HISTORY TIMELINE

2500 -1500 BC	-	Mohenjo-daro and Harrapa flourished in the Indus Valley.
1500 BC	-	The first wave of Aryan immigration into India began
326 BC	-	Alexander the Great invaded India.
322-182 BC	-	Mauryan dynasty, the first historical dynasty in the history of India.
1498	-	Vasco-da-Gama lands at  Calicut.
1510	-	Portuguese capture Goa
1526	-	First battle of Panipat. Establishment of the Mughal Dynasty.
1526 - 1857	-	Mughal rule in India.
1600	-	East India Company constituted
1757	-	Battle of Plassey
1857	-	First War of Independence
1858	-	India comes under direct rule of the British crown after failed Indian mutiny.
1885	-	Indian National Congress founded
1905	-	First partition of Bengal
1906	-	Formation of Muslim League
1919	-	The massacre at Jalianwallabagh
1930	-	Salt Satyagraha, First Round Table Conference
1942-43	-	Quit India movement.
1947	-	India gains freedom, and Jawaharlal Nehru is sworn in as the first Prime Minister of independent India.
1947-48	-	Hundreds of thousands die in widespread communal bloodshed after partition.
1948	-	Mahatma Gandhi assassinated by Nathuram Godse.
1950	-	India becomes a Republic. Dr Rajendra Prasad is the first President of India.
1952	-	First general elections; Congress government comes to power
1956	-	The states are reorganized on a linguistic basis
1962	-	War with China and India loses
1964	-	Death of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru
1965	-	War with Pakistan; ceasefire declared
1966	-	Tashkent Agreement reached. Shastri dies at Tashkent. Indira Gandhi becomes prime minister.
1971	-	Third war with Pakistan
1971	-	Twenty-year treaty of friendship signed with Soviet Union.
1972	-	Shimla agreement signed between India and Pakistan.
1974	-	India's first atomic device exploded at Pokhran in Rajasthan.
1975	-	Indira Gandhi declared state of emergency.
1977	-	Indira Gandhi's Congress Party loses general elections.  Janata Party comes to power
1979	-	Janata Party splits; Seventh general elections held
1980	-	Indira Gandhi returns to power heading Congress party splinter group, Congress (Indira).
1984	-	Operation Blue Star. Indira Gandhi assassinated; son Rajiv Gandhi becomes Prime Minister
1987	-	India deploys troops for peacekeeping operation in Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict. Goa becomes the 25th state of India.
1989	-	Rajiv Gandhi's Congress defeated in ninth general elections; minority government led by Janata Dal's V.P Singh comes to power
1990	-	Indian troops withdrawn from Sri Lanka.
1991	-	V.P Singh's government falls . Rajiv Gandhi assassinated.  Congress government return to power with P.V. Narasimha Rao as Prime Minister
1992	-	The dome of Babri Masjid in  Ayodhya demolished by hindu fanatics;  triggering widespread Hindu-Muslim violence.
1996	-	Congress suffers worst ever electoral defeat as Hindu nationalist BJP emerges as largest single party. In May 16 AB Vajpayee is PM, until May 28; United Front Coalition forms government under Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda
1997	-	Congress withdraws support to coalition government; I.K. Gujaral sworn in Prime Minister.
1998	-	BJP forms coalition government under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
1999	-	Vajpayee makes historic bus trip to Pakistan to meet Premier Nawaz Sharif and to sign bilateral Lahore peace declaration.
1999	-	Intense fighting in Kargil
2004	-	Congress Party win in general elections. Dr. Manmohan Singh is sworn in as Prime Minister.