A High-Level
Chronology of India’s
History
By Niraj Mohanka,
Indologist (please refer to ‘The Royal Chronology of India’ at: http://www.indiahistoryonline.com
for more information). If you have any
questions, please feel free to email me at: newdharma2100@gmail.com .
(Note: BCE = Before Common Era; all dates prior to 700
BCE are approximations)
25
million BCE – the island of India slams into Asia and starts uplifting the
bordering land to create the Himalaya
Mountain range – which is
today the tallest in the world and the largest area of permanent snow and ice
outside the North and South poles.
2
million BCE – potential oldest human/humanoid habitation in India
90,000
to 40,000 BCE – stone-age tools of pre-historic man (“caveman”) found in India
50,000
to 12,000 BCE – evidence for beginning of farming found in Rajasthan near dried
up Sarasvati River valley.
13,000
to 8000 BCE – earliest evidence for farming and civilization found in Ganga Valley.
8000
to 7000 BCE – earliest layers of city of Mehrgarh (oldest archaeologically
attestable city of the ancient Sapta-Saindhvah Civilization; Sarasvati-Sindhu
Civilization [which is often incorrectly referred to as the “Indus Valley”
civilization] ).
8000
to 5000 BCE – earliest evidence for horses (wild and domesticated) in India
6000
BCE – ancient pottery found in Lahuradeva, UP and Virana [Bhirrana], Haryana
[part of SSC; Sapta-Saindhvah Civilization] and carbon-dated (C-14).
5500
BCE – ancient cities of Mohenjo Daro and Harappa
begin.
5000
BCE – ancient city Mehrgarh attains a peak population of 20,000.
5000
to 4000 BCE – Hakra Phase of SSC [Sapta-Saindhvah Civilization] urban
development
4600
BCE – excavations in Sumeria show evidence of trade with SSC (India).
4500
BCE – potential start of RgVedic composition (concepts however may have existed
long before this date but were not formalized by ruling priests until this
time)
4100
BCE – a number of Chalcolithic Sites in UP (Sohagaura, Narahan, Lahuradeva,
etc.) found.
4000
BCE – approximate start of Indian Dynastic list of kings and priests (as
documented in the RgVeda and correlated against the Puranas - synchronized by
the Vedic Anukramanis) starting with Vivasvata.
4000
to 3800 BCE – potential timeframe for the earliest major priests of India
– (Bhrgu, Angiras, Marici, Atri); these four priests may have been the
ancestors of the famous 'Sapta-Rishis' (7 Seers) and Agastya, the 8th
Rishi. This list is as follows:
Jamadagni (descendant of Bhrgu), Bharadvaja (descendant of Angira), Gotama
(descendant of Angira), Kasyapa (descendant of Marici), Vasistha (descendant of
Marici), Agastya (descendant of Marici), Atri
(descendant of Atri), Visvamitra (descendant of Atri)
4000
to 3500 BCE – leading priestly families develop specialization and expertise
for specific deities. Thus the
Grtsamadas are found to have been devoted to Brahmanaspati (or Brhaspati) as
their family deity, the Vamadevas to the Rbhus, the Atris to the Maruts, the
Bharadvajas to Pusan
and the Vasisthas to Mitra and Varuna.
Chronology of India’s History
(Contd.)
3900
BCE – possible earliest eclipse documented in the RgVeda.
3850
BCE – potential date of two men, Sudyumna and Ikshvaku – who went on to found
the Lunar and Solar Royal Dynasties respectively. Both were sons of Manu Vaivasanta, who was
the eldest son of Vivasvata.
3825
BCE – Pururavas Aila, adopted son of Sudyumna, founds the city of Pra-Yagya or Prayaga
in the center of the territory that was the heartland of the Arya (civilized
people). This city evolved into a major
center of religious pilgrimage and is still the host city for the Maha-Kumbha
Mela (Sacred Pitcher Festival) held every 12 years during the astronomical
alignment of the Sun, Moon and Jupiter.
This religious gathering is the largest congregation of people in the
world in one place (30 million+ in 2001).
