Textbook
Our Pasts I, II & III (Classes 6–8)
The simplest possible start: short, illustrated and the base of countless exam questions.
Jean-Baptiste Tavernier
Traveller / envoy
Golconda Sultanate (Qutb Shahi)
1605 – 1689
French gem merchant who described the diamonds of Golconda.
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
| 1605 | Death of Akbar |
| 1606 | Execution of Guru Arjan Dev Sikhism began to take on a militant character under Guru Hargobind. |
| 1611 | English factory at Masulipatnam |
| 1612 | Battle of Swally The English defeated the Portuguese and won trading rights at Surat. |
| 1615 | Sir Thomas Roe at Jahangir's court |
| 1616 | Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal arrives in Bhutan |
| 1628 | Shah Jahan becomes emperor |
| 1632 | Taj Mahal construction begins |
| 1639 | Fort St George founded at Madras |
| 1646 | Last Vijayanagara stronghold falls |
| 1648 | Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi) inaugurated |
| 1653 | Taj Mahal completed |
| 1656 | Dutch take Colombo from the Portuguese Portuguese rule in Sri Lanka ended by 1658. |
| 1658 | Aurangzeb becomes emperor |
| 1659 | Shivaji kills Afzal Khan at Pratapgad Bijapur's army was routed and Shivaji's power grew. |
| 1661 | Bombay passes to England |
| 1664 | Shivaji sacks Surat |
| 1665 | Treaty of Purandar Shivaji ceded 23 forts to the Mughals and agreed to attend Aurangzeb's court. |
| 1666 | Shivaji escapes from Agra |
| 1671 | Battle of Saraighat The Ahoms defeated the Mughals, keeping Assam independent. |
| 1674 | Shivaji crowned Chhatrapati |
| 1675 | Execution of Guru Tegh Bahadur |
| 1679 | Aurangzeb reimposes the jizya Alienated many Rajput and other subjects. |
| 1680 | Death of Shivaji His son Sambhaji succeeded him. |
| 1681 | Aurangzeb moves to the Deccan |
| 1686 | Mughals annex Bijapur The Adil Shahi dynasty of Bijapur ended. |
| 1687 | Mughals annex Golconda The Qutb Shahi dynasty of Golconda ended. |
| 1689 | Execution of Sambhaji |
Contemporaries
Tulsidas
c. 1532 – c. 1623
Author of the Ramcharitmanas
Abdul Qadir Badayuni
c. 1540 – c. 1615
Historian who wrote the Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh
Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khanan
1556 – 1627
Poet of the Rahim ke dohe and general of Akbar
Muhammad Qasim Ferishta
c. 1560 – c. 1620
Historian of the Deccan who wrote the Tarikh-i-Ferishta
Nur Jahan
1577 – 1645
Jahangir's empress and the power behind his throne
Sir Thomas Roe
1581 – 1644
English ambassador to the court of Jahangir
Mumtaz Mahal
1593 – 1631
Shah Jahan's wife in whose memory the Taj Mahal was built
Jijabai
1598 – 1674
Mother and mentor of Shivaji
Sant Tukaram
c. 1608 – c. 1650
Marathi Varkari saint-poet of the abhangas
Samarth Ramdas
1608 – 1681
Saint who wrote the Dasbodh
Jahanara Begum
1614 – 1681
Shah Jahan's eldest daughter and Padshah Begum
Dara Shikoh
1615 – 1659
Mughal prince who translated the Upanishads into Persian
François Bernier
1620 – 1688
French physician who wrote Travels in the Mogul Empire
Guru Tegh Bahadur
1621 – 1675
Ninth Sikh Guru executed in Delhi in 1675
Lachit Borphukan
1622 – 1672
Ahom commander who won the Battle of Saraighat
Ustad Ahmad Lahauri
died c. 1649
Architect traditionally credited with designing the Taj Mahal
Niccolao Manucci
c. 1638 – c. 1717
Venetian adventurer who wrote the Storia do Mogor
Guru Gobind Singh
1666 – 1708
Tenth Sikh Guru who founded the Khalsa
Tanaji Malusare
died 1670
Maratha commander who died capturing Kondhana (Sinhagad)
Banda Singh Bahadur
1670 – 1716
Sikh commander who abolished zamindari in the lands he conquered
📚 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
An Introduction to Indian Art, Part I (Class 11)
The standard base for art and architecture questions — stupas, temples and sculpture.
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