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Important dates of Indian History:


BC
3000-1500: Indus Valley Civilisation.
1500: Early Vedic Period (to 1000 BC). Arrival of Aryans.
606-647: Harsh Vardhana's reign.
576: Birth of Gautam Buddha.
527: Birth of Mahavir.
327-326: Alexandar's invasion of India. It opened land route between India and Europe.
313: Accession of Chandragupta Maurya.
305: Chandragupta Maurya defeated Seleucus.
273-232: Ashoka's reign.
261: Conquest of Kalinga.
58: Beginning of Vikram Era


AD
78: Begining of Saka Era.
78-101: Kanishka’s reign.
120: Accession of Kanishka.
320: Commencement of Gupta era. The golden age of Hindu India.
380: Accession of Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya).
405-411: Visit of Chinese traveller Fa-hien.
415: Accession of Kumara Gupta-I.
455: Accession of Skanda Gupta.
606-647: Harshavardhan’s reign.
712: First invasion in Sind by Arabs (Mohammed Bin Qasim).
836: Accession of King Bhoja of Kannauj.
985: Accession of Rajaraja, the Chola ruler.
998: Accession of Sultan Mahmud.
1001: First invasion of India by Mahmud Ghazni.
1025: Destruction of Somnath Temple by Mahmud Ghazni.
1191: First Battle of Terrain. Prithviraj Chauhan defeated Mohd. Ghori.
1192: Second Battle of Terrain. Mohd. Ghori defeated Prithviraj Chauhan.
1206: Accession of Qutab-ud-din Aibak to the throne of Delhi.
1210: Death of Qutub-ud-din Aibak.
1221: Changez Khan invaded India (Mongol invasion).
1236: Accession of Razia Sultan to the throne of Delhi.
1240: Death of Razia Sultan.
1296: Accession of Ala–ud-din Khilji.
1316: Death of Ala-ud-din Khilji.
1325: Accession of Muhammad-bin Tughlaq.
1327: Shifting of Capital from Delhi to Daulatabad to Deccan by the Tughlaqs.
1336: Foundation of Vijayanagar empire in the South.
1351: Accession of Feroze Shah
1398: Invasion of India by Taimur Lang.
1469: Birth of Gurunanak.
1494: Accession of Babar in Farghana.
1497-98: First voyage of Vasco da Gama to India( discovery of sea route to India via the Cape of Good Hope.
1526: First Battle of Panipat, Babar defeated Ibrahim Lodhi; Foundation of Mughal rule by Babar.
1527: Battle of Khanwa. Babar defeated Rana Sanga.
1530: Death of Babar and accession of Humayun.
1539: Sher Shah Suri defeated Humayan and became India’s emperor.
1540: Battle of Kannauj.
1555: Humayan recaptured the throne of Delhi.
1556: Second Battle of Panipat.
1565: Battle of Talikota.
1576: Battle of Haldighati; Rana Pratap defeated by Akbar.
1582: Din-e-Illahi founded by Akbar.
1597: Death of Rana Pratap.
1600: East India Company established.
1605: Death of Akbar and accession of Jehangir.
1606: Execution of Guru Arjun Dev.
1611: Jehangir marries Nur jahan.
1616: Sir Thomas Roe visits Jehangir.
1627: Birth of Shivaji and death of Jehangir.
1628: Shahjahan becomes emperor of India.
1631: Death of Mumtaj Mahal.
1634: The British permitted to trade in India in Bengal.
1659: Accession of Aurangzeb, Shahjahan imprisoned.
1665: Shivaji imprisoned by Aurangzeb.
1666: Death of Shahjahan.
1675: Execution of Teg Bahadur,the ninth Guru of Sikhs.
1680: Death of Shivaji.
1707: Death of Aurangzeb.
1708: Death of Guru Gobind Singh.
1739: Nadir Shah invades India.
1757: Battle of Plassey, establishment of British political rule in India at the hands of Lord Clive.
1761: Third Battle of Panipat; Shah Alam II becomes India’s emperor.
1764: Battle of Buxar.
1765: Clive appointed Company’s Governor in India.
1767-69: First Mysore war.
1770: The great Bangal Famine.
1773: Regulating Act.
1780: Birth of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
1780-84: Second Anglo-Mysore War.
1784: Pitt’s India Act.
1790-92: Third Anglo-Mysore War.
1793: The Permanent Settlement of Bengal.
1799: Fourth Anglo-Mysore War. Death of Tipu Sultan.
1802: Treaty of Bassein.
1809: Treaty of Amritsar.
1829: Practice of Sati Prohibited.
