| History : Andaman & Nicobar Islands * |
 17 Oct 2006 |
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First inhabitants
The Andaman and Nicobar islands have been inhabited for several thousand years, at the very least. The earliest archaeological evidence yet documented goes back some 2,200 years; however, the indications from genetic, cultural and linguistic isolation studies point to habitation going back 30,000 to 60,000 years, well into the Middle Paleolithic.
In the Andaman Islands, the... |
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| History : Arunachal Pradesh |
26 Oct 2006 |
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The first ancestors of the tribal groups migrated from Tibet during the pre-historic period, they were joined by Thai-Burmese counterparts later. Except for the northwestern parts of the state, little is known about the history of Arunachal Pradesh, although the Apatani tribe had legendary knowledge of the history. Recorded history was only available in the Ahom chronicles during the 16th century.... |
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| History : Assam |
26 Oct 2006 |
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Pre-historic and ancient Assam
Assam and adjoining regions have evidence of human settlement from all periods of the Stone ages. That the known hills settlements belonged to earlier periods may suggest that the valleys were populated later, or it may reflect sampling bias due to mountainous areas being more likely to remain less disturbed over long stretches of time.
The earliest ruler according... |
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| History : Bihar |
26 Oct 2006 |
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Ancient
Bihar has a very rich history. It was called Magadha in ancient times. Its capital Patna, then known as Pataliputra, was the center of the Mauryan empire, which dominated the Indian subcontinent from 325 BC to 185 BC. Emperor Ashoka was the most famous ruler of this dynasty. Bihar remained an important place of power, culture and education during the next one thousand years. The Vikramshila... |
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| History : Chandigarh * |
19 Oct 2006 |
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After the partition of British India into the two states of India and Pakistan in 1947, Indian Punjab needed a new capital city to replace Lahore, that was now in Pakistan. After several plans to make additions to existing cities were found to be infeasible for various reasons, the decision to construct a new city was taken.
Of all the new town schemes in independent India, the Chandigarh project... |
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| History : Chhattisgarh |
27 Oct 2006 |
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According to a mythological legend, Ram, during his Vanvas stayed in Dakshin Kosala. Which is modern day Chhattisgarh. The unbroken history of Chhattisgarh or of South Kosala can be traced back to fourth century AD and its mythological history goes back as far back as the Mahabarata and the Ramayana. About the history of the region the famous historian C.W.Wills writes, 'in the 10th century AD a powerful... |
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| History : Dadra & Nagar Haveli * |
19 Oct 2006 |
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After prolonged skirmishes between the Portuguese and Marathas, on 17 December 1779, the Maratha Government assigned the aggregated revenue of Rs.12,000 in a few villages of this territory to the Portuguese as compensation to ensure their friendship. The Portuguese ruled this territory until its liberation on 2 August 1954. Subsequently the administration was carried on for some time by an administrator.... |
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| History : Daman & Diu * |
27 Oct 2006 |
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From the 8th to13th century, Daman and Diu, which was a part of Goa was a stronghold of the Chowda Rajputs who were ousted by the Waghalas who in turn were expelled by Muslims in1330. It continued under Muslims rule for another two hundred years when it was conquered by the Portuguese. The Portuguese ruled Goa for 451 years (1510-1961). Albuquerque entrenched himself in the Island of Tiswadi in1510.... |
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| History : Delhi * |
27 Oct 2006 |
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Delhi, the capital of India before and after independence has perhaps seen, more of history than any other city in India. It was 1st created as the capital of an independent kingdom by Tomars in 736 AD and gradually it became the principal city of India and eventually its capital. Delhi changed hands at the end of the 12th century and passed on to the hands of the Muslim conquerors. Qutab-ub-din,... |
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| History : Goa |
27 Oct 2006 |
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In the ancient period, Goa was called Gomanchala, Gomant, Goapuri, Gowapur and Gopakapattana. Goan's were originally the descendents from the native Dravidians who where gradually overrun by the Aryan advance from the north around 1500 BC. Aryans who settled in Western India named their state Konkan. Goa, a part of Konkan, became an important port of the ancient and medieval traders like the Phoenicians,... |
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| History : Gujarat |
27 Oct 2006 |
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Gujarat forms an area that housed the regions of the Indus Valley civilization and Harappan sites. Around 50 Harappan sites are found in Gujarat. Lothal, Rangpur, Amri, Lakhabaval, Rozdi etc. are some of these sites. This makes it an important territory that reveals the history of India. The Dravidian tribes were said to be the original inhabitants of this region. Even before the Aryan occupation... |
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| History : Haryana |
27 Oct 2006 |
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Haryana became a state of India on November 1, 1966. The present day Haryana is the region where, along the banks of the River Saraswati, the Vedic Civilization began and matured. It was here that the Vedas were written, as the Aryans chanted their sacred Mantras. Replete with myths and legends, Haryana's 5000 year old history is steeped in glory. It was here that Lord Krishna preached Bhagvad-Gita... |
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| History : Himachal Pradesh |
27 Oct 2006 |
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Himachal Pradesh came under British control in the middle of the 19th century. The British annexed Kangra District, which includes present-day Kangra, Kullu, Hamirpur, and Lahul and Spiti districts, in 1846 at the conclusion of the First Anglo-Sikh War. The remainder of Himachal Pradesh was made up of a number of princely states; see Hill States.
