Textbook
Our Pasts I, II & III (Classes 6–8)
The simplest possible start: short, illustrated and the base of countless exam questions.
Kuru
Mahajanapada
Level 2
c. 1,200–350 BCE
The dominant Later Vedic kingdom; later a Mahajanapada.
- Capital
- Hastinapura / Indraprastha
- Region
- North
- Duration
- 850 years
- Main period
- Vedic Period Polities
Approximate extent.
Key events
| Year | Event | Place |
|---|---|---|
| c. 900 BCE | Kuru kingdom consolidates Vedic ritual The Kuru kingdom lay in the Upper Ganga doab. Excavating a village named Hastinapura near Meerut, B.B. Lal suggested it may have been the Kuru capital of the epic. |
Hastinapura |
📚 Recommended reading on the Kuru
Textbook
Themes in Indian History, Parts I–III (Class 12)
Source-based chapters on Harappa, Vijayanagara, the Mughal court and 1857 — essential for UPSC.
Textbook
An Introduction to Indian Art, Part I (Class 11)
The standard base for art and architecture questions — stupas, temples and sculpture.
Textbook
India's Ancient Past
The expanded version of the classic old-NCERT ancient India text; clear and exam-friendly.
We may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. See all recommended books →
📄 Research papers
Paper🏛 Library access
The formation of human populations in South and Central Asia
Ancient DNA from 523 individuals tracing how the peoples of the subcontinent formed.
Paper🏛 Library access
🇮🇳 Indian scholarship
The Theory of Aryan Race and India: History and Politics
How nineteenth-century 'Aryan race' ideas shaped the writing of early Indian history.
Paper🏛 Library access
🇮🇳 Indian scholarship
The Basis of Ancient Indian History (I)
Kosambi's method: reading ancient Indian history through how people produced and lived, with evidence from the field.
Paper🏛 Library access
🇮🇳 Indian scholarship
The Image of the Barbarian in Early India
How early Indian texts described outsiders — the mleccha — and what that reveals about society.
🕸 Connections 12 links
Explore connections full screen ↗Everything on YugMap linked to this page — and why. Hover a dot in the graph, or pick from the list.
🗂 Era 1
- Ancient IndiaPart of this era
⏳ Periods 1
- Vedic Period PolitiesBelongs to this period
🏛 Kingdoms & empires 2
- Magadha 700–321 BCEExisted at the same time (350 years)
- Anuradhapura Kingdom 437 BCE – 1017Existed at the same time (87 years)
⚔ Events 1
- Kuru kingdom consolidates Vedic ritual c. 900 BCEHappened in it
🔧 Technology 2
- Paddy transplantation c. 600–500 BCEMade or discovered in this time
- Punch-marked coins c. 600–500 BCEMade or discovered in this time
📄 Research 3
- The formation of human populations in South and Central Asia Vagheesh M. Narasimhan, Nick Patterson, Priya Moorjani, et …Research on this topic
- The Theory of Aryan Race and India: History and Politics Romila Thapar · 1996Research on this topic
- The Basis of Ancient Indian History (I) D. D. Kosambi · 1955Research on this topic
📚 Books 2
- Our Pasts I, II & III (Classes 6–8) NCERTRecommended reading
- Themes in Indian History, Parts I–III (Class 12) NCERTRecommended reading
Contemporaries
Powers that coexisted with the Kuru for a significant part of its history. The bar shows when, within its own span.
Early Vedic Communities ★
Northwest · c. 1,500–1,000 BCE
Overlap: 200 years
Magadha ★
East · c. 700–321 BCE
Overlap: 350 years
Anuradhapura Kingdom ★
Sri Lanka · c. 437 BCE – c. 1017
Overlap: 87 years
Chalcolithic Cultures
Central · c. 3,000–700 BCE
Overlap: 500 years
Gandhara
Northwest · c. 1,200–518 BCE
Overlap: 682 years
Panchala
Gangetic Plain · c. 1,100–350 BCE
Overlap: 750 years
Kosala
Gangetic Plain · c. 1,100–460 BCE
Overlap: 640 years
Videha
East · c. 1,100–600 BCE
Overlap: 500 years
Matsya
West · c. 1,100–350 BCE
Overlap: 750 years
Later Vedic Polities
Gangetic Plain · c. 1,000–600 BCE
Overlap: 400 years
Kashi
Gangetic Plain · c. 1,000–500 BCE
Overlap: 500 years
Chedi
Central · c. 1,000–300 BCE
Overlap: 650 years
Vatsa
Gangetic Plain · c. 1,000–400 BCE
Overlap: 600 years
Avanti
Central · c. 1,000–345 BCE
Overlap: 650 years
Surasena
North · c. 800–350 BCE
Overlap: 450 years
Kamboja
Northwest · c. 800–330 BCE
Overlap: 450 years
Anga
East · c. 700–540 BCE
Overlap: 160 years
Assaka / Asmaka
Deccan · c. 700–350 BCE
Overlap: 350 years
Kalinga
East · c. 700–261 BCE
Overlap: 350 years
Vajji / Vrijji Confederacy
East · c. 600–468 BCE
Overlap: 132 years
Malla
Gangetic Plain · c. 600–400 BCE
Overlap: 200 years
Achaemenid Gandhara & Hindush
Northwest · c. 518–330 BCE
Overlap: 168 years
Early Pandyas (Sangam era)
South · c. 400 BCE – c. 300 CE
Overlap: 50 years