1830: Raja-Ram Mohun Roy, founder of Brahmo Samaj, visits England.
1833: Death of Raja Ram Mohun Roy. Macaulay recommended English to be the medium of instruction in India.
1839: Death of Maharaj Ranjit Singh.
1839-42: First Afghan War.
1845-46: First Anglo-Sikh War.
1852: Second Anglo-Burmese War.
1853: First Railway line opened between Bombay and Thane and a Telegraph line in Calcutta.
1857: The sepoy Mutiny or First War of Independence. Calcutta, Bombay and Madras Universities founded.
1861: Birth of Rabindranath Tagore.
1869: Birth of Mahatma Gandhi.
1885: Foundation of Indian National Congress.
1889: Birth of Jawaharlal Nehru.
1897: Birth of Subhash Chandra Bose.
1904: Tibet Expedition.
1905: First partition of Bengal under Lord Curzon.
1906: Foundation of Muslim League.
1911: Delhi Darbar;King and Queen visit India; Partition of Bengal revoked. Delhi becomes the capital of India.
1916: World War-I begins.
1916: Lucknow Pact signed by Muslim League and Congress.
1918: End of World War-I.
1919: Montague-Chelms for Reforms introduced. Jallianwala Bagh massacre at Amritsar.
1920: Khilafar Movement launched. Non-co-operation Movement started by Mahatma Gandhi.
1927: Boycott of Simon Commission. Broadcasting started in India.
1928: Death of lal Lajpat Rai ( Sher-e-Punjab). Visit of Simon Commission boycotted. First round Table Conferece in London.
1929: Lord Irwin’s Pact, resolution of complete independence passed at Lahore Congress.
1930: Civil Disobedience Movement launched; Dandi March by Mahatma Gandhi(April 6, 1970 ).
1931: Gandhi-Irwin Pact.
1935: Government of India Act enacted.
1937: Provincial Autonomy, Congress forms ministers.
1939: World War II begins (September 1).
1941: Death of Rabindranath Tagore; Escape of Subhash Chandra Bose from India.
1942: Arrival of Cripps Mission in India; ‘Quit India’ movement launched (Aug 8).
1943-44: Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose forms provincial Azad Hindu Hukumat and Indian National Army. Bengal famine.
1945: Trial of Indian National Army at Red Fort. Shimla Conference. World War II ends.
1946: British Cabinet Mission visits India. Interim Government formed at the Centre.
1947: Division of India. India and Pakistan form separate independent dominions.
1948: Mahatma Gandhi assassinated (Jan 30). Integration of princely states.
1949: Cease-fire in Kashmir. Indian Constitution signed and adopted(Nov 26).
1950: India becomes a Sovereign Democratic Republic (Jan 26)and Constitution of India comes into force.
1951: First Five-year Plan. First Asian Games held in Delhi.
1952: First General Elections of the Lok Sabha.
1953: Conquest of Mt.Everest by Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary.
1956: Second Five-Year Plan launched. States Reorganisation Act.
1957: Second General Elections. Decimal coinage introduced.
1961: Liberation of Goa.
1962: Third General Elections in India; Chinese attack on India (Dec 20 ).
1963: Nagaland becomes the 16th Indian State.
1964: Death of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru.
1965: Indo-Pak war.
1966: Tashkent Pact. Death of Lal Bahadur Shastri. Mrs. Indira Gandhi elected Prime Minister of India.
1967: Fourth General Elections. Dr Zakir Hussain elected the third president of India.
1969: V.V.Giri elected President of India. Nationalisation of the leading banks by Presidential ordinance.
1970: Meghalaya designated as autonomous state.
1971: Himachal Pradesh becomes a State. Indo-Pak War. Bangladesh is born.
1972: Shimla agreement; Death of C.Rajagopalachari. Reorganisation of the North-Eastern region. Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura became full fledged states.
1973: Mysore State renamed Karnataka.
1974: India explodes a nuclear device. Fakhuruddin Ali Ahmed elected as fifth President. Sikkim becomes an associate State of India.
1975: India launches its first satellite ‘Aryabhata’. Sikkim becomes 22nd State of the Indian Union. State of Emergency is declared.
1976: India and China establish diplomatic relations.
1977: Sixth General Elections. Janata Party gets majority in Lok Sabha. Neelam Sanjiva Reddy elected sixth President of India.
1979: Morarji Desai resigns as Prime Minister, Charan Singh becomes Prime Minister. Charan Singh resigns ( Aug 20 ) Sixth Lok Sabha dissolved.
