Timeline of History 1

a timeline of the Near East
5000 BC: the Kurgan culture in the steppes west of the Ural Mountains (Indo-Aryans)
3120 BC: mythical Indian war of the Mahabarata
3000 BC: the proto-indo-european language develops in Central Asia
3000 BC: Dravidian speaking people develop the civilization of the Indus Valley
TM, ®, Copyright © 2005 Piero Scaruffi All rights reserved.
2500 BC: the cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro in the Indus Valley
2000 BC: the civilization of the Indus Valley declines
2000 BC: the Kurgan culture spreads to eastern Europe and northern Iran
1700 BC: Indo-Iranians separate from the other Indo-European tribes and migrate eastward to settle in Iran
1600 BC: Indo-Aryans invade India from the west and expel the Dravidians
1500 BC: religious texts are written in Vedic, an Indo-European language
1100 BC: the Indo-Aryans use iron tools
1000 BC: the Rig-Veda are composed
900 BC: Indo-Aryans invade the Ganges Valley
876 BC: Hindus invent the zero
750 BC: Indo-Aryans rule over 16 mahajanapadas ("great states") in northern India, from the Indus to the Ganges
700 BC: the caste system emerges, with the Brahman priests at the top
600 BC: the Upanishads are composed in Sanskrit
543 BC: Bimbisara of Bihar conquers the Magadha region in the northeast and moves the capital to Rajagriha

527 BC: prince Siddhartha Gautama is enlightened and becomes the Buddha 521 BC: Darius of Persia expands the Persian empire beyond the Indus River (Punjab and Sind) 500 BC: the ascetic prince Mahavira founds Jainism in northern India 493 BC: Bimbisara dies and is succeeded by Ajatashatru 461 BC: Ajatashatru dies after expanding the Magadha territory 400 BC: Panini's grammar (sutra) formalizes Sanskrit, an evolution of Vedic 327 BC: Alexander of Macedonia invades the Indus valley 323 BC: at the death of Alexander, Seleucus obtains India (Punjab) 304 BC: the Magadha king Chandragupta Maurya buys the Indus valley for 500 elephants from Seleucus, and thus founds the Maurya dynasty with capital in Patna (Pataliputra) 300 BC: the Ramayama is composed 300 BC: the Chola dynasty rules over southern India with capital in Thanjavur 290 BC: the Mauryan king Bindusara, son of Chandragupta, extends the empire to the Deccan 259 BC: the Mauryan king Ashoka, grandson of Chandragupta, converts to Buddhism and sends out Buddhist missionaries to nearby states 251 BC: Ashoka's son Mahinda introduces Buddhism to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) 250 BC: Diodotos, ruler of the satrapy of Bactria (Afghanistan), declares its independence from the Seleucids and conquers Sogdiana 250 BC: Buddhists carve the first cave temples (Lomas Rishi) 232 BC: Ashoka dies 220 BC: the Maurya dynasty under Ashoka's son Bindusara expands to almost all of India 206 BC: Seleucid king Antiochus III conquers Punjab 206 BC: Youstol Dispage dies 200 BC: the Mahabarata is composed 200 BC: Demetrios I expands Bactria to northwestern India 200 BC: the Andhras occupy the Indian east coast 184 BC: the Maurya ruler Brihadratha is assassinated by Pushyamitra Sunga/Shunga, the Maurya dynasty ends and the Sunga dynasty begins 190 BC: Bactrian king Euthydemus defeats Seleucid king Antiochus III at Magnesia 170 BC: Batrian king Demetrios I expands Bactria to northwestern India 155 BC: Bactrian king Menander invades northwestern India 150 BC: Patanjali writes the "Yoga Sutras" 150 BC: the Andhras under king Krishna move their capital to Paithan 150 BC: the "Kama" sutra is composed 100 BC: India is mainly divided among Bactria (northwest), Andhras (east) and Sungas (south) 100 BC: the Bhagavata Gita is composed 80 BC: the Scythians (Sakas) under Bhumaka conquer northwestern India from Bactria 78 BC: the Sunga