India first participated at the Olympic Games in 1900, with a lone athlete (Norman Pritchard) winning two medals in athletics. The nation first sent a team to the Summer Olympic Games in 1920, and has participated in every Summer Games since then. India has also competed at several Winter Olympic Games since 1964. The 1920 team consisted of two wrestlers, two athletes and a manager. Out of the four sportsmen, only Mr. Phadeppa Dareppa Chaugule completed his event that is the Marathon. He ranked 19th with a timing of 2 Hours 50 Minutes 45.4 Seconds for a distance of 42 .750 KMs. He thus becomes India’s first Olympic Marathon runner.

Indian athletes have won a total of 23 medals, mostly in field hockey. For a period of time, India’s men’s field hockey team was dominant in Olympic competition, winning eleven medals in twelve Olympics between 1928 and 1980, including six successive gold medals from 1928–1956.

The National Olympic Committee for India is the Indian Olympic Association, and was created in 1927.

The 2008 Summer Olympics was the most successful Olympics ever for India with the nation winning three Olympic medals in three different sports and also winning first individual Olympic gold medal won by Abhinav Bindra.
The 2012 Summer Olympics saw an 83 member Indian contingent participating in the games. The contingent was led by Sushil Kumar, a bronze Medalist for India at the 2008 Summer Olympics, in the opening ceremony of the London Olympics. This is the largest ever contingent from India participating in the games in 55 events. The first medal of the London Olympics for India was won by Gagan Narang in the 10m air rifle. ^[1] The second medal of the London Olympics was won by Vijay Kumar in 25 meter rapid fire pistol.The third medal was won by Saina Nehwal in the Women’s Singles Event in Badminton. The fourth medal will be won by Mary Kom, who, having reached the semi-finals of Women’s Flyweight (51 kg), is guaranteed at least a bronze medal.

B.C
2500-1800      Indus valley civilization.
599     Birth of Mahavir; Nirvana in 523. B.C.
563     Birth of Gautam Buddha; Nirvana in 483 B.C.
327-26     Alexander’s invasion of India and the opening of land route between India and Europe.
269-232     Ashoka’s reign.
261     Battle of Kalinga.
57     Beginning of Vikrama era.
30     Satvahana dynasty in Deooan. Pandyan empire in for south.
326     Alexander defeated Poras in the Battle of Hydaspas
261     Ashoka defeated Kalinga in the Kalinga War

