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. Also see the list of governors-general of India, list of prime ministers of India and list of years in India.

Year	Date	Event
c. 2,000,000 BCE		Stone artifacts discovered at Riwat in the Soan Valley of present-day Pakistan have been reported from deposits dating to around two million years ago, providing possible evidence for a very early hominin presence in the northwestern Indian subcontinent ^[1]^[2]
c. 1,500,000 BCE		Acheulean stone tools, including handaxes and cleavers, are known from Attirampakkam in present-day Tamil Nadu. The earliest archaeological levels have a pooled age of approximately 1.51 million years, demonstrating an Early Pleistocene hominin presence in southern India.^[3]
c. 700,000–250,000 BCE		Archaeological evidence of hominin occupation becomes increasingly widespread across the Indian subcontinent. Acheulean industries are recorded across much of peninsular and northern South Asia.^[4]^[5]
c. 383,000–170,000 BCE		Attirampakkam preserves a transition from Acheulean to Middle Paleolithic stone-tool technologies beginning approximately 385,000 years ago.^[6]
c. 138,000–118,000 BCE		Acheulean technology persisted in the Middle Son Valley of central India at sites including Patpara and Bamburi, representing some of the youngest known Acheulean assemblages in the world.^[7]
Date uncertain		Archaic hominin remains were discovered at Hathnora in the Narmada Valley of present-day Madhya Pradesh. The age and taxonomic classification of the Narmada hominin remain uncertain.^[8]
c. 72,000 BCE		Middle Paleolithic stone-tool assemblages at Jwalapuram in present-day Andhra Pradesh occur immediately below and above ash deposited by the Youngest Toba eruption, indicating continued hominin occupation of the region across the eruption. The hominin population responsible for the assemblages is unknown, although the technology has affinities with contemporary technologies associated with Homo sapiens in Africa and elsewhere in Asia.^[9]^[10]
c. 43,000 BCE		Microblade technology is attested at Mehtakheri in present-day Madhya Pradesh, representing some of the earliest securely dated evidence for this technology in the Indian subcontinent. Microblade industries subsequently became widespread across South Asia.^[11]
Late Paleolithic		Communities at Patne in present-day Maharashtra produced ostrich-eggshell beads and engraved eggshells, providing evidence of personal ornamentation in prehistoric India.^[12]^[13]

Year	Date	Event
c. 6400 BCE		At Lahuradewa in present-day Uttar Pradesh, early communities cultivated or managed rice, with directly associated rice remains dating to approximately 6400 BCE. Whether the rice was fully domesticated remains disputed.^[14]^[15]
c. 5200 BCE		Mehrgarh in present-day Balochistan was occupied by Neolithic farming and herding communities. Although traditionally dated to the eighth or seventh millenium BCE, direct radiocarbon dating published in 2025 places the beginning of its aceramic Neolithic cemetery between approximately 5200 and 4900 BCE.^[16]
c. 4650 BCE		Pottery appeared at Mehrgarh during Period IIA, representing the earliest known ceramic vessels from present-day Pakistan. The development marks the beginning of the site's ceramic Neolithic phase.^[16]

Year	Date	Event
c. 4000 BCE		The beginning of Mehrgarh period III marks a Chalcolithic phase characterized by increasingly specialized craft production. Copper objects and copper-melting crucibles provide evidence of local copper metallurgy, alongside the production of wheel-made painted pottery and stone beads.^[17]
c. 3700 BCE		The earliest known settlement at Harappa began during the Ravi phase. The settlement initially consisted of small structures built from reeds, clay plaster and mud brick, and developed extensive craft-production and exchange networks during the following centuries.^[18]
c. 3000 BCE		The Ahar-Banas culture emerged in southeastern Rajasthan. Its settlements were characterized by a distinctive white-painted black-and-red ceramic tradition and formed one of the major Chalcolithic cultural traditions of northwestern India^[19]
c. 2800 BCE		The Kot Diji phase began at Harappa, marking a period of incipient urbanization. Settlements expanded, craft production intensified and increasingly standardized material traditions developed during the transition toward the urban Harappan civilization.^[18]

Year	Date	Event
c. 2600 BCE		The Mature Harappan civilization emerged across the northwestern Indian subcontinent. Major urban centres, including Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, developed planned streets, drainage and sanitation systems, standardized weights and measures, specialized craft production and the still-undeciphered Indus script.^[20]
c. 2500 BCE		Dholavira in present-day Gujarat developed into a major Mature Harappan urban centre. The fortified settlement was distinguished by extensive stone architecture and a sophisticated system of reservoirs and water management adapted to its arid environment.^[21]
c. 2500–2000 BCE		The Indus civilization engaged in extensive long-distance trade with Mesopotamia and communities around the Persian Gulf. Mesopotamian texts referred to a trading region called Meluhha, generally identified with the Indus region. At the same time, archaeological evidence documents the movement of raw materials and manufactured goods between South and West Asia.^[22]
c. 1900 BCE		The Mature Harappan urban system began to decline and fragment. Major cities were reduced or abandoned, long-distance trade and standardized material traditions diminished, and populations increasingly reorganized into regional Late Harappan cultures.^[20]

Year	Date	Event
c. 1900–1300 BCE		The late Harappan period saw the former Indus cultural sphere fragment into regional traditions, including the Cemetary H culture in the north, the Jhukar tradition in Sindh, and the Rangpur tradition in Gujarat. Urban centres persisted in some regions, but long-distance exchange and the standardized material culture of the mature Harappan period declined.^[18]
c. 1900–1500 BCE		Populations carrying ancestry related to Middle-to-Late Bronze Age Steppe pastoralists entered northern South Asia and mixed with populations descended from the Indus cultural sphere. Genetic and linguistic evidence associates these migrations with the spread of Indo-Aryan languages into the subcontinent.^[23]
c. 1750–1250 BCE		The Ochre Colured Pottery culture developed across the Ganges-Yamuna Doab, representing an important Bronze Age cultural tradition of northern India contemporary with the later phases of the Indus Tradition.^[24]
c. 1500–1200 BCE		The earliest hymns of the Rigveda were composed orally in Vedic Sanskrit in the Punjab and surrounding regions, marking the beginning of the textual record of Vedic culture. The hymns preserve the religious practices, social organization and political conflcits of early Indo-Aryan-speaking communities.^[25]

Year	Date	Event
c. 600 BCE		In the sixth century BCE, northern India was divided among several kingdoms and republics known as the Mahajanapadas, traditionally enumerated as sixteen. The period also saw the growth of major urban centres in the Gangetic Plain, marking the beginning of the second urbanisation of the Indian subcontinent.^[29]^[30]
c. 540 BCE		Cyrus the Great extended the Achaemenid Empire eastward to the northwestern limits of the Indian subcontinent, including Gandhara. Persian expansion into the region occurred after Cyrus's conquest of Lydia in 547 BCE and before his conquest of Babylon in 539 BCE.^[31]
c. 518 BCE		Darius I extended Achaemenid rule into territories of the northwestern Indian subcontinent, including regions west of the Indus River. Gandhara was already listed among his territories, while the province of Hindush in the Indus region appeared in later Achaemenid inscriptions.^[32]