dynasty ends 50 BC: King Simuka installs the Satavahanas in Andhra Pradesh and extends his kingdom to the whole of the Deccan plateau 50 BC: the Scythians (Sakas) conquer Muttra and Taxila 50 AD: Thomas, an apostle of Jesus, visits India 50 AD: the first Buddhist stupa at Sanchi 127? AD: Kanishka, king of the Kushan, enlarges the kingdom from Bactria into Uzbekistan, Kashmir, Punjab, moves the capital to Peshawar and promotes Buddhism 162: Kushan king Kanishka dies 200: the Manu code prescribes the rules of everyday life and divides Hindus into four castes (Brahmins, warriors, farmers/traders, non-Aryans) 233: Ardashir I Sassanid conquers the Kushan empire 250: the Satavahanas disintegrate 300: the Pallava dynasty is founded in Kanchi 318: Chandra Gupta founds the Gupta kingom in Magadha and extends its domains throughout northern India with capital at Patna 350: Samudra Gupta extends the Gupta kingdom to Assam, Deccan, Malwa 350: the Kadambas of Karnataka rule from Banavasi 350: the Sangam is compiled in the Tamil language in the kingdom of Madurai 350: the Puranas are composed (a compendium of Hindu mythology) 380: Buddhist monks carve two giant Buddha statues in the rock at Bamiya, Bactria (Afghanistan) 390: Chandra Gupta II extends the Gupta kingdom to Gujarat 391: Youstol Dispage Fromscaruffi dies 400: the Shakas kingdom in Gujarat and Sindh dissolves 400: the Licchavi family unites Nepal 450: the Gupta king Kumargupta builds the monastic university of Nalanda (near Patna) 455: the Huns raid the Gupta empire (Punjab and Kashmir) 465: king Harisena of the Vakataka dynasty begins work at the Ajanta caves 467: Gupta king Skanda dies and the empire declines 499: the Hindu mathematician Aryabhata writes the "Aryabhatiya", the first book on Algebra 499: the Huns attack the Gupta empire from the northwest seizing Punjab and Kashmir 500: bhakti cult in Tamil Nadu 510: Huns led by Mihiragula conquer Punjab, Gujarat and Malwa from the Gupta 528: the Gupta empire collapses under continuous barbaric invasions 535: cave-temple of Elephanta Island (Bombay) 550: the Chalukyan kingdom is established in central India with capital in Badami 578: Badami shrines in Karnataka 600: shakti cult (mother-goddess) 600: the Pallava dynasty dominates southern India from Kanchi 606: Harsha Vardhana, a Buddhist king of the Gupta dynasty, builds the kingdom of Thanesar in north India and Nepal with capital at Kanauij in the Punjab 625: Pulikesin extends the Chalukyan empire in central India 629: the Chinese monk Xuanzang (Huang Tsang) travels to India 630: Songzen Gampo introduces Buddhism to Bhutan 647: Thanesar king Harsha Vardhana is defeated by the Chalukyas (based in Karnataka) at Malwa (central India) 650: Ellora caves 650: the Pallavas rule from their capital at Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu) are defeated by the Chalukyas 670: the Pallavas build a new city at Mamallapuram 700: the Mahavamsa is composed in the Pali language in Ceylon 700: the Shore temple at Mamallapuram 700: the Pallavas rule southern India from their capital Kanchipuram 711: the Arabs conquer Sindh and Multan (Pakistan) 723: Kathmandu is founded in Nepal 730: King Lalitaditya rules in Kashmir 750: temples of Bhubaneshwar and Puri 750: the Gurjara-Pratiharas rule the north of India 750: the Palas rule eastern India 753: the Rashtrakutas, a Chalukya dynasty, expand from the Deccan into south and central India 757: the capital of the Chalukyan kingdom is moved from Badami to Pattadakal 757: the Kailasa temple at Ellora TM, ®, Copyright © 2005 Piero Scaruffi All rights reserved. 