Timeline of South Asian history
Below is a timeline of South Asian history.
Timeline and cultural period |
Westcoast | Northwestern Sub-continent (West Punjab-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) |
Indo-Gangetic Plain | Central India Deccan Plateau |
Southern India | |||
Western Gangetic Plain (Kurukshetra) |
Northern India (Central Gangetic Plain) |
Northeastern India (Bengal) | ||||||
South Asian Stone Age (until c. 3300 BCE) | South Asian Stone Age (until c. 1100 BCE) | |||||||
Culture | Paleolithicum (until c. 10,000 BCE)
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70,000 - 10,000 BCE | Sanghao Caves
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Bhimbetka rock shelters (30,000-15,000 BCE) |
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Culture | Mesolithicum (c. 10,000-7,000 BCE)
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Mesolithicum (c. 10,000-3,000 BCE) | ||||||
c. 10,000-7,000 BCE | ||||||||
Culture | Neolithicum (c. 7000-3300 BCE)
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Mesolithicum (c. 10,000-3000 BCE) | ||||||
c. 7,000-3,300 BCE | Mehrgarh | |||||||
BRONZE AGE (c. 3300-1100 BCE) | NEOLITHIC (c. 3000-1400 BCE) | |||||||
Culture | Early Harappan
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3300-2600 BCE | Early Harappan | |||||||
Culture | Integration Era
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2600-1900 BCE | Indus Valley civilization
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Indus Valley civilization
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Indus Valley civilization
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Culture | ||||||||
1900-1500 BCE | Earliest known rice cultivation[a] | |||||||
Culture | Megalithic (c. 1400-1100 BCE) | |||||||
1500-1300 BCE | Indo-Aryan migration
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1300-1100 BCE | Wandering Vedic Aryans | |||||||
IRON AGE (c. 1100-300 BCE)
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Culture | Middle Vedic Period
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Gandhara grave culture | Black and red ware culture
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1100-800 BCE | Vedic settlements Gandhara |
Vedic settlements Kuru |
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Culture | Late Vedic Period
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Gandhara grave culture | (Brahmin ideology)[b] • early Upanishads • Painted Grey Ware culture | (Kshatriya/Shramanic culture)[c] • Northern Black Polished Ware | ||||||
800-600 BCE | Gandhara | Pancala
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Kosala-Videha | |||||
Culture | Late Mahajanapada
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Gandhara grave culture | (Brahmin ideology)[d] • early Upanishads • Painted Grey Ware culture | (Kshatriya/Shramanic culture)[e] • Northern Black Polished Ware | ||||||
6th century BCE | Gandhara | Panchala
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Kosala Magadha Anga |
Adivasi (tribes) | ||||
Culture | Persian-Greek influences | "Second Urbanisation" | ||||||
Later Upanishads | ||||||||
5th century BCE | (Persian rule) | Shishunaga dynasty
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Adivasi (tribes) | |||||
4th century BCE | ( Greek conquests )
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Nanda empire Kalinga
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HISTORICAL AGE (after 300 BCE) | ||||||||
Culture | Spread of Buddhism | Pre-history | Sangam period (300 BCE – 200 CE) | |||||
3rd century BCE | Maurya Empire | Cheras
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Culture | Preclassical Hinduism Mahayana Buddhism
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Sangam period (continued) (300 BCE – 200 CE) | ||||||
2nd century BCE | Indo-Greek Kingdom
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Shunga Empire | Adivasi (tribes) | Cheras
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1st century BCE | Yona | Maha-Meghavahana Dynasty
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1st century CE | Indo-Scythians Indo-Parthians |
Kuninda Kingdom | ||||||
2nd century | Pahlava
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Varman dynasty | ||||||
3rd century | Kushan Empire | Western Satraps | Kamarupa kingdom | Kalabhra dynasty | ||||
Culture | "Golden Age of Hinduism"(c. 320-650 CE)[j] Puranas Co-existence of Hinduism and Buddhism | |||||||
4th century | Gupta Empire | Western Ganga Dynasty
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5th century | Vishnukundina
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6th century | Maitraka
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Adivasi (tribes) | ||||||
Culture | Late-Classical Hinduism (c. 650-1100 CE) Decline of Buddhism in India
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7th century | Maitraka
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Indo-Sassanids
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Empire of Harsha
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Mlechchha dynasty | Adivasi (tribes) | Pallava | ||
8th century | Kidarite Kingdom | Kalachuri
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9th century | Indo-Hephthalites (Huna) | Gurjara-Pratihara
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Chalukya | |||||
10th century | Kamboja-Pala dynasty
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Rashtrakuta
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Culture | Islamic rule and "Sects of Hinduism" (c. 1100-1850 CE)[l] - Medieval and Late Puranic Period (500–1500 CE)[m] | |||||||
11th century | Western Chalukyas | ( Islamic Empire )
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Rajputs
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Pala Empire Paramara dynasty Chaulukya dynasty Eastern Ganga dynasty |
Sena dynasty | Adivasi (tribes) | Hoysala Empire
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12th century | Western Chalukyas | Rajputs
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Paramara dynasty Chaulukya dynasty Eastern Ganga dynasty |
Hoysala Empire
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13th century | Delhi Sultanate | Chola Empire | ||||||
14th century | Delhi Sultanate | Vijayanagara Empire | ||||||
15th century | Delhi Sultanate | |||||||
16th century | Mughal Empire | |||||||
17th century | Mughal Empire | Maratha Empire
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Culture | Maratha Empire and British Colonisation - Company rule in India | |||||||
18th century | Maratha Empire
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Maratha Empire
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British | Maratha Empire/British
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Culture | British Colonisation - British Raj | |||||||
19th century | Sikh Empire | |||||||
Culture | British Raj - Independence struggle - Pakistan - India - Bangladesh | |||||||
20th century | Pakistan | India | Bangladesh | India | ||||
21st century |