Year	Date	Event
5th century BCE		Mahavira, regarded in Jainism as the 24th Tirthankara, lived and taught during this period. Modern scholarship generally places Mahavira and the Buddha in the fifth century BCE, with Mahavira probably an older contemporary of the Buddha.^[33]
5th century BCE		Gautama Buddha lived and taught in northeastern India during this period. His teachings gave rise to Buddhism and the early Buddhist community.^[34]
c. 5th century BCE		The kingdom of Magadha expanded in the eastern Gangetic plain under rulers including Bimbisara and Ajatashatru, beginning its rise from one of several competing states to the dominant power of northern India.^[35]

Year	Date	Event
c. 4th century BCE		Pāṇini composed the Aṣṭādhyāyī, a highly systematic grammar of Sanskrit that became foundational to the Sanskrit grammatical tradition. Pāṇini's exact date remains uncertain.^[36]
327–325 BCE		Alexander the Great campaigned in the northwestern Indian subcontinent following his conquest of the Achaemenid Empire. His forces crossed the Indus, campaigned through the Punjab and Indus regions, and began their withdrawal westward in 325 BCE.^[37]
326 BCE		Alexander defeated Porus at the Battle of the Hydaspes on the Hydaspes River (modern Jhelum) in the Punjab. Porus was subsequently retained as a ruler with enlarged territories. Later that year, Alexander's army refused to advance farther east at the Hyphasis (Beas), ending his eastward advance.^[38]
c. 321 BCE		Chandragupta Maurya overthrew the Nanda dynasty in Magadha and founded the Maurya Empire, which subsequently expanded across much of the Indian subcontinent.^[39]
305–303 BCE		A war between Chandragupta Maurya and Seleucus I Nicator of the Seleucid Empire ended in a settlement involving territorial concessions by Seleucus and the transfer of war elephants to the Seleucid ruler.^[40]

Year	Date	Event
c. 268 BCE		Ashoka became the third Mauryan emperor. During his reign, the Maurya Empire reached its greatest extent, encompassing most of the Indian subcontinent apart from several independent polities in the far south.^[41]
c. 260 BCE		Ashoka conquered Kalinga in a destructive war. In his later Thirteenth Major Rock Edict, he expressed remorse for the deaths and deportations caused by the conquest and presented conquest through dhamma as preferable to military conquest.^[42]
c. 260s–250s BCE		Ashoka issued inscriptions on rocks and pillars across his empire promoting dhamma, public welfare and principles of governance. Written in several languages and scripts, the Ashokan edicts constitute the earliest known body of monumental stone inscriptions from the Indian subcontinent and provide the principal contemporary evidence for his reign.^[43]
3rd century BCE		Ashoka's rock edicts attest the existence of independent southern polities including the Cholas, Pandyas, Keralaputras and Satiyaputras beyond the southern limits of Mauryan rule.^[44]
c. 232 BCE		Ashoka died after a reign of approximately four decades. The Maurya Empire subsequently entered a period of political fragmentation and decline before its final collapse in the following century.^[45]

Year	Date	Event
c. 185 BCE		The last Mauryan ruler was overthrown by his commander Pushyamitra Shunga, bringing the Maurya Empire to an end and establishing the Shunga dynasty in northern India.^[46]
early 2nd century BCE		Greek rulers based in Bactria expanded across the Hindu Kush into the northwestern Indian subcontinent, giving rise to a series of Indo-Greek kingdoms. Their rule introduced a long period of interaction between Hellenistic and South Asian political, artistic and monetary traditions.^[47]
c. 155–130 BCE		Menander I ruled one of the most powerful Indo-Greek kingdoms in the northwestern subcontinent. He later became the central Greek ruler of the Buddhist text Milinda Pañha, which portrays discussions between King Milinda and the Buddhist monk Nāgasena.^[48]
c. 150–100 BCE		The Great Stupa at Bharhut was embellished with an extensive carved stone railing depicting Buddhist symbols, devotees and narrative scenes. Together with monuments such as Sanchi, Bharhut represents an important early phase in the development of Buddhist narrative art in India.^[49]
late 2nd century BCE		The Greek ambassador Heliodorus erected an inscribed column at Besnagar in honour of Vāsudeva. The inscription identifies Heliodorus as a Bhāgavata and provides important evidence for Indo-Greek diplomatic and religious interaction and for the early development of the Vāsudeva devotional tradition.^[50]

Year	Date	Event
c. 100 BCE		The Satavahanas established control over substantial parts of the western Deccan. Around this period, the royal monument at Naneghat was created under King Satakarni and Queen Naganika; its inscriptions record the dynasty's rulers, royal sacrifices and claims to political authority.^[51]
c. 85 BCE		By this period, Saka (Indo-Scythian) rulers under Maues had established power in parts of the northwestern Indian subcontinent. Saka expansion contributed to the displacement and fragmentation of Indo-Greek rule in Gandhara and neighbouring regions.^[52]
58 BCE		The era later known as the Vikrama era began. Its association with the legendary king Vikramaditya developed centuries later; early inscriptions did not call the era "Vikrama".^[53]
c. 50 BCE		Maritime commerce between the Indian subcontinent and the Mediterranean world expanded substantially as sailors increasingly used monsoon winds to cross the Arabian Sea, strengthening trade routes linking western Indian ports with the Red Sea and the Roman Mediterranean.^[54]
c. 20 BCE		An embassy from an Indian ruler travelled to meet the Roman emperor Augustus, providing early direct evidence of diplomatic contact between Indian states and the Roman Empire. Ancient accounts variously identify the ruler as "Pandion" or "Porus", making his precise identity uncertain.^[55]

Year	Date	Event
1st century		The Kushans, under Kujula Kadphises and his successors, expanded from their base in Bactria into Gandhara and the northwestern Indian subcontinent. Kushan rule increasingly linked northern India with Central Asian trade networks and the Silk Road.^[56]
mid-1st century		The Greek-language Periplus of the Erythraean Sea described extensive maritime commerce between the Roman world and ports of the western Indian subcontinent, including Barygaza (modern Bharuch) and Muziris on the Malabar Coast. The account documents the large-scale exchange of spices, textiles, precious materials, wine, metals and coin across the Indian Ocean.^[57]
c. 60–84		Gautamiputra Satakarni restored Satavahana power in the western Deccan after defeating Nahapana, a Kshaharata Saka ruler who had seized important Satavahana territories. Inscriptions and numismatic evidence attest Gautamiputra's recovery of these regions and the destruction of Kshaharata power.^[58]