3775
BCE – King Nahusha (great-great grandson of Sudyumna) builds small city of Kashi (Varanasi). Nahusha is the joint author of RgVedic hymn
IX.101.
3725
BCE – potential war between Kutsa and Turavayana Clans as attested by passages
in the RgVeda (see RV verses: 6.18.13,
1.53.10, 2.14.7, 4.26.1 and 8.53.2).
3700
BCE - ancient cities such as Lothal, Kalibangan, Rakhigarhi and smaller cities
such as Kunal develop.
3700
BCE – early burial sites at Nagwada.
Early Harappan (Amri, Kot - Diji and Nal) type pottery from the two
burial sites from Nagwada and the very early radio carbon date of 3698 B.C.
from Loteshwar. These sites and the pottery have shown some migratory links
with the site of Garo Biro and Kot-Kori of the lower Sindh (Sonawane et. al.
1994:136).
3650
BCE – start of Haihaya Dynasty by King Haihaya who is an early descendant of
King Sahasrajit (son of Yadu).
3550
BCE – ancient city of Rakhigarhi [part of SSC]; The site of excavation, located
in the plains of ancient Drishadvati river, a tributary of the Saraswati river,
happens to be the largest Harappan site measuring 230 hectares (more than twice
the size of either Harappa or Mohenjodaro).
3375
BCE – potential timeframe of Ikshvaku King Mandhatr and the Deva/Asura Priestly
War (battle over allegiance of Arya priests to Devas or Asuras as who should be
at the top of the Vedic Pantheon). The priests
who believed the Devas should be preeminent won and stayed in India whereas the followers of Asuras lost and
were forced west into Persia).
3325
BCE – timeframe of Emperor Bharata (Dauhsanti).
The Rigveda, the Aitareya Brahmana, the Satapatha Brahmana, the Mahabharata
and the Purana all sing his eulogies. He was a pious king, a great conquerer, a
magnificient sacrificer and a man of high principles. Bharata won his victories on the Sarasvati
(Aitareya Brahmana 8.23) as well as on the Ganga
and the Yamuna (Satapatha Brahmana 13.5.4.11).
The Arya territory (Aryavarta) was renamed after him and became known as
Bharatavarsha (Bharata Nation); see RV 3.53.12.
2950
BCE – timeframe of Rama Jamadagnya (“Parashu-Rama”). He was son of the famous Rishi Jamadagni and
became famous for wielding a battle-axe (Parasu) and for defeating the Haihaya
King Arjun Sahasrabahu.
2925
BCE – timeframe of EPIC #1 of India,
the Dasharajnya (Vedic War of 10 Kings).
This war was fought by a confederacy of over 10 kings and tribal
chieftans against the Puru-Bharata King Sudas.
The war lasted a few years and major battles in the war were the
Parushni River Battle, Yamuna River Battle and Sarayu River Battle. Despite being outnumbered, King Sudas eventually
won and was highly eulogized by his priests (Vishvamitra and Vasistha) in the RgVeda
(see RV verses: 7.18.8, 7.18.12, 7.18.13, 7.18.33, 7.18.83, 8.74.15, 8.74.4).
2750
BCE – timeframe of Rishi Agastya; the famous sage who spread Vedic knowledge south
of the Vindhya Mountain range.
Chronology of India’s
History (Contd.)
2650
BCE – timeframe of Ikshvaku King Bhagiratha; became famous for expanding his
kingdom in the Ganga River region and later mythology honored him with
“bringing the Ganga River down to Earth”.
2600
BCE – the Drshadvati River (a tributary to the Sarasvati River)
dries up.
2500
BCE – Sarasvati River starts to lose strength due to
shifting Indian tectonic plate. From
3000 to 2000 BCE it ceases to be a perennial river and becomes seasonal – all
while its volume decreases.
2175
BCE – timeframe of Ikshvaku King Raghu, grandson of Dilipa II. Raghu expanded the kingdom by beating the
mountain tribal chiefs (Kiratas) all the way up to the slopes of the Himalayas.
2100
BCE - timeframe of EPIC #2 of India,
the Ramayana (The Late Vedic Legend of Rama).
