prataparudra II ending the Kakatiya dynasty
1336		Vijayanagara Empire established by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I
1343		Veera Ballala III was killed at the Battle of Madurai.
1347		Governor Hasan Gangu revolts against Muhammad bin Tughluq founding the Bahmani Sultanate
1351		Samma Dynasty assumes rule over Sindh
1370		Bukka, the Vijayanagara ruler and his son Kumara Kamapna capture the entire Tamil speaking parts.
1398		Timur plunders Lahore

15th century

Year	Date	Event
1401		Dilawar Khan establishes the Malwa Sultanate in present-day northern India
1407		Zafar Khan: governor of Gujarat, declares himself as Sultan Muzaffar Shah founding the Gujarat Sultanate/Muzaffarid dynasty
1414		Khizr Khan, deputized by Timur to be the governor of Multan takes over Delhi founding the Sayyid dynasty
1424		Deva Raya II succeeded his father Veera Vijaya Bukka Raya as monarch of the Vijayanagara Empire
1443		Abdur Razzaq visits India
1446		Mallikarjuna Raya succeeds his father Deva Raya II
1451	19 April	Bahlul Khan Lodhi ascends the throne of the Delhi sultanate starting the Lodhi dynasty
1469	15 April	Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism is born
1483	14 February	Birth of Babur in Andijan, Fergana Valley in Central Asia
1485		Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya drives out Praudha Raya ending the Sangama Dynasty
1486		Advent of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism and leader of the world's first civil disobedience movement, in Navadwip, West Bengal
1490		Ahmadnagar declares independence, followed by Bijapur and Berar in the same year thus breaking up the Bahmani Sultanate.
1494	9 June	Babur becomes the King
1498	20 May	Vasco de Gama's first voyage from Europe to India and back (to 1499)

16th century

Year	Date	Event
1503		Kingdom of Kochi is taken over by the Portuguese creating the first European settlement in India.
1508		The Christian-Islamic power struggle in Europe and the Middle East. Spills over into the Indian Ocean as Battle of Chaul during the Portuguese-Mamluk War
1509	3 February	Battle of Diu marks the beginning of the dominance of the Europeans in the Asian naval theater.
1510		Portuguese India (to 1961)
1522		Portuguese land on the Coromandel Coast
1526	21 April	Sultan Ibrahim Lodi, of the Delhi Sultanate, angers local nobles, who respond by inviting Babur, the Mughal ruler of Kabul, to invade Delhi and Agra. The local population, plus the possession of artillery, assists Babur in killing the Sultan (whose soldiers desert him) at the Battle of Panipat.
1527	17 March	Babur bribes Mewar general Silhadi promising Silhadi a kingdom, if Silhadi betrays Mewar King Rana Sanga in Battle of Khanwa, thus leading to the annexation of Mewar.
1530		Babur completes his Baburnama, 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 son Humayun.
1539		Battle of Chausa fought between Humayun and Sher Shah Suri in which Humayun defeated.
		Guru Angad Dev becomes second guru of Sikhs.
1540		Battle of Kannauj 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.
		Birth of Maharana Pratap Singh of Mewar ( son of Maharana Udai Singh II )
1545	22 May	Death of Sher Shah Suri and succeeded by Islam Shah Suri.
1552	26 March	Guru Amar Das becomes third Guru of Sikhs.
1554	22 November	Death of Islam Shah Suri.
1555		Humayun regained the throne of Delhi from the hands of weak successors of Sher Shah.
1556		Humayun converts from Sunni Islam to Shia Islam, to gain the alliance of the Shah of Persia. Humayun dies, and is succeeded by his son Akbar.
		Hindu king Hemu establishes 'Hindu Raj' in North India and bestowed with title of "Vikramaditya"; Second Battle of Panipat fought between Hemu and Akbar's forces in which Hemu is killed.
1565	26 January	Battle of Talikota results in the rout of Vijayanagara empire.
1572		Akbar the Great annexes Gujarat, 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 annexes Bengal.
1581	1 September	Guru Arjan Dev becomes fifth Guru of Sikhs.
1586		Akbar annexes Kashmir.
1600	31 December	East India company is formed in England. Gets exclusive trading rights with India.

