Indus Valley Civilization (c. 2500-1750 BCE)
| Site | Location | Known For |
|---|
| Harappa | Punjab, Pakistan | First site discovered (1921, Daya Ram Sahni) |
| Mohenjodaro | Sindh, Pakistan | Great Bath (1922, R.D. Banerji) |
| Dholavira | Gujarat | Water reservoir system, signboard |
| Lothal | Gujarat | Dockyard (maritime trade) |
| Kalibangan | Rajasthan | Ploughed field evidence |
Vedic Age
- Four Vedas: Rigveda (oldest), Samaveda, Yajurveda, Atharvaveda.
- Early Vedic: pastoral economy, Sabha/Samiti councils. Later Vedic: settled agriculture, rigid varna system.
Religious Movements (6th century BCE)
| Founder | Religion | Key Facts |
|---|
| Gautama Buddha