A.D
78     Beginning of Saka era.
320     Beginning of Gupta era.
360     Samudragupta conquers the whole of N. India and much of the Deccan.
380-413     Rule of Chandragupta Vikramaditya, age of Kalidasa, renewal of induism.
606-647     Rule of Harshavardhana.
629-645     Hieun Tsang’s visit in India.
622     Beginning of Hijra era.
712     Arab invasion of Sind by Mohd. bin Qasim.
1001-27     Repeated attacks of Mehmud Ghazni.
1025     Sacking of Somnath temple by Mehmud.
1191     First battle of Tarain in which Prithviraj Chauhan defeated Mohd. Ghori.
1192     Second battle of Tarain in which Mohd. Ghori defeated Prithviraj Chauhan.
1206     Qutubuddin Aibak founded the Ilbari/Slave dynasty.
1290     Jalaluddin Firuz Khilji established Khilji dynasty.
1290     Marco Polo visited India.
1320     Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq founded the Tughlaq dynasty.
1333     Ibn Batuta arrived in India.
1336     Harihara and Bukka founded the Vijaynagar empire.
1347     Bahmani kingdom founded.
1398     Timur invades India.
1451     Lodi dynasty comes in power in Delhi Sultanate.
1469     Birth of Guru Nanak Dev.
1498     Vasco da Gama lands at Calicut.
1510     Portuguese capture Goa-Albuquerque Governor.
1526     First Battle of Panipat in which Babar defeated Ibrahim Lodhi and established the Mughal dynasty.
1556     Second battle of Panipat in which Akbar defeated Hemu.
1565     Battle of Talikota in which Vijaynagar empire is defeated.
1571     Foundation of Fatehpur Sikri by Akbar.
1576     Battle of Haldighati in which Akbar defeated Maharana Pratap.
1582     Akbar started Din-i-llahi.
1600     English East India Company established.
1604     Compilation of Adi Granth.
1605     Death of Akbar.
1611     The English built a factory at Masulipatnam.
1627     Birth of Shivaji
1631     Death of Shah Jahan’s wife Mumtaz Mahal. The building of Taj Mahal.
1658     Aurangzeb became Emperor of Delhi.
1666     Birth of Guru Gobind Singh.
1699     Guru Gobind Singh creates ‘Khalsa’.
1707     Death of Aurangzeb, fall of Mughal empire begins.
1739     Nadir Shah invaded India; the peacock throne and the Kohinoor Diamond taken away from India.
1757     Battle of Plassey in which the English defeated Siraj-ud- daula, Nawab of Bengal.
1760     Battle of Wandiwash, end of French power in India,
1761     Third Battle of Panipat in which Ahmed Shah Abdali defeated the Marathas.
1764     Battle of Buxar in which the English defeated the triple alliance of Nawab Mir Qasim of Bengal, Nawab Shuja-ud-daula of Awadh and Mughal emperor Shah Alam.
1793     Permanent settlement in Bengal.
1799     Fourth Anglo Mysore War, death of Tipu Sultan, Ranjit Singh occupied Lahore and made it his capital.
1817-19     Marathas finally crushed.
1828     Lord William Bentick becomes Governor General; Era of social reforms; Prohibition of Sati (1829), Suppression of thugs (1830).
1835     Introduction of English as medium of instruction.
1853     First Indian railway from Bombay to Thane.
1857-58     First war of Indian Independence.
1858     British crown takes over the Indian Government; End of East India Company’s rule.
1861     Birth of Rabindra Nath Tagore.
1869     Birth of M.K. Gandhi.
1885     Formation of Indian National Congress.
1905     Partition of Bengal by Lord Curzon.
1906     Formation of All India Muslim League.
1909     Minto-Morley Reforms.
1911     Delhi durbar held, partition of Bengal cancelled, capital shifted from Calcutta to Delhi.
1914     World War I started.
1918     End of World War I.
1919     Rowlatt Act, Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Montague- Chelmsford reforms.
1920     Non-cooperation Movement launched,
1921     Moplah rebellian in Malabar; visit of Prince of Wales.
1922     Chauri-Chaura incidence.
1923     Swaraj party formed.
1927     Simon Commission appointed.
1928     Visit of Simon Commission to India, death of Lala Lajpat Rai.
1929               Congress demanded’Poorna Swaraj’in Lahore session.
1930     January 26 celebrated as Independence Day throughout India, Dandi Salt Satyagraha, First Round Table conference.
1931     Gandhi-lrvin Pact, Second Round Table Conference.
1932     Suppression of Congress Movement, Third Round Table Conference, Communal Award, Poona Pact.
1935     Government of India Act.
1937     Inauguration of Provincial Autonomy. Congress ministries formed in 8 out of 11 provinces.
1939     Resignation of Congress ministries, beginning of World War II.
1942     Cripps Mission Plan, Quit India Movement, Formation of Indian National Army by S.C. Bose.
1945     Simla conference held and the failure of Wavell Plan, INA trials at Red Fort, Delhi.
1946     Cabinet Mission Plan, Formation of Interim Government, Direct Action Resolution by Muslim League.
1947     Mountbatten Plan of June 3 in which partition of India resolution is proposed, India divided, Pakistan created, both achieve independence, Jawarhar Lai Nehru becomes the I Prime Minister of India.
1948     Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi (Jan. 30).
1950     India became republic (Jan. 26).
1951     First Five Year Plan implemented.
1952     First General Elections held.
1953     Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary conquer Mt. Everest (May 29).
1954     Panchsheel agreement between India and China.
1956     Life insurance nationalized, State Reorganising Act comes into force.
1957     Second General Elections.
1958     Metric system of weights and measures introduced.
1959     Dalai Lama exiled; enters India.
1961     Liberation of Goa.
1962     Chinese attack on India. (Oct 20).
1964     Jawaharlal Nehru dies; Lai Bahadur Shastri becomes PM.
1965     Indo-Pak war.
1966     Tashkent Agreement reached, Death of Lai Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi became PM.
1967     Dr. Zakir Hussain elected President.
1968     Hargovind Khurana shares the Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology.
1969     Death of. President Zakir Hussain (May 3). V. V. Giri elected President, Nationalization of 14 leading banks, Split in Indian National Congress.
1970     Former Indian ruler’s privy purses abolished. Dr. C. V. Raman died (Nov. 2).
1971     Indo-Pak War over Bangladesh.
1972     Shimla Agreement signed.
1973     Manekshaw named India’s first Field Marshal
1974     Nuclear explosion at Pokhran (May 18).
1975     Indian satellite ‘Aryabhatta’ launched, National emergency declared.
1976     The four Indian News agencies merged into a single News Agency known as ‘Samachar’, life of Lok Sabha extended by an year.
1977     Defeat of Mrs. Indira Gandhi in the election, Morarji Desai takes over as PM, emergency withdrawn.
1978     India launches world’s biggest adult literacy plan (Oct. 2).
1979     Charan Singh became PM., Mother Teresa won the Nobel Peace Prize.
1980     Indira Gandhi returns to power at centre, India launches first satellite using its own satellite launching vehicle (July. 18).