King Rama (Ramacandra Dasharathi) is famous for his noble character and
honor. Rama is mentioned at the very end
of the RgVeda, but is mentioned in later literature and of course in the immense
Valmiki Ramayana (24,000 verses of which at least 18,000 may comprise the core
original story).
1900
BCE – satellite and ground analysis show that the Sarasvati River
completely dries up at this time and only a few pools of water were left in
certain locations (thus the name “Saras”).
Due to geological forces (earthquakes, etc.), the rivers feeding into
the Saraswati (Sutlej and Yamuna) change course and feed instead into other
rivers such as the Sindhu (Indus). As a
result, the Saraswati dries up (during the Brahmanic period, it is mentioned
that the Saraswati now runs through a desert - later known as
'Rajasthan'). Later Vedic texts contain
descriptions - Jaiminya Upanisad Brahmana (4.26.12) and the associated
Srauta-sutras say that Sarasvati disappears in the desert sands at a place
called Vinasana (literally disappearance).
1625
BCE – beginning of the Brhadratha Dynasty of Magadha by King Brhadratha. There were supposedly 32+ generations of the
Brhadratha Dynasty that ruled Magadha. Roughly 10 generations before the Mahabharat
and 22 after till they were defeated by the Haryanka Dynasty.
1500
BCE – timeframe of Sage Narada (who taught Sage Vyas Parasharya)
1450
BCE – timeframe of King Shantanu of Hastinapura. The archaeological ruins of Hastinapur are
located 38 kilometers from present-day Meerut
in UP.
1375
BCE – timeframe of EPIC #3 of India,
the Mahabharata (The Post-Vedic Great Civil War of Bharata/India). Krshna Vasudeva led the Paurava Clan to
victory over the Kaurava Clan at the battlefield of Kuru-Kshetra (in
present-day Haryana). During this war,
each dynasty forced other kingdoms to pick sides which resulted in all India getting
involved – essentially a civil war.
Vrihadvala, a descendant of Rama (by 29 generations), fought and was
killed in this war. Krshna has been
claimed to have as many as eight wives, but two are more likely as historically
valid: Rukmini and Satyabhama. KRISHNA
ruled at Dwaraka (Gujarat) for thirty-six
years after the Kurukshetra battle was over.
The Vrishnis, the Bhopas and other branches of the Yadavas belonging to Krishna's tribe spent their days in unrestrained
self-indulgence and luxury. Krishna's clan pursued trade with the Phoenicians. The Satavata Yadavas formed a republican
corporation and their Sanghamukhya, or Elder of the Confederacy, was for a long
time King Ugrasena. Over time, Krshna
became so popular that he was elected to be the next Sangamukhya - a position
he held until his death.
1300
BCE – timeframe of Emperor Janmeejaya II.
He was the first Indian Emperor to have full, DIRECT control over all of
India
down to the Ocean (indirect control existed for Emperor Bharata).
1200
BCE – Hastinapur is flooded during the reign of King Nichakshu. The entire city had to be moved. Some archaeological evidence of this flood
exists.
1000
BCE – the Vedangas (“limbs of the Vedas”) scriptures may have been composed at
this time.
875
BCE – potential timeframe of Tirthankara Parshvanath who created a new order
(Samgha) of monks and was the precursor of Mahavira centuries later.
Chronology of India’s
History (Contd.)
800
BCE – Takshashila
University thrives.
800
BCE – Pradyota Dynasty begins. King
Pradyota ascends the throne of Avanti ending the Brhadratha Dynasty and
commencing the Pradyota Dynasty of Magadha.
750
BCE – timeframe of Grammarian Panini. Panini
created roughly 4,000 rules (exactly 3,995 aphorisms in his Ashtadhyayi) of
Sanskrit grammar that he evolved. Rules
that are so scientific and logical in manner that they closely resemble
structures used by computer scientists throughout the world. Panini lived BEFORE the Buddha since Panini
mentions Janapadas at his time existing in a state that we know they were in
before Buddha.
