| 2500 -1500 BC |
- |
Mohenjo-daro and Harrapa flourished in the Indus Valley. |
| 1500 BC |
- |
The first wave of Aryan immigration into India
began |
| 326 BC |
- |
Alexander the Great invaded India. |
| 322-182 BC |
- |
Mauryan dynasty, the first historical dynasty in the history
of India. |
| 1498 |
- |
Vasco-da-Gama lands at Calicut. |
| 1510 |
- |
Portuguese capture Goa |
| 1526 |
- |
First battle of Panipat. Establishment of the Mughal
Dynasty. |
| 1526 - 1857 |
- |
Mughal rule in India. |
| 1600 |
- |
East India Company constituted |
| 1757 |
- |
Battle of Plassey |
| 1857 |
- |
First War of
Independence |
| 1858 |
- |
India comes under direct rule of the British crown
after failed Indian mutiny. |
| 1885 |
- |
Indian National Congress founded |
| 1919 |
- |
The massacre at Jalianwallabagh |
| 1942-43 |
- |
Quit India movement. |
| 1947 |
- |
India gains freedom, and Jawaharlal Nehru is sworn in as the
first Prime Minister of independent India. |
| 1947-48 |
- |
Hundreds of thousands die in widespread communal
bloodshed after partition. |
| 1948 |
- |
Mahatma Gandhi assassinated by Nathuram Godse. |
| 1950 |
- |
India becomes a Republic. Dr
Rajendra Prasad is the first President of India. |
| 1952 |
- |
First general elections; Congress government comes to power |
| 1956 |
- |
The states are reorganized on a linguistic basis |
| 1962 |
- |
War with China and India loses |
| 1964 |
- |
Death of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru |
| 1965 |
- |
War with Pakistan; ceasefire declared |
| 1966 |
- |
Tashkent Agreement reached. Shastri dies at Tashkent. Indira Gandhi becomes prime minister. |
| 1971 |
- |
Third war with Pakistan |
| 1971 |
- |
Twenty-year treaty of friendship signed with Soviet
Union. |
| 1972 |
- |
Shimla agreement signed between India and Pakistan. |
| 1974 |
- |
India's first atomic device exploded at Pokhran in
Rajasthan. |
| 1975 |
- |
Indira Gandhi declared state of emergency. |
| 1977 |
- |
Indira Gandhi's Congress Party loses general elections.
Janata Party comes to power |
| 1979 |
- |
Janata Party splits; Seventh general elections held |
| 1980 |
- |
Indira Gandhi returns to power heading Congress party
splinter group, Congress (Indira). |
| 1984 |
- |
Operation Blue Star. Indira Gandhi assassinated; son Rajiv Gandhi becomes Prime
Minister |
| 1987 |
- |
India deploys troops for peacekeeping operation in Sri
Lanka's ethnic conflict. Goa becomes the 25th state of India. |
| 1989 |
- |
Rajiv Gandhi's Congress defeated in ninth general elections; minority government led by Janata Dal's V.P Singh comes to power |
| 1990 |
- |
Indian troops withdrawn from Sri Lanka. |
| 1991 |
- |
V.P Singh's government falls . Rajiv Gandhi assassinated.
Congress government return to power with P.V. Narasimha Rao as Prime Minister |
| 1992 |
- |
The dome of Babri Masjid (mosque) in Ayodhya demolished by
hindu fanatics;
triggering
widespread Hindu-Muslim violence. |
| 1996 |
- |
Congress suffers worst ever electoral defeat as Hindu
nationalist BJP emerges as largest single party. In May 16 AB Vajpayee
is PM, until May 28; United Front Coalition forms government under Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda |
|
1997 |
- |
Congress withdraws support to coalition government; I.K. Gujaral
sworn in Prime Minister. |
| 1998 |
- |
BJP forms coalition government under Prime Minister
Atal Behari Vajpayee. |
| 1999 |
- |
Vajpayee makes historic bus trip to Pakistan
to meet Premier Nawaz Sharif and to sign bilateral Lahore peace
declaration. |
| 1999 |
- |
Intense fighting in Kargil |
| 2004 |
- |
Congress Party win in general
elections. Manmohan Singh is sworn in as prime minister. |