Under the British Raj, Kangra District was part... |
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| History : Jammu & Kashmir |
30 Oct 2006 |
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The land of snow clad mountains that shares a common boundary with Afghanistan, China and Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of the Indian Union. Known for its extravagant natural beauty this land formed a major caravan route in the ancient times. Trade relations through these routes between China and Central Asia made it a land in-habited by various religious and cultural groups.... |
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| History : Jharkhand |
30 Oct 2006 |
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The demand for a separate Jharkhand state can be traced back to the early 1900s, when Jaipal Singh, an Indian Hockey captain and Olympian, suggested the idea of a separate state consisting of the southern districts of Bihar. The idea did not become a reality, however, until August 2nd, 2000, when the Parliament of India passed the Bihar Reorganisation Bill to create the state of Jharkhand, carving... |
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| History : Karnataka |
30 Oct 2006 |
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The plateau of Karnataka is said to have been associated to the happenings in the Epic Ramayana. It witnessed a horde of historical activities since the ancient prehistoric civilization. Legends associate it to the Kingdom of the grandfathers of Bhagirath and to the Lord Shiva. Having the Arabian Sea on its west it is said to have been influenced by new cultures from the west coast. This region had... |
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| History : Kerala |
30 Oct 2006 |
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Popular legend has Kerala saved from the aggressing sea by an act of Parasurama — an avatar of Mahavishnu. During prehistoric times, Kerala's rainforests and wetlands — then thick with malaria-bearing mosquitoes and man-eating tigers — were largely avoided by Neolithic humans. The first evidence of habitation dates to the 10th century BCE, when pottery and granite burial monuments were left behind.... |
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| History : Lakshadweep * |
30 Oct 2006 |
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It is believed that people from Kerala were the settlers in the Laccadive and Amini groups of Islands. A legend said that Cheraman Perumal who was the ruler of Kerala in the 9th century for about 36 years was attracted towards Islam in his old age. He divided the country among his kinsmen and one night secretly sailed for Mecca in a ship belonging to one Arab merchant. when his departure came to... |
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| History : Madhya Pradesh |
30 Oct 2006 |
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Ancient
The city of Ujjain (also known as Avanti) arose as a major center in the second wave of Indian urbanization in the sixth century BC, and served as the chief city of the kingdom of Malwa or Avanti. Further east, the kingdom of Chedi lie in Bundelkhand. Chandragupta Maurya united northern India c. 320 BCE, establishing the Maurya empire (321 to 185 BCE), which included all of modern-day Madhya... |
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| History : Maharashtra |
30 Oct 2006 |
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From the time of the epic Mahabharatha the region called Vidharba is one besides Marathwada which comprises Maharashtra today. This region was a part of the Mauryan empire. After the fall of the Mauryan, Maharashtra was ruled by diverse dynasties, each adding to the cultural flavour of the region and each leaving behind its own distinctive marks. The Satavahanas administrated this area followed... |
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| History : Manipur |
30 Oct 2006 |
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Manipur and Assam became involved in the disputes between Thailand and Burma, and Manipur took advantage of a Burmese invasion of Thailand to raid deep into its western frontier. This triggered the Burmese invasion of Manipur and Assam, which pulled in the British, ruling neighbouring Bengal. The British, to safeguard their position against the Burmese, intervened, defeated Burma and took over Assam,... |
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| History : Meghalaya |
30 Oct 2006 |
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Meghalaya was formed by carving out the two districts of the state of Assam: the United Khasi and Jaintia Hills, and the Garo Hills on 21 January 1972. Prior to attaining full statehood, Meghalaya Meghalaya was given a semi-autonomous status in 1970.