675
BCE – start of the Shishunaga Dynasty. The
Pradyota dynasty ruled for 138 years, and then it was taken over by Shishunaga
dynasty. The fifth king of Shishunaga dynasty was Bimbsara. It is a well known
historical fact that Gautama Buddha was propagating his religion during the
reigning period of King Bimbsara.
575
BCE – Mahavira (Great Hero), 24th Tirthankara and revered founder of historical
Jainism. His parents (Siddhartha and
Trisala) were followers of Parsvanatha. His teachings stress strict codes of
vegetarianism, asceticism and nonviolence.
When he was thirty years old, Vardhamana renounced the household and
became a Nigantha (mendicant). After twelve years of severe ascetism, at the
age of forty-two, he attained kevala-jnana (omniscience) and became a Jina
(Tirthankara). He lived to age 72.
550
BCE - Siddhartha Gotama, the "Buddha" founder of Bauddha Dharma. He was a member of the Shakya clan (Ikshvaku
branch) from Lumbini, in what is now at the India/Nepal border and attained
enlightenment at age 35. He is known to
have studied with two teachers, Alara Kamala and Udraka Ramaputra, who probably
taught him a form of Yoga. He was fond
of meditation and very skilled in it. He was an old man when Mahavira died. Buddha died during the 8th year of
the reign of King Ajatashatru.
500
BCE – first council of Buddhism set up.
425
BCE – second council of Buddhism. About
one hundred years after the Buddha's passing away, the Second Council was held
to discuss some Vinaya rules. The
meeting(s) may have been held in Vaisali and in Pataliputra (Patna).
At this Council, the Sangha (order) split.
350
BCE – Jaina Council of Pataliputra where Jaina Dharma split into two groups, Digambaras
(nude followers) and Shvetambaras (followers dressed in white).
326
BCE - Alexander the Great of Macedon invades NW India and is stopped by Raja
Puru (“Porus”).
325
BCE – Chandragupta Maurya. After a
period of over 100 years where there was a lack of leadership, Chandragupta
Maurya subjugated the Punjab region and then
the Magadha Empire of the Nandas with the help of Arya Chaanakya in 317
B.C. Chandragupta Maurya defeats Greek
garrisons of Seleucus, founder of Seleucan Empire in Persia
and Syria.
Pataliputra, at the confluence of the Ganga and Soan rivers, was a city 9 miles
long along the banks of the Ganga, with 64 gates
on wooden walls and 570 towers.
275
BCE – Emperor Asoka ruled one of the largest empires in world history. Repudiating conquest through violence after
his brutal invasion of Kalinga (modern Orissa), 260 B.C. (where over 100,000
men were killed), Ashokavardhana converts to Buddhism. Excels at public works
and sends diplomatic peace missions to Persia,
Syria, Egypt, North Africa and Crete, and Buddhist
missions to Sri Lanka, China and other
Southeast Asian countries. Under his influence, Buddhism becomes a world
power. His teachings are preserved in
Rock and Pillar Edicts (e.g., lion capital of the pillar at Sarnath,
present-day India's
national emblem).
250
BCE – Third Council of Buddhism. During
the reign of Emperor Asoka in the 3rd Century BCE, the Third Council was held
to discuss the differences of opinion among the bhikkhus of different sects.
After the Third Council, King Asoka sent missionaries to Sri Lanka, Kanara, Karnataka, Kashmir, Himalaya
region, Burma, even nowadays
Afghanistan.
These teachings later became known as the "Pali-canon".
Chronology of India’s
History (Contd.)
100
BCE – timeframe of the poet Kalidasa (the “Shakespeare of India”). Sanskrit poet and dramatist, author of
Shakuntala and Meghaduta.
50
BCE – King Vikramaditya. Vikramaditya
regained his ancestral kingdom in Ujjain
by expelling the Sakas from there after 9 years of their rule (66-57 BCE). In order to commemorate his victory over
them, he introduced a new era called Vikram Samvat (or Malawa Samvat) in 57
BCE.
50
CE – Kushan Dynasty. The Kushans were a
branch of the nomadic Yeuhchi tribe of China. The Yeuhchi tribe was in
conflict with another tribe and so was forced to leave China. They
came to Central Asia and then spread to Bactria,
Paritha and Afghanistan.