17th century

Year	Date	Event
1605	27 October	Akbar dies, and is succeeded by his son Jahangir.
1606	25 May	Guru Hargobind becomes sixth guru of Sikhs.
1612	30 November	British India (to 1947)
		East India Company (to 1857 - Indian Rebellion of 1857, Meerut)
1628		Jehangir announces "Chain of Justice" outside his palace that anyone can ring the bell and get a personal hearing with the emperor. Jehangir dies, and is succeeded by his son Shah Jahan.
1627	February	Birth of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
1644	8 March	Guru Har Rai becomes seventh guru of Sikhs
		Shivaji takes oath of Independence at Raireshwar.
1658		Shah Jahan completes Taj Mahal, Jama Masjid, and Red Fort. Imperial treasuries drained by architectural and military overexpenditures. Shah Jahan dies, and is succeeded by his son Aurangzeb.
1659		Shivaji's ill-equipped and small Maratha army defeat mighty Adilshahi troops at the Battle of Pratapgarh in a major upset in Indian history. Shivaji personally kills Adilshahi commander Afzal Khan (general).
1661	6 October	Guru Har Krishan becomes eight guru of Sikhs.
1665	20 March	Guru Tegh Bahadur becomes ninth Guru of Sikhs.
1674		Forces led by Shivaji defeat Aurangzeb's troops, and establishes Maratha Empire.
1675		Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Guru of Sikhs is executed in Delhi by the order of Aurangzeb for his support for the Kashmiri Hindus to practice their religion.Guru Gobind Singh becomes tenth Guru of Sikhs.
1680	3 April	Shivaji dies of fever at Raigad.
	20 July	Sambhaji becomes 2nd Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire
1681		Aurangzeb invades the Deccan
1689	11 March	Chatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj dies.
1696	20 November	Danish India (to 1869)
1699		Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Guru of Sikhs creates Khalsa, the saint-soldier at Anandpur Sahib, Punjab.
1700	3 March	Rajaram Chhatrapati dies

18th century

Year	Date	Event
1705		Mughal army arrested for the act.
1707	3 March	Death of Aurangzeb the mughal emperor.
1708	7 October	Guru Granth Sahib becomes Guru of Sikhs.
1721	March - October	Attingal Outbreak takes place
	13–14 November	Madras cyclone occurs
1749		The Maratha Peshwa (prime minister) usurps the Maratha kingdom, starting a new dynastic rule based in Pune.
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	23 June	Battle of Plassey
		Company rule in India (to 1858)
1759		French India (to 1954)
1760		Marathas comprehensively defeat the Nizam, Maratha Empire reaches its zenith.
1760		Battle at Wandewash, British troops beat French
1761		The Marathas are routed in the Third Battle of Panipat on 14 January 1761, by the Afghans led by Ahmad Shah Durrani, an ethnic Pashtun, also known as Ahmad Shah Abdali. The battle is considered one of the largest battles fought in the 18th century.
1764	22 October	Battle of Buxar (British victory against allied Mughal, Bengal and Oudh forces)
1765	12 August	Princely states (to 15 August 1947)
1767		First Anglo-Mysore War begins, in which Haidar Ali of Mysore defeats the combined armies of the East India Company, the Marathas and the Nizam of Hyderabad.
1771		Marathas re-captures Delhi and parts of North India.
1772	22 May	Ram Mohan Roy Born (to 1833)
1773		Narayanrao Peshwa is murdered by his uncle Raghunathrao's wife in front of Raghunathrao.
		Regulating Act of 1773
		Warren Hastings appointed as first Governor-General of India
1774		Chief Justice of the Maratha Empire, Ram Shastri passes death sentence against the ruling Peshwa Raghunathrao for murdering his nephew.
1775		First Anglo-Maratha War
1779		Maratha sardar Mahadji Shinde routs the East India Company army at the Battle of Wadgaon War ends with the restoration of status quo as per Treaty of Salbai.
1780		Second Anglo-Mysore War begins.
1784		Second Anglo-Mysore War ends with the Treaty of Mangalore.
1786		District collectors in Bengal were made responsible for settling the revenue and collecting it.
1789		Third Anglo-Mysore War begins.
1790		The Marathas under Holkar and General de Boigne defeat the Rajputs of Jaipur and Mughals 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
1792		Third Anglo-Mysore War ends.
1795	13 August	Death of Ahilyabai Holkar
1796		Ching-Thang Khomba moves Manipur's capital to Kangla
1798		Fourth Anglo-Mysore War begins.
1799		Fourth Anglo-Mysore War ends with the death of Tipu Sultan, the victory of the East India Company, and the restoration of their ally, the Wodeyar dynasty of Mysore.
		Polygar War
1800	13 March	Death of Nana Fadnavis