Year	Date	Event
127		Kanishka inaugurated a new era and began his reign as one of the most powerful rulers of the Kushan Empire. Under Kanishka and his successors, Kushan rule formed a major power spanning parts of Central Asia and northern India.^[59]
c. 150		Rudradaman I of the Western Satraps issued the Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman in western India. The inscription records the restoration of the Sudarshana Lake and is the earliest surviving long inscription written entirely in approximately standard Sanskrit, marking an important development in the use of Sanskrit for royal political inscriptions.^[60]

Year	Date	Event
c. 225–320		The Ikshvaku dynasty succeeded the Satavahanas in the lower Krishna River valley and ruled from Vijayapuri, at modern Nagarjunakonda. Under the dynasty, Nagarjunakonda developed into a major centre of Buddhist monasticism and art, with substantial patronage from royal women.^[61]
mid-3rd century		The Vakataka dynasty emerged as an important power in central India and the Deccan. Later Vakataka records identify Vindhyashakti as the founder of the dynasty; his successors subsequently became one of the principal post-Satavahana powers of the region.^[62]

Year	Date	Event
c. 305		The earliest surviving records of the Pallava dynasty, including the Maidavolu copper plates, attest Pallava rule in southern India by the beginning of the fourth century.^[63]
c. 319–320		Chandragupta I emerged as the first major imperial ruler of the Gupta dynasty. The Gupta era began in 319–320 CE; many historians associate its epoch with Chandragupta's accession, although the identity of the ruler who instituted the era remains debated.^[64]
c. 335–375		Samudragupta greatly expanded Gupta power across northern and central India. His campaigns and political relationships with rulers across the subcontinent are recorded in the Allahabad Pillar inscription, composed by his courtier Harishena.^[65]
mid-4th century		The Kadamba dynasty emerged under Mayurasharma in present-day Karnataka, with Banavasi becoming an important centre of Kadamba rule. The later Talagunda pillar inscription recounts Mayurasharma's conflict with the Pallavas and the establishment of Kadamba political power.^[66]
c. 375–415		Chandragupta II succeeded Samudragupta and further extended Gupta power, particularly into western India. His reign marked a major period of political and cultural expansion under the Guptas.^[67]
c. 390		Following the death of the Vakataka ruler Rudrasena II, his widow Prabhavatigupta, daughter of Chandragupta II, became regent for her minor sons. Her approximately thirteen-year regency strengthened political and cultural connections between the Gupta and Vakataka courts.^[68]

Year	Date	Event
1117		The Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana consecrated the Chennakeshava Temple at Belur. The monument was the first major temple to establish the distinctive architectural vocabulary later associated with the Hoysala style.^[106]
1150		The mathematician and astronomer Bhāskara II completed the Siddhānta Shiromani, a major Sanskrit work on mathematics and astronomy whose sections treated arithmetic, algebra, planetary calculations and the celestial sphere.^[107]
c. 1150s–1160s		Basava became a leading figure in the Virashaiva devotional movement in Karnataka. His Kannada vachanas and the movement associated with him emphasized personal devotion to Shiva while challenging aspects of established ritual and social hierarchy.^[108]
1175–1186		Muhammad of Ghor began a sustained series of Ghurid campaigns into the northwestern Indian subcontinent, capturing Multan and Uch in 1175. After being repulsed during an expedition into Gujarat in 1178, he shifted his expansion northward and captured Lahore in 1186, ending Ghaznavid rule there.^[109]
1191–1192		At the First Battle of Tarain in 1191, forces led by Prithviraj Chauhan defeated Muhammad of Ghor. Muhammad returned the following year and defeated Prithviraj at the Second Battle of Tarain. The Ghurid victory enabled the establishment of a permanent military presence near Delhi and opened the way for further expansion into northern India.^[110]
1194		Muhammad of Ghor defeated the Gahadavala ruler Jayachandra at the Battle of Chandawar. Jayachandra was killed, and Ghurid forces subsequently advanced farther into the middle Gangetic plain, including Varanasi.^[111]

Year	Date	Event
1206		Following the death of Muhammad of Ghor, Qutb ud-Din Aibak established autonomous rule over his former master's territories in northern India. The year is conventionally regarded as the beginning of the Delhi Sultanate, whose successive dynasties ruled large parts of the Indian subcontinent until 1526.^[112]
1213		Construction began on the Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple at Palampet in present-day Telangana. Built under the Kakatiyas, the temple became a major example of their architectural and engineering traditions.^[113]
1221		Genghis Khan reached the Indus River while pursuing the Khwarazmian ruler Jalal al-Din, briefly threatening the Punjab. The wider Mongol conquests also drove refugees, scholars and administrators from Central Asia and Iran into northern India, contributing to the growth of Persianate culture in the Delhi Sultanate.^[114]
1228		The Tai prince Sukaphaa established the Ahom kingdom in the upper Brahmaputra valley of Assam. The Ahom state endured for nearly six centuries and became one of the most important political formations in northeastern India.^[115]
1236–1240		Razia ruled the Delhi Sultanate after being chosen as successor by her father, Iltutmish. She was the only woman to rule the Delhi Sultanate in her own right during its more than three centuries of existence.^[116]
mid-13th century		The Konark Sun Temple was constructed in Odisha during the reign of the Eastern Ganga ruler Narasimhadeva I. Designed as a monumental chariot of the sun god Surya, it represents the culmination of the Kalinga tradition of temple architecture.^[117]
1263–1289		Rudrama Devi ruled the Kakatiya kingdom in the Deccan. One of the relatively few women to exercise sovereign kingship in premodern South Asia, she presided over the Kakatiya state during a major phase of its thirteenth-century power.^[118]
1290		The Mamluk line of Delhi sultans was displaced by Jalal-ud-din Khalji, beginning the Khalji dynasty. The dynastic transition preceded a major new phase of territorial expansion under Jalal-ud-din's successor Alauddin Khalji.^[119]

