Chronology of events Ancient India – Timeline

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🧠INDIAN ANCIENT HISTORY – MASTER MIND MAP (BCE → CE)

1. Prehistory → Neolithic → Chalcolithic

  • Palaeolithic → Mesolithic → Neolithic → Chalcolithic
  • 6000 BCE – Baluchistan (Mehrgarh) :
    • Earliest Neolithic settlement
    • Domestication of animals, wheat–barley cultivation
    • Pottery (later)
  • 4000–3000 BCE – Indus Valley early settlements
    (Kot Diji, Amri, Kalibangan early phase)
    • Mehrgarh → earliest evidence of dentistry
    • Chalcolithic Ahar–Banas, Malwa culture (parallel to Early Harappan)

2. Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC)

Early Phase (3000–2500 BCE)

  • Small farming villages → fortified settlements (Kot Diji phase)

Evidence Link

  • 2700 BCE – Kish, Mesopotamia → Indus seals

Mature Phase (2500–1750 BCE)

  • Great Cities:
    • Mohenjo-daro
    • Harappa
    • Kalibangan
    • Lothal (dockyard)
  • Key Features:
    • Town planning, drainage, granaries
    • Standardized weights → trade
    • Script undeciphered
    • Bronze technology
  • Extra addition:
    • Dholavira (water conservation, signboard)
    • Rakhigarhi (largest IVC site in India)

Late Phase (1750–1500 BCE)

  • Decline → environmental + economic factors
  • Arrival of Indo-Aryans

3. Vedic Age (1500–600 BCE)

Rig Vedic (1500–1000 BCE)

  • Pastoral life → cattle wealth
  • Aryans in Punjab & Western Doab
  • No urbanization
  • Sacrifices: yajna, soma
  • No idol worship
  • Sabha, Samiti

Iron Age begins – 1000 BCE

Later Vedic Age (1000–600 BCE)

  • Agriculture expands → Eastern Gangetic plains
  • Complex society → Varna → State formation
  • Painted Grey Ware (PGW)
  • Janapadas emerged
    • Earliest reference to Ganga appears
    • Development of philosophical texts → Upanishads (700–500 BCE)

4. Second Urbanization (600 BCE)

  • Cities reappear after a gap since IVC
  • 16 Mahajanapadas
  • Eastern Gangetic region (Kaushambi, Rajgir, Vaishali, Kashi)

Jainism & Buddhism Rise

  • 817 BCE – Parsvanatha (23rd Tirthankara)
  • 599–527 BCE (corrected scholarly dates) – Mahavira
  • 563–483 BCE – Buddha
    • 24th Tirthankara: Mahavira
    • Six schools of philosophy (Astika)

5. Magadha Expansion

Haryanka (542–413 BCE)

  • Bimbisara → Ajatshatru
  • Rajgir → Pataliputra shift begins

SisuNaga (413–364 BCE)

Nanda dynasty (364–321 BCE)

  • Mahapadma Nanda → “Destroyer of Kshatriyas”

Persian Invasion

Greek Contact

  • 327–325 BCE – Alexander’s invasion
  • 326 BCE – Battle of Hydaspes (Porus)

6. Mauryan Empire (321–184 BCE)

Founding

  • Chandragupta Maurya defeats Nandas
  • 305–303 BCE – War with Seleucus Nicator
    • Megasthenes sent → Indica

Bindusara

  • Friendly with Hellenistic kings

Ashoka (268–232 BCE)

  • 260 BCE – Kalinga war
  • 257 BCE – Converts to Buddhism
  • 250 BCE – 3rd Buddhist Council (Pataliputra)
  • Dharma missions → Sri Lanka, SE Asia, Hellenistic world
  • Ashokan edicts → earliest deciphered Indian writing
    • Brahmi (left to right)
    • Kharoshthi (right to left)

Later Mauryas (232–184 BCE)

7. Post-Mauryan Age

Sungas (184–75 BCE)

  • Pushyamitra → revival of Brahmanism
  • Patanjali (Mahabhashya) contemporary
  • Last: Devabhuti

Indo-Greeks

  • 182 BCE – Demetrius
  • 166–150 BCE – Menander (Milinda)
  • Buddhist text: Milindapanho

Sakas

  • 141 BCE – Sakas conquer Bactria
  • Azes I (58 BCE) → Vikram Samvat tradition link

Parthians (Pahlavas)

(AD 1st century entry)

Kushan Empire (extra relevant addition)

  • Kanishka (78 CE) → Saka Era
  • 4th Buddhist Council, Gandhara art, Mahayana Buddhism

Satavahanas (c. 50 BCE onwards)

  • Important ruler: Gautamiputra Satakarni
  • Conflict with Sakas
  • Pratishthana (capital)