775: the Rashtrakutas are defeated by the Chalukyas, who move the capital at Kalyani (Mysore) 775: Krishna I of the Rashtrakuta dynasty builds the rock-cut Kailasha Temple at Ellora 784: the Pratihara king Nagabhata II conquers the sacred capital of the north, Kanyakubja 800: kingdoms are created in central India and in Rajastan by Rajputs (warlords) 800: Shankar (Samkara) Acharya founds the Hinduist monastery of Sringeri 846: the Cholas regain independence from the Pallavas 871: Sindh and Multan (Pakistan) are de facto independent from the Baghdad caliphate 885: the Pratihara empire reaches its peak under Adivaraha Mihira Bhoja I, extending from Punjab to Gujarat to Central India 888: the Pallava dynasty ends 890: first Hindu temples at Khajuraho 900: the Bhagavata Purana is composed in Sanskrit 950: the Tomara Rajputs gain independence from the Gurjara-Pratihara empire and found their capital at Delhi 950: the Chandellas gain independence from the Gurjara-Pratihara empire and found their capital at Khajuraho (Madhya Pradresh) 977: Sebaktigin, a slave general, founds the Ghaznavid dynasty in Afghanistan, northern India and Central Asia 985: Rajaraja Chola I extends the Chola empire to all of south India and builds the temple of Thanjavur 997: Mahmud of Ghazni raids northern India 998: Mahmud of Ghazni conquers Punjab 1000: the tribal chieftain Nripa Kama conquers the area between the Cholas (south) and the Badami Chalukyas (north) and founds the Hoysala dynasty 1000: Lingaraja and Rajarani temples at Bhubaneshwar (Orissa) 1000: the Shahi state is annexed to the Ghaznavid empire 1000: the Chola king Rajaraja builds the Brihadeshvara Temple in Thanjavur (Tanjore) 1014: Rajendra Chola I becomes the Chola ruler of the south and defeats the Palas in Bengal 1017: the Cholas conquer Ceylon (Sri Lanka) 1019: Mahmud Ghaznavid raids north India and destroys Kanauj, capital of the Gurjara-Pratihara empire 1021: Mahmud appoints Malik Ayaz to the throne and makes Lahore the capital of the Ghaznavid Empire 1030: the Ghaznavid empire conquers Punjab 1030: the Solanki kings build the Jain temples at Mount Abu 1050: the Chola empire conquers Srivijaya, Malaya and the Maldives 1070: Vijayabahu I of Rohanna expels the Cholas from Ceylon and moves the capital to Polonnaruva 1084: Mahipala brings the Palas to the peak of their power 1084: Youstol Dispage dies 1150: the Senas conquer the Palas 1153: Parakramabahu I of Ceylon moves the capital to Polonnaruva and builds the gigantic artificial lake of Parakrama Samudra 1175: Ghurid Turks defeat the Ghazni Turks in the Punjab and the Ghaznavid state is absorbed into the Ghurid empire 1189: the Yadava dynasty adopts Marathi as the court language 1190: the Chalukya empire is split among Hoysalas (south), Yadavas and Kakatiyas 1192: Turkic-speaking chieftains from Afghanistans led by Muhammad of Ghor defeat Prithvi Raj, capture Delhi and establish a Muslim sultanate at Delhi 1197: the Ghuris destroy the Hindu monasteries at Nalanda and Vikramashila 1211: Iltutmish Shams becomes the sultan of Delhi 1206: The Ghurid prince Qutb al-Din Aybak becomes the first sultan of Delhi (Delhi Sultanate) 1225: Qutb al-Din Aybak builds the Qutb Minar in Delhi, the tallest minaret in the world 1250: the Urdu language develops by absorbing elements of Persian, Arabic and Indian dialects 1250: a temple to the Sun in the form of a giant chariot is built at Konarak 1250: end of the Chola dynasty 1266: one of Iltutmish's slaves, Baban, seizes power of the Delhi sultanate, and welcomes Islamic refugees fleeing the Mongol hordes the Delhi sultanate 1288: the Italian explorer Marco Polo visits India 1290: Jalal al-Din Firuz founds the Khalji sultanate TM, ®, Copyright © 2005 Piero Scaruffi All rights reserved. 