Indian History - Important events.

Indian History - Important events.

Period	Description
ANCIENT EMPIRES
ca. 2500-1600 B.C.	Indus Valley culture.
ca. 1500-500 B.C.	Migrations of Aryan-speaking tribes; the Vedic Age.
ca. 1000 B.C.	Settlement of Bengal by Dravidian-speaking peoples.
ca. 563-ca. 483 B.C.	Life of Siddartha Gautama--the Buddha; founding of Buddhism.
ca. 326-184 B.C.	Mauryan Empire; reign of Ashoka (269-232 B.C.); spread of Buddhism.
ca. 180 B.C.-A.D. 150	Shaka dynasties in Indus Valley.
ca. A.D. 320-550	Gupta Empire; classical age in North India.
606-47	North Indian empire of Harsha.
711	Arab invaders conquer Sindh, establish Islamic presence in India.
750-1150	Pala Dynasty.
1150-1202	Sena Dynasty.
GROWTH OF ISLAM
997-1027	Mahmud of Ghazni raids Indian subcontinent from Afghanistan.
1202	Turkish conquerors defeat Sena Dynasty and overrun Bengal.
1206-1398	Delhi Sultanate.
1398	Timur sacks Delhi.
1414-50	Sayyid Dynasty; renewal of Delhi Sultanate.
1451-1526	Lodi Dynasty.
THE MUGHAL PERIOD
1526	Babur lays foundation of Mughal Empire; wins First Battle of Panipat.
1556-1605	Akbar expands and reforms the empire; Mughals win Second Battle of Panipat.
1605-27	Reign of Jahangir; in 1612 East India Company opens first trading post (factory).
1628-58	Reign of Shah Jahan.
1658-1707	Reign of Aurangzeb, last great Mughal ruler.
1707-1858	Lesser emperors; decline of the Mughal Empire.
BRITISH PERIOD
1757	Battle of Plassey--British victory over Mughal forces in Bengal; British rule in India begins.
1835	Institution of British education and other reform measures.
1857-58	Revolt of Indian sepoys (soldiers) against East India Company.
1858	East India Company dissolved; rule of India under the British crown--the British Raj--begins with Government of India Act; formal end of Mughal Empire.
1885	Indian National Congress (Congress) formed.
1905	Partition of Bengal into separate provinces of Eastern Bengal and Assam, West Bengal.
1906	All-India Muslim League (Muslim League) founded.
1909	Morley-Minto Reforms; separate electorates for Muslims.
1912	Partition of Bengal annulled; new province of Bihar and Orissa formed; plans to move capital from Calcutta to Delhi announced.
1916	Congress-League Scheme of Reforms (often referred to as Lucknow Pact) signed.
1919	Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms; Government of India Act.
1935	Government of India Act of 1935.
1940	Muslim League adopts Lahore Resolution; "Two Nations" theory articulated by Muslim League leader Mohammad Ali Jinnah and others.
August 16, 1946	"Direct Action Day" of Muslim League.
INDEPENDENT INDIA
August 15, 1947	Partition of British India; India achieves independence and incorporates West Bengal and Assam; Jawaharlal Nehru becomes prime minister of India. Pakistan is created and incorporates East Bengal (the East Wing, or East Pakistan) and territory in the northwest (the West Wing, or West Pakistan); Jinnah becomes governor general of Pakistan.
August 15, 1947-May 27, 1964	Jawaharlal Nehru serves as prime minister and leader of Congress-controlled government.
October 22, 1947-January 1, 1949	Undeclared war with Pakistan; ends with United Nations-arranged ceasefire.
January 30, 1948	Mahatma Gandhi assassinated in New Delhi.
October 20-November 21, 1962	Border war with China.
June 9, 1964-January 11, 1966	Lal Bhadur Shastri serves as prime minister of Congress-led government.
August 5-September 23, 1965	Second war with Pakistan.
January 24, 1966-March 24, 1977	Indira Gandhi serves as prime minister for first time, head of government initially led by Congress, later Congress (R).
December 3-16, 1971	Third war with Pakistan; Bangladesh becomes independent following Indian invasion of East Pakistan.
June 25, 1975-January 18, 1977	State of Emergency proclaimed by Indira Gandhi.
March 24, 1977-July 28, 1979	Morarji Desai serves as prime minister as head of a multiparty front, Janata Party, India's first non-Congress government.
July 28, 1979-January 14, 1980	Chaudhury Charan Singh serves as prime minister as head of a Janata-led coalition government.
January 14, 1980-October 31, 1984	Indira Ganhdi serves as prime minister for second time, head of Congress (I) government.
October 31, 1984	Indira Gandhi assassinated in New Delhi.
October 31, 1984-December 2, 1989	Rajiv Gandhi serves as prime minister of Congress (I)-led government.
December 2, 1989-November 7, 1990	Vishwanath Pratap Singh serves as prime minister of National Front-led coalition government.
November 10, 1990-June 20, 1991	Chandra Shekhar serves as prime minister, heading Samajwadi Janata Party government.
May 21, 1991	Rajiv Gandhi assassinated near Madras.
June 20, 1991-May 15, 1996	P.V. Narasimha Rao serves as prime minister of Congress (I)-led government.
December 6, 1992	Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, destroyed by Hindu activists.
January-March 1993	Communal violence in wake of Babri Masjid destruction wracks Indian cities, especially Bombay, which suffered from a series of bomb blasts in March.
May 1995	Unpopular Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act of 1985 allowed to lapse
April 27-May 7, 1996	General elections for Lok Sabha oust Congress (I) government of P.V. Narasimha Rao.
May 15-28, 1996	Minority Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government led by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee resigns after thirteen days.
June 1, 1996	Haradanahalli (H.D.) Deve Gowda, head of thirteen-party United Front, sworn in as India's eleventh prime minister.