19th century

Year	Date	Event
1801		Maharaja Ranjit Singh establishes Khalsa rule of Punjab from Lahore. Khalsa army liberates Kashmiri Pundits and invades Afghanistan through Khyber Pass.
1803		Second Anglo-Maratha War begins
1805		Second Anglo-Maratha War ends
1806		Vellore Mutiny
1809		East India Company signs the first Treaty of Amritsar with Ranjit Singh
1811	28 October	Death of Yashwantrao Holkar
1814		"Atmiya Sabha" Established by Raja Ram Mohan Roy
1817		Third Anglo-Maratha War begins Establishment of Hindu College (Presidency College, now Presidency University, Kolkata)
1818		Third Anglo-Maratha War ends with the defeat of Bajirao II and the end of the Maratha Empire leaving the East India Company with control of almost the whole of India
1820	September	Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar is born (to 1891)
1823		Anglo–Burmese Wars (to 1826)
1824	12 February	Dayananda Saraswati is born (to 1883)
1826		British rule in Burma (to 1947)
1836		Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa is born (to 1886)
1839		First Anglo-Afghan War
1845		First Anglo-Sikh Wars (to 1849)
	4 November	Vasudev Balwant Phadke is born (to 1883)
1853		Started Post Service
1853	16 April	First Railway estalblished between Bombay and Thane
1855	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	Indian Rebellion of 1857
		Established first three University of Mumbai, University of Madras and University of Calcutta in India
1858	1 November	British Raj (to 1947)
	7 November	Bipin Chandra Pal is born (to 1932)
1859	18 April	Death of Tatya Tope
1861	7 May	Rabindranath Tagore is born.
1863	12 January	Swami Vivekanand is born (to 1902)
1865	28 January	Lala Lajpat Rai is born (to 1928)
	The high courts of Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay are established.
1867		"Prarthana Samaj" Established Earlier known as "Atmiya Sabha"
1869	2 October	Mahatma Gandhi is born (to 30 January 1948) Thakkar Bapa is Born (to 1951)
1873	24 September	"Satyashodhak Samaj" is a society established by Jyotirao Phule
1875		"Arya Samaj" Established
		Aligarh Muslim University
		Deccan Riots
1877	1 January	Delhi Durbar First time
1885	28 December	Indian National Congress Established
1889	3 December	Khudiram Bose is born (to 1908)
1891	14 April	B. R. Ambedkar is born (to 1956)
1895	11 may	jiddu krishnamurti is born (to 17 february 1986)
1897	23 January	Subhas Chandra Bose is born (to 1945)1st finger print bureau of India est in kolkata.
1899		"Mithra Mela" Established by V.D.Savarkar.