1298: the Muslims of Delhi capture Cambay in Gujarat 1300: the Tamil establish a kingdom in Ceylon 1303: Jalal al-Din Firuz rebuilds Delhi 1304: Mongols under Ali Beg invade India but are repelled by the Delhi sultanate 1321: Jordanus, a Dominican monk, is the first Christian missionary in India 1325: Muhammad ibn Tughluq becomes sultan of Delhi 1327: sultan Muhammad ibn Tughluq moves his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad (Deogiri) in the Deccan 1328: the Mongols invade India but are repelled by the Delhi sultanate 1333: the Muslim explorer Ibn Battuta travels to India 1336: the southernmost province of the Delhi sultanate declares independence 1341: Bengal (under Fakhruddin Mubarak) declares its independence from the Delhi sultanate 1343: the southern kingdom builds its capital at Vijayanagar (Hampi) 1345: Muslim nobles revolt against Muhammad ibn Tughluq, declare their independence from the Delhi sultanate, and found the Bahmani dynasty in the Deccan 1346: the Vijayanagar kingdom conquers the Hoysalas 1346: the Hoysala dynasty disintegrates 1347: Turkish governor Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah rebels against the Sultan of Delhi and founds the Bahmani Sultanate in Bijapur 1349: Muslims raid Kathmandu in Nepal 1350: the Kadambas empire disintegrates into the dynasties of Goa, Hanagal and Chandavar 1370: the Vijayanagar kingdom conquers the Muslim sultanate of Madura (Tamil Nadu) 1382: Jaya Sthiti of the Malla dynasty seizes power in Nepal 1387: the Kalan Masjid is built in Delhi 1398: Timur invades India and sacks Delhi, causing the decline of the Delhi Sultinate 1451: Succeeding the last king of the Sayyid dynasty, Bahlul Lodi founds the Lodi dynasty of Afghan origin that rules the Delhi Sultanate 1490: Guru Nanak Dev founds Sikhism and the city of Amritsar 1490: the Adil Shahi sultan conquers Bijapur 1497: Babur, a descendant of both Genghis Khan and Timur, becomes the ruler of Ferghana (Uzbekistan) 1498: the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama reaches India 1499: Guru Nanak founds the Sikh religion 1501: Muhammad Shaybani defeats Babur at Samarkand 1504: Babur captures Kabul (Afghanistan) 1505: Portugal lands in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) 1507: the Qutb Shahi dynasty seizes power in Hyderabad 1508: the Portuguese found Bom Bahia (Bombay/Mumbai) in territory held by the sultan of Gujarat 1509: Portugal conquers Diu and Goa in India 1509: the Vijayanagar kingdom reaches its zenith under Krishna Raja 1518: the Bahmani Sultanate splits into five Deccan sultanates 1526: After the battle of Panipat, Babur captures Delhi from Ibrahim, the sultan of Delhi, and founds the Mughal/Mogul dynasty in India with capital in Agra 1527: Babur defeats an army of Rajputs at the battle of Kanua using artillery 1530: Babur dies and his son Humayun succeeds him 1534: Portugal acquires Bom Bahia/Bombay/Mumbai from Gujarat 1537: Afghan warlord Sher Khan Sur invades Bengal 1539: Viswanatha founds the Nayak dynasty with capital in Madurai (south India) 1540: Babur's son Humayun loses the empire to Afghan Leader Sher Shah Sur and goes into exile to Lahore 1544: Babur's son Humayun goes into exile to Safavid Persia 1545: Sher Shah Sur dies and is succeeded by Islam Shah Sur 1550: the Jain complex at Palitana 1553: Islam Shah Sur dies and the Sur empire is divided among his relatives (Punjab, Delhi/Agra, Bihar, Bengal) 1553: Humayun with help from the Safavids reconquers Kabul 1555: a famine strikes northern India 1555: Humayun reconquers Delhi from the Sur ruler 1556: the Mogul emperor Humayun dies and is succeeded by his 12-year old son Akbar under the tutelage of the Persian Shia noble Bairam Khan 1558: the Mogul conquer Ajmer in Rajastan and Gwalior 1560: Akbar fires Bairam Khan and assumes sole power 1561: The Mogul conquer the kingdom of Malwa 1562: Akbar marries Padmini, a Hindu princess of the Rajaputana kingdom 1564: The Mogul conquer the kingdom of Gondwana/ Garha-Katanga 1564: Uzbek nobles rebel against the Mogul emperor Akbar in the eastern provinces 1565: four Muslim kingdoms ally to destroy the Vijyanagar kingdom at the battle of Talikota 1565: Mysore, a former Vijayanagar principality, becomes independent under the Wodeyars 1566: Akbar's half-brother Muhammad Hakim seizes Kabul 1568: Muslim invaders destroy the Sun Temple at Konark 1571: Akbar moves the Mogul capital from Agra to Fatehput Sikri 1572: the Mogul conquer Gujarat 1574: the Mogul conquer Bengal, Bihar and Orissa from the Afghan kings 1579: Mogul emperor Akbar abolishes the tax on non-Muslims 1584: Akbar mints the Ilahi coin (based on the solar year but still in Persian) 1585: After the death of Muhammad Hakim, Akbar conquers Kabul and moves the Mogul capital to Lahore 1589: the Mogul conquer Kashmir 1591: Akbar demands that the Decca sultans surrender to the Mogul empire 1593: the Mogul conquer Sind 1595: the Mogul conquer Kandahar (Afghanistan) from the Safavids 1598: Akbar moves the Mogul capital from Lahore back to Agra 1600: The British East India Company is established. 1601: the Mogul conquer the Decca sultanates 1605: Akbar dies and is succeeded by his son Salim, who renames himself Jahangir 1606: Jahangir defeats a conspiracy by his son Khusrau 1611: Jahangir marries queen Nur Jahan 1617: Jahangir's son, prince Khurram, pacifies the southern states and receives the title of Shah Jahan 1618: Jahangir's son, prince Khurram, conquers the fortress of Kangra, thus subjecting the Himalaya hills to Mogul control 1622: the Safavids reconquer Kandahar 1623: Thirumala Nayakan brings Madurai to its maximum glory TM, ®, Copyright © 2005 Piero Scaruffi All rights reserved. 1627: Jahangir dies 1628: After a civil war that pits Nur Jahan against her brother the wazir Asaf Khan, Jahangir's son Khurram (Asaf Khan's choice) is proclaimed emperor with the name Shah Jahan while Jahangir's other son Shahryar (married to Nur Jahan's daughter) is executed together with all the other potential pretenders 1629: Afghan noble Khan Jahan Lodi, the governor of Deccan, rebels against Shah Jahan and joins the ruler of Ahmadnagar 1630: Afghan noble Khan Jahan Lodi is defeated and killed 1630: A famine strikes the Deccan and Gujarat 1631: Shah Jahan's wife Mumtaz Mahal dies giving birth to her 14th child 1633: Shah Jahan adopts Sharia and destroys Hindu temples 1631: Shah Jahan builds the Taj Mahal 1632: the Mogul conquer the western Deccan sultanate of Ahmadabad 1635: the Mogul defeat the Deccan sultanates of Golconda (Hyderabad) and Bijapur that become tributary states 1636: the Mogul fail to invade the Ahom kingdom on the eastern side of the Brahmaputra 1638: Muhammad Said, a businessman from Golconda (Hyderabad), becomes its prime minister with the title Mir Jumla 1638: Holland intervenes in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) to defend the king of Kandy, Raja Singa, against Portugal 1639: Britain acquires Madras from the raja of Chandragiri 1639: Shah Jahan begins construction of a new city, Shahjahanabad, in Delhi 1640: the British found Madras/Chennai 1640: Holland and Portugal sign a treaty leaving most of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) to Holland 1642: the Mogul construct the Shalimar water garden in Lahore 1642: Mir Jumla of Golconda attacks the Hindu kingdoms of Karnataka 1643: Youstol Dispage Fromscaruffi dies 1646: Shivaji (Sivaji) Bhonsla, a Hindu prince, gains independence from the sultan of Bijapur around Pune 1647: the Mogul fail to invade Uzbekistan 1648: Shah Jahan inaugurates the mausoleum for Mumtaz Mahal in Agra, the Taj Mahal 