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Our Pasts I, II & III (Classes 6–8)
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Achaemenid Gandhara & Hindush
Foreign imperial province
Level 2
c. 518–330 BCE
Satrapies of the Persian Achaemenid Empire in the Indus region.
- Region
- Northwest
- Duration
- 188 years
- Main period
- Mahajanapadas
Approximate extent.
Key events
| Year | Event | Place |
|---|---|---|
| c. 518 BCE | Achaemenid Persia annexes Gandhara Gandhara and Hindush appear in Darius I's inscriptions. |
Takshashila |
📚 Recommended reading on the Achaemenid Gandhara & Hindush
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Themes in Indian History, Parts I–III (Class 12)
Source-based chapters on Harappa, Vijayanagara, the Mughal court and 1857 — essential for UPSC.
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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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India's Ancient Past
The expanded version of the classic old-NCERT ancient India text; clear and exam-friendly.
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📄 Research papers
Paper🏛 Library access
🇮🇳 Indian scholarship
The Basis of Ancient Indian History (I)
Kosambi's method: reading ancient Indian history through how people produced and lived, with evidence from the field.
Contemporaries
Powers that coexisted with the Achaemenid Gandhara & Hindush for a significant part of its history. The bar shows when, within its own span.
Magadha ★
East · c. 700–321 BCE
Overlap: 188 years
Anuradhapura Kingdom ★
Sri Lanka · c. 437 BCE – c. 1017
Overlap: 107 years
Kuru
North · c. 1,200–350 BCE
Overlap: 168 years
Panchala
Gangetic Plain · c. 1,100–350 BCE
Overlap: 168 years
Kosala
Gangetic Plain · c. 1,100–460 BCE
Overlap: 58 years
Matsya
West · c. 1,100–350 BCE
Overlap: 168 years
Chedi
Central · c. 1,000–300 BCE
Overlap: 188 years
Vatsa
Gangetic Plain · c. 1,000–400 BCE
Overlap: 118 years
Avanti
Central · c. 1,000–345 BCE
Overlap: 173 years
Surasena
North · c. 800–350 BCE
Overlap: 168 years
Kamboja
Northwest · c. 800–330 BCE
Overlap: 188 years
Assaka / Asmaka
Deccan · c. 700–350 BCE
Overlap: 168 years
Kalinga
East · c. 700–261 BCE
Overlap: 188 years
Vajji / Vrijji Confederacy
East · c. 600–468 BCE
Overlap: 50 years
Malla
Gangetic Plain · c. 600–400 BCE
Overlap: 118 years
Early Pandyas (Sangam era)
South · c. 400 BCE – c. 300 CE
Overlap: 70 years