INDIAN HISTORY IMPORTANT DATES BC TO AD

Important Dates in Indian History
 
  BC

300-5000 Indus Valley Civilisation
563 Birtd of Gautama Buddha (or 576 BC in some sources)
527-540 Birtd of Mahavir; Nirvana
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 tde hands of Chandragupta Maurya
273-232 Ashoka’s reign
261 Conquest of Kalinga
145-101 Reign of Elara, tde 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, tde golden age of Hindu India
380 Accession of Vikramaditya
405-411 Visit of Chinese traveller Fahien
415 Accession of Kumara Gupta I
455 Accession of Skanda Gupta
606-647 Harshavardhan’s reign
712 First invasion in Sindh by Arabs
836 Accession of King Bhoja of Kannauj
985 Accession of Rajaraja tde Chola ruler
998 Accession of Sultan Mahmud
1001 First invasion of India by Mahmud Ghazni who defeated Jaipal, ruler of Punjab.
1025 Destruction of Somnatd Temple by Mahmud Ghazni
1191 First Battle of Tarain
1192 Second Battle of Tarain
1206 Accession of Qutub-ud-Din Aibak to tde tdrone oof Delhi
1210 Deatd of Qutub-ud-Din Aibak
1221 Changez Khan invaded India (Mongol invasion)
1236 Accession of Razia Sultan to tde tdrone of Delhi
1240 Deatd of Razia Sultan
1296 Accession of Ala-ud-Din Khilji
1316 Deatd of Ala-ud-Din Khilji
1325 Accession of Muhammad-bin Tughlaq
1327 Shifting of Capital from Delhi to Daulatabad in Deccan by tde Tughlaqs
1336 Foundation of Vijayanagar empire in Soutd
1351 Accession of Feroze Shah
1398 Invasion of India by Timur
1469 Birtd of Guru Nank
1494 Accession of Babur in Farghana
1497-98 First Voyage of Vasco de Gama to India (discovery of sea route to India via Cape of Good Hope) I
1526 First Battle of Panipat; Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodhi; foundation of Mughal dynasty by Babur
1527 Battle of Kanwaha-Babur defeated Rana Sanga
1530 Death of Babur and Accession of Humayun
1539 Sher Shah Suri defeated Humayun and became India’s empreor
1555 Humayun recaptured the throne of Delhi
1556 Second battle of Panipal
1565 Battle of Talikota
1576 Battle of Haldighati – Rana Pratap defeated by Akbar
1582 Din-e-IIahi founded by Akbar
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 Shah Jahan becomes emperor of India
1631 Death of Mumtaz Mahal
1634 The English permitted to trade in India (in Bengal)
1659 Accession of Aurangzeb, Shahjahan imprisoned
1665 Shivaji imprisoned, by Aurangzeb
1666 Death of Shah Jahan
1675 Execution of Guru 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 Buxer
1765 Clive appointed Company’s Governor of India
1767-69 First Mysore War
1780 Birth of Maharaja Ranjit Singh
1780-84 Second Mysore War
1784 Pitt’s India Act
1790-92 Third Mysore War
1793 The Permanent Settlement of Bengal
1799 Fouth Mysore War – Death of Tipu Sultan
1802 Treaty of Bassein
1809 Treaty of Amritsar
1829 Practice of Sati Prohibited
1830 Raja Ram Mohan Roy visits England
1833 Death of Raja Ram Mohan Roy
1839 Death of Maharaja 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 of 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 Battle of Bengal under Lord Curzon
1906 Foundation of Muslim League
1911 Delhi Darbar; King and Queen visit India; Delhi becomes the Capital of India
1914 World War I begins
1916 Lucknow Pact Signed by Muslim League and Congress
1918 World War I ends
1919 Montague-Chemsford Reforms introduced; Jallianwala Bagh Massacre at Amritsar
1920 Khilafat Movement launched
1927 Boycott of Simon Commission; broadcasting started in India
1928 Death of Lala Lajpat Rai
1929 Lord Irwain’s Pact; resolution of complete independence passed at Lahore Congress
1930 Civil disobedience movement launched; Dandi March by Mahatma Gandhi (6 April, 1930)
1931 Gandhi Irwin Pact
1935 Government of India Act enacted
1937 Provincial Autonomy; Congress forms ministries
1939 Word War II begins (September 1)
1941 Escape of Subhash Chandra Bose from India and death of Rabindranath Tagore
1942 Arrival of Cripps Mission in India; Quit India Movement launched (August 8)
1943-1944 Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose forms provisional Azad Hind Fauj 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 centre
1947 Division of India; Indian and Pakistan seperate independent dimensions
1948 Mahatma Gandhi assassinated (Jannuary 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, Nationalization 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 and opposition leaders; PSLV D3 launched on March 21 with IRSP-3 ushering new era in India space programmed; 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 A US President Bill Clinton visits India during March 2000. Three new states Chhatisgarh, Uttaranchal and Jharkhand created. India’s population crossed one billion mark.