Indian Chronology

Prehistoric Era

c. 3000 - 1500 B.C.

Indus Valley civilization

c. 1500 - 1200 B.C.

Arayan invasions and the earliest hyms of the Rig-Veda

Vedic Era

c. 1200 - 900 B.C.

Composition of the Rig-Veda

c. 900 - 500 B.C.

Later Vedas; Brahmanas, and early Upanishads

Rise of Jainism and Buddhism

c. 550 B.C.

Birth of Mahavira and Gautama

c. 325 - 185 B.C.

Mauryan dynasty

c. 273 - 237

Asoka

c. 185 - 100 B.C.

The Shuiva and Kanva dynasties; the Laws of Manu

Period of Invasions

c. 90 B.C.

arliest Saka invasion

c. 25 A.D.

Kushan invasion

c. 78 - 101 A.D.

Kanishka

c. 100 - 300 A.D.

ise of Mahayana Buddhism

c. 300 - 800 A.D.

Pallava rule in south India

Gupta Era

c. 320 - 335 A.D.

Chandragupta

c. 335 - 376 A.D.

Samudragupta

c. 376 - 415 A.D.

Chandragupta II

c. 454 - 500 A.D.

Hun invasions

c. 540 A.D.

End of Gupta dynasty

reprinted from The Columbia History of the World, 1972, published by Harper & Row, edited by John A. Garraty & Peter Gay