Indian History- Indian History begins with the Birth of the Indus Civilization and the arrival of the Aryans.
India is the 7th largest nation in the world with a total area of 3,287,263 sq km. Bhutan, Nepal, and Bangladesh in the northeast, China in the north, Pakistan in the northwest, and Sri Lanka on the southeast coast.
India is a country of an ancient civilization. India's social, economic, and cultural layout is through a long process of regional expansion. Indian history begins with the birth of the Indus Civilization and the arrival of the Aryans. These two phases are generally described as pre-Vedic and Vedic periods. Hinduism emerged in the Vedic era.
The history of India begins with the birth of the Indus Civilization, known as the Harappan civilization. The western part of South Asia was developed in about 2,500 BC, i.e. in present-day Pakistan and western India. Egypt had four ancient urban civilizations in the Indus Valley, the largest civilizations in Mesopotamia, India, and China. Nothing was known about this civilization until the 1920s when the Archaeological Department of India carried out excavations in the Indus Valley. The excavation ruins two old cities, such as Mohenjodaro and Harappa. Its ruins buildings and other objects such as household goods, war weapons, gold and silver ornaments, seals, toys, pottery products, etc. showed that a highly developed civilization developed in the region about four to five thousand years ago.
The Indus civilization was basically an urban civilization and people lived in well-planned and well-built cities, which were also the center of trade. The ruins of Mohenjodaro and Harappa revealed that these were beautiful business cities - well planned, scientifically placed, and well looked after. They had wide roads and a well-developed drainage system. The houses were made of bricks and had two or more floors.
The civilized Harappans knew the art of growing cereals, and wheat and barley were their staple food. They ate vegetables and fruits as well as goat meat, pork, and eggs. Evidence suggests that they were dressed in cotton as well as wool. By 1500 BC, Harappan culture was over. Various causes of the Indus valley civilization collapse due to repeated floods and other natural causes such as earthquakes etc.
Vedic Civilization
Vedic civilization is the oldest civilization in the history of ancient India. It is named after the early literature Vedas of Hindus. The Vedic civilization developed along the Saraswati River, an area now in modern Indian states of Haryana and Punjab. Vedic is synonymous with Hinduism, another name for religious and spiritual thought that develops from the Vedas. Ramayana and Mahabharata were two great epics of this period.
Buddhist Era
The Buddhist Era came during the Mahajanapada in the seventh and sixth centuries BC. At that time the prominent forces were The Sakyas of Kapilavastu and the Lisvis of Vaishali. Buddha, the original name was Siddharth Gautama, was born in Lumbini near Kapilavastu and was the founder of Buddhism. This Buddhism is a religion based on spiritualism. He died in 480 BC at the age of 80, but his teachings spread all over South and East Asia and were followed all over the world today.
Alexander's Attack
Alexander invaded India in 326 BC, crossing the Indus River and heading towards Taxila. He then challenged king Puru, the ruler of the state, between the Jhelum and Chenab rivers. The Indians lost this fierce battle, though they fought elephants, which The Macedonians have never seen before. Alexander imprisoned Puru and allowed him to rule his territory, just like other local rulers he defeated.
Gupta Dynasty
After Kushana, the Guptas are thought to have been the most important dynasty. The Gupta era is called the golden age of Indian history. Chandragupta, I was the son of Ghatotokacha, the first famous king of the Gupta dynasty. He married Kumardevi, the daughter of the chief of the Lichchavis, and he got Pataliputra as a dowry from the Lichvais. From Pataliputra he established the foundation of his empire and started conquering many neighboring states with the help of Litchavis. He was able to rule over Magadh (Bihar), Prayaga, and Saketa (East Uttar Pradesh). The border of his state extended from river Ganga to Allahabad. Chandragupta first received the title of Maharajadhiraja (King of King) and was in power for nearly fifteen years.
Harshvardhan
At the beginning of the seventh century, Harshvardhan (606-647 AD) ascended the throne of Thaneswar and Kannauj in the death of his brother Rajyavardhan. By 612 Harshvardhan merged his states in north India.