1981      India launched APPLE, Khalistan activists hijack Indian Airlines Boeing 737 to Lahore.
1982     Zail Singh sworn in as President, the 21-member Indian scientific expedition headed by Dr. S. Z. Qasim lands on Antarctica (Jan. 9), INSAT1 A launched, Ninth Asian Games held in New Delhi.
1983     The 7th Non Aligned Summit in New Delhi, Kalpakkam Atomic Energy plant goes critical (July 2), INSAT-1 B launched (Aug. 30), Richard Attenborough’s “Gandhi” wins 8 oscars.
1984     Rakesh Sharma becomes India’s first spaceman (Apr. 5), Bachendri Pal become the first Indian woman to scale Mt. Everest (May 23), Operation Blue Star, Assassination of Indira Gandhi (Oct 31), Rajiv Gandhi becomes PM, Bhopal Gas tragedy (Dec. 3).
1985     Anti-defection Bill passed (Jan. 3), Azharuddin hits 3 centuries in 3 tests.
1986     The first wholly Indian test-tube baby bom at KEM Hospital, Bombay (Aug. 7).
1987     Sunil Gavaskar becomes the first batsman to score 10,000 runs in tests (Mar. 7), Goa becomes the 25th state of India (May 30).
1988     India’s first remote sensing satellite IRS 1 -A launched from Russia (Mar. 17), INSAT 1-C launched from French Guyana (July 22).
1989     Successful test of Agni (May 22), laying of the foundation stone for the Ram Janmabhoomi temple of Ayodhya (Nov 10). V.P. Singh becomes the PM.
1990     Successful launching of INSAT 1-D (June 12), Mandal Commission recommendation implemented (Aug. 7), V.P. Singh tenders resignation (Nov. 7), S. Chandrashekhar becomes PM. (Nov. 10).
1991     Rajiv Gandhi killed in a bomb blast (May 21), P. V. Narsimha Rao became PM. (June 21), Earthquake in Uttarkashi region (Oct. 20), Satyajit Ray got special Oscar award. (Dec.16).
1992     Prithvi test fired (May 5), INSAT-2 A launched (July 10), Dr. Shanker Dayal Sharma became President (July 25), the domes of Babri Masjid demolished (Dec 6).
1993     Panchayati Raj Act effective (Apr. 24), INSAT-2 B launched from French Guyana (July 23), Earthquake in Latur region (Sept. 30).
1994     First heart transplant in the country (Aug. 3), PSLV D-2 launched (Oct. 15).
1995     Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh assassinated (Agu. 31), INSAT-2 C launched (Dec. 7)
1996     A.B. Vajpayee became PM. (May 16), H.D. Deve Gowda became PM. (June 1), India-Bangladesh sign Ganga Water Pact (Dec. 12)
1997     I. K. Gujral became PM. (Apr. 21), K. R. Narayanan sworn in as President (July 25), Mother Teresa passes away (Sept. 5), Arundhati Roy wins Booker Prize (Oct. 14), I. K. Gujral resigns as PM. (Nov. 28)
1998     Konkan railway commissioned (Jan. 26), A. B. Vajpayee became PM. (Mar. 19), India conducted total 5 nuclear tests (May 11 and May 13), Severe cyclone in Gujarat (June 9), Amartya Sen won the Noble Prize in Economics (Oct. 14)
1999     P.M. Vajpayee arrived in Pakistan by Delhi-Lahore bus (Feb. 20), India successfully launched its first commercial telecom satellite INSAT-2 E from Kourou (Apr. 3), Intense fighting in Kargil (June-July), Devastating cyclone in Orissa and A. P. (Oct.)
2000     U. S. President Bill Clinton visited India (Mar.) INSAT-3 B launched from Kourou (Mar. 22), Successful test firing of ‘Dhanush’, the naval version of ‘Prithvi’ missile (Apr. 11), Karnam Malleshwari wins a bronze at Olympics, Chattisgarh formed (Nov. 1), Uttaranchal formed (Nov. 9), Jharkhand formed (Nov. 15)

The Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) was a Bronze Age civilization (3300–1300 BCE; mature period 2600–1900 BCE) which was centred mostly in the western part  of the Indian Subcontinent  and which flourished around the Indus River basin. Primarily centered along the Indus and the Punjab region, the civilization extended into the Ghaggar-Hakra River valley  and the Ganges-Yamuna Doab,  encompassing most of what is now Pakistan, as well as extending into the westernmost states of modern-day India, southeastern Afghanistan and the easternmost part of Balochistan, Iran.

The mature phase of this civilization is known as the Harappan Civilization, as the first of its cities to be unearthed was the one at Harappa, excavated in the 1920s in what was at the time the Punjab province of British India (now in Pakistan). Excavation of IVC sites have been ongoing since 1920, with important breakthroughs occurring as recently as 1999. Mohenjo-Daro, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is another well-known IVC archeological site.

The Harappan language is not directly attested and its affiliation is unknown, though Proto-Dravidian, Elamo-Dravidian, or (Para-)Munda relations have been posited by scholars such as Iravatham Mahadevan, Asko Parpola, F.B.J. Kuiper and Michael Witzel.

Lord Canning (1856 – 1862):

• The last Governor General and the first Viceroy.
• Mutiny took place in his time.
• On Nov, 1858, the rule passed on to the crown.
• Withdrew Doctrine of Lapse.
• The Universities of Calcutta, Bombay and Madras were established in 1857.
• Indian Councils Act was passed in 1861.

Lord Elgin (1862 – 1863)
Lord Lawrence (1864 – 1869):

• Telegraphic communication was opened with Europe.
• High Courts were established at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras in 1865.
• Expanded canal works and railways.
• Created the Indian Forest department.

Lord Mayo (1869 – 1872):

• Started the process of financial decentralization in India.
• Established the Rajkot college at Kathiarwar and Mayo College at Ajmer for the Indian princes.
• For the first time in Indian history, a census was held in 1871.
• Organised the Statistical Survey of India.
• Was the only Viceroy to be murdered in office by a Pathan convict in the Andamans in 1872.

Lord Northbrook (1872 – 1876):
Lord Lytton (1876 – 1880):

• Known as the Viceroy to reverse characters.
• Organised the Grand ‘Delhi Durbar’ in 1877 to decorate Queen Victoria with the title of ‘Kaiser – I – Hind’.
• Arms Act(1878) made it mandatory for Indians to acquire license for arms.
• Passed the infamous Vernacular Press Act (1878).

Lord Ripon (1880 – 1884):

• Liberal person, who sympathized with Indians.
• Repeated the Vernacular Press Act (1882)
• Passed the local self – government Act (1882)
• Took steps to improve primary & secondary education (on William Hunter Commission’s recommendations).
• The I Factory Act, 1881, aimed at prohibiting child labour.
• Passed the libert Bill (1883) which enabled Indian district magistrates to try European criminals. But this was withdrawn later.