Kalinga

  • 50 BCE – Khāravela (Hathigumpha inscription)

8. Early CE Contacts

2 CE

  • Buddhist emissaries from Bactria → Chinese emperor
  • Sangam Age (300 BCE–300 CE) in South India
  • Cheras, Cholas, Pandyas
  • Early Tamil literature → Ettuthogai, Pattupattu

🧠 INDIAN HISTORY (Common Era CE) – MASTER MIND MAP

🟩 1. Early CE (Indo-Parthian → Early Kushan → Early Satavahana)

20–46 CE

  • Gondophares (Gondophemes) → Greatest Indo-Parthian king (Taxila)
  • St. Thomas arrives in India (Christian tradition)

45 CE

  • Kujula Kadphises (Yuezhi) invades NW India
  • Kushan Empire founded

46 CE

  • Hippalus discovers Monsoon Winds → boosts Indo-Roman trade

64–66 CE

  • 64 CE → Chinese emperor Ming-ti sends agents to India for Buddhist texts
  • 66 CE → Buddhist monks Kashyapa Matanga & Gobharana reach China

77 CE

  • Pliny’s Natural History → Roman accounts of India

🟥 2. Kushan Age (The Great Age of Trade & Buddhism)

78 CE

  • Kanishka starts Saka Era (78 CE)

78–110 CE (Reign of Kanishka)

  • Golden age of Kushans
  • 4th Buddhist Council (Kundalvana / Kashmir)
  • ↑ Gandhara Art, Mahayana Buddhism

80–128 CE

  • Satavahana resurgence
    • Gautamiputra Satakarni
    • Vasishtiputra Pulamayi

130–150 CE

  • Rudradaman I (Western Kshatrapa)
  • Junagarh inscription → earliest classical Sanskrit inscription

226 CE

  • Sassanian dynasty in Persia begins (India–Iran trade expands)

250 CE

  • Satavahana disintegration

🟦 3. Gupta Age – “Classical Age of India”

320 CE

  • Gupta Era begins (Chandragupta I)

320–335 CE

  • Chandragupta I (foundation, marriage alliance with Lichchhavis)

335–375 CE

  • Samudragupta
    • “Indian Napoleon”
    • All-India campaigns
    • Allahabad Pillar Inscription
    • CE 360 → Ceylonese embassy to his court

375–413 CE

  • Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya)
    • Western conquests
    • Peak of Sanskrit literature
    • Court: Kalidasa, Amarasimha, Vararuchi

405–411 CE

  • Fa-hien travels in India

413–455 CE

  • Kumaragupta I
    • Nalanda University founded

455–467 CE

  • Skandagupta
    • First Huna invasions

467–540 CE

  • Gupta decline

500–527 CE

  • Huna rule under Toramana & Mihirakula

527 CE

  • Yasodharman defeats Mihirakula

🟪 4. Early Medieval India – Chalukya, Pallava, Harsha Era

Chalukyas of Badami (543–755 CE)

  • 543 CE – Rise of Early Chalukyas
  • Pulakesin II (610–642 CE) – greatest ruler

547 CE

  • Cosmas Indicopleustes writes about Indian trade

Pallavas of Kanchi (560–903 CE)

  • Architecture: Kailasanatha, Vaikunta Perumal, Mahabalipuram

🟧 5. Harsha Age

606–647 CE – Harshavardhana

  • Capital: Kannauj
  • Patron of Buddhism
  • Author of Nagananda, Ratnavali, Priyadarshika

Important Events:

  • 622 CE → Hijri Era starts (Arab world timeline)
  • 625 CE → Embassy of Pulakesin II to Persian king Khusrau II
  • 630 CE → Harsha vs Pulakesin II on Narmada (Harsha defeated)
  • 630–643 CE → Hiuen Tsang’s journey across India
  • 635–640 CE → Nalanda at its peak
  • 643 CE → Harsha’s Prayag Assembly (Mahadana)
  • 648 CE → Bhaskaravarman (Kamarupa) helps restore Harsha’s successor

🟦 6. Eastern Chalukyas & South Indian Political Arena

630–1070 CE

  • Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi

634 CE

  • Aihole inscription of Pulakesin II → history of Chalukyas

642 CE

  • Narasimhavarman I (Pallava) conquers Badami from Chalukyas

700–728 CE

  • Narasimhavarman II (Rajasimha)
    • Peak of Pallava architecture & culture

🟥 7. India–Central Asia–Tibet Cultural Exchanges

675–685 CE

  • Yijing studies at Nalanda

712 CE

  • Arab conquest of Sind (Muhammad bin Qasim)

743–789 CE

  • Santarakshita & Padmasambhava take Buddhism to Tibet
  • Foundation of Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana / Lamaism)

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