Indian History

Muhammad Shah was the last Mughal emperor associated with possession of the Peacock Throne before Nadir Shah captured it during his invasion of Delhi in 1739. Nadir Shah also took the Koh-i-Noor.

Alexander invaded north-western India in 326 BCE during the rule of the Nanda dynasty, traditionally identified with Dhanananda. He fought King Porus at the Battle of the Hydaspes.

According to Jain tradition, Chandragupta Maurya embraced Jainism late in life and went to Shravanabelagola with the Jain teacher Bhadrabahu. He is traditionally said to have undertaken sallekhana there.

Nadir Shah invaded the Mughal Empire and captured Delhi in 1739. He carried away enormous wealth, including the Peacock Throne and the Koh-i-Noor.

Megasthenes was a Greek ambassador sent by Seleucus I Nicator to the court of Chandragupta Maurya. His account, Indica, is an important source for Mauryan India.

Mangal Pandey attacked British officers at Barrackpore on 29 March 1857. The wider uprising began at Meerut on 10 May 1857; Barrackpore is an important immediate prelude.

Samudragupta issued a famous Veena-player type gold coin showing himself playing a stringed instrument. His coins are important evidence of Gupta royal ideology and cultural patronage.

Dadabhai Naoroji became the first Indian elected to the British House of Commons in 1892, representing Finsbury Central. He used Parliament to raise Indian economic issues and developed the Drain of Wealth theory.

Lord Canning was Governor-General when the Revolt of 1857 broke out. After the Government of India Act 1858, Company rule ended and Canning became the first Viceroy of India.

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and his brother Ganesh Damodar Savarkar organized Abhinav Bharat Society in 1904. It evolved from the Mitra Mela and became a revolutionary organization opposed to British rule.

The Battle of Plassey was fought at Plassey in present-day West Bengal on 23 June 1757. Robert Clive defeated Siraj-ud-daulah, giving the East India Company decisive political influence in Bengal.

The weakening of the Gupta Empire was accelerated by Huna invasions in the 5th century, along with political fragmentation and the rise of regional powers. Yashodharman of Malwa later defeated the Hunas.

The first major telegraph line between Calcutta and Agra was opened in 1853 during the administration of Lord Dalhousie. Telegraph communication strengthened administrative and military coordination.

The Indus/Harappan script remains undeciphered and is commonly described in textbooks as pictographic in appearance. It is distinct from the later Brahmi script and has not been securely deciphered.

Only statement 2 is supported by standard textbook evidence. Harappan sites provide evidence of religious symbols and possible male/female deities, but there is no convincing evidence of great palaces/temples or widespread horse-drawn chariots in warfare.

Subhas Chandra Bose gave the famous call associated with his leadership of the Indian National Army. It expressed the revolutionary mobilization strategy of the INA during the struggle against British rule.

Sarojini Naidu became the first Indian woman to preside over the Congress at its Kanpur session in 1925. Annie Besant was the first woman Congress president overall, in 1917.

The Swaraj Party was founded in 1923 by C. R. Das and Motilal Nehru after the withdrawal of the Non-Cooperation Movement. Its strategy was to enter legislative councils and obstruct colonial policies from within.

Standardized brick-built construction is a major hallmark of the Indus Civilization. Many cities used standardized baked bricks and displayed planned streets, drainage systems and substantial public structures, showing a high level of urban organization.

Lord Curzon announced the Partition of Bengal in July 1905; it came into effect on 16 October 1905. The partition stimulated the Swadeshi and Boycott Movement and was annulled in 1911.