Lord Dufferin (1884 – 1888):

• Indian National Congress was formed during his tenure.

Lord Lansdowne (1888 – 1894):

• II Factory Act (1891) granted a weekly holiday and stipulated working hours for women and children, although it failed to address concerns such as work hours for men.
• Categorization of Civil Services into Imperial, Provincial and Subordinate.
• Indian Council Act of 1892 was passed.
• Appointment of Durand Commission to define the line between British India and Afghanistan.

Lord Elgin II (1894 – 1899):

• Great famine of 1896 – 1897. Lyall Commission was appointed.

Lord Curzon (1899 – 1905):

• Passed the Indian Universities Act (1904) in which official control over the Universities was increased.
• Partitioned Bengal (October 16, 1905) into two provinces 1, Bengal (proper), 2.East Bengal & Assam.
• Appointed a Police Commission under Sir Andrew Frazer to enquire into the police administration of every province.
• The risings of the frontier tribes in 1897 – 98 led him to create the North Western Frontier Province(NWFP).
• Passed the Ancient Monuments Protection Act (1904), to restore India’s cultural heritage. Thus the Archaeological Survey of India was established.
• Passed the Indian Coinage and Paper Currency Act (1899) and put India on a gold standard.
• Extended railways to a great extent.

Lord Minto (1905 – 1910):

• There was great political unrest in India. Various acts were passed to curb the revolutionary activities. Extremists like Lala Laipat Rai and Ajit Singh (in May, 1907) and Bal Gangadhar Tilak (in July, 1908) were sent to Mandalay jail in Burma.
• The Indian Council Act of 1909 or the Morley – Minto Reforms was passed.

Lord Hardinge (1910 – 1916):

• Held a durbar in dec, 1911 to celebrate the coronation of King George V.
• Partition of Bengal was cancelled (1911), capital shifted from Calcutta to Delhi (1911).
• A bomb was thrown at him; but he escaped unhurt (Dec 23, 1912).
• Gandhiji came back to India from S.Africa (1915).
• Annie Besant announced the Home Rule Movement.

Lord Chelmsford (1916 – 1921):

• August Declaration of 1917, whereby control over the Indian government would be gradually transferred to the Indian people.
• The government of India Act in 1919 (Montague – Chelmsford reforms) was passed.
• Rowlatt Act of 1919; Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (April 13, 1919).
• Non – Cooperation Movement.
• An Indian Sir S.P.Sinha was appointed the Governor of Bengal.
• A Women’s university was founded at Poona in 1916.
• Saddler Commission was appointed in 1917 to envisage new educational policy.

Lord Reading (1921 – 1926):

• Rowlatt act was repeated along with the Press act of 1910.
• Suppressed non-cooperation movement.
• Prince of Wales visited India in Nov.1921.
• Moplah rebellion (1921) took place in Kerala.
• Ahmedabad session of 1921.
• Formation of Swaraj Party.
• Vishwabharati University started functioning in 1922.
• Communist part was founded in 1921 by M.N.Roy.
• Kakory Train Robbery on Aug 9, 1925.
• Communal riots of 1923 – 25 in Multan, Amritsar, Delhi, etc.
• Swami Shraddhanand, a great nationalist and a leader of the Arya Samajists, was murdered in communal orgy.

Lord Irwin (1926 – 1931):

• Simon Commission visited India in 1928.
• Congress passed the Indian Resolution in 1929.
• Dandi March (Mar 12, 1930).
• Civil Disobedience Movement (1930).
• First Round Table Conference held in England in 1930.
• Gandhi – Irwin Pact (Mar 5, 1931) was signed and Civil Disobediance Movement was withdrawn.
• Martydorm of Jatin Das after 64 days hunger strike (1929).

