History Of India
India is famous worldwide for its diversity in culture and religion. This country is home to Indus Valley civilization and a region of historic trade routes and empires. The hallmark of Indian history dates back to the stone age with paintings of the Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh. These paintings are the proof of the earlier known traces of human life in India.
The first known permanent settlements appeared over nine thousands years ago and gradually developed into the Indus Valley Civilization and followed by the Vedic Civilization, which later laid the foundation of Hinduism and other cultural aspects of early Indian society.
After the establishment of many independent kingdoms and republics, the empire built by the Maurya dynasty under emperor Ashoka united most of South Asia in the third century. A series of invasions from Central Asia followed, including those led by the Indo-Greeks, Indo-Scythians, Indo-Parthians and Kushans in the north-western Indian subcontinent. From the third century CE, the Gupta dynasty oversaw the period referred to as “The Golden Age” of Indian history. Among the notable South Indian empires were the Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Hoysalas, Pallavas, Pandyas, and Cholas. Science, engineering, art, literature, astronomy, and philosophy flourished under the patronage of these kings. Paintings at the Ajanta Caves in Aurangabad, Maharashtra were made in the 6th century.
Between the tenth and twelfth century Mughals invaded India and ruled almost all over North India. Later, in the seventeenth and eighteenth century, the Mughal supremacy declined and the Maratha Empire became the dominant power. From the sixteenth century, several European countries, including Portugal, Netherlands, France, and the United Kingdom, started arriving as traders and later took advantage of the fractious nature of relations between the kingdoms to establish colonies in the country. India,s freedom struggle is one of the important milestone in the History Of India. During the twentieth century, India struggled for its freedom and gained it on 15th August 1947 from British under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi after launching some great movements like “Quit India Movement.”