Periods
Five thousand years, in eight parts. The boundaries are conventions of convenience, not events — nothing changed on the morning the Vedic age is said to have ended.
- Indusc. 3300 – 1300 BCEThe Harappan cities, their seals and script, and the world before the Vedas.31 entries
- Vedic Agec. 1500 – 600 BCEThe composition of the Vedas, the Painted Grey Ware settlements, the early kingdoms.139 entries
- Early Historicc. 600 – 200 BCEThe mahājanapadas, the Buddha and Mahāvīra, the Mauryas and Aśoka.250 entries
- Classicalc. 200 BCE – 600 CESātavāhanas, Kuṣāṇas and Guptas — Sanskrit letters, temple form and long-distance trade.485 entries
- Early Medievalc. 600 – 1200 CECōḻa, Rāṣṭrakūṭa, Pāla and Pratihāra; bhakti, Advaita and the great stone temples.348 entries
- Late Medievalc. 1200 – 1750 CEDelhi and Vijayanagara, the Mughals and the Marathas; Sufi and Sant devotion, and the last great temple cities.244 entries
- Colonialc. 1750 – 1947 CECompany rule, the Raj, reform movements and the struggle for independence.223 entries
- Modern1947 – presentThe Republic, Partition and after — the civilization in its living present.133 entries