20th century

Year	Date	Event
1902		Anushilan Samiti, organized revolutionary association formed.
1903		British Expedition to Tibet
		Delhi Durbar Second Time.
1905	16 October	Partition of Bengal
1906		Jugantar formed.
	30 December	Muslim League formed in Dacca.
1907 1908		Surat Split Alipore bomb case
1909		Morley-Minto Reforms
1911		Cancellation of Partition of Bengal
		Delhi Durbar Third Time
1911	12 December	British government change capital city from Calcutta to Delhi.
1912		Delhi conspiracy case
1913		Gadar Party formed.
		Rabindranath Tagore won Nobel Prize in Literature
1914		Hindu–German Conspiracy
1915		Ghadar conspiracy
		Provisional Government of India formed in Kabul.
		Mahatma Gandhi returns to India.
1916		Lucknow Pact
1917		Champaran and Kheda Satyagraha
1919		Jallianwala Bagh massacre
		Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms
		Rowlatt Act is passed
1920		Non-cooperation movement Khilafat Movement
1922	5 February	Chauri Chaura incident
1924		Hindustan Socialist Republican Association is formed
1925	9 August	Kakori conspiracy
1927	November	Simon Commission
1928		Bardoli Satyagraha
1929		Central Assembly Bombed by Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt.
		Purna Swaraj resolution.
1930		Salt Satyagraha, the civil disobedience movement, begins with the Dandi march
		Round Table Conferences (India) First
1931	March	Gandhi–Irwin Pact
	23 March	Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev Martyred
	September–December	Round Table Conferences (India) Second
1932	24 September	Poona Pact
	16 August	Communal Award
	November–December	Round Table Conferences (India) Third
1935	August	Government of India Act 1935
1937		Indian provincial elections, 1937
1939		All India Forward Bloc Established by Subhas Chandra Bose
1940	23 March	Lahore Resolution
	8 August	August offer 1940
1942		Quit India Movement
	Late March	Cripps' mission
	August	Indian National Army Established by Subhas Chandra Bose
1943		Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind, the Provisional Government of Free India formed by Netaji.
1944		Subhas Chandra Bose calls Mahatma Gandhi as the Father of the Nation.
1945		Wavell Plan Simla Conference.
1946	February	Royal Indian Navy Mutiny
	March	Cabinet Mission
	16 August	Direct Action Day/Great Calcutta Killings
1947	July	Indian Independence Act 1947 by British Raj.
		Partition of India and Pakistan becomes an independent state on 14 August 1947.
		Freedom from British Raj.
		Hundreds of thousands die in widespread communal bloodshed after partition. (to 1948)
1948	30 January	Mahatma Gandhi assassinated by a right wing Hindu nationalist Nathuram Godse.
		War with Pakistan over disputed territory of Kashmir.
		Telangana and other princely states integrated in Indian union
1950	26 January	India became Republic.
1951		Congress Party wins first general elections under leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru. (to 1952)
1955		Nationalisation of Indian Insurance Sector. Establishment of LIC.
1962		war over disputed territory of Kashmir with China.
		India won Diu, Daman and Goa from Portuguese India.
1964	27 May	Death of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
1965	6–23 September	Second war with Pakistan over Kashmir.
1966		Nehru's daughter Indira Gandhi becomes prime minister.
1971		Third war with Pakistan over creation of Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan.
		Twenty-year treaty of friendship signed with Soviet Union.
1974		India explodes first nuclear device in underground test.
1975		Indira Gandhi declares 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.Communist party of India comes into power in West Bengal.
1979		Janata Party Splits. Chaudhary Charan Singh becomes Prime Minister.
1980		Indira Gandhi returns to power heading Congress party splinter group, Congress (Indira).
1983		N. T. Rama Rao NTR's 9 month old Telugu Desam Comes in to Power in AP marks a new Challenger post Loknayak Jayprakash Narayan against Indira
1984		Troops storm Golden Temple - Sikhs' most holy shrine (after Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale amasses weapons inside this Holy Shrine)- to flush out Sikh terrorist pressing for self-rule, called Operation Blue Star. "Anti-Sikh Riots 1984".
		Indira Gandhi assassinated by Sikh bodyguards, following which her son, Rajiv, takes over.
		Many Sikhs were killed due to the assassination of Indira Gandhi. see 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
1987		India deploys troops for peacekeeping operation in Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict.
1988		SEBI was established by The Government of India on 12 April 1988 and given statutory powers in 1992 with SEBI Act 1992 being passed by the Indian Parliament.
1989		Falling public support leads to Congress defeat in general election.
1989		National Front (India) Headed by V. P. Singh and led by Janata Dal formed and stormed into power with outside support from BJP and CPI.
1990		Muslim separatist groups begin campaign of violence in Kashmir.
1991		Rajiv Gandhi assassinated by suicide bomber sympathetic to Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers.
		Economic reform programme begun by Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao.
1992		Babri Mosque in Ayodhya is demolished, triggering widespread Hindu-Muslim violence.
		Over 200 people die in Cuttack in Odisha, after drinking illegally brewed liquor in the 1992 Odisha liquor deaths incident.
1995	July	West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu made the first call from Kolkata to inaugurate the cellular services in India
1996		Congress suffers worst ever electoral defeat as Hindu nationalist BJP emerges as largest single party.
1996	August	The Amarnath 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 Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
		India carries out nuclear tests, leading to widespread international condemnation.
1999	February	Vajpayee makes historic bus trip to Pakistan to meet Premier Nawaz Sharif and to sign bilateral Lahore peace declaration.
	May	Tension in Kashmir leads to brief war with Pakistan-backed forces in the icy heights around Kargil in Indian-held Kashmir.
	October	Cyclone devastates eastern state of Odisha, leaving at least 10,000 dead.
2000	March	US President Bill Clinton makes a groundbreaking visit to improve ties.
	May	India marks the birth of its billionth citizen.