Lord Willington (1931 – 1936):

• Second Round Table conference in London in 1931.
• On his return Gandhiji was again arrested and Civil Disobedience Movement was resumed in Jan 1932.
• Communal Awards (Aug 16, 1932) assigned seats to different religious communities. Gandhiji went on a epic fast in protest against this division.
• Third Round Table conference in 1932.
• Poona Pact was signed.
• Government of India Act (1935) was passed.

Lord Linlithgow (1936 – 1944):

• Govt. of India Act enforced in the provinces. Congress ministries formed in 8 out of 11 provinces. They remained in power for about 2 years till Oct 1939, when they gave up offices on the issue of India having been dragged into the II World War. The Muslim League observed the days as ‘Deliverance Say’ (22 December)
• Churchill became the British PM in May, 1940. He declared that the Atlantic Charter (issued jointly by the UK and US, stating to give sovereign rights to those who have been forcibly deprived of them) does not apply to India.
• Outbreak of World War II in 1939.
• Cripps Mission in 1942.
• Quit India Movement (August 8, 1942).

Lord Wavell (1944 – 1947):

• Arranged the Shimla Conference on June 25, 1945 with Indian National Congress and Muslim League; failed.
• Cabinet Mission Plan (May 16, 1946).
• Elections to the constituent assembly were held and an Interim Govt. was appointed under Nehru.
• First meeting of the constituent assembly was held on Dec. 9, 1946.

Lord Mountbatten (Mar.1947 – Aug.1947):

• Last Viceroy of British India and the first Governor General of free India.
• Partition of India decided by the June 3 Plan.
• Indian Independence Act passed by the British parliament on July 4, 1947, by which India became independent on August 15, 1947.
• Retried in June 1948 and was succeeded by C.Rajagopalachari (the first and the last Indian Governor General of free India).

BC

3000-1500 Indus Valley Civilisation
576 Birth of Gautam Buddha
527 Birth of Mahavir
327-326 Alexander’s invasion of India. It opened a land route between India and Europe
313 Accession of Chandragupta Maurya according to Jain traditions
305 Defeat of Seleucus at the hands of Chandragupta Maurya
273-232 Ashoka’s reign
261 Conquest of Kalinga
145-101 Region of Elara, the Chola King of Sri Lanka
58 Beginning of Vikrami era

