Textbook
History of Modern India
The old-NCERT modern India classic, from the decline of the Mughals to independence.
James Prinsep
Scholar / historian
British East India Company
1799 – 1840
Deciphered the Brahmi script and Ashoka's edicts.
Their world
Move along the chart to see their age in any year, who ruled and what happened; click anything to open it.
The map shows British East India Company around their lifetime and where the events of their lifetime took place.
Hover a dot for the event; click it to open the full map in that year.
Rulers of the time
Kujula Kadphises
Emperor, Kushan Empire · c. 30 CE – c. 80 CE
Vima Taktu
Emperor, Kushan Empire · c. 80 CE – c. 95 CE
Huvishka
Emperor, Kushan Empire · c. 150 CE – c. 190 CE
Yajna Sri Satakarni
King, Satavahana Empire · c. 170 CE – c. 199 CE
Vasudeva I
Emperor, Kushan Empire · c. 190 CE – c. 230 CE
Sri Gupta
Maharaja, Gupta Empire · c. 240 CE – c. 280 CE
Mahasena
King, Anuradhapura Kingdom · c. 274 CE – c. 301 CE
Ghatotkacha
Maharaja, Gupta Empire · c. 280 CE – c. 319 CE
Chandragupta I
Maharajadhiraja, Gupta Empire · c. 319 CE – c. 335 CE
Samudragupta
Maharajadhiraja, Gupta Empire · c. 335 CE – c. 375 CE
Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya)
Maharajadhiraja, Gupta Empire · c. 375 CE – c. 415 CE
Kumaragupta I
Maharajadhiraja, Gupta Empire · c. 415 CE – c. 455 CE
Skandagupta
Maharajadhiraja, Gupta Empire · c. 455 CE – c. 467 CE
Dhatusena
King, Anuradhapura Kingdom · c. 455 CE – c. 473 CE
Budhagupta
Maharajadhiraja, Gupta Empire · c. 477 CE – c. 495 CE
Kashyapa I
King, Anuradhapura Kingdom · c. 477 CE – c. 495 CE
Pulakeshin I
King, Chalukyas of Badami · c. 543 CE – c. 566 CE
Kirtivarman I
King, Chalukyas of Badami · c. 566 CE – c. 597 CE
Simhavishnu
King, Pallava Dynasty · c. 575 CE – c. 600 CE
Prabhakaravardhana
King, Pushyabhuti (Vardhana) Dynasty · c. 580 CE – c. 605 CE
Mangalesha
King, Chalukyas of Badami · c. 597 CE – c. 609 CE
Mahendravarman I
King, Pallava Dynasty · c. 600 CE – c. 630 CE
Rajyavardhana
King, Pushyabhuti (Vardhana) Dynasty · 605 CE – 606 CE
Harshavardhana
Emperor, Pushyabhuti (Vardhana) Dynasty · 606 CE – 647 CE
Events in their lifetime
| 1799 | Fall of Srirangapatna Tipu Sultan was killed and the Wodeyars were restored as Company allies. |
| 1799 | Ranjit Singh takes Lahore |
| 1802 | Treaty of Bassein Peshwa Baji Rao II accepted the Subsidiary Alliance. |
| 1803 | British capture Delhi The Mughal emperor came under British protection. |
| 1803 | Battle of Assaye Arthur Wellesley defeated the combined Scindia and Bhonsle armies. |
| 1806 | Vellore mutiny |
| 1809 | Treaty of Amritsar fixes the Sutlej frontier Ranjit Singh agreed not to expand south of the Sutlej. |
| 1814 | Anglo-Nepal War: siege of Nalapani The Gorkha garrison under Balbhadra Kunwar held out before withdrawing. |
| 1815 | Kandyan Convention The Kandyan kingdom ended and all Sri Lanka came under British rule. |
| 1816 | Treaty of Sugauli Nepal ceded Kumaon, Garhwal and the Terai and accepted a British resident. |
| 1817 | Battle of Khadki The Peshwa's army was defeated near Pune. |
| 1818 | Third Anglo-Maratha War ends The Peshwa's territories were annexed and the Company became the paramount power. |
| 1824 | Kittur revolt against the Company Rani Chennamma won an early victory but was captured in a second assault. |
| 1826 | Treaty of Yandabo Burma ceded Assam, Manipur, Arakan and Tenasserim to the Company. |
| 1828 | Brahmo Samaj founded |
| 1829 | Sati abolished |
| 1835 | English Education Act |
| 1839 | First Anglo-Afghan War begins Shah Shuja was installed in Kabul, but British forces were destroyed in 1842. |
| 1839 | Death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh |
Contemporaries
Sorted by how long their lives overlapped. The bar shows when, within James Prinsep’s life.