1980: Seventh General Elections. Congress comes to power. Mrs Indira Gandhi sworn in as Prime Minister. Sanjay Gandhi dies in an air crash. India Launches SLV-3 into space carrying Rohini Satellite.
1982: Longest bridge in Asia opened ( March 2 ). Acharya J.B. Kripalani dies ( March 19). INSAT-1A launched. Giani Zail Singh elected President of India (July 15). Over 500 persons killed in Gujarat Cyclone ( Nov.5). Acharya Vinobha Bhave dies (Nov 15). Ninth Asian Games inaugurated (Nov 19).
1984: Operation Blue Star in Punjab. Rakesh Sharma goes into space. Mrs. Indira Gandhi assassinated; Rajiv Gandhi becomes PM.
1986: Mizoram accord.
1987: R.Venkataraman elected President. Shankar Dayal Sharma elected Vice-President of India. Bofors gun and Fairfax controversies.
1989: India’s first IRBM ‘Agni’ successfully launched from Orissa (May 22). Second successful launch of Prithvi (Sept 27). Congress Government loses poll, Rajiv Gandhi resigns (Nov.29). Jawahar Rozgar Yojna launched (Nov.29). National front leader V.P. Singh sworn in as seventh PM. New cabinet sworn in (Dec 2). Ninth Lok Sabha constituted.
1990: Indian Airlines A-320 Airbus Crashed (Feb 14). Janata Dal splits. BJP withdraws support to the Government. Advani takes out Rath Yatra and was arrested. Mandal Report implemented. Violence in Ayodhya due to Ram Janam Bhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute.
1991: Gulf War breaks out. Rajiv Gandhi assassinated (May 21). X Lok Sabha constituted (June 20). P. V. Narasimha Rao becomes Prime Minister.
1992: Bharat Ratna and Oscar winner Satyajit Ray dies (April 23). Shankar Dayal Sharma elected President. INS Shakti- India's first indigeneously built submarine launched on February 7.
1994: Government monopoly over civil aviation ends. Storm over GATT treaty. Sushmita Sen became Miss Universe. Aishwarya Rai became Miss World.
1995: Mayawati became First Dalit Chief Minister of UP. Indian National Congress (T) formed; President’s Rule in UP after fall of Mayawati. INSAT 2C and IRSI-C launched.
1996: PSLV D3 launched on March 21 with IRSP-3 ushering new era in India space programme; Eleventh Lok Sabha Elections held on April 127. BJP emerges as the single largest party.
1997: On August 15, India celebrated its 50th year of Independence.
1998: Death of Mother Teressa. Atal Behari Vajpayee becomes Indian Prime Minister. India explodes its second nuclear device (Pokhran II).
1999: India Airlines plane IC-814 hijacked by terrorists and taken to Kandahar, Afghanistan, on Dec 24, 1999. Three militants released by Indian govt. for the freedom of hostages kept as passengers. In June 1999, Flt. Lt. K. Nachiketa, the captured Indian pilot, released by Pakistan after eight days of captivity. ‘Operation Vijay’ launched by Indian Army to flush out Pakistani infiltrators inside LoC in the Kargil sector of J&K. India wins battle.
2000: US President Bill Clinton visits India during March 2000. Three new states Chhatisgarh, Uttaranchal and Jharkhand created. India’s population crossed one billion mark.
2001: ‘Agra Summit’ between India and Pakistan in July 2001. Gujarat Earthquake in Jan 2001. ‘Tehelka.Com’ screened video tapes which opened the murky world of arms deal and its kickbacks to Indian Army officials, ministers and politicians in March 2001. 7th census of India (since Independence) concluded in March 2001. Enron bids farewall to Indian energy sector in August 2001. GSLV launched successfully in April 2001 and PSLC-C3 launch conducted in October 2001.
2002: 71-year old missile scientist, Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, elected President of India. One of the most horrific communal riots in recent history, the Godhra Incident, happens on Feb 27, 2002 in Gujarat. National Water Policy announced in April, which aims at integrating water resources development and management for optimal and sustainable utilization.
2003: Advanced multi purpose satellite, INSAT-3A is successfully launched into space from Kourou of French Guyana. CBI forms an Economic Intelligence Wing to tackle white-collar crime in June. India’s advanced communication satellite INSAT-3E is launched by an European rocket from the spaceport of Kourou of French Guyana in December.
2004: NDA government ousted by the Congress and its allies in the General Election. Congress President Ms Sonia Gandhi opts against becoming Prime Minister of India despite being in a strong position. Congress and its allies forms government at the centre under the Prime Ministership of Dr. Manmohan Singh.