AD

78 Beginning of Saka era
120 Accession of Kanishka
320 Commencement of Gupta era. the golden age of Hindu India
380 Accession of Vikramaditya
405-411 Visit of Chinese traveller Fa-hien
415 Accession of Kumara Gupta I
455 Accession of Skando Gupta
606-647 Harshavardhan’s reign
712 First invasion in Sind by Arabs
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 Chazni who defeated jaipal, ruler of Punjab
1025 Destruction of Somnath Temple by Mahmud Ghzni
1191 First Battle of Tarain
1192 Second Battle of Tarain
1206 Accession of Qutab-ud-din Aibak to the throne of Delhi
1210 Death of Qutub-ud-din Aibak
1221 Changes Khan invaded India (Mongol invasion)
1236 Accession of Razia Sultan to the throne of Delhi
1240 Razia Sultan dies
1296 Accession of Ala–ud-din Khilji
1316 Ala-ud-din Khilji dies
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 Timur 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 Khanya’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 Britishn 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
1780 Birth of Maharaja Ranjit Singh
1780-84 Second Mysore War
1784 Pitt’s Omdoa Act
1790-92 Third Mysore War
1793 The Permanent Settlement of Bengal
1799 Fourth 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.
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
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;Delhi becomes the capital of India
1916 World War 1 begins
1916 Lucknow Pact signed by Muslim League and Congress
1918 World War 1 ends
1919 Montague-Chelmsfor Reforms introduced,Jallianwala Bagh massacreat Amritsar
1920 Khilafar Movement launched
1927 Boycott of Simon Commission,broadcasting started in India
1928 Death of lal Lajpat Rai ( Sher-e-Punjab)
1929 Lord Orwaom’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 i )
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
1957 Second General Elkections;decimal coinage introduced,
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 Pakistan attacks India
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
1973 Mysore State renamed Karnataka
1974 India explodes a nuclear device; Fakhuruddin Ali Ahmed elected as fifth President Sikkim becomes on associate State of India
1975 India launches ‘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 I 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); Acharua Vinobha dies (Nov 15) IX Asian Games inaugurated (Nov 19)
1983 CHOGM held in New Delhi
1984 Operation Blue Star in Punjab; Rakesh Sharma goes into space; Mrs. Indira Gandhi assassinated; Rajiv Gandhi becomes PM
1985 Rajiv-Longowal accord signed; Sant H.S. Longowal killed elections in Punjab; Assam accord; VII Five-Year Plan launched 1986 Mizoram accord.
1987 R.Venkataraman elected President; Shankar Dayal Sharma elected Vice-President of India, Bofors gun and Fairfax controversies
1989 Ram Shilanyas Puja at Ayodhyat; India’s first IRBM ‘ Agni’ successfully launched from Orissa (May 22); Trishul Missile test fised (June 5); Second successful launch of Prithvi (Sept 27); Rajiv Government loses poll and 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 Last of IPKF return home (March 25); Indian Airlines A-320 Airbus Crash (Feb. 14); Janata Dal splits; BJP withdraws support to the Government;Advani takes out Rath Yatra and is arrested, Mandal Report implemented announced by V.P. Singh Violence in Ayodhya due to Ram Janam Bhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute
1991 Gulf War breaks out (Jan. 17); Rajiv Gandhi assassinated (May 21); X Lok Sabha constituted (June 20); P. V. Narasimha Rao becomes Prime Minister
1992 India establishes full diplomatic ties with Israel (Jan. 29); Bharat Ratna and Oscar winner Satyajit Ray dies (April 23); S.D.Sharma elected President (July 25); INS Shakti-first indigeneously built submarine was launched on Feb. 7
1993 Ordinance to acquire 67.33 acres in Ayodhya (Jan 7); Massive security falls in BJP rally; Wave of bombing leaves 300 dead in Bombay; Insat-2B becomes fully operational; Earthquake in Maharashtra
1994 Government monopoly over civil aviation ends; Storm over GATT treaty;Plague outbreak; Sushmita Sen-Miss Universe; Aishwarya Rai-Miss World
1995 Mayawati First Dalit Chief Minister of UP; BJP comes to power in Maharashtra and Gujarat, Janata Dal in Karnataka and Congress in Orissa; Indian National Congress (T) formed; President’s Rule in UP after fall of Mayawati; INSAT 2C and IRSI-C launched
1996 Hawala takes toll of several Union Ministers ans opposition leaders; 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.
2000Â 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; Worst natural calamity of India: 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; VI th 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 Â 71-year old missile scientist, Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, is elected President of India; One of the most harrific communal roits 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 develpment and management for optimal and sustainable utilisation.
2003 Â Formation of Strategic Forces Command (SFO) and the Nuclear Command Authority (NCA) by India; Air Marshal Teja Mohan Asthana named first commander in chief of the SFC; 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 adnaced communication satellite INSAT-3

The History of India begins with the birth of the Indus Valley Civilization, more precisely known as Harappan Civilization. It flourished around 2,500 BC, in the western part of South Asia, what today is Pakistan and Western India. The Indus Valley was home to the largest of the four ancient urban civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, India and China. Nothing was known about this civilization till 1920s when the Archaeological Department of India carried out excavations in the Indus valley wherein the ruins of the two old cities, viz. Mohenjodaro and Harappa were unearthed. The ruins of buildings and other things like household articles, weapons of war, gold and silver ornaments, seals, toys, pottery wares, etc., show that some four to five thousand years ago a highly developed Civilization flourished in this region.

The Indus valley civilization was basically an urban civilization and the people lived in well-planned and well-built towns, which were also the centers for trade. The ruins of Mohenjodaro and Harappa show that these were magnificent merchant cities-well planned, scientifically laid, and well looked after. They had wide roads and a well-developed drainage system. The houses were made of baked bricks and had two or more storeys.

