Textbook
India's Ancient Past
The expanded version of the classic old-NCERT ancient India text; clear and exam-friendly.
Vedic Period Polities
c. 1,500–600 BCE
Map layer: Tribes, Janas & Early Kingdoms
Early Vedic communities of the Sapta Sindhu, then the Later Vedic kingdoms of the Ganga-Yamuna doab.
Who ruled when
Move along the chart to see which powers existed in any year; click a bar for its page, or empty space to open the map.
Main polities of this period
| Name | Type | Span | Region | Capital |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early Vedic Communities ★ | Tribal communities / janas | c. 1,500–1,000 BCE | Northwest | Sapta Sindhu |
| Kuru | Mahajanapada | c. 1,200–350 BCE | North | Hastinapura / Indraprastha |
| Gandhara | Mahajanapada | c. 1,200–518 BCE | Northwest | Takshashila |
| Panchala | Mahajanapada | c. 1,100–350 BCE | Gangetic Plain | Ahichchhatra / Kampilya |
| Videha | Kingdom | c. 1,100–600 BCE | East | Mithila |
| Matsya | Mahajanapada | c. 1,100–350 BCE | West | Viratanagara |
| Later Vedic Polities | Tribal communities / janas | c. 1,000–600 BCE | Gangetic Plain | |
| Chedi | Mahajanapada | c. 1,000–300 BCE | Central | Suktimati |
Also existing during this period
Chalcolithic Cultures
Central · c. 3,000–700 BCE
Avanti
Central · c. 1,000–345 BCE
Assaka / Asmaka
Deccan · c. 700–350 BCE
Anga
East · c. 700–540 BCE
Magadha
East · c. 700–321 BCE
Kalinga
East · c. 700–261 BCE
Vajji / Vrijji Confederacy
East · c. 600–468 BCE
Ochre Coloured Pottery Culture
Gangetic Plain · c. 2,000–1,500 BCE
Kosala
Gangetic Plain · c. 1,100–460 BCE
Kashi
Gangetic Plain · c. 1,000–500 BCE
Vatsa
Gangetic Plain · c. 1,000–400 BCE
Malla
Gangetic Plain · c. 600–400 BCE
Neolithic Kashmir (Burzahom)
North · c. 3,000–1,500 BCE
Surasena
North · c. 800–350 BCE
Indus / Harappan Civilization
Northwest · c. 3,300–1,300 BCE
Kamboja
Northwest · c. 800–330 BCE
South Indian Neolithic (Ash-mound cultures)
South · c. 3,000–1,200 BCE
Events
| Year | Event | Polity |
|---|---|---|
| c. 1,500 BCE | Composition of the Rigveda begins | Early Vedic Communities |
| c. 1,400 BCE | Jorwe farming villages at Inamgaon | Jorwe Culture |
| c. 1,300 BCE | Cemetery H culture at Harappa | Late Harappan Cultures |
| c. 1,200 BCE | Battle of the Ten Kings | Early Vedic Communities |
| c. 1,100 BCE | Iron comes into use in the Ganga plain | Later Vedic Polities |
| c. 1,000 BCE | Painted Grey Ware settlements spread in the doab | Later Vedic Polities |
| c. 1,000 BCE | Later Vedic texts: Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda | Later Vedic Polities |
| c. 900 BCE | Kuru kingdom consolidates Vedic ritual | Kuru |
| c. 800 BCE | Early Upanishads composed | Videha |
| c. 700 BCE | Second urbanisation: Northern Black Polished Ware | |
| c. 600 BCE | Rise of the sixteen Mahajanapadas Territorial states replaced tribal janas across north India. |
📚 Recommended reading for this era
Reference
Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300
An authoritative, interpretive history of early Indian society and states.
Popular history
Early Indians
A lively look at who the first Indians were, drawing on genetics and archaeology.
Textbook
Our Pasts I, II & III (Classes 6–8)
The simplest possible start: short, illustrated and the base of countless exam questions.
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