Textbook
Our Pasts I, II & III (Classes 6–8)
The simplest possible start: short, illustrated and the base of countless exam questions.
Kittur Chennamma
Queen / royal
1778 – 1829
Queen of Kittur who led an armed revolt against the Company in 1824.
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 their realm 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
| 1780 | Battle of Pollilur Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan destroyed a Company force under Colonel Baillie. |
| 1782 | Treaty of Salbai The First Anglo-Maratha War ended with a return to the status quo. |
| 1784 | Asiatic Society founded |
| 1784 | Treaty of Mangalore Ended the Second Anglo-Mysore War on the basis of mutual restitution. |
| 1792 | Treaty of Seringapatam Tipu Sultan ceded half his kingdom and gave two sons as hostages. |
| 1793 | Permanent Settlement of Bengal |
| 1795 | Battle of Kharda The Marathas defeated the Nizam of Hyderabad. |
| 1796 | British take coastal Ceylon from the Dutch Coastal Sri Lanka passed to Britain, confirmed by the Treaty of Amiens. |
| 1798 | Hyderabad accepts the Subsidiary Alliance The Nizam became the first ruler to accept Wellesley's system. |
| 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 |
Contemporaries
Sorted by how long their lives overlapped. The bar shows when, within Kittur Chennamma’s life.
Tyagaraja
Artist / musician · 1767 – 1847
Carnatic composer, one of the musical Trinity
Overlap: 51 years
Raja Ram Mohan Roy
Social reformer · 1772 – 1833
Founder of the Brahmo Samaj who campaigned against sati
Overlap: 51 years
Lalon Fakir
Poet / writer · c. 1774 – c. 1890
Baul mystic poet of Bengal
Overlap: 51 years
Kunwar Singh
Freedom fighter · 1777 – 1858
Octogenarian leader of the 1857 revolt in Bihar
Overlap: 51 years
Hari Singh Nalwa
General / commander · 1791 – 1837
Sikh general who governed Peshawar
Overlap: 38 years
Mirza Ghalib
Poet / writer · 1797 – 1869
Urdu and Persian poet of Delhi
Overlap: 32 years
James Prinsep
Scholar / historian · 1799 – 1840
Deciphered the Brahmi script and Ashoka's edicts
Overlap: 30 years
Thomas Babington Macaulay
Statesman / administrator · 1800 – 1859
Author of the 1835 Minute on Indian Education
Overlap: 29 years
Pazhassi Raja
General / commander · 1753 – 1805
Kerala ruler who fought the Company in the Cotiote War
Overlap: 27 years
U Tirot Sing
Freedom fighter · 1802 – 1835
Khasi chief who fought the British in the Anglo-Khasi War
Overlap: 27 years
Nana Fadnavis
Statesman / administrator · 1742 – 1800
Peshwa minister called the 'Maratha Machiavelli'
Overlap: 22 years
Veerapandiya Kattabomman
General / commander · 1760 – 1799
Palayakarar chieftain hanged for resisting the Company
Overlap: 21 years
Velu Nachiyar
Queen / royal · 1730 – 1796
Queen of Sivaganga who fought the East India Company
Overlap: 18 years
Sir William Jones
Scholar / historian · 1746 – 1794
Founder of the Asiatic Society of Bengal
Overlap: 16 years
Tantia Tope
Freedom fighter · 1814 – 1859
Guerrilla commander of the 1857 revolt
Overlap: 15 years
Bhanubhakta Acharya
Poet / writer · 1814 – 1868
Adikavi of Nepali who translated the Ramayana
Overlap: 15 years
Alexander Cunningham
Scholar / historian · 1814 – 1893
Founder of the Archaeological Survey of India
Overlap: 15 years
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan
Social reformer · 1817 – 1898
Founder of the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College at Aligarh
Overlap: 12 years
📚 Recommended reading
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
India and the Contemporary World I & II (Classes 9–10)
Nationalism in Europe and India, the French Revolution and the making of a global world.
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