Indus Valley Civilisation

Its mature phase ran from about 2600 to 1900 BCE. Harappa and Mohenjo-daro had planned streets and covered drains.

The Vedic age

The Rigveda is the oldest Vedic text. Hymns in Sanskrit were passed down by memory long before they were written.

Buddhism and Jainism

Both arose in the 6th century BCE. The Buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath, and Mahavira is the 24th tirthankara of Jainism.

The Mauryas

Chandragupta Maurya founded the empire. His grandson Ashoka turned to the Buddhist idea of dhamma after the Kalinga war.

The Gupta age

The 4th to 6th centuries CE are called a golden age for the arts and science. Aryabhata worked in this period.

Sultanate and Mughals

The Delhi Sultanate began in 1206. Babur founded the Mughal Empire after the First Battle of Panipat in 1526.

Bhakti and Sufi traditions

Saints such as Kabir, Guru Nanak and Mirabai, and Sufi masters like Moinuddin Chishti, shaped a shared devotional culture.

From freedom to republic

India became independent on 15 August 1947. The Constitution was adopted on 26 November 1949 and came into force on 26 January 1950.

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