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.

The Paleolithic era

Hominid remains in Hathnora in the Narmada Valley in Central India indicate that India has been inhabited since the Palaeolithic era. The precise date of these remains is unclear, and archaeologists put it anywhere between 200,000 to 700,000 years. The fossils are the earliest human remains found in South Asia. Recent finds include a quarry in the Kaladgi Basin, in southern India. Modern humans seem to have settled the subcontinent towards the end of the last ice age, 12,000 years ago. The first confirmed permanent settlements appeared 9,000 years ago in Bhimbetka in what is now Madhya Pradesh.

Related Topics:
Hominid - Hathnora - Narmada Valley - Central India - Palaeolithic - South Asia - Quarry - Kaladgi Basin - Southern India - Ice age - Bhimbetka - Madhya Pradesh

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