History of India

The History of India for times preceding 1947 is inseparable from that of the history of the Indian subcontinent as a whole. The neolithic Indus Valley civilization in the 3rd millennium BCE extended over much of what is now Pakistan and the western Republic of India. The Vedic civilization until the 1st millennium BCE spread over all of northern India, from the Punjab and the Gangetic plain to Bangladesh, so that with the beginning historical period of the Middle kingdoms, northern India was dominated by the Arya, while in the south Dravidian culture was prominent. From the 10th century, Islamic empires were established in northwestern India, culminating with the Mughal era. The history of Colonial India begins in the 17th century, leading up to British control after the revolt of 1857. The independence movement resulted in a split of the British Raj into the contemporary states of the Republic of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Early Middle Kingdoms - the golden age

The middle period, especially that associated with the Gupta dynasty, is known as India's Golden Age, a time of unparalleled cultural development. The Kushanas invaded northwestern India about the middle of the 1st century CE, from Central Asia, and founded an empire that eventually stretched from Peshawar to the middle Ganges and, perhaps, as far as the Bay of Bengal. It also included ancient Bactria (in the north of modern Afghanistan and southern Tajikistan. Their power also extended into Turkestan and helped spread Buddhism to China. In South India, several kingdoms emerged. The earliest of these is the Pandya kingdom in southern Tamil Nadu, with its capital at Madurai. The Indo-Greek Kingdoms following the conquests of Alexander the Great ruled much of Gandhara from 180 BCE to 10 CE. Around the same time in southern India, the Dravidian Pandyan kingdom began to take shape. An important source for the geography and history of that period is the Greek historian Arrian.

Related Topics:
Kushanas - Central Asia - Peshawar - Ganges - Bay of Bengal - Tajikistan - Turkestan - China - South India - Pandya - Madurai - Indo-Greek Kingdom - Alexander the Great - 180 BCE - 10 CE - Dravidian - Pandyan kingdom - Arrian

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Satavahana empire

The Satavahanas, also known as the Andhras, were a dynasty which ruled in Southern and Central India starting from around 230 BCE. Although there is some controversy about when the dynasty came to an end, the most liberal estimates are of about 450 years. Long before that their kingdom had disintegrated into successor states. Conflict with the Sakas and the rising ambitions of their feudatories, led to their decline. Several dynasties divided the lands of the kingdom among themselves.

Related Topics:
Satavahanas - Sakas

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Kushan empire

The Kushan Empire (c. 1st–3rd centuries) was a state that at its height, about 105–250, stretched from Tajikistan to the Caspian Sea to Afghanistan and down into the Ganges river valley. The empire was created by Tocharians from modern East Turkestan, China, but was culturally dominated by north India. They had diplomatic contacts with Rome, Sassanian Persia and China, and for several centuries were at the centre of exchange between the East and the West, spreading Buddhism through trade with China.

Related Topics:
1st - 3rd centuries - 105 - 250 - Tajikistan - Caspian Sea - Afghanistan - Ganges river - Tocharians - East Turkestan - China - Rome - Sassanian - Persia

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Gupta dynasty

In the 4th and 5th centuries, the Gupta Dynasty unified northern India. During this period, known as India's Golden Age, Hindu culture, science and political administration reached new heights. After the collapse of the Gupta empire in the 6th century, India was again ruled by numerous regional kingdoms. The Gupta 'golden age' marked a period of significant cultural development.

Related Topics:
4th - 5th centuries - Gupta Dynasty - Golden Age - Hindu - 6th century

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Their origins are largly unknown, however the Chinese traveller I-tsing provides the first evidence of the Gupta kingdom in Magadha. The Vedic Puranas are also thought to have been written around this period. The empire came to an end with the attack of the Huns from central Asia. A minor line of the Gupta clan continued to rule Magadha after the disintegration of the empire. These Guptas were ultimately ousted by the Vardhana king Harsha, who established an empire in the first half of the seventh century that, for a brief time, rivalled that of the Guptas in extent.

Related Topics:
I-tsing - Magadha - Puranas - Huns - Harsha

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