Gradually they were divided into five branches. One of these branches -- Kouel
Chougang (Kushans) -- was superior to all. The Kushans under Kujala attacked
the Parithans, took possessions of Ki-pin and Kabul and became the complete master of the
Indian borderland.
125
CE – Fourth Council of Buddhism. The
Fourth Buddhist Council was held under the auspices of King Kaniska at Jalandhar
or in Kashmir around 100 CE.
200
CE – Hindu Kingdoms
established in Cambodia
(Kambhoja) and Malaysia.
250
CE – Gupta Dynasty. Most of northern India is united
under the Gupta dynasty. It is the golden age of literature, art and science.
The Hindu temple emerges as India’s
classic architectural form, and the decimal system is invented.
625
CE – Emperor Harsha. Buddhist Harshavardhana
("Isvaragupta"), reigning 606-647, establishes first great kingdom
after the Hephtalite invasions, eventually ruling all India to the Narmada River
in the South.
725
CE – Arabs invade Sind. The conquest of Sind
in 711-12 by Muhammad ibn al-Qasim. Raja
Dahir Sen, the last Hindu Sindhi King died on the battlefield. Arabs learn Indian astronomy, numerical
system and decimal system. The Arabs pass this knowledge to the west.
750
CE – Pala Kings of Bengal.
c
500-1300: A number of rival powers control southern and central India.
Among them are the Cholas, Pandyas, Cheras, Chalukyas and Pallavas. They were
all great builders of temples. Some of these include Mahabalipuram, Nadras and
Kailash temple in Ellora (built by the Rastrakutas).
800
CE: Adi Shankara (788-820) A.K.A. Adi Shankaracharya (the great Hindu
crusader), was born in Malabar (in village Kalati in Kerala to Shivguru and
Ayamba - a Namboadri Brahmin family), he was attracted to contemplation and Vedantic
studies from early age. He became a
famous monk philosopher of Smarta tradition who writes mystic poems and
scriptural commentaries including Viveka Chudamani, and regularizes ten
monastic orders called Dashanami. Preaches Mayavada Advaita, emphasizing the
world as illusion and God as the sole Reality.
He established 4 Monasteries which are still famous.
997-1027:
Afghan raiders repeatedly attack northern India.
1206:
The Turk Qutub-ud-din becomes the first Sultan of Delhi following the conquest
of the Gangetic plain. The Delhi Sultanate will dominate northern India for 200
years. Built Kutub Minar- 240 feet high tower in Delhi.
1398:
Mongols from central Asia led by Timur (Tamerlane) mount a devastating raid on Delhi.
1490:
Guru Nanak founds the Sikh religion (Shishya Dharma) – originally a reformist
Hindu sect which later became a martial force to counter the growing Mughal
Islamic power in Northern India.
1498:
The Portuguese navigator Vasco de Gama finds a sea route to Kerala, India.
With the capture of Goa in 1510, the Portuguese open a century long monopoly of
European trade with India.
Chronology of India’s
History (Contd.)
1526:
Babar, from Kabul, Afghanistan,
defeats the Sultan of Delhi and establishes Moghul rule in northern India. The Mughals
were originally from Mongolia
and gradually adopted Islam.
1556-1605:
Emperor Akbar, the third Mughal emperor, extends his territory from the Arabian
Sea to the Bay of Bengal. He creates a central
administration manned by both Muslim and Hindus. Akbar’s policy of tolerance
fosters a new golden age of Indian culture, this time influenced by Persian
motifs. He sponsors a new religion, a mix of Hinduism and Islam, called Deen-i-Ilahi.
(The religion does not last very long). Maharana Pratap of Mewar is the only
Hindu king to successfully resist Akbar.
1600:
Queen Elizabeth I of England
grants a charter to the East India Company, which proceeds to establish trading
posts in Surat (1612), Madras
(1640), Bombay (1668) and Calcutta (1690).