The Khasi, Garo, and Jaintia tribes each had their own kingdoms, until they came under the British administration in the 19th century. Later, the... |
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| History : Mizoram |
30 Oct 2006 |
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Mizoram was inhabited by the tribal groups of Tibeto-Burmese race. During the period 1750-1850 migrations led to settlements in the hills. The tribal groups were governed under a hereditary chieftainship. The Lushais are the most predominant tribe besides a few others like Panei, Lakher, Chakma, Riang. Agriculture is the main occupation of this region. During the British period, Mizoram became a part... |
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| History : Nagaland |
30 Oct 2006 |
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The early history of Nagaland is largely undocumented and unknown. The chronicles of the neighboring kingdom of Ahom in Assam notes the customs, economic activities of the Naga tribes. The Naga tribes had socio-economic and political links with tribes in Assam and Myanmar - even today a large population of Naga inhabits Assam. Following an invasion in 1816, the area along with Assam came under direct... |
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| History : Orissa |
30 Oct 2006 |
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Orissa was originally inhabited by the aboriginal tribes, the Buiyas and Gonds. They confined themselves to the forest and hills when the Dravidian race settled here. Orissa was known as Kalinga in the early period. Kalinga is related with the greatest Mauryan empire ruler Ashoka who on seeing the horrors of war in his battle with the Kalingan army abandoned warfare and, embraced Buddhism. In the... |
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| History : Pondicherry * |
30 Oct 2006 |
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The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, of the early 2nd century AD, mentions a marketplace named Poduke (ch. 60), which G.W.B. Huntingford identified as possibly being Arikamedu, about 2 miles from the modern Puducherry. Huntingford further notes that Roman pottery was found at Arikamedu in 1937, and archeological excavations between 1944 and 1949 showed that it was "a trading station to which goods... |
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| History : Punjab |
30 Oct 2006 |
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The Indian state of Punjab was created in 1947, when the Partition of India split the former Raj province of Punjab between India and Pakistan. The mostly Muslim western part of the province became Pakistan's Punjab Province; the mostly Sikh and Hindu eastern part became India's Punjab state. Many Hindus and Sikhs lived in the west, and many Muslims lived in the east, and so the partition saw many... |
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| History : Rajasthan |
30 Oct 2006 |
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Rajasthan was earlier called Rajputana (state of Rajputs) after the ruling class of Rajputs. Rajput literally means 'son of kings'. Rajput clans rose to prominence in the 6th century , establishing kingdoms in Rajasthan and across northern India. The Rajputs resisted Muslim incursions into India, although a number of Rajput states became tributaries to the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire during... |
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| History : Sikkim |
31 Oct 2006 |
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The earliest recorded event related to Sikkim is the passage of the Buddhist saint Guru Rinpoche through the land in the 8th century. The Guru is reported to have blessed the land, introduced Buddhism to Sikkim, and foretold the era of monarchy in the state that would arrive centuries later. In the 14th century, according to legend, Khye Bumsa, a prince from the Minyak House in Kham in Eastern Tibet,... |
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| History : Tamil Nadu |
31 Oct 2006 |
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Tamil Nadu's history dates back pre-historic times and archeological evidence points to this area being one of the longest continuous habitations in India. From early pre-history Tamil Nadu was the home of the three famous kingdoms of the Chera, the Chola and the Pandya. The ancient Tamil literature points to an ancient civilisation lasting since the dawn of time. The Sangam literature has numerous... |
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| History : Tripura |
31 Oct 2006 |
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Tripura (or Tipra) used to be a royal state before its merger with the Indian Union. The Tripuri Kings (Habugra) had the title of Manikya and ruled Tripura for three thousands of years until its merger with the Indian Union in 1949. The capital of the Kingdom was based in Udaipur which was known as Rangamati on the banks of the river Gomati (Khumtwi>Gumtwi>Gumti) in South Tripura. The capital was... |
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| History : Uttar Pradesh |
31 Oct 2006 |
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Uttar Pradesh forms a major area of the Northern fertile plain or the Indo-Gangetic plain. This area is said to have been occupied by the group of people referred to as "Dasas" by the Aryans. Their main occupation of these inhabitants was agriculture. Till BC 2000 the Aryans had not settled in this region. It was through conquest that the Aryans occupied this area and laid the foundations of a Hindu... |
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| History : Uttaranchal |
31 Oct 2006 |
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Uttaranchal finds mention in the ancient Hindu scriptures as Kedarkhand, Manakhand and Himavat. The Kushanas, Kudinas, Kanishka, Samudra, Gupta, the Pauravas, Katuris, Palas, the Chandras and Pawaras and the British have ruled in turns. It is often called the Landlandscapes to the tourist -pilgrim. of the Gods (Dev Bhoomi) because of its various holy places and shrines. The hilly regions of Uttaranchal... |
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| History : West Bengal |
31 Oct 2006 |
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Remnants of civilization in the greater Bengal region date back 4,000 years ago, when the region was settled by Dravidian, Tibeto-Burman and Austro-Asiatic peoples. The exact origin of the word Bangla or Bengal is unknown, though it is believed to be derived from the Dravidian-speaking tribe Bang that settled in the area around the year 1000 BCE. After the arrival of Indo-Aryans, the kingdom of Magadha... |
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