India as a country is steeped deep into history. One can trace its origin right to the Stone Age. The vast
Indian history has been divided into four phases. These are:
Ancient Indian History (400,000BC-1000AD):
The period of the ancient Indian History began from 400,000 BC and lasted till 1000AD.
The pre historic period culminated from 400,000 BC-2500 BC comprising of the different phases of the
Stone Age. The main civilization of the following
Bronze Age was the
Indus Valley Civilization marked from 2500 BC-1500 BC
. Discovery of the ruins of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro shows how advanced India was at that time.
Aryans were the first nomadic tribe to have come and settled in India in the Vedic period. Their culture of nurturing Vedic religion and hymns formed the base for Hinduism. The society was divided into four casts viz; Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra. The
Vedic Age is marked from 1500 BC-1000 BC followed by the
Epic Age between 1000 BC-600 BC. The two famous epics written in this period are “The Ramayana” and “The Mahabharata”
Some of the famous kingdoms that ruled over India in the ancient period were:
- Mauryan Empire
- Satavahana Empire
- Kushan Empire
- Gupta Empire
Medieval Indian History (1000AD-1857AD):
During this period India faced many foreign invasions. Some invaders came in to rule while some came merely to loot India 's vast wealth. The Afghans and the Huns crossed the Hindukush mountain range on the North East frontier and invaded India . They plundered many important Indian cities and temples and looted its wealth. Mahmud of Ghazni plundered the Somnath Temple seventeen times. They formed the Delhi Sultanate and ruled India for many years.
It was during this period that Delhi gained a lot of importance. Many battles were fought amongst several dynasties to gain control over Delhi , which became the capital city for many kingdoms. These foreign dynasties, who ruled over India promoted art and architectural works. Influence of Persian and Arabic art can be seen in the art and architecture of the period. Their impact can also be seen in the social life, food habits and clothing.
Slowly these dynasties permanently settled in India and became an inseparable part of India making it their native country. Some of the important dynasties of this period are:
- The Slave Dynasty
- The Khilji Dynasty
- The Tughlaq Dynasty
- The Vijaynagar Empire
- The Bahama Kingdom
- The Mughal Dynasty
- The Maratha Dynasty
Some of the famous battles fought in his period were:
- Battle of Tarain
- Battle of Panipat
British Period (1857 AD-1947 AD): The rule of East India Company, is considered a separate period in the history of India . The British had come to India as spice traders but slowly colonized it and began ruling over it. The Indian Freedom Struggle has been considered one of the most important freedom movements in the world.
Modern Indian History (1947AD onwards): The period of modern India history begins from the 15 th of August 1947, the day India gained independence. After achieving independence, India emerged as a sovereign, democratic, republic with a parliamentary form of government.
Today,
India , a country with mixed economy has shown commendable development in the field of agriculture, science, technology and industry. The living standards of the people have increased and it has been successful in bringing itself amongst the elite countries in the field of space and technology.