Harshvardhan invaded the Chalukya kingdom of Deccan in 620 AD. Pulakachin was ruled by the Second at that time. But winning Chalukya was difficult for Harshvardhan and he lost. Harshvardhan is well known for his religious tolerance, competent administration, and diplomatic relations. He maintained diplomatic relations with China and sent envoys, who exchanged ideas of Chinese rulers and developed their knowledge of each other.
Medieval Indian History
The medieval history of India is famous for acquiring many of its characters from the Islamic state. Spanning nearly three generations, medieval India included several states and dynasties:
- Chalukya
- Pallavas
- The Pandyas
- Rashtrakuta
- Chola
The Cholas were the most important rulers in the ninth century. Their state also covered a large part of South India including Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Although the rulers ruled bravely and annexed multiple territories in India, their empire came to an end in the 14th century with the attack of a man named Kafur Malik. Monuments of the Chola dynasty are still intact and are known for their rural attractions.
The Mughal Sanstha was the main empire which was before the rise of the Islamic ruler. The Attack of Timur played an important role in Indian history before the Hindu revival movement called the bhakti movement. The Mughal Empire began to rise in the 16th century. The Mughal Empire of India was a prosperous and glorious empire, the whole of India was united and ruled by a monarchy. The Mughal kings were Babar, Humayun, Sher Shah Suri (not the Mughal king), Akbar, Jahangir, Shahjahan and Aurangzeb. They were more responsible for establishing efficient public administration, setting up infrastructure, and promoting art. A large number of monuments still exist in Mughal-era India. The death of The Mughal last King Aurangzeb planted the seeds of division within India. The influential, Mughal kings of Islamic architecture in India are still viewed in surprise today.
Akbar
Emperor Akbar, also known as Akbar the Great or Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar. Akbar was the third emperor of the Mughal Empire after Babur and Humayun. He was the son of Nasiruddin Humayun and inherited him as emperor in 1556 at the age of just 13.
Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan is also known as Shahbuddin Mohammad Shahjahan. He was also a Mughal emperor and ruled the Indian subcontinent from 1628 to 1658. He was the fifth Mughal ruler after Babur, Humayun, Akbar, and Jahangir. Shah Jahan inherited the throne after rebelling against his father Emperor Jahangir.
Chhatrapati Shivaji
Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj of Western India was the founder of the Maratha empire. He is considered to be one of the great warriors of the time and even today the stories of his activities are seen going on among the people as part of folklore. King Shivaji used guerrilla tactics to capture a part of the then-dominant Mughal empire.
Modern Indian History
In the late 16th and 17th centuries, India's European trade companies were down in competition with each other. By the last quarter of the 18th century, the English overtook everyone else to establish themselves as dominant forces in India. The British ruled India for nearly two centuries and revolutionized the social, political, and economic life of the country.
The British topped the colonizing in the early 1600s when they arrived as traders. Capitalizing on the divisions that existed in India at the end of the Mughal rule, the British ruled over India for more than 2 centuries using the strategy of 'division and governance'. Although the British had come earlier, they gained political power only after the Battle of Plassy in 1757.
They were deeply interested in the resources India offered and were seen as plunderers of India's wealth - as they took cotton, spices, silk, and tea among many resources. The British raj was divisive and clashed with Indians on the basis of religion; And misbehaved with the workers as well. Indians were basically slaves of British rule and were working hard at work without any benefit. This led to multiple revolts, And freedom fighters came to the fore. Ideologies of different thoughts believed that there were different ways to achieve freedom, but one common goal of all - freedom.
The British Queen asserted that the British aim was to help India progress - however, creating multiple problems without the advice of Indian leaders. For example, when Britain invaded Germany for India in World War I, India did not want to do so; And millions of Indian soldiers were at the top of the British Indian Army during the two world wars. More than a million Indian soldiers were killed in both world wars.
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