Archaeological evidence of early modern humans in what is now India dates back 80,000 years. However, the first recorded civilization in the area appeared just over 5,000 years ago. This was the Indus Valley/Harappan Civilization, c. 3300-1900 BCE, in what is now Pakistan and northwestern India.

After the Indus Valley Civilization fell, perhaps as a result of raiders from the north, India entered the Vedic period (c. 2000 BCE-500 BCE). Philosophies and beliefs that developed during this period influenced the Gautama Buddha, founder of Buddhism, and also led directly to the later development of Hinduism.

Babur then founded the Mughal Empire, which would rule much of India until it fell to the British in 1858. The Mughals were responsible for some of India's most famous architectural wonders, including the Taj Mahal
British influence in India began as trade relations. The British East India Company gradually expanded its control over the subcontinent, until it was able to use the 1757 Battle of Plassey as an excuse to take political power in Bengal. By the mid-1850s, the East India Company controlled not only most of what is now India, but also Pakistan, Bangladesh and Burma.

FREEDOM FIGHTER

MAHATAMA GANDHI

Mohandas Gandhi is considered the father of the Indian independence movement. Gandhi spent twenty years in South Africa working to fight discrimination. It was there that he created his concept of satyagraha, a non-violent way of protesting against injustices. While in India, Gandhi's obvious virtue, simplistic lifestyle, and minimal dress endeared him to the people. He spent his remaining years working diligently to both remove British rule from India as well as to better the lives of India's poorest classes. Many civil rights leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr., used Gandhi's concept of non-violent protest as a model for their own struggles.

SCIENTIST

C.V.Raman

Indian scientists have played a stellar role in the development of India. C.V. Raman is one of the most renowned scientists produced by India. His full name was Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman. For his pioneering work on scattering of light, C.V. Raman won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1930. Raman has been honoured with a large number of honorary doctorates and memberships of scientific societies. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society early in his career (1924), and was knighted in 1929. He has made remarkable discoveries and his theory is called the Raman Effect, and it deals with a concept known as Raman Scattering.

POET

Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore was Asia’s first Nobel Prize winner. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1913 for his book Gitanjali. Although most famed for his poetry, Tagore was a creative genius who played a crucial role in the cultural renaissance of India and Bengal in the 19th and early 20th Century.

ASTRONOMER

Kalpana Chawla

Kalpana Chawla was India's first women aeronautical engineer to travel into space. She has been a role model to several women in terms of achievement and contributions to the field of aeronautics.
Despite living in America, Kalpana Chawla was considered the pride of India. She was the first Indian woman to travel in a space shuttle for 372 hours and complete 252 rotations around the Earth's atmosphere. Her achievements have been an inspiration to many others in India and abroad. There are many science institutions named after her.

WRITER

Chetan Bhagat

Chetan Bhagat is a bestselling author from India. He has authored four novels which have inspired major movies, making him a youth icon. The New York Times termed him the biggest selling English language novelist in India`s history.

Islam

One of the prominent religions of India, Islam forms about 12 per cent of India's population. Though India's contact with Islam had begun much earlier, the real push came in the 8th century when the province of Sindh was conquered. Though the Muslims form only 12 per cent of the total population of India but the influence of Islam on Indian society is much stronger.

Sikhism

Sikhs form about 2 per cent of Indian population. In comparison to other religions, Sikhism is a younger religion. The word 'Sikh' means a disciple and thus Sikhism is essentially the path of discipleship. The true Sikh remains unattached to worldly things.

Christians

Christianity is one of the prominent religions in India. At present there are about 25 million Christians in India. It is interesting to note that the Christian population in India is more than the entire population of Australia and New Zealand or total population of a number of countries in Europe.

Jainism

Jains form less than one percent of the Indian population. For centuries, Jains are famous as community of traders and merchants. The states of Gujarat and Rajasthan have the highest concentration of Jain population in India. The Jain religion is traced to Vardhamana Mahavira (The Great Hero 599-527 B.C.).

Buddhism

At present Buddhism is one of the major world religions. The philosophy of Buddhism is based on the teachings of Lord Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama (563 and 483 BC), a royal prince of Kapilvastu, India. After originating in India, Buddhism spread throughout the Central Asia, Sri Lanka, Tibet, Southeast Asia, as well as the East Asian countries of China, Mongolia, Korea, Japan and Vietnam.