Indian History: 60 Most Important Dates & Events for UPSC, SSC & Railway Exams

~2500 BCE — Indus Valley Civilisation (Harappan Civilisation) reaches its peak. Major cities: Mohenjo-daro (Pakistan) and Harappa. Known for town planning, drainage systems, and standardised weights. The script has not been deciphered yet.

~1500 BCE — Vedic Age begins with the arrival of Aryans. The Rigveda (oldest Veda) is composed during this period.

~600 BCE — Age of Mahajanapadas: 16 major kingdoms emerge. Buddhism and Jainism are founded. Gautama Buddha attains enlightenment at Bodh Gaya (~528 BCE); Mahavira (24th Tirthankara of Jainism) is a contemporary.

327–325 BCE — Alexander the Great invades India. He defeats King Porus (Purushottama) at the Battle of Hydaspes (Jhelum River) in 326 BCE.

321 BCE — Chandragupta Maurya founds the Maurya Empire with the help of Chanakya (Kautilya, author of Arthashastra). Capital: Pataliputra (modern Patna).

273–232 BCE — Reign of Ashoka the Great, the most celebrated Maurya emperor. After the Kalinga War (~261 BCE), he embraces Buddhism and spreads it across Asia.

184 BCE — Maurya Empire ends with the assassination of Brihadratha by Pushyamitra Shunga.

320 CE — Gupta Empire founded by Chandragupta I. The Gupta period (4th–6th century CE) is called the Golden Age of India for advances in art, science, mathematics, and literature. Aryabhata (astronomer, mathematician) and Kalidasa (playwright, Abhijnana Shakuntalam) flourish during this era.

606–647 CE — Reign of Harshavardhana of Kannauj. The Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang) visits India during his reign.

712 CE — Muhammad bin Qasim invades Sindh — first Arab conquest of India.

1000–1027 CE — Mahmud of Ghazni raids India 17 times, including the famous raid on the Somnath Temple (1025 CE).

1191 CE — First Battle of Tarain: Prithviraj Chauhan defeats Muhammad Ghori.

1192 CE — Second Battle of Tarain: Muhammad Ghori defeats Prithviraj Chauhan, ending Rajput dominance.

1206 CE — Delhi Sultanate established. Qutb-ud-din Aibak becomes the first sultan. The Qutub Minar construction begins.

1336 CE — Vijayanagara Empire founded by Harihara I and Bukka I in South India. Remained a bulwark against Muslim expansion into the South.

1498 CE — Vasco da Gama arrives in Calicut (Kozhikode), opening the sea route to India. This marked the beginning of Portuguese trade in India.

1526 CE — First Battle of Panipat: Babur defeats Ibrahim Lodi and establishes the Mughal Empire. Gunpowder and artillery used decisively for the first time in India.

1556 CE — Second Battle of Panipat: Akbar (aided by Bairam Khan) defeats Hemu. Akbar goes on to become the greatest Mughal emperor, known for religious tolerance and the Din-i-Ilahi.

1600 CE — East India Company (EIC) founded by a royal charter of Queen Elizabeth I on 31 December 1600.

1608 CE — EIC establishes its first factory in Surat.

1674 CE — Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is crowned king, founding the Maratha Empire.

1707 CE — Death of Aurangzeb, after whose reign the Mughal Empire begins to decline.

1757 CE — Battle of Plassey: Robert Clive defeats Siraj ud-Daulah (Nawab of Bengal) with the treachery of Mir Jafar. This marks the beginning of British political control in India.

1764 CE — Battle of Buxar: British defeat the combined forces of Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daula, and Shah Alam II. More significant than Plassey as it established British supremacy.

1784 CE — Pitt's India Act: British Government gains supervisory control over the EIC.

1829 CE — Abolition of Sati by Lord William Bentinck, following the campaign by Raja Ram Mohan Roy.

1857 — First War of Independence (Sepoy Mutiny): Started on 10 May 1857 at Meerut. Key figures: Mangal Pandey, Rani Laxmibai, Tatia Tope, Nana Sahib, Bahadur Shah Zafar. Suppressed by 1858; the British Crown directly assumed control of India from the EIC.

1885 — Indian National Congress (INC) founded on 28 December 1885 by A.O. Hume, Dadabhai Naoroji, and Dinshaw Wacha. First session in Bombay; W.C. Bonnerjee was the first president.

1905 — Partition of Bengal by Lord Curzon. Led to the Swadeshi Movement — first mass movement in India's freedom struggle.

1906 — Muslim League founded at Dhaka.

1909 — Morley-Minto Reforms: Introduced separate electorates for Muslims — a step towards communal politics.

1915 — Mahatma Gandhi returns to India from South Africa.

1919 — Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (13 April 1919): General Dyer orders firing on unarmed crowd in Amritsar. ~1,000 killed. The Rowlatt Act (1919) also sparks nationwide protests.

1920–22 — Non-Cooperation Movement launched by Gandhi. First mass civil disobedience. Ended after Chauri Chaura incident (1922).

1927 — Simon Commission appointed (all-British). Indians boycott it with "Simon Go Back" protests.

1929 — Lahore Session of INC: Jawaharlal Nehru hoists the tricolour and passes the Purna Swaraj (Complete Independence) resolution on 19 December 1929.

1930 — Civil Disobedience Movement / Dandi March (12 March – 6 April): Gandhi walks 241 miles to Dandi to make salt, defying the Salt Law. Mass civil disobedience follows.

1930 — First Round Table Conference (Gandhi not present; attended by B.R. Ambedkar).

1931 — Second Round Table Conference (Gandhi attends). Gandhi-Irwin Pact signed.

1935 — Government of India Act 1935: Most comprehensive act; formed the basis for the Indian Constitution in many respects. Introduced provincial autonomy and a federal structure.

1940 — Lahore Resolution (Pakistan Resolution): Muslim League under M.A. Jinnah demands a separate nation for Muslims.

1942 — Quit India Movement (9 August 1942): "Do or Die" call by Gandhi. August 9 is observed as Quit India Day / Kranti Diwas.

1943 — Subhas Chandra Bose forms the Azad Hind Fauj (Indian National Army) in Singapore.

1946 — Cabinet Mission Plan proposes a united India with a three-tier federal structure. INC accepts; Muslim League initially accepts then rejects.

1947 — Independence and Partition: The Indian Independence Act is passed by British Parliament on 18 July 1947. India becomes independent on 15 August 1947. Lord Mountbatten is the last Viceroy. Pakistan is created as a separate nation.

1948 — Mahatma Gandhi assassinated by Nathuram Godse on 30 January 1948.

1950 — Indian Constitution comes into force on 26 January 1950 (Republic Day). Dr. Rajendra Prasad becomes the first President. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar is the Chairman of the Drafting Committee.