Textbook
Themes in Indian History, Parts I–III (Class 12)
Source-based chapters on Harappa, Vijayanagara, the Mughal court and 1857 — essential for UPSC.
A great southern empire under the Sangama, Saluva, Tuluva and Aravidu dynasties.
| Name | Type | Span | Region | Capital |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vijayanagara Empire ★ | Empire | 1336 – 1646 | South | Vijayanagara (Hampi), later Penukonda / Chandragiri |
| Year | Event | Polity |
|---|---|---|
| 1336 | Vijayanagara founded | Sangama Dynasty |
| 1343 | Ibn Battuta serves as qadi in the Maldives | Sultanate of the Maldives |
| 1347 | Bahmani Sultanate founded | Bahmani Sultanate |
| 1351 | Firuz Shah Tughlaq becomes sultan | Tughlaq Dynasty |
| 1352 | Ilyas Shah unifies Bengal | Bengal Sultanate |
| 1378 | Vijayanagara annexes the Madurai Sultanate Kumara Kampana's campaign ended the Madurai Sultanate. |
Sangama Dynasty |
| 1382 | Jayasthiti Malla's reforms in Nepal | Malla Dynasty of Nepal |
| 1398 | Timur sacks Delhi Delhi was devastated and the Tughlaq sultanate never recovered. |
Tughlaq Dynasty |
| 1407 | Gujarat Sultanate becomes independent | Gujarat Sultanate |
| 1411 | Ahmedabad founded | Gujarat Sultanate |
| 1412 | Parakramabahu VI unifies Sri Lanka from Kotte | Kingdom of Kotte |
| 1414 | Khizr Khan founds the Sayyid dynasty | Sayyid Dynasty |
| 1420 | Nicolò de' Conti visits Vijayanagara | Sangama Dynasty |
| 1443 | Abdur Razzaq's embassy to Vijayanagara | Sangama Dynasty |
| c. 1450 | Kabir's poetry in Varanasi | |
| c. 1450 | Sixty Dome Mosque at Bagerhat | Bengal Sultanate |
| 1451 | Bahlul Lodi founds the Lodi dynasty | Lodi Dynasty |
| 1459 | Rao Jodha founds Jodhpur Mehrangarh fort became the Rathore capital. |
Marwar (Rathore) |
| 1469 | Birth of Guru Nanak | |
| c. 1469 | Kingdom of Kandy emerges | Kingdom of Kandy |
| 1482 | Nepal valley divides into three Malla kingdoms | Malla Dynasty of Nepal |
| 1490 | Bijapur and Ahmadnagar break from the Bahmanis | Bijapur Sultanate (Adil Shahi) |
| 1498 | Vasco da Gama reaches Calicut The direct sea route from Europe to India was opened. |
Zamorins of Calicut |
| 1504 | Sikandar Lodi founds Agra Agra became the Lodi and later Mughal capital. |
Lodi Dynasty |
| 1505 | Portuguese reach Sri Lanka | Kingdom of Kotte |
| 1509 | Krishnadevaraya's accession | Tuluva Dynasty |
| 1509 | Battle of Diu Portuguese naval supremacy in the Arabian Sea was established. |
Portuguese Estado da Índia |
| 1510 | Portuguese capture Goa Goa became the capital of the Portuguese Estado da Índia until 1961. |
Portuguese Estado da Índia |
| 1520 | Krishnadevaraya takes Raichur Vijayanagara won the Raichur doab from Bijapur. |
Tuluva Dynasty |
| 1526 | First Battle of Panipat Ibrahim Lodi was killed and Babur founded the Mughal Empire. |
Mughal Empire |
| 1527 | Battle of Khanwa Babur defeated Rana Sanga's Rajput confederacy, securing Mughal rule in the north. |
Mughal Empire |
| 1529 | Battle of the Ghaghra Babur defeated the Afghan chiefs of the east. |
Mughal Empire |
| 1530 | Death of Babur; Humayun succeeds | Mughal Empire |
| 1535 | Humayun takes Mandu and Champaner | Mughal Empire |
| 1539 | Battle of Chausa Humayun was defeated and escaped by swimming the Ganga. |
Sur Empire |
| 1540 | Battle of Kannauj Humayun fled into exile and Sher Shah founded the Sur Empire. |
Sur Empire |
| 1541 | Rohtas Fort begun by Sher Shah | Sur Empire |
| 1545 | Death of Sher Shah at Kalinjar | Sur Empire |
| 1555 | Humayun recovers Delhi (Battle of Sirhind) Humayun regained his throne from the Surs. |
Mughal Empire |
| 1556 | Second Battle of Panipat Hemu was captured and killed, securing Akbar's throne. |
Mughal Empire |
| 1558 | Portuguese occupy Malé | Portuguese Malé |
| 1559 | Drabya Shah founds the Gorkha kingdom | Gorkha Kingdom |
| 1564 | Akbar abolishes the jizya | Mughal Empire |
| 1565 | Battle of Talikota Vijayanagara's army was routed and its capital Hampi was sacked. |
Tuluva Dynasty |
| 1568 | Akbar takes Chittorgarh Chittor fell and Rana Udai Singh moved his capital to Udaipur. |
Mughal Empire |
| 1571 | Fatehpur Sikri founded | Mughal Empire |
| 1573 | Akbar conquers Gujarat | Mughal Empire |
| 1573 | Muhammad Thakurufaanu frees the Maldives The Portuguese were expelled after fifteen years. |
Sultanate of the Maldives |
| 1576 | Battle of Haldighati The Mughals held the field but Maharana Pratap escaped to continue resisting. |
Mewar (Sisodia) |
| 1576 | Battle of Rajmahal: Mughals take Bengal Daud Khan Karrani was killed and Bengal became a Mughal province. |
Mughal Empire |
| 1580 | Akbar organises the empire into subahs The empire was divided into twelve provinces with uniform administration. |
Mughal Empire |
| 1582 | Akbar's Din-i-Ilahi | Mughal Empire |
| 1586 | Mughals annex Kashmir | Mughal Empire |
| 1591 | Charminar built | Golconda Sultanate (Qutb Shahi) |
| 1600 | East India Company chartered | British East India Company |
| 1601 | Asirgarh falls to Akbar | Mughal Empire |
| 1602 | Dutch East India Company (VOC) founded | Dutch East India Company (VOC) in India |
| 1604 | Adi Granth installed at Harmandir Sahib | |
| 1605 | Death of Akbar | Mughal Empire |
| 1606 | Execution of Guru Arjan Dev Sikhism began to take on a militant character under Guru Hargobind. |
Mughal Empire |
| 1611 | English factory at Masulipatnam | British East India Company |
| 1612 | Battle of Swally The English defeated the Portuguese and won trading rights at Surat. |
British East India Company |
| 1615 | Sir Thomas Roe at Jahangir's court | Mughal Empire |
| 1616 | Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal arrives in Bhutan | Bhutan under the Zhabdrung (Druk Desi) |
| 1628 | Shah Jahan becomes emperor | Mughal Empire |
| 1632 | Taj Mahal construction begins | Mughal Empire |
| 1639 | Fort St George founded at Madras | Fort St George, Madras |
| 1646 | Last Vijayanagara stronghold falls | Aravidu Dynasty |
Source-based chapters on Harappa, Vijayanagara, the Mughal court and 1857 — essential for UPSC.
The go-to single volume on the Sultanate, Mughals and regional kingdoms.
The classic survey of the south, from prehistory to the fall of Vijayanagara.
Includes translations of the Portuguese travellers Paes and Nuniz on Vijayanagara.
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