Year	Date	Event
1309–1311		The Khalji general Malik Kafur led a series of campaigns into the Deccan and southern India on behalf of Alauddin Khalji. Warangal's Kakatiya ruler agreed to pay tribute in 1310, after which Khalji forces campaigned against the Hoysalas and into the Pandya country, greatly extending Delhi's political and fiscal influence in peninsular India.^[120]
1323		Ulugh Khan, the future Muhammad bin Tughluq, conquered Warangal after renewed Delhi Sultanate campaigns against the Kakatiyas. The defeat of Prataparudra II ended independent Kakatiya rule in the Telangana region.^[121]
1326		Muhammad bin Tughluq ordered Daulatabad to be constituted as a capital of his empire and compelled large numbers of Delhi's inhabitants to relocate there. Delhi remained an important political centre, and the controversial experiment was subsequently reversed.^[122]
1333–1342		The Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta lived in India for approximately eight or nine years, much of that time at the court of Muhammad bin Tughluq in Delhi, where he served as a judge. His later Rihla provides extensive information on the political, economic, religious and social life of fourteenth-century India.^[123]
c. 1340		Harihara I and Bukka Raya I, members of the Sangama family, established the kingdom that developed into the Vijayanagara Empire and founded its fortified capital on the Tungabhadra River at present-day Hampi. Vijayanagara subsequently became the dominant imperial power of much of southern India.^[124]
1347		Alauddin Hasan Bahman Shah established the Bahmani Sultanate after the collapse of Tughlaq authority in much of the Deccan. The Bahmani state became one of the principal political powers of the region and a major rival of Vijayanagara.^[125]
1398		Timur invaded northern India and defeated the weakened Tughlaq forces before sacking Delhi. He withdrew without attempting to incorporate northern India permanently into his empire, but the invasion severely weakened the remaining authority of the Tughlaq dynasty and accelerated the political fragmentation of northern India.^[126]

Year	Date	Event
1451		Bahlul Lodi took control of Delhi, ending the Sayyid dynasty and founding the Lodi dynasty. The Lodis, an Afghan ruling house, governed Delhi and much of the western Gangetic plain until the Mughal conquest in 1526.^[127]
c. 1460s–1481		Mahmud Gawan, chief minister of the Bahmani Sultanate, oversaw a major period of territorial expansion and administrative reform in the Deccan. Bahmani forces captured Goa in 1472, while Gawan reorganized provincial administration, land measurement and revenue assessment before his execution in 1481.^[128]
1469		Guru Nanak was born in the Punjab. His teachings and compositions became the foundation of the Sikh religious tradition, and he was succeeded by a line of nine further Sikh Gurus.^[129]
1485		Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya seized power at Vijayanagara, ending the rule of the Sangama dynasty and establishing the Saluva dynasty, the second ruling dynasty of the Vijayanagara Empire.^[130]
1498	20 May	The Portuguese expedition commanded by Vasco da Gama reached the Malabar Coast near Calicut after sailing around the Cape of Good Hope. The voyage established the first direct sea route linking western Europe with India around southern Africa and marked the beginning of sustained Portuguese intervention in Indian Ocean trade.^[131]

Year	Date	Event
early 5th century		The Chinese Buddhist monk Faxian travelled through India in search of Buddhist texts and visited major centres of Buddhist pilgrimage and learning. His Record of Buddhist Kingdoms became an important eyewitness source for the religious and social history of India during the Gupta period.^[69]
c. 415–455		Kumaragupta I ruled the Gupta Empire during much of the first half of the century, maintaining Gupta dominance across northern India. Political and military pressures increased toward the end of his reign.^[70]
c. 455–467		Skandagupta became Gupta emperor during a period of military crisis and fought invaders identified in Gupta inscriptions as the Hunas. Renewed Huna incursions after his reign contributed to the weakening of Gupta power in northern India.^[71]^[72]
c. 475–500		A major phase of construction, sculpture and painting took place at the Ajanta Caves under the Vakatakas, particularly during the reign of Harishena. Vakataka officials and members of the ruling elite sponsored Buddhist monasteries and richly decorated cave complexes at the site.^[73]
499		Aryabhata completed the Aryabhatiya, a mathematical and astronomical treatise containing methods and results in arithmetic, algebra, trigonometry, planetary astronomy and the calculation of eclipses. Aryabhata states in the work that he was 23 years old when it was composed.^[74]

Year	Date	Event
c. 515–528		Mihirakula ruled as the last clearly attested major ruler of the Alchon Huns in India. Under Mihirakula, Alchon power extended across parts of northwestern and northern India before suffering major reverses near the end of his reign.^[75]
c. 528		Yashodharman, ruler of the Aulikaras of Malwa, broke the power of Mihirakula in central India. Yashodharman's pillar inscription at Sondhni subsequently proclaimed that Mihirakula had been compelled to submit to him; by 532–533, inscriptions attest Yashodharman exercising extensive royal authority from Dashapura.^[76]^[77]
543		Pulakeshin I established an independent Chalukya kingdom in the western Deccan and made Vatapi, modern Badami, his stronghold. The Badami Chalukyas subsequently became one of the major powers of peninsular India.^[78]
c. 550		Imperial Gupta political authority had largely disintegrated by the middle of the sixth century. The breakup of the Gupta realm contributed to the emergence of numerous regional powers across northern and central India.^[79]
c. 575		The astronomer and polymath Varāhamihira composed the Pancha-siddhantika, a treatise on mathematical astronomy that preserved and compared five earlier astronomical traditions, including material drawing on both Indian and Greco-Roman astronomical knowledge.^[80]

Year	Date	Event
606		Harsha succeeded his brother Rajyavardhana as ruler of the Pushyabhuti dynasty and subsequently established a major kingdom centred on Kannauj, exercising authority over much of northern India during his reign.^[81]
c. 618–619		Pulakeshin II of the Badami Chalukyas defeated an attempt by Harsha to extend his authority south of the Narmada River. The victory checked Harsha's southward expansion and confirmed the Chalukyas as the dominant power in much of the Deccan.^[82]
628		The mathematician and astronomer Brahmagupta completed the Brāhmasphuṭasiddhānta at Bhillamala. The work developed rules for arithmetic involving zero and negative numbers and made important contributions to algebra, geometry and mathematical astronomy.^[83]
629–643		The Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang travelled through India, visiting Buddhist pilgrimage sites, monasteries and royal courts while collecting Sanskrit Buddhist texts. His account of his journey became an important source for the historical geography and religious history of seventh-century South Asia.^[84]
c. 642		The Pallava king Narasimhavarman I defeated the forces of Pulakeshin II and captured the Chalukya capital of Vatapi (modern Badami), marking a major reversal in the long-running conflict between the Pallavas and the Badami Chalukyas.^[85]
647		Harsha died after a reign of approximately four decades. With no durable successor able to preserve his political system, his kingdom fragmented, and northern India again became divided among competing regional powers.^[86]

