History of India

History of India

 

   One of the earliest civilisations of the world grew on the banks of the river Indus about 5,000 years ago. Agriculture and crafts were the main occupations of the people of this civilisation. The entire area was divided into city states and the people of these city states constantly had and the people of these city states constantly had differences with each other . the first outside invaders were the Aryans. 

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    Dynastic rule, however started with the coming of Mauryan dynasty. During the reign of the Mauryas, Ashoka the Great rose to power as one of the greatest emperor of that time. He expanded and consolidated the empire of the Mauryas and brought about peace and tranquility. During his reign Buddhism spread all over the counter and to other countries as well. When the Mauryan empire fell it was succeeded by the Guptas who gave a glorious period to Indian history. The advent of the Huns weakened this empire and the rulers were overthrown. Soon the Turks attacked India and the following years saw the advent of Muslim rulers like the Tughlaks and the Lodhis. 

    It was after the downfall of the Lodhis that the next great dynasty, the Mughals, gained contuol over most of India in the first quarter of the 16th century. The Mughals were great conquerors, able administrators, magnificent builders, great philosophers and lovers of art. The generations of Mughal rulers included emperors like Babr, Akbar, Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb etc. One of the wonders of the modern world, the Taj Mahal, was built during this period. Most of the Mughal empire was in northern India, in the south there were other Hindu kingdoms like the Cholas and the Satwahans. These kingdoms too contributed to the Indian heritage, they built some of the most magnificent temples, most of which even exist today. The advent of the Muslims in the North did have its effects on these southern states and as the number of non-Hindu rulers rose, these states were overthrown and most of them eventually collapsed. On the southern coast Pondicherry, Calicut, Goa, etc. became major port where large-scale trading was carried out with the Europeans. Soon the British too landed in India and established their trading centres, in the form of the East India Trading Company, by extracting favours from the Mughal emperors. 

    Over the years the British became strong and usurped power from the Mughal rulers. In 1876 Queen Victoria of England became the Empress of the British Domain in India. Close to the end of the 19th century resentment grew among the Indians and various attempts were made to overthrow the British rule. In 1885 the India National Congress was formed to campaign for freedom. Some of the greatest freedom fighters included Mahatma Gandhi, Dada bhai Nauroji, Annie Besant, Aurobindo Ghosh, Netaki Subhash Chandra Bose, Lala Lajpat Tai, Maulana Azad, Jawaharlal Nehru etc. 

    Unfortunately religious forces became active at this time and the Muslim League demanded the creation of a separate Muslim state. Despite the attempts of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, India was divided into India and Pakistan in 1947. Dr. Rajendra Prasad became the first President and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru became the first Prime Minister. The first leaders were followed by a chain of prime Minister and presidents till 1968 when Indira Gandhi became the prime Minister and she dominated the Indian scene till she was assassinated in 1984. She was succeeded by her son Rajiv Gandhi who was also assassinated in 1991. 

    India has progressed very well as an economy in all spheres in a planned manner over the decades. There were a few setbacks too which included the loss of Tibet to Chine, the various wars fought with Pakistan, etc. Natural calamities, like floods and droughts, too played havoc on many occasions.