21st century

Year	Date	Event
2001		A high-powered rocket is launched, adding India to the club of countries able to fire big satellites deep into space.
	January	Massive earthquakes hit the western state of Gujarat, leaving at least 30,000 dead.
	July	Vajpayee meets Pakistani President Pervez 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 President Musharraf.
	September	US lifts sanctions which it imposed against India and Pakistan 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.
	October	Pakistani forces shelled the village of Arnia about three km (two miles) from the border in the early hours of Monday June 6, killing five and wounding at least two dozen civilians.
	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 programme A.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 the UN Security Council.
	November	India begins to withdraw some of its troops from Kashmir.
	December	Thousands are killed when tsunami tidal waves, caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake off the Indonesian coast, devastate coastal communities in the south and in the Andaman and Nicobar 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	An earthquake, with its epicentre in Pakistani-administered Kashmir, kills more than 1,000 people in Indian-administered Kashmir.
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 Italian 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.
	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 group Indian Mujahideen claims responsibility.
	October	Following approval by the US Congress, President George W Bush signs into law a nuclear deal with India, which ends a three-decade ban on US nuclear trade with Delhi.
	October	India successfully launches its first mission to the moon, the unmanned lunar probe Chandrayaan-1.
	November	Nearly 200 people are killed and hundreds injured in a series of coordinated attacks by gunmen on the main tourist and business area of India's financial capital Mumbai. India blames militants from Pakistan for the attacks and demands that Islamabad take strong action against those responsible.
	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.
	April	Trial of sole surviving suspect in Mumbai attacks begins.
	May	Resounding general election victory gives governing Congress-led alliance of PM Manmohan Singh an enhanced position in parliament, only 11 seats short of an absolute majority.
	July	Delhi court decriminalizes gay sex
2010	February	16 people are killed in a bomb explosion at German Bakery in the city of Pune, Maharashtra.
	May	Surviving gunman of 2008 Mumbai attacks is convicted of murder, possession of explosives and waging war
2011	May	After 34 years of Left Front Government, Trinamool Congress and Congress alliance come to power in West Bengal
2012	July	Pranab Mukherjee, the former Finance Minister is elected as the 13th president of India.
	November	Ajmal Kasab the lone surviving gunman of 2008 Mumbai attacks is hanged on 21 November 2012 at 7:30 in at Yerwada Jail.
2013	12 February	Indian helicopter bribery scandal comes to light.
	21 February	Terror attacks on Hyderabad in Dilsukhnagar area.
	5 November	Mars Orbiter Mission, is successfully launched into Mars orbit by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
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.
2015	14 Feb	Arvind Kejriwal elected as Chief minister of Delhi
2016	2–5 January	Terror Attacks on Pathankot Air Base.

See also

• Timeline of Mumbai history
• Timeline of Ahmedabad
• Chronology of Tamil history
• Timeline of Buddhism (563 BCE – present)
• Timeline of Ayyavazhi history
• Timeline of Jainism
• Sikh Gurus (1469–1666)
• History of cricket (1066–present)
• Hindu units of time
• Tamil units of measurement

External links

• BBC India Timeline