The highly civilized Harappans knew the art of growing cereals, and wheat and barley constituted their staple food. They consumed vegetables and fruits and ate mutton, pork and eggs as well. Evidences also show that they wore cotton as well as woollen garments. By 1500 BC, the Harappan culture came to an end. Among various causes ascribed to the decay of Indus Valley Civilization are the invasion by the Aryans, the recurrent floods and other natural causes like earthquake, etc.

1. The oldest among the Vedas is the:
A. Sama Veda
B. Atharva Veda
C. Rig Veda
D. Yajur Veda
Ans. Rig Veda

2. The Rig Veda is a book on:

A. sacrificial prayers
B. praise of gods
C. mysticism and philosophy
D. political, social, and religious life of the people of vedic age

Ans: political, social, and religious life of the people of vedic age

3. Which one of the following contains the Gayatri Mantra?
A. Rig Veda
B. Yajur Veda
C. Upanishad
D. Aranyakas

Ans. Rig Veda

4. In the Rigveda one finds:

A. hymnsin praise of the gods
B. rituals to be practised by people
C. list of yagnas to be performed
D. all the above

Ans. hymnsin praise of the gods

5. The important divinities mentioned in the Rigveda are:
A. Indra, Aditi, Rudra
B. Agni, Siva, Vishnu
C. Prajapati, Varuna, Vishnu
D. Indra, Agni, Varuna

Ans.  Indra, Agni, Varuna

6. The Prose explanations of the Vedas were known as the:
A. Brahmanas
B. Samhitas
C. Aranyakas
D. Upanishads

Ans. Brahmanas

7. The poetical portion of the Vedas is known as:
A. Brahmana
B. Samhita
C. Aranyaka
D. Upanishada

Ans. Samhita

8. The Vedangas were _____ in number.
A. six
B. four
C. eight
D. ten

Ans. six

9. Which one of the following does not constitute part of the Veda?
A. Nirukta
B. Upanishad
C. Brahmana
D. Samhita

Ans. Nirukta

10. The Puranas are:
A. 4 in number
B. 7 in number
C. 10 in number
D. 18 in number

Ans. 18 in number

The national calender of India is based on the Saka Era. Chaithra and Phalguna are the first and the last months in the Calender.Saka Era began in 78 AD at the time of King Kanishka.

The days of Saka Calender permanently correspond to the Gregorian calender and Chaithra falls on march 22nd in  a common year and March 21st in  a leap year .It was introduced in the year 1957 from march 22nd,the day on which Kaniska came to the throne.

Ibn-Batuta: was a great scholar and traveller from South Africa who
came to India in 1333 A.D. during the reign of Mohammd Tughlaq
and wrote about him. He described Mohammad Tughlak as the ‘won-
der of the age’. He wrote that during the transfer of capital, Mohd-
bin-Tughlak dragged even blind and crippled to Daulatabad. He spent
8 years in India on his way to China

Gupta Age: The Gupta Age in Indian history (reckoned from 320 A.D.)
was the classical period of Sanskrit literature and the personalities
who lived during this period were: Kalidasa, Bhartrihari, Dandin, and
Bhavabhuti

Harappan Culture: Harappan people worshipped Mother Goddess.
The standard Harappa seal was a square, usually made of steatite.
The crop which does not appear to have been known to the Harap-
pan culture is Ragi.

Horse was probably unknown to the people of Harappan culture. (But
it was widely used by the Vedic people).

Indus Valley Civilization: According to carbon-dating process, the
Indus Valley Civilization appears to have flourished between 2500
and 1700 B.C. This period is known as pre-historic period. It belongs
to the Chalcolithic Age.
The remains of the Indus Valley Civilization were first discovered at
Harappa (1921) and Mohenjodaro (1922).
The Indus Valley Civilization was primarily urban.
The Indus Valley people established commercial contacts with the
Sumerians.
Iron was not known to the people of the Indus Valley Civilization.
The ornaments of the poor people of Indus Valley Civilization were
made of copper, shells and bones.
.The Indus script has not been deciphered so far.
The system of governing of Indus Valley Civilization was probably
Kingship.
Indus Valley Civilization Script: The script of Indus Valley Civilization
is not yet deciphered.