| Links |
|
|
| My
India |
| National Animal |
| National Flower |
| Indian History |
| Great Indians |
| |
|
|
|
|
History of India |
An overview : The people of India have had a continuous
civilization since 2500 B.C., when the inhabitants of the Indus
River valley developed an urban culture based on commerce and
sustained by agricultural trade. This civilization declined around
1500 B.C., probably due to ecological changes. During the second
millennium B.C., pastoral, Aryan-speaking tribes migrated from
the northwest into the subcontinent. As they settled in the middle
Ganges River valley, they adapted to antecedent cultures. The
political map of ancient and medieval India was made up of myriad
kingdoms with fluctuating boundaries. In the 4th and 5th centuries
A.D., northern India was unified under the Gupta Dynasty. During
this period, known as India's Golden Age, Hindu culture and political
administration reached new heights. Islam spread across the Indian
subcontinent over a period of 500 years. In the 10th and 11th
centuries, Turks and Afghans invaded India and established sultanates
in Delhi. In the early 16th century, descendants of Genghis Khan
swept across the Khyber Pass and established the Mughal (Mogul)
Dynasty, which lasted for 200 years. From the 11th to the 15th
centuries, southern India was dominated by Hindu Chola and Vijayanagar
Dynasties. During this time, the two systems-the prevailing Hindu
and Muslim--mingled, leaving lasting cultural influences on each
other.
|
Mohenjodaro Harappa,Indus Valley Civilisation, Aryans and the Vedic Age, The Gupta Age, The Southern Kingdoms, Aryan |
The Muslim Invasion, The Marathas, Coming of the Europeans, East India Company |
|
Ancient History:-For India, it
begins from the Indus Valley Civilization (for which the
date is a matter of hot debate, but historians have agreed
to disagree on 3000BC) to just after the king Harsha Vardhana
(Ancient Indian History), which is around 700-800BC. |
Medieval
History:-Starting from
800BC to mid-18th century AD, that is, till the
coming of the British. There is a slight hitch in this as the British were pretty much already
there by this time, but again this is the accepted time
when they suddenly woke up and said, "Hey we've got
a kingdom going." |
Modern History:-
From mid-18th century to the independence of
India, which is on August 15, 1947. Then the deluge. It
is fashionable among historians to
deplore the lack of historical sense among historical Indians,
which has made their work very difficult. What is heartening
is that Indians still lack a sense of history and not much
is being done to record contemporary history of India. So
much so that a series on the Indian Independence movement
was commissioned by the Indian government years ago to counter
a British series on the subject. The series is still to
come out, and don't hold your breath for it either. |
|
|
