In Madhya Pradesh, with paintings that date back thousands of years. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2003.
Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, Lothal with its dockyard, Rakhigarhi and Dholavira. Dholavira was inscribed by UNESCO in 2021.
The Rigveda is the oldest. The others are the Samaveda, Yajurveda and Atharvaveda.
Sixteen great kingdoms flourished in the 6th century BCE. Magadha rose to dominate the rest.
Founded by Chandragupta Maurya with the help of Chanakya (Kautilya), the author of the Arthashastra. Its capital was Pataliputra.
After the Kalinga war around 261 BCE, Ashoka embraced Buddhism and had his edicts inscribed. The Lion Capital at Sarnath is India's national emblem.
Samudragupta expanded it and Chandragupta II, known as Vikramaditya, ruled at its height. The Chinese monk Fa-Hien visited.
The southern kingdoms are described in Sangam literature. Rajaraja I built the Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur in the early 11th century.
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