1632-1653:
Shah Jahan, the fifth Moghul emperor, builds the Taj Mahal in memory of his
wife Mumtaz. He also buit the Red Fort in Delhi.
1674:
A French trading post is set up in Pondycherry, south of Madras.
1680:
(Chhatrapati) Shivaji Bhonsle, a Hindu leader of Maharashtra,
dies after a life time of war with Moghuls. The Maratha kingdom he founded in Western India is a dominant power.
1707:
Aurangzeb, sixth and the last of the great Moghul emperors, dies. Though he
extended the realms, his religious zealotry has divided and weakened his
empire.
1751:
Robert Clive, a young British clerk-turned-soldier, leads 210 men to victory
over French force at Arcot near Madras.
The battle chokes French political ambitions in India.
1757:
The Nawab of Bengal, theoretically beholden to the Moghul emperors, attacks and
occupies Calcutta.
Clive retakes Calcutta and defeats the Nawab at
the end of the battle of Plassey, giving the British an effective control of
Bihar, Orissa and Bengal.
1758:
The Maratha kingdom reaches its zenith.
1761:
Afghan leader Ahmed Shah Abdali defeats the Marathas at Panipat, ending their
ambitions in northern India
and creatin g a power vacuum into which the British will step.
1774:
Warren Hastings, Bengal’s first Governor
General, lays the foundation of British civil administration.
1813-1849:
The East India Company acquires control of Maratha territory and is
acknowledged as suzerain in Rajasthan. With the annexation of Assam, Sind, Kashmir and Punjab, the East India
Company brings all of India
under its control.
1853:
The first Indian railroad opens to speed cotton to Bombay
for shipping to the mills in England.
1857:
The Indian mutiny begins among native soldiers and spreads to others. It is
crushed after 14 bitter months. Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi
fights valiantly and dies to save Jhansi
from British takeover.
1858:
The government of India
is transferred from East India Company to the British Crown.
1877:
Queen Victoria
is proclaimed Empress of India.
1885:
The Indian National Congress holds its inaugural meeting. Bal Gangadhar Tilak
slogan “Swaraj is our birth right and we will have it” awakens Indians’
patriotism.
1911:
The British build a whole new city of New Delhi. India’s capital is moved from Calcutta
to New Delhi.
1913:
The Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore becomes the first non-white to win a Nobel
Prize for literature.
Chronology of India’s
History (Contd.)
1914:
Gujarat-born Mohandas Gandhi returns to India
after 21 years in South
Africa, where he successfully fought unfair
laws applying to people of Indian origin.
1919:
After political disturbances, British troops fire into a large crowd of
Indians, killing over 400 at Jalianwalla Baag under General Dyer’s command.
1920:
Gandhi becomes head of Congress and launches a campaign for social and
political equality using the weapons of non-cooperation.
1930:
Salt Satyagraha – Gandhi leads Dandi March, is jailed soon after.
1935:
The Government of India Act enfranchises one sixth of the population and makes
the provinces autonomous from the central government. Congress and Muslim
League form ministries in several provinces.
1941:
Subhash Chandra Bose wins and resigns as president of Congress. He is
imprisoned and escapes to Germany.
Joins and leads the Indian National Army in S.E. Asia (1943). Killed in a plane
crash (1945).
1942:
As Japanese forces sweep through Burma
and threaten India,
Gandhi and Congress launch anti-British “Quit India” movement. Gandhi and
Congress leaders are imprisoned.
1947:
After negotiating with Gandhi and other Indian leaders, Viceroy Louis Mountbatten
grants India independence as
a dominion within the British Commonwealth. On
August 15, India
becomes an independent nation. As a part of this arrangement, India is partitioned and Pakistan
becomes a separate Muslim nation. The partition results in a violent struggle
and hundreds of thousands die in the civil strife. Jawaharlal Nehru becomes the
first Prime Minister of India. First war between India
and Pakistan takes place
over Kashmir.
1948:
Mahatma Gandhi is assassinated by a Hindu extremist in Delhi. The princely states are integrated
into India.
1950:
On January 26, Republic
of India is inaugurated.
