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) |
| 70,000 - 10,000 BCE |
|
Sanghao Caves |
|
|
|
Bhimbetka rock shelters (30,000-15,000 BCE) |
|
| Culture |
Mesolithicum (c. 10,000-7,000 BCE) |
|
Mesolithicum (c. 10,000-3,000 BCE) |
| c. 10,000-7,000 BCE |
|
|
|
|
|
|
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| Culture |
Neolithicum (c. 7000-3300 BCE) |
|
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 |
|
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| Culture |
|
Integration Era |
|
|
|
| 2600-1900 BCE |
Indus Valley civilization |
Indus Valley civilization |
Indus Valley civilization |
|
|
|
|
| Culture |
|
Localisation Era/Late Harappan OCP/Cemetery H |
|
|
|
| 1900-1500 BCE |
|
|
|
Earliest known rice cultivation |
|
|
|
| Culture |
|
Localisation Era/Late Harappan OCP • Cemetery H • Early Vedic period • Gandhara grave culture |
|
|
Megalithic (c. 1400-1100 BCE) |
| 1500-1300 BCE |
|
Indo-Aryan migration |
|
|
|
|
|
| 1300-1100 BCE |
|
Wandering Vedic Aryans |
|
|
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|
|
| IRON AGE (c. 1100-300 BCE) |
| Culture |
|
Middle Vedic Period |
|
|
|
| Gandhara grave culture |
Black and red ware culture |
|
| 1100-800 BCE |
|
Vedic settlements Gandhara |
Vedic settlements Kuru |
|
|
|
|
| Culture |
|
Late Vedic Period |
|
|
|
| Gandhara grave culture |
(Brahmin ideology) • early Upanishads • Painted Grey Ware culture |
(Kshatriya/Shramanic culture) • Northern Black Polished Ware |
| 800-600 BCE |
|
Gandhara |
Kuru-Pancala |
Kosala-Videha |
|
|
|
| Culture |
|
Late Vedic Period Mahajanapada |
|
|
|
| Gandhara grave culture |
(Brahmin ideology) • early Upanishads • Painted Grey Ware culture |
(Kshatriya/Shramanic culture) • Northern Black Polished Ware |
| 6th century BCE |
|
Gandhara |
Kuru-Panchala |
Kosala Magadha Anga |
|
Adivasi (tribes) |
|
| Culture |
|
Persian-Greek influences |
"Second Urbanisation" |
|
|
| Later Upanishads |
Rise of Shramana movements Jainism - Buddhism - Ājīvika - Yoga Later Upanishads |
|
| 5th century BCE |
|
(Persian rule) |
|
Shishunaga dynasty |
|
Adivasi (tribes) |
|
| 4th century BCE |
|
(Greek conquests) |
|
Nanda empire
Kalinga |
|
|
| HISTORICAL AGE (after 300 BCE) |
| Culture |
Spread of Buddhism |
Pre-history |
Sangam period (300 BCE – 200 CE) |
| 3rd century BCE |
Maurya Empire |
Early Cholas Early Pandyan Kingdom Satavahana dynasty Cheras |
| Culture |
Preclassical Hinduism - "Hindu Synthesis" (c. 200 BCE-300 CE) Epics - Puranas - Ramayana - Mahabharata - Bhagavad Gita - Brahma Sutras - Smarta Tradition Mahayana Buddhism |
Sangam period (continued) (300 BCE – 200 CE) |
| 2nd century BCE |
|
Indo-Greek Kingdom |
|
Shunga Empire |
|
Adivasi (tribes) |
Early Cholas Early Pandyan Kingdom Satavahana dynasty Cheras |
| 1st century BCE |
|
|
Yona |
Maha-Meghavahana Dynasty |
|
| 1st century CE |
|
Indo-Scythians Indo-Parthians |
|
Kuninda Kingdom |
|
| 2nd century |
|
|
Pahlava |
|
Varman dynasty |
| 3rd century |
|
|
Kushan Empire |
Western Satraps |
Kamarupa kingdom |
Kalabhra dynasty |
| Culture |
"Golden Age of Hinduism"(c. 320-650 CE) Puranas Co-existence of Hinduism and Buddhism |
| 4th century |
Gupta Empire |
Kadamba Dynasty Western Ganga Dynasty |
| 5th century |
Vishnukundina |
| 6th century |
Maitraka |
|
|
|
|
Adivasi (tribes) |
|
| Culture |
Late-Classical Hinduism (c. 650-1100 CE) Advaita Vedanta - Tantra Decline of Buddhism in India |
| 7th century |
Maitraka |
Indo-Sassanids |
Vakataka dynasty Empire of Harsha |
Mlechchha dynasty |
Adivasi (tribes) |
Pallava |
| 8th century |
|
Kidarite Kingdom |
|
|
Kalachuri |
| 9th century |
|
Indo-Hephthalites (Huna) |
Gurjara-Pratihara |
|
Chalukya |
| 10th century |
|
|
|
|
Pala dynasty Kamboja-Pala dynasty |
Rashtrakuta |
| Culture |
Islamic rule and "Sects of Hinduism" (c. 1100-1850 CE) - Medieval and Late Puranic Period (500–1500 CE) |
| 11th century |
Western Chalukyas |
(Islamic conquests) Kabul Shahi (Islamic Empire) |
Rajputs |
Pala Empire Paramara dynasty Chaulukya dynasty Eastern Ganga dynasty |
Sena dynasty |
Adivasi (tribes) |
Chola Empire Yadava dynasty Western Chalukyas Eastern Chalukyas Kakatiya dynasty Hoysala Empire |
| 12th century |
Western Chalukyas |
|
Rajputs |
Paramara dynasty Chaulukya dynasty Eastern Ganga dynasty |
Chola Empire Yadava dynasty Western Chalukyas Eastern Chalukyas Kakatiya dynasty Hoysala Empire |
| 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 |
| Culture |
Maratha Empire and British Colonisation - Company rule in India |
| 18th century |
Maratha Empire |
|
Maratha Empire |
|
British |
Maratha Empire/British |
| 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 |