Year	Date	Event
711–713		An Umayyad army led by Muhammad ibn al-Qasim conquered Sindh after defeating the forces of Raja Dahir. Sindh became the easternmost major province of the Umayyad Caliphate, establishing sustained Muslim political rule in part of the Indian subcontinent.^[87]
c. 750		The Pala dynasty arose in Bengal under Gopala. The Palas subsequently became a major power in eastern and northern India and important patrons of Buddhist monasteries, scholarship and art.^[88]
753		Dantidurga overthrew Chalukya authority in the Deccan and established the ascendancy of the Rashtrakuta dynasty. The Rashtrakutas subsequently dominated much of the Deccan and became one of the principal powers of early medieval India.^[89]
8th century		Shankara became the most influential early exponent of Advaita Vedanta, developing a systematic nondualist interpretation of the Upanishads, the Brahma Sutras and other foundational Vedanta texts. His precise dates are uncertain, and modern scholarly estimates vary within approximately the late seventh and eighth centuries.^[90]

Year	Date	Event
c. 800		Vikramashila was founded under the Pala ruler Dharmapala, probably in the late eighth or early ninth century. Located in present-day Bihar, it developed into one of the major Buddhist monastic centres of learning in eastern India and maintained extensive intellectual connections with Tibet.^[91]
c. 816		Nagabhata II of the Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty captured Kannauj and made it the centre of Pratihara power. His victory represented a major phase in the prolonged contest among the Gurjara-Pratiharas, Palas and Rashtrakutas for political supremacy in northern India.^[92]
c. 815–877		Amoghavarsha ruled the Rashtrakuta Empire for most of the ninth century and became an important patron of literature and learning. The Kavirajamarga, the earliest surviving major work on Kannada poetics and literary culture, was produced in his courtly milieu and is associated with Amoghavarsha and the poet Shrivijaya.^[93]
c. 836–885		Under Mihira Bhoja, Gurjara-Pratihara power expanded across large parts of northern and western India. His reign marked one of the high points of Pratihara political power during the continuing rivalry with the Palas and Rashtrakutas.^[94]
c. 850		Vijayalaya Chola captured Thanjavur and established the line of medieval imperial Chola rulers. His rise marked the revival of Chola political power in the Kaveri region and laid the foundation for the major expansion of the Chola state under his successors.^[95]

Year	Date	Event
949		At the Battle of Takkolam, forces of the Rashtrakuta emperor Krishna III and his Western Ganga ally Butuga II defeated the Chola army led by crown prince Rajaditya, who was killed in the battle. The victory enabled the Rashtrakutas to extend their influence into northern Tamil country.^[96]
973		Tailapa II, formerly a Rashtrakuta feudatory, overthrew the Rashtrakuta ruler Karka II and established the Western Chalukya Empire. The transition ended Rashtrakuta imperial supremacy in the Deccan and restored Chalukya rule over much of the region.^[97]
985		Rajaraja I became Chola ruler. During his reign, the Chola state expanded dramatically through campaigns in southern India and across the Indian Ocean, laying the foundations of the imperial power later extended by his son Rajendra I.^[98]
993		By this year, Chola inscriptions listed Ilamandalam (Sri Lanka) among Rajaraja I's conquests, providing the earliest firm epigraphic evidence for his invasion and occupation of territory in the northern part of the island.^[99]

Year	Date	Event
1001–1026		Mahmud of Ghazni conducted a series of military campaigns into the northwestern and northern Indian subcontinent. His forces defeated the Hindu Shahi rulers, established lasting Ghaznavid control over much of the Punjab, and raided cities and temples farther east and south. The campaigns culminated in his 1025–1026 expedition to Gujarat and the sack of the Somnath Temple.^[100]
1003–1010		The Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur was constructed under Rajaraja I and consecrated in 1009–1010. The monumental granite temple became a major expression of Chola architecture, royal patronage and temple administration.^[101]
c. 1020		Rajendra I founded Gangaikonda Cholapuram as a new Chola royal centre following his northern campaigns to the Ganges. The city's name, meaning roughly "the city of the Chola who took the Ganges", commemorated his claims of victory in northern India.^[102]
1025		Rajendra I launched a major naval expedition against Srivijaya, attacking a series of ports in Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula and surrounding regions. Chola inscriptions record the capture of the Srivijayan ruler Sangrama-vijayottunga-varman and substantial booty; the campaign demonstrated the reach of Chola maritime power across the Bay of Bengal.^[103]
c. 1030		Al-Biruni completed Kitab al-Hind, his extensive Arabic study of Indian religion, philosophy, science, mathematics, astronomy, geography and social customs, based in part on his study of Sanskrit and interaction with Indian scholars.^[104]
1035		The Brihadisvara Temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram, commissioned by Rajendra I, was completed. Together with the earlier temple at Thanjavur, it represents a major development in Chola monumental architecture.^[105]

Year	Date	Event
1510		Portuguese forces under Afonso de Albuquerque captured Goa from the Bijapur Sultanate. Goa subsequently became the principal base of Portuguese India and a major centre of Portuguese political and commercial power in the Indian Ocean.^[132]
1520		At the Battle of Raichur, the forces of Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagara defeated the Bijapur Sultanate and captured Raichur. The victory marked a high point of Vijayanagara military power and reflected the growing importance of firearms in warfare in the Deccan.^[133]
1526	21 April	Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat, ending Lodi rule at Delhi and establishing the political foundation of the Mughal Empire in northern India.^[134]
1540–1555		The Afghan ruler Sher Shah Suri displaced the Mughal emperor Humayun in 1540 and established the Sur Empire in northern India. Sur rule lasted until Humayun recovered Delhi and Agra in 1555 and restored Mughal rule.^[135]
1556		Following Humayun's death, Akbar became Mughal emperor. Later that year Mughal forces defeated Hemu at the Second Battle of Panipat, securing Akbar's position in northern India and beginning the long period of imperial consolidation associated with his reign.^[136]
1565		At the Battle of Talikota, a coalition of Deccan sultanates defeated the forces of Vijayanagara and killed its dominant political leader, Rama Raya. The victors subsequently occupied and devastated the imperial capital at Hampi. The Vijayanagara state survived under the Aravidu dynasty, but its ability to dominate southern India was permanently weakened.^[137]
1572–1576		Akbar greatly expanded Mughal power through the conquest of Gujarat in 1572–1573 and the incorporation of Bengal in 1576. The acquisitions brought important agricultural regions, commercial centres and access to the Arabian Sea under Mughal authority.^[138]
1577		Guru Ram Das, the fourth Sikh Guru, established Ramdaspur in the Punjab, the settlement that developed into Amritsar and became the principal sacred centre of the Sikh community.^[139]