Rajendra Prasad becomes the first president. Nehru defines India’s foreign
policy as non-alignment with the superpowers and peaceful coexistence with its
neighbors.
1952:
First general elections take place. Congress government comes to power
1956:
The states are reorganized on a linguistic basis.
1962:
War takes place with China
over border disputes.
1964:
Lal Bahadur Shastri becomes Prime Minister after Nehru’s death.
1965:
War takes place with Pakistan
over Kashmir. Ceasefire is declared.
1966:
Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri dies at Indo-Pak summit at Tashkent. Indira Gandhi, Nehru’s daughter,
comes to power.
1971:
India and Pakistan wage another war over India’s support for autonomy in Pakistan’s
eastern province. Eastern Pakistan becomes Bangladesh.
1972:
Simla agreement is signed between Indira Gandhi and Pakistan Prime Minister Zulfikar
Ali Bhutto.
1974:
India
becomes the world's sixth nuclear power, explodes nuclear device in Pokhran,
Rajasthan.
Chronology of India’s
History (Contd.)
1975:
Indira Gandhi is found guilty by court of electoral malpractice. President
declares state of emergency due to "internal disturbance threat". Democracy
is suspended for 19 months.
1977:
Emergency ends in sixth General elections. Janata Party, the first non-Congress
party comes to power. Morarji Desai becomes the Prime Minister.
1980:
Indira Gandhi returns to power.
1984:
Indira Gandhi is assassinated by her Sikh bodyguard (as revenge for the Indian
government’s attack on the Sikh Holy Temple
in Amritsar).
Her son Rajiv Gandhi becomes Prime Minister. In Bhopal, Union Carbide gas leak kills over
2,200.
1989:
Rajiv Gandhi's Congress is defeated in ninth general elections and a minority
government led by Janata Dal's V.P Singh comes to power.
1991:
V.P Singh's government falls. Rajiv Gandhi is assassinated by Sri Lankan Tamil
suicide bomber. Tenth general elections sees Congress government return to
power with P.V. Narasimha Rao as Prime Minister. Manmohan Singh initiates
significant economic reforms.
1992:
A Hindu mob demolishes the Babri Masjid (Babur’s mosque; actually a disputed
structure at that time and a non-functional site) at Ayodhya, and sparks off
Hindu-Muslim riots in several cities across the country. Dozens of Hindu temples are destroyed by
Muslim mobs the following day in Pakistan
and Bangladesh.
1996:
Narsimha Rao’s Congress Party is defeated. H.D. Gowda followed by I.K. Gujral;
both were Prime Ministers for short times.
1997:
Congress withdraws support to coalition government. Deve Gowda resigns, I.K.
Gujral becomes India's
12th Prime Minister.
1998:
BJP forms a coalition government, and A.B. Vajpayee becomes Prime Minister. India
completes Nuclear Testing successfully and incurs surprise and economic
reprisals from the U.S. (and
echo nuclear tests from Pakistan).
1999:
Pakistan surprise attacks India at high
mountain passes of Kargil. India wins
after taking some losses. The Pakistani
general who organized this war would later take over that country by force to
become its president – Pervez Musharaf.
2001:
Indian Parliament is attacked by terrorists sponsored by Pakistan. U.S.
changes relationship with India,
Pakistan and many other
nations after the 9-11 attacks on the U.S. by Islamic terrorists.
2003:
Bus service from Delhi to Lahore
is resumed as a good faith move between India
and Pakistan.
Vajpayee visits China
to achieve improved relations between the two countries.
2004:
BJP loses the election and Congress forms a Coalition government with Manmohan
Singh as P.M. and Sonia Gandhi (an ethnic Italian) at the head of the Congress
Party.
2004:
Tsunami generated in Indonesia
causes widespread damage and many deaths throughout Asia - including the
southern shores of India. Over 300,000 people were killed in Asia.
2005/2006:
Indian economy continues to accelerate as China’s economy starts to cool
off. India currently has foreign exchange
reserves of $175 Billion and growing.
2040:
India overtakes China as the most populous nation on Earth with 1.45
Billion people (against China’s
1.41 Billion at that time).
No comments:
Post a Comment