Though the Ancient history began
with evolution of the earth. The history of India commences with the evidence
of human activity of Homo sapiens as long as 75,000 years ago. But broadly
Indian history comprises more than a span of 5000 years. The Indus Valley
Civilization, which spread and flourished in the northwestern part of the
Indian subcontinent from somewhere around 2500 to 1750 BC, was the first major
civilization in India. It actually straddled modern India and Pakistan. The
people of the area had begun farming, they had invented pottery. By about 2,500
BC a prosperous farming society had grown up. The people spun cotton and they
traded with other cultures such as modern day Iraq. Some of the people of the
Indus Valley began to live in towns. The two largest were at Mohenjo-Daro and
Harappa.
After the
collapse of the Indus Valley civilization a new wave of people entered India.
The Aryans came from central Asia and they probably entered India through
Afghanistan after 1500 BC. There were probably waves of invasions over a period
of time rather than just one. The Aryans were a semi-nomadic race of
pastoralists. At first they wandered about with their herds of cattle rather
than live in one place. However in time the Aryans settled down and became
farmers. Slowly a more ordered and settled society evolved. Tribes became
kingdoms. The various Indian kingdoms had begun to conquer one another. At
approximately the same time the Persians captured the extreme North-west of
India. Alexander the Great destroyed the Persian Empire and penetrated the far
North-west of India.
In 322 BC
Chandragupta Maurya became king of the powerful and highly centralized state of
Magadha in the North of India. Aided by his able advisor Kautilya Chandragupta
created an empire. This new empire was rich and trade thrived. In 296
Chandragupta abdicated in favour of his son Bindusara. The greatest Mauryan
ruler was Ashoka (269-232 BC). He conquered Kalinga (modern day Orissa).
Afterwards he declared he was appalled by the suffering caused by war and
decided against any further conquest. Asoka also converted to Buddhism. However
despite his conversion to Buddhism Mauryan rule was authoritarian. After his
death the Mauryan empire declined, as all empires do. It suffered an economic
decline and political instability as different brothers strived to become king.
A general assassinated the last Mauryan ruler in 185 BC.
The
general then took over running the empire and founded the Shunga dynasty.
However in 73 BC the last Shunga ruler was, in turn, assassinated. They were
replaced by the Kanva dynasty which ruled from 73-28BC. A new empire was
founded early in the 4th century AD by Chandragupta. After his death his son
Samudragupta (335-375) conquered the whole of Northern India and much of
Central India. The Gupta Empire reached a peak under Chandragupta II 375-415
AD. However it then went into decline. The Gupta Empire broke up in the early
6th century. However Gupta rule was less strict then Mauryan rule and provinces
of the empire were given some autonomy.
The next
great ruler in Indian history was king Harshavardhana (606-647). Harsha began
as ruler of the kingdom of Thanesar. He then carved out an empire in Northern
India. But Harsha's kingdom really depended on his personality to hold it
together. After his death it quickly broke up.India once again became a land of
several kingdoms, which were frequently at war with each other.
