India Tourism >> Culture of India >> Indian History
A Brief History Of India
Overview
History of India dates back to more than 5000 years, when there was advanced urban civilization (Named Harappa or Indus Valley civilization) located in western parts of modern India and parts of Pakistan. Owing to the number of reasons this urban civilization was declined, followed by Pastoral Aryan civilization (1500 BC to 600 BC). With the invention of Iron, there came stable agriculture economy and thus starts recorded history of India. The Indian history can broadly be classified in to Ancient, Medieval, and modern periods, details about each is provided below.
Ancient India (Temples, caves, Stupas and sculptures)
History of India till seventh century AD was mostly centered around religious places and the remains of this era are magnificent temples, Stupas and cave shrines located in almost all parts of the country. Two main dynasties which were able to establish Pan India rule were Mauryas and Guptas. The new religions Buddhism and Jainism became prominent during this period and spread to almost all parts of the country and beyond that. The remains of Buddhist Stupas, monasteries and caves are found in large numbers. The Jain religion was popular in western parts of India (modern Rajasthan and Gujrat). Sculptures and architectures of these Ancient Indian temples is the main attraction for tourists.
Medieval India (Most important for tourists )
Turks from central Asia invaded and settled into India. The blend of indigenous and foreign culture brought large number of changes in every sphere whether it be religious, political, architecture etc. Most of the rulers in medieval India are muslims only but the period cannot be called Muslim as there were large number of regional rulers which followed different faiths and culture. Most of the beautiful monuments in India were built during this period including the Taj Mahal. The monuments of this period includes Magnificent forts, beautiful palaces, Havelis, temples, mosques and tombs. Art and culture was flourished during this period, most of which is still carried on and for which only India is popular tourist destination of the world. The history of this period is most appealing to the tourists, with innumerable wars, love stories and political activities.
Modern History the period of British rule
This period of Indian history begins with the invasion of British East India Company. Whole country was brought under one flag. The modern means of communication introduced by the British, unified the country into one Nation which otherwise was group of different political parts. British actively took interest in preserving heritage of the country and also there were large number of museums established during this period. This period is much important for political thinkers, when democracy of modern India was founded by prominent national leaders.
History of India dates back to more than 5000 years, when there was advanced urban civilization (Named Harappa or Indus Valley civilization) located in western parts of modern India and parts of Pakistan. Owing to the number of reasons this urban civilization was declined, followed by Pastoral Aryan civilization (1500 BC to 600 BC). With the invention of Iron, there came stable agriculture economy and thus starts recorded history of India. The Indian history can broadly be classified in to Ancient, Medieval, and modern periods, details about each is provided below.Ancient India (Temples, caves, Stupas and sculptures)
History of India till seventh century AD was mostly centered around religious places and the remains of this era are magnificent temples, Stupas and cave shrines located in almost all parts of the country. Two main dynasties which were able to establish Pan India rule were Mauryas and Guptas. The new religions Buddhism and Jainism became prominent during this period and spread to almost all parts of the country and beyond that. The remains of Buddhist Stupas, monasteries and caves are found in large numbers. The Jain religion was popular in western parts of India (modern Rajasthan and Gujrat). Sculptures and architectures of these Ancient Indian temples is the main attraction for tourists.
Medieval India (Most important for tourists )
Turks from central Asia invaded and settled into India. The blend of indigenous and foreign culture brought large number of changes in every sphere whether it be religious, political, architecture etc. Most of the rulers in medieval India are muslims only but the period cannot be called Muslim as there were large number of regional rulers which followed different faiths and culture. Most of the beautiful monuments in India were built during this period including the Taj Mahal. The monuments of this period includes Magnificent forts, beautiful palaces, Havelis, temples, mosques and tombs. Art and culture was flourished during this period, most of which is still carried on and for which only India is popular tourist destination of the world. The history of this period is most appealing to the tourists, with innumerable wars, love stories and political activities.
Modern History the period of British rule
This period of Indian history begins with the invasion of British East India Company. Whole country was brought under one flag. The modern means of communication introduced by the British, unified the country into one Nation which otherwise was group of different political parts. British actively took interest in preserving heritage of the country and also there were large number of museums established during this period. This period is much important for political thinkers, when democracy of modern India was founded by prominent national leaders.