South Asia Timetable |
Timeline and cultural period |
Westcoast |
Northwestern Sub-continent (West Punjab-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) |
Indo-Gangetic Plain |
Central India Deccan Plateau |
Southern India |
Western Gangetic Plain (Kurukshetra) |
Northern India (Central Gangetic Plain) |
Northeastern India (Bengal) |
South Asian Stone Age (until c. 3300 BCE) |
South Asian Stone Age (until c. 1100 BCE) |
Culture |
Paleolithicum (until c. 10,000 BCE) |
70,000 - 10,000 BCE |
|
Sanghao Caves |
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Bhimbetka rock shelters (30,000-15,000 BCE) |
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Culture |
Mesolithicum (c. 10,000-7,000 BCE) |
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Mesolithicum (c. 10,000-3,000 BCE) |
c. 10,000-7,000 BCE |
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Culture |
Neolithicum (c. 7000-3300 BCE) |
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Mesolithicum (c. 10,000-3000 BCE) |
c. 7,000-3,300 BCE |
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Mehrgarh |
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BRONZE AGE (c. 3300-1100 BCE) |
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NEOLITHIC (c. 3000-1400 BCE) |
Culture |
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Early Harappan |
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3300-2600 BCE |
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Early Harappan |
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Culture |
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Integration Era |
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2600-1900 BCE |
Indus Valley Civilization |
Indus Valley Civilization |
Indus Valley Civilization |
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Culture |
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Localisation Era/Late Harappan OCP/Cemetery H |
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1900-1500 BCE |
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Earliest known rice cultivation[lower-alpha 1] |
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Culture |
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Localisation Era/Late Harappan OCP • Cemetery H • Early Vedic period • Gandhara grave culture |
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Megalithic (c. 1400-1100 BCE) |
1500-1300 BCE |
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Indo-Aryan migration |
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1300-1100 BCE |
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Wandering Vedic Aryans |
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IRON AGE (c. 1100-300 BCE) |
Culture |
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Middle Vedic Period |
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Gandhara grave culture |
Black and red ware culture |
|
1100-800 BCE |
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Vedic settlements Gandhara |
Vedic settlements Kuru |
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Culture |
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Late Vedic Period |
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Gandhara grave culture |
(Brahmin ideology)[lower-alpha 2] • early Upanishads • Painted Grey Ware culture |
(Kshatriya/Shramanic culture)[lower-alpha 3] • Northern Black Polished Ware |
800-600 BCE |
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Gandhara |
Kuru-Pancala |
Kosala-Videha |
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Culture |
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Late Vedic Period Mahajanapada |
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Gandhara grave culture |
(Brahmin ideology)[lower-alpha 4] • early Upanishads • Painted Grey Ware culture |
(Kshatriya/Shramanic culture)[lower-alpha 5] • Northern Black Polished Ware |
6th century BCE |
|
Gandhara |
Kuru-Panchala |
Kosala Magadha Anga |
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Adivasi (tribes) |
|
Culture |
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Persian-Greek influences |
"Second Urbanisation" |
|
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Later Upanishads |
Rise of Shramana movements Jainism - Buddhism - Ājīvika - Yoga Later Upanishads |
|
5th century BCE |
|
(Persian rule) |
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Shishunaga dynasty |
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Adivasi (tribes) |
|
4th century BCE |
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(Greek conquests) |
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Nanda empire
Kalinga |
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HISTORICAL AGE (after 300 BCE) |
Culture |
Spread of Buddhism |
Pre-history |
Sangam period (300 BCE – 200 CE) |
3rd century BCE |
Maurya Empire |
Early Cholas Early Pandyan Kingdom Satavahana dynasty Cheras |
Culture |
Preclassical Hinduism[lower-alpha 6] - "Hindu Synthesis"[lower-alpha 7] (c. 200 BCE-300 CE)[lower-alpha 8][lower-alpha 9] Epics - Puranas - Ramayana - Mahabharata - Bhagavad Gita - Brahma Sutras - Smarta Tradition Mahayana Buddhism |
Sangam period (continued) (300 BCE – 200 CE) |
2nd century BCE |
|
Indo-Greek Kingdom |
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Shunga Empire |
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Adivasi (tribes) |
Early Cholas Early Pandyan Kingdom Satavahana dynasty Cheras |
1st century BCE |
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Yona |
Maha-Meghavahana Dynasty |
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1st century CE |
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Indo-Scythians Indo-Parthians |
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Kuninda Kingdom |
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2nd century |
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Pahlava |
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Varman dynasty |
3rd century |
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Kushan Empire |
Western Satraps |
Kamarupa kingdom |
Kalabhras dynasty |
Culture |
"Golden Age of Hinduism"(c. 320-650 CE)[lower-alpha 10] Puranas Co-existence of Hinduism and Buddhism |
4th century |
Gupta Empire |
Kadamba Dynasty Western Ganga Dynasty |
5th century |
Vishnukundina |
6th century |
Maitraka |
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Adivasi (tribes) |
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Culture |
Late-Classical Hinduism (c. 650-1100 CE)[lower-alpha 11] Advaita Vedanta - Tantra Decline of Buddhism in India |
7th century |
Maitraka |
Indo-Sassanids |
Vakataka dynasty Empire of Harsha |
Mlechchha dynasty |
Adivasi (tribes) |
Pallava |
8th century |
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Kidarite Kingdom |
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Kalachuri |
9th century |
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Indo-Hephthalites (Huna) |
Gurjara-Pratihara |
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Chalukya |
10th century |
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Pala dynasty Kamboja-Pala dynasty |
Rashtrakuta |
Culture |
Islamic rule and "Sects of Hinduism" (c. 1100-1850 CE)[lower-alpha 12] - Medieval and Late Puranic Period (500–1500 CE)[lower-alpha 13] |
11th century |
Western Chalukyas |
(Islamic conquests) Kabul Shahi (Islamic Empire) |
Rajputs |
Pala Empire Paramara dynasty Solanki Eastern Ganga dynasty |
Sena dynasty |
Adivasi (tribes) |
Chola Empire Yadava dynasty Western Chalukyas Eastern Chalukyas Kakatiya dynasty Hoysala Empire |
12th century |
Western Chalukyas |
|
Rajputs |
Paramara dynasty Solanki Eastern Ganga dynasty |
Chola Empire Yadava dynasty Western Chalukyas Eastern Chalukyas Kakatiya dynasty Hoysala Empire |
13th century |
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Delhi Sultanate |
Chola Empire |
14th century |
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Delhi Sultanate |
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Vijayanagara Empire |
15th century |
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Delhi Sultanate |
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16th century |
Mughal Empire |
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17th century |
Mughal Empire |
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Maratha Empire |
Culture |
Maratha Empire and British Colonisation - Company rule in India' |
18th century |
Maratha Empire |
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Maratha Empire |
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British |
Maratha Empire/British |
Culture |
British Colonisation - British Raj |
19th century |
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Sikh Empire |
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Culture |
British Raj - Independence struggle - Pakistan - India - Bangladesh' |
20th century |
Pakistan |
India |
Bangladesh |
India |
21st century |