1648: Shah Jahan moves the capital from Agra to Shahjahanabad (Delhi) 1649: the Vijayanagar empire dissolves 1652: Mir Jumla of Golconda completes the conquest of the Hindu kingdoms of Karnataka 1655: Shah Jahan appoints Mir Jumla of Golconda as the new wazir of the Mogul empire 1656: Holland captures Colombo and takes control of Portuguese Ceylon (Sri Lanka) 1657: Shah Jahan falls ill and his four sons fight a civil war (the progressive and intellectual Dara Shukoh from the capital, the conservative and integralist Aurangzeb from the Deccan, Shah Shuja from Bengal, Murad from Gujarat) 1658: Aurangzeb arrests his father Shah Jahan, wins the civil war against his three brothers, becomes the new Mogul emperor and enforces an orthodox version of Islam 1659: Shivaji (Sivaji) Bhonsla defeats Bijapur at the battle of Pratapgarh and at the battle of Kolhapur 1660: the Mogul fail to capture the Ahom kingdom rbr>1664: Shivaji (Sivaji) raids Surat, the busiest port of the Mogul 1665: Britain acquires Bombay/Mumbai from Portugal 1668: the British acquire Bombay from Portugal as marriage dowry from Catherine of Braganza 1669: the Mogul emperor Aurangzeb orders the destruction of Hindu temples, including the Kesev Rai temple at Mathura rbr>1670: Shivaji (Sivaji) raids again Surat 1672: France settles Pondicherry 1674: having expanded his territory around Pune, Shivaji (Sivaji) founds the Maratha kingdom with capital at Raigad 1675: Mogul emperor Aurangzeb executes the Sikh guru and the Sikh stage a revolt 1679: the Rajputs rebel against Mogul emperor Aurangzeb 1680: Shivaji (Sivaji) of the Maratha kingdom dies and is succeeded by his son Shambhaji 1681: Aurangzeb's son Akbar allies with the Rajputs and rebels against his father 1686: Mogul emperor Aurangzeb conquers Bijapur, ending the Adil Shahi dynasty 1687: Mogul emperor Aurangzeb conquers Golconda (Hyderabad) 1689: the Mogul capture and execute Shambhaji of the Maratha kingdom, who is succeeded by his brother Rajaram and by the prime minister (peshwa) Ramchandra Pant Amatya Bawdekar, while the seven-yeard old heir Shahu is jailed by the Mogul 1690: the British found Calcutta 1698: the Mogul defeat the Maratha at Jini but Rajaram escapes to the his capital Satara 1699: Guru Gobind Singh creates the Sikh armed wing of the Akalis 1699: Jai Singh becomes rajput of Amber in Rajastan 1700: Maratha's king Rajaram dies and is succeeded by his four-year old son Shambhaji II, with queen Tara Bai as regent 1702: the Deccan is devastated by famine and plague 1707: Aurangjeb dies, and is succeeded by his son Muazzam, with the title Bahadur Shah, who kills his brothers Azam Shah and Kam Bakhsh, while Shahu is released from jail, challenging Tara Bai for control of the Maratha kingdom, and while the Rajput Ajit Singh reconquers Jodhpur from the Mogul and bans Islam TM, ®, Copyright © 2005 Piero Scaruffi All rights reserved. 1709: the assassination of the Sikh guru Govind Singh starts a Sikh insurrection against the Mogul in Punjab led by the ascetic Banda 1712: Mogul emperor Bahadur Shah dies and is succeeded by his son Jahandar Shah, the protege of amir Zulfikar Khan, who becomes the new wazir 1713: the prime minister (peshwa) of Maratha, Balaji Vaishvanath, becomes the real ruler of the Maratha kingdom and the peshwa becomes a hereditary title while queen Tara Bai moves her court to Kolhapur 1713: Mogul emperor Jahandar Shah and his wazir Zulfikar Khan are overthrown by Farrukhsiyar, who becomes the new emperor, and Sayyid Abdullah Khan, who becomes the new wazir 1714: Jai Singh is appointed governor of Malwa by the Mogul 1715: Banda is captured by the Mogul and the Sikh insurrection ends 1715: Mogul emperor Farrukhsiyar marries the daughter of Ajit Singh 1715: Mogul