Tyagaraja
Artist / musician · 1767 – 1847
Carnatic composer, one of the musical Trinity
Overlap: 41 years
Lalon Fakir
Poet / writer · c. 1774 – c. 1890
Baul mystic poet of Bengal
Overlap: 41 years
Kunwar Singh
Freedom fighter · 1777 – 1858
Octogenarian leader of the 1857 revolt in Bihar
Overlap: 41 years
Mirza Ghalib
Poet / writer · 1797 – 1869
Urdu and Persian poet of Delhi
Overlap: 41 years
Thomas Babington Macaulay
Statesman / administrator · 1800 – 1859
Author of the 1835 Minute on Indian Education
Overlap: 40 years
Hari Singh Nalwa
General / commander · 1791 – 1837
Sikh general who governed Peshawar
Overlap: 38 years
Raja Ram Mohan Roy
Social reformer · 1772 – 1833
Founder of the Brahmo Samaj who campaigned against sati
Overlap: 34 years
U Tirot Sing
Freedom fighter · 1802 – 1835
Khasi chief who fought the British in the Anglo-Khasi War
Overlap: 33 years
Kittur Chennamma
Queen / royal · 1778 – 1829
Queen of Kittur who led an armed revolt against the Company in 1824
Overlap: 30 years
Tantia Tope
Freedom fighter · 1814 – 1859
Guerrilla commander of the 1857 revolt
Overlap: 26 years
Bhanubhakta Acharya
Poet / writer · 1814 – 1868
Adikavi of Nepali who translated the Ramayana
Overlap: 26 years
Alexander Cunningham
Scholar / historian · 1814 – 1893
Founder of the Archaeological Survey of India
Overlap: 26 years
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan
Social reformer · 1817 – 1898
Founder of the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College at Aligarh
Overlap: 23 years
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
Social reformer · 1820 – 1891
Campaigned for the Widow Remarriage Act of 1856
Overlap: 20 years
Begum Hazrat Mahal
Freedom fighter · 1820 – 1879
Led the 1857 revolt in Lucknow
Overlap: 20 years
Nana Sahib
Freedom fighter · born 1824
Adopted heir of Baji Rao II who led the 1857 revolt at Kanpur
Overlap: 16 years
Swami Dayananda Saraswati
Social reformer · 1824 – 1883
Founder of the Arya Samaj
Overlap: 16 years
Dadabhai Naoroji
Freedom fighter · 1825 – 1917
The 'Grand Old Man of India' who formulated the drain theory
Overlap: 15 years
Mangal Pandey
Freedom fighter · 1827 – 1857
Sepoy whose attack at Barrackpore heralded the 1857 revolt
Overlap: 13 years
Jyotirao Phule
Social reformer · 1827 – 1890
Founder of the Satyashodhak Samaj
Overlap: 13 years
Rani Lakshmibai
Freedom fighter · c. 1828 – c. 1858
Rani of Jhansi and heroine of the 1857 revolt
Overlap: 12 years
Allan Octavian Hume
Statesman / administrator · 1829 – 1912
Retired civil servant who helped found the Indian National Congress
Overlap: 11 years
📚 Recommended reading
Textbook
A Brief History of Modern India
The most-used exam book for modern India; dense, well organised and revision-friendly.
Reference
From Plassey to Partition and After
A balanced, analytical history of colonial India; excellent for Mains answers.
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