Textbook
History of Modern India
The old-NCERT modern India classic, from the decline of the Mughals to independence.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy
Social reformer
British East India Company
1772 – 1833
Founder of the Brahmo Samaj who campaigned against sati.
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
| 1773 | Regulating Act; Warren Hastings Governor-General |
| 1775 | First Anglo-Maratha War begins |
| 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 Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s life.
Tyagaraja
Artist / musician · 1767 – 1847
Carnatic composer, one of the musical Trinity
Overlap: 61 years
Lalon Fakir
Poet / writer · c. 1774 – c. 1890
Baul mystic poet of Bengal
Overlap: 59 years
Kunwar Singh
Freedom fighter · 1777 – 1858
Octogenarian leader of the 1857 revolt in Bihar
Overlap: 56 years
Kittur Chennamma
Queen / royal · 1778 – 1829
Queen of Kittur who led an armed revolt against the Company in 1824
Overlap: 51 years
Hari Singh Nalwa
General / commander · 1791 – 1837
Sikh general who governed Peshawar
Overlap: 42 years
Mirza Ghalib
Poet / writer · 1797 – 1869
Urdu and Persian poet of Delhi
Overlap: 36 years
James Prinsep
Scholar / historian · 1799 – 1840
Deciphered the Brahmi script and Ashoka's edicts
Overlap: 34 years
Pazhassi Raja
General / commander · 1753 – 1805
Kerala ruler who fought the Company in the Cotiote War
Overlap: 33 years
Thomas Babington Macaulay
Statesman / administrator · 1800 – 1859
Author of the 1835 Minute on Indian Education
Overlap: 33 years
U Tirot Sing
Freedom fighter · 1802 – 1835
Khasi chief who fought the British in the Anglo-Khasi War
Overlap: 31 years
Nana Fadnavis
Statesman / administrator · 1742 – 1800
Peshwa minister called the 'Maratha Machiavelli'
Overlap: 28 years
Veerapandiya Kattabomman
General / commander · 1760 – 1799
Palayakarar chieftain hanged for resisting the Company
Overlap: 27 years
Velu Nachiyar
Queen / royal · 1730 – 1796
Queen of Sivaganga who fought the East India Company
Overlap: 24 years
Sir William Jones
Scholar / historian · 1746 – 1794
Founder of the Asiatic Society of Bengal
Overlap: 22 years
Tantia Tope
Freedom fighter · 1814 – 1859
Guerrilla commander of the 1857 revolt
Overlap: 19 years
Bhanubhakta Acharya
Poet / writer · 1814 – 1868
Adikavi of Nepali who translated the Ramayana
Overlap: 19 years
Alexander Cunningham
Scholar / historian · 1814 – 1893
Founder of the Archaeological Survey of India
Overlap: 19 years
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan
Social reformer · 1817 – 1898
Founder of the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College at Aligarh
Overlap: 16 years
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
Social reformer · 1820 – 1891
Campaigned for the Widow Remarriage Act of 1856
Overlap: 13 years
Begum Hazrat Mahal
Freedom fighter · 1820 – 1879
Led the 1857 revolt in Lucknow
Overlap: 13 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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