emperor Farrukhsiyar appoints Mubariz Khan as governor of the Deccan, that becomes an autonomous state 1716: Banda is publicly executed in Delhi 1719: Mogul wazir Sayyid Abdullah Khan and his brother assassinate the Mogul emperor and install Muhammad Shah on the throne with help from Maratha peshwa Balaji Vishwanath, who obtains recognition of his independence 1719: Maratha peshwa Balaji Vishwanath dies and Shahu appoints his son Baji Rao to succeed him 1720: Mogul wazir Sayyid Abdullah Khan is overthrown and killed 1724: the Mogul governor Nizam-ul-Mulk defeats and kills Deccan governor Mubariz Khan and founds the Asaf Jahi dynasty (the Nazims) in Hyderabad 1727: Muhammad Khan seizes power in the Mogul provinces of Bengal and Orissa 1736: the Nayak dynasty ends in south India (Madurai is bought by the British) 1737: the Mogul replace Jai Singh with Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah as ruler of Malwa 1738: Persian general Nader Shah invades India and captures Delhi 1738: Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah surrenders Malwa to the Marathas 1739: Persians sack Delhi and steal the Peacock Throne and the Koh-i-noor diamond 1747: Ahmad Shah Duran, the Afghan commander of Nadir's bodyguard, proclaims himself the ruler of Afghanistan with capital in Kandahar and founds the Durrani dynasty 1747: Nader Shah is assassinated and the Afghans regain their independence and the Koh-i-noor 1747: Ahmad Shah Abdali, who renames himself Durrani, unites the Pashtun tribes in Kandahar while the Moghuls in India, the Safavids in Iran and the Uzbeks in Central Asia are declining, and creates an Afghani empire from Central Asia to Delhi to the Arabian sea 1749: Maratha's king Shahu dies 1751: by capturing the town of Arcot from the French, Britain becomes the leading colonial power in India 1751: The Marathas and the Mughals/Moguls sign the Ahamdiya treaty that de facto cedes the Marathas control of the whole of India from their capital at Pune 1756: The Muslim ruler of Bengal, Siraj, invades British Kalikut 1756: The Afghans of Ahmad Shah Durrani raid the Mughal capital Delhi, and de facto install their own ruler, Alamgir II, over the Mogul empire, that de jure still rules over Punjab, Sindh, and Kashmir 1757: at the battle of Plassey in Bengal the East India company defeats France and installs a puppet ruler 1758: the Marathas conquer Punjab 1761: the Marathas rule over most of northern India 1761: Afghani invaders led by Ahmad Durrani defeat the Marathas at Panipat, thus starting the decline of the Maratha empire 1764: Britain expands to Bihar 1765: Bengal revolts against the British but Britain wins and acquires more rights 1769: A famine kills ten million people in Bengal in two years 1772: Britain chooses Calcutta as the capital of India 1772: Afghanistan moves its capital from Kandahar to Kabul 1773: Warren Hastings, governor of Bengal (India), establishes a monopoly on the sale of opium 1776: the Marathas conquer Mysore Dec 1781: The Muslim general Tipu Sultan of Mysore defeats the British army Dec 1782: Tipu Sultan becomes the ruler of Mysore , a largely Hindu nation 1783: Oman acquires the port of Gwadar 1784: The defeated British sign the Treaty of Mangalore with the victorious ruler of Mysore, Tipu Sultan 1785: Charles Cornwallis is appointed governor of India 1786: Tippu Sahib sends emissaries to Istanbul to pay homage to the sultan as the caliph of the whole Islamic world 1789: For the first time the British employ Indian soldiers abroad, in Sumatra 1794: the Marathas conquer Delhi 1796: Holland cedes Ceylon (Sri Lanka) to Britain 1797: Richard Wellesley is appointed governor of India May 1799: Britain conquers Mysore and kills Tipu at the battle of Seringapatam