Year	Date	Event
1606		Guru Arjan, the fifth Sikh Guru, was executed at Lahore during the reign of Jahangir. His death marked a major turning point in relations between the Mughal state and the Sikh community; under his successor Guru Hargobind, temporal and military concerns became increasingly prominent within the Sikh Panth.^[140]
1613		The East India Company established a permanent trading factory at Surat after obtaining Mughal permission. Surat became the company's principal base in India during much of the seventeenth century and an important centre of English participation in Indian Ocean commerce.^[141]
1632–1653		The Taj Mahal complex at Agra was constructed under the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for Mumtaz Mahal. The main mausoleum was completed in 1648, while associated buildings and the outer complex were completed by 1653.^[142]
1658–1659		Aurangzeb emerged victorious from the Mughal war of succession, confined his father Shah Jahan at Agra and secured the imperial throne. His reign, lasting until 1707, subsequently brought further Mughal expansion, particularly in the Deccan.^[143]
1671		At the Battle of Saraighat, Ahom forces commanded by Lachit Borphukan defeated a Mughal army led by Ram Singh I on the Brahmaputra near Guwahati. The victory prevented the Mughal attempt to re-establish control over the region and preserved Ahom power in Assam.^[144]
1674	6 June	Shivaji was crowned Chhatrapati at Raigad Fort, formalizing his sovereign Maratha state in the western Deccan. His coronation is conventionally regarded as the beginning of the Maratha Empire.^[145]
1686–1687		Aurangzeb conquered the Sultanate of Bijapur in 1686 and the Sultanate of Golconda in 1687, ending the two remaining major independent Deccan sultanates. These annexations greatly enlarged direct Mughal rule in southern India but were followed by a prolonged and costly conflict with the Marathas.^[146]
1699		Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa at Anandpur during Vaisakhi, establishing a formal initiated Sikh order with a distinct collective discipline and identity. The foundation became a decisive institutional development in Sikh history.^[147]

Year	Date	Event
1801	12 April	Maharaja Ranjit Singh establishes Khalsa rule of Punjab from Lahore. Khalsa army liberates Kashmiri Pandits and invades Afghanistan via the Khyber Pass.
1802	11 October	The Kingdom of Kottayam defeats the British East India Company in the Battle of Panamarathukotta
1803	11 September	The Second Anglo-Maratha War begins.
1805	24 December	The Second Anglo-Maratha War ends.
1806	10 July	Vellore Mutiny, the first instance of a large-scale and violent mutiny by Indian sepoys against the East India Company.
1807	10 February	Hari Singh Nalwa, commander of the Sikh Khalsa Army of the Sikh Empire defeats the Durrani Empire in the Battle of Kasur, the first in a series of battles.
1809	25 April	The East India Company signs the first Treaty of Amritsar with Ranjit Singh.
1811	28 October	The death of Yashwantrao Holkar.
1813	13 July	Dewan Mokham Chand and Hari Singh Nalwa, commanders of the Sikh Khalsa Army of the Sikh Empire defeat the Durrani Empire in the Battle of Attock and capture Attock
1815	15 January	"Atmiya Sabha" is established by Raja Ram Mohan Roy.
1817	20 January	Establishment of Hindu College (Presidency College, now Presidency University, Kolkata)
1817	13 June	The Third Anglo-Maratha War begins.
1818	March – 2 June	Sikh Empire defeats the Durrani Empire and captures Multan after the Siege of Multan (1818).
1819	3 July	Sikh Empire defeats the Durrani Empire in the Battle of Shopian and captures Srinagar and Kashmir. Islamic rule ends in Jammu and Kashmir.
1819	9 April	The Third Anglo-Maratha War ends with the capture of Asirgarh Fort and the end of the Maratha Confederacy, leaving the East India Company with control of almost the whole of India.
1820	26 September	Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar is born (to 1891).
1823	14 March	Sikh Empire defeats the Emirate of Afghanistan and the Nawab of Amb to annex Peshawar Valley, in the Battle of Nowshera
1824	12 February	Dayananda Saraswati is born^[148] (to 1883)
1824	5 March	First Anglo-Burmese War (to 1826)
1825	December 1825 – January 1826	Battle between East India Company and Bharatpur State
1826	4 January	British rule in Burma (to 1947)
1827	11 April	Jyotirao Phule is born^[149] (to 1890)
1828	19 November	Rani of Jhansi was born^[150] (to 1858)
1831		Kol uprising^[151]
1831	6 May	Sikh Empire defeats the Mujahideen forces of Syed Ahmad Barelvi in the Battle of Balakot
1834	6 May	Sikh Empire defeats the forces of Afghan Durrani Empire in the Capture of Peshawar (1834). Peshawar becomes part of the Sikh Empire.
1836	18 February	Ramakrishna is born^[152] (to 1886)
1837	18 February	Hari Singh Nalwa, commander of the Sikh Khalsa Army defeats the Durrani Empire in the Battle of Jamrud and extends the frontier of Sikh Empire to beyond the Indus River right up to the mouth of the Khyber Pass.
1845	11 December	First Anglo-Sikh war^[153] (to 1846).
1845	4 November	Vasudev Balwant Phadke is born (to 1883).
1848	22 November	The Sikh Empire under Sher Singh Attariwalla defeats the British East India Company under Sir Hugh Gough in the Battle of Ramnagar
1849	13 January	The Sikh Empire under Sher Singh Attariwalla defeats the British East India Company under Sir Hugh Gough in the Battle of Chillianwala
1853	1 April	The Post Service started.
1853	16 April	The first railway is established between Bombay and Thane.
1855	31 May	Rani Rashmoni complete the Dakshineswar Kali Temple with the installation of Ma Kali.^[154]
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	British victory in Indian Rebellion of 1857. Last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was deposed by British East India Company and India transferred to British Crown. Marks the End of Mughal Dynasty rule over India.
1857	18 July, 24 January	India's first three modern universities, (University of Mumbai, University of Madras, and the University of Calcutta), are established.
1858	1 November	British Raj (to 1947) Marks the Beginning Of Direct British Rule Over India For 89 Years(1858–1947).
1858	7 November	Bipin Chandra Pal is born (to 1932).
1859	18 April	Death of Tatya Tope.
1861	7 May	Rabindranath Tagore is born.
1862		The high courts of Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay are established.^[155]
1863	12 January	Swami Vivekanand is born (to 1902).
1865	28 January	Lala Lajpat Rai is born (to 1928).
1867	31 March	"Prarthana Samaj" established earlier known as "Atmiya Sabha", "Tahzeeb-ul-Akhlaq" was started
1869	2 October	Mahatma Gandhi is born (to 30 January 1948)
1869	29 November	Thakkar Bapa is born (to 1951).
1873	24 September	Jyotirao Phule establishes the Satyashodhak Samaj society.
1875	May–June	Deccan Riots.
	10 April	"Arya Samaj" is established.
		Aligarh Muslim University
1876	25 December	Muhammad Ali Jinnah was born (1876–1948)
1877	1 January	The first Delhi Durbar
1883	30 October	Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati dies.
1885	28 December	The Indian National Congress is established^[156]
1889	14 November	Jawaharlal Nehru is born (to 1964).
1889	3 December	Khudiram Bose is born (to 1908).
1891	14 April	B. R. Ambedkar is born (to 1956).
1891	31 March	Anglo-Manipur War.
1895	11 May	Jiddu Krishnamurti is born (to 17 February 1986).
1897	23 January	Subhas Chandra Bose is born (to 1945); the first fingerprint bureau of India is established in Calcutta.
	11 June	Ram Prasad Bismil is born.
	22 June	Chapekar brothers assassinates W.C. Rand.

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Year	Date	Event
1900	3 March	Maghfoor Ahmad Ajazi is born (to 1966).
1902		Anushilan Samiti, revolutionary association formed.
1903	11 December	British expedition to Tibet.
1903	1 January	Delhi Durbar Second Time.
1904	5 November	University Act established.
1905		Bharat Sevak Samaj founded by Gopal Krishna Gokhale.
1905	16 October	Partition of Bengal (1905).
1906	April	Jugantar formed.^[157]
1906	30 December	All-India Muslim League formed in Dacca.
1907		Surat Split.
1908	May	Alipore bomb case takes place.
1909	25 May	Indian Councils Act 1909 is enacted.
1911		Cancellation of Partition of Bengal.
1911	December	Delhi Durbar Third Time.
1911	12 December	The British government moves the capital from Calcutta to Delhi.^[158]
1912	December	Delhi conspiracy case.
1913	15 July	Gadar Party formed.
1913		Rabindranath Tagore won Nobel Prize in Literature
1914	26 August	Rodda company arms heist, in which members of Bengali revolutionary organisation Anushilan Samiti intercept and make away with a shipment of Mauser Pistols and ammunition. In the following years, these pistols and ammunitions were linked to almost all the instances of nationalist struggles in Bengal.
1914		Hindu–German Conspiracy takes place.
1915		Ghadar conspiracy.
	1 December	Provisional Government of India formed in Kabul.
		Mahatma Gandhi returns to India.
1916	29 December	Lucknow Pact.^[159]
1917		Champaran Satyagraha and Kheda Satyagraha.
1917		Justice Party (India) is founded.
1918		Kheda Satyagraha and Ahmedabad Mill Strike.
1919	13 April	Jallianwala Bagh massacre takes place.
		Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms.
	18 March	Rowlatt Act is passed.
	23 December	Government of India Act 1919 introduces a system of diarchy
1920		Non-cooperation movement and Khilafat Movement.
1922	5 February	Chauri Chaura incident.
1924	October	The Hindustan Socialist Republican Association is formed.
1925	9 August	Kakori conspiracy.
1925	27 September	Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is founded.
1927	20 March	Mahad Satyagraha.
1927	November	Simon Commission.
1928		Bardoli Satyagraha.
1929		Central Assembly bombed by Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt.
1929		Purna Swaraj resolution.
1930		Salt Satyagraha, the civil disobedience movement, begins with the Dandi march.
1930		The first Round Table Conferences (India)
1931	March	Gandhi–Irwin Pact.
	23 March	Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev martyred
	September–December	The second Round Table Conferences (India).
1932	24 September	Poona Pact established.
	16 August	Communal Award.
	November–December	The third Round Table Conferences (India).
1935	August	Government of India Act 1935 is passed.
1937		1937 Indian provincial elections.
1939		The All India Forward Bloc established by Subhas Chandra Bose
1940	23 March	Lahore Resolution.
		The All-India Jamhur Muslim League established by Maghfoor Ahmad Ajazi to support a united India
	8 August	August Offer.^[160]
1942	late March	Cripps Mission follows.
1942	August	Quit India Movement is established and the Indian National Army is established by Subhas Chandra Bose.
1943		Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind, the Provisional Government of Free India is formed by Netaji.
1944		Subhas Chandra Bose calls Mahatma Gandhi the "Father of the Nation."
1945	18 August	Subhas Chandra Bose dies in a plane crash at Taiwan.
1945		Wavell Plan, Simla Conference.
1946	February	Royal Indian Navy mutiny happens.
	March	Cabinet Mission.
	16 August	Direct Action Day/Great Calcutta Killings.
	October–November	Noakhali riots takes place.
1947	July	Indian Independence Act 1947 by British Raj.
	14 August	Partition of India and Pakistan becomes an independent state.^[156]
	15 August	Indian independence from the British Raj.
	22 October	Pakistan starts the Indo-Pakistani war of 1947–1948 a few weeks after its independence by launching tribal lashkar (militias) from Waziristan supported by irregular Pakistani forces, in an effort to capture Kashmir.
	7 November	Battle of Shalateng is fought on the outskirts of Srinagar, where on the advance of the tribal lashkar and Pakistani irregulars is halted and a counter-attack begins to push them back.
		Hundreds of thousands die in widespread communal bloodshed after partition, continuing to 1948.
1948	30 January	Mahatma Gandhi is assassinated by Nathuram Godse.^[161]
		War with Pakistan over disputed territory of Kashmir.
		Telangana and other princely states are integrated into Indian union.
1950	26 January	India officially becomes a republic.
1951		Reconstruction of the Somnath temple under the orders of the Home Minister of India Vallabhbhai Patel.^[162]
1951		Congress Party wins first general elections under leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru (to 1952).
1955		Nationalisation of the Indian insurance sector.
1956	1 September	Establishment of LIC.
	14 October	B. R. Ambedkar converted to Buddhism along with 600,000 followers.
	6 December	B. R. Ambedkar died. States Reorganization Act in force from 1 November.
1962		War over disputed territory of Kashmir^[156] with China.
1962		India seizes 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	11 January	Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri's mysterious death in Tashkent.
1966	24 January	Nehru's daughter Indira Gandhi becomes prime minister.
1969	19 July	Nationalisation of 14 major private Banks.
1969	15 August	Indian Space Research Organisation formed under Department of Space.
1971	3–16 December	Third war with Pakistan, culminating in the creation of Bangladesh.
1971		Twenty-year treaty of friendship signed with Soviet Union.
1974	18 May	The Smiling Buddha is the first nuclear device in underground test.
1975	15 May	Sikkim becomes part of Indian Union after a referendum in the Sikkim Assembly.
1975	25 June	Indira Gandhi declares a 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. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) comes into power in West Bengal.
1979		The Janata Party splits. Chaudhary Charan Singh becomes Prime Minister.
1980		Indira Gandhi returns to power heading the Congress party splinter group, Congress (Indira).
1983		N. T. Rama Rao NTR's nine-month-old Telugu Desam assumes power in AP becoming a challenger post Loknayak Jayprakash Narayan against Indira Gandhi.
1983		India won World Cup for the first time, in one day international Cricket led by Kapil Dev.
1984		Troops storm Golden Temple, the Sikhs' most holy shrine, after Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale seeks refuge inside. There are a movement to flush out Sikh separatism and calls for secularism, called Operation Blue Star. "Anti-Sikh Riots 1984".
		Indira Gandhi is assassinated by her bodyguards; 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 a Congress defeat in general election.
1989		The National Front (India), headed by V. P. Singh and led by Janata Dal, is formed and storms into power with outside support from BJP and CPI(M).
1990		Muslim separatist groups begin campaign of violence against Hindus in Kashmir resulting in Exodus of Kashmiri Hindus.
1991	21 May	Rajiv Gandhi is assassinated by a suicide bomber sympathetic to Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers.
1991		An economic reform programme or Economic liberalisation in India is begun by Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao.
1992	6 December	The demolition of the Babri Masjid, triggering the Bombay riots.
1992	May	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 its worst electoral defeat ever as BJP emerges as the 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.
1998		India and Pakistan carry out nuclear tests, leading to widespread international condemnation.
1999	February	Vajpayee makes a historic bus trip to Pakistan to meet Premier Nawaz Sharif and to sign bilateral Lahore peace declaration.
	May	Indian Army launches operations to evict Pakistani forces capturing Indian positions on the icy heights in Kargil district, known as the Kargil War.
	October	The 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.
	15 November	The states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand were created.

Year	Date	Event
2001	26 January	The 7.7 M_w Gujarat earthquake shakes Western India with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme), leaving 13,805–20,023 dead and about 166,800 injured.
	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.^[163]
	October	Pakistani forces shelled the village of Arnia about three km (two miles) from the border in the early hours of Monday 6 June, killing five and wounding at least two dozen civilians.^[163]
	13 December	Terrorist attack on Indian parliament in New Delhi, killing several police. The five gunmen are killed 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	Indian and Pakistani mass troops on common border amid mounting fears of a looming war.
2002	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	The UK and 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	Two simultaneous bomb blasts in Bombay, in which over 50 people are killed in, by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba.
	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, 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.
2005	8 October	The 7.6 M_w Kashmir earthquake strikes with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe), leaving 86,000–87,351 people dead, 69,000–75,266 injured, and 2.8 million homeless.
2006	February	India's largest-ever rural jobs scheme is launched, aimed at lifting around 60 million families out of poverty.
2006	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 Indian 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.
	25 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 terrorist 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.
	22 October	India successfully launches its first mission to the moon, the uncrewed lunar probe Chandrayaan-1.^[164]
	26–29 November	The 2008 Mumbai attacks (often called the 26/11 attacks) kill 174 people, including 9 of the 10 terrorists from Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Islamic terrorist organisation based in Pakistan. India decides not to attack Pakistan in retaliation.
	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.
	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	13 February	16 people are killed in a bomb explosion at German Bakery in the city of Pune, Maharashtra.^[165]
2011	2 April	India wins cricket world cup after 28 years under the captaincy of MS Dhoni.
2011	13 May	After 34 years of Left Front Government, Trinamool Congress and Congress alliance come to power in West Bengal.
2012	25 July	Pranab Mukherjee, the former Finance Minister is elected as the 13th president of India.
2013	12 February	Indian helicopter bribery scandal comes to light.
	21 February	Terror attacks in Hyderabad in Dilsukhnagar area.
	5 November	Mars Orbiter Mission, is successfully launched into Mars orbit by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).^[166]^[167]^[168]
2014	16 May	Narendra Modi elected as prime minister of India, Congress was routed in the general elections.
2014	2 June	Telangana, The state of Telangana was officially formed on 2 June 2014.
2015	21 June	The first International Yoga Day was held.
2016	2–5 January	Terror Attacks on Pathankot Air Base.^[169]
	27 June	India becomes a member of Missile Technology Control Regime.
	23 September	India signs a billion-dollar defence deal with France to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets.
	27 September	India launches its first space laboratory, AstroSat, in its biggest project since its Mars orbiter mission in 2014.
	28 September	India conducted Surgical Strike in response to Uri attack on army base on September 18, 2016
	8 November	In a surprise announcement, the government withdraws high denomination notes from circulation causing chaotic scenes at banks across the country as customers try to exchange old notes.
2017	30 June	The Goods and Services Tax (GST) launched, the biggest tax reform in history of India.
2019	14 February	A convoy of vehicles carrying Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel on the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway was attacked by a vehicle-borne suicide bomber in the Pulwama district, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
	26 February	The 2019 Balakot airstrike was conducted by India, when Indian warplanes crossed the de facto border in the disputed region of Kashmir, and dropped bombs in the vicinity of the town of Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan.
	27 February	The 2019 Balakot strike from Indian side was given a reply named "Swift Retort". After a dog fight between Pakistani and Indian Fighter Pilots. Indian Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was captured by the Pakistani side. However acting to the pressure of various global leaders and bound by the Vienna Convention. Pakistan was Forced to release the Indian Pilot with all due respect.
	22 May	2019 Indian general election, Narendra Modi is re-elected as the Prime Minister of India.
	5 August	The state of Jammu and Kashmir divided into two separate union territories known as Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh by scrapping of Article 370 of the Constitution of India.
	11 December	The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 was passed by the Parliament of India on 11 December 2019. It amended the Citizenship Act of 1955 by providing a path to Indian citizenship for members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian religious minorities, who had fled persecution from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan before December 2014.
2020	30 January	The first COVID-19 case of the country was reported in Kerala's Thrissur district.
2021	12 May	COVID-19 pandemic in India, with an official death toll of 533,847.
2022	18 July	Droupadi Murmu is elected as President of India, making her the first tribal woman and youngest person to the office.
2022	30 October	The collapse of a suspension bridge in Gujarat, leaves at least 135 dead.
2023	2 June	A train collision in Odisha results in at least 296 deaths and more than 1,200 others injured.
	3 July	Indian oil refiners start payments for Russian oil imports in Chinese yuan as an alternative to the US dollar due to increasing sanctions against Russia.
	23 August	Chandrayaan-3 becomes the first spacecraft to land near the lunar south pole, carrying a lunar lander named Vikram and a lunar rover named Pragyan.
	2 September	The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launches Aditya-L1, India's first solar observation mission.
2024	June	2024 Indian general election, Narendra Modi elected as Prime Minister for third term.
2025	13 January	The 45-day 2025 Prayag Maha Kumbh Mela held, with over 660 million (66 crore) devotees coming to Prayagraj to participate in the bathing rituals at the sacred confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati rivers.
	22 April	Terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir. Terrorists open fire on tourists, killing 26 and injuring 20. India blames the attack on Pakistan based terrorists, and the Pakistan government for supporting and enabling them.
	6-7 May	India launches precision missile strikes named Operation Sindoor on 9 terrorist hideouts in Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, as a punitive retaliation for the Pahalgam attack.
2026	27 January	The India-European Union Free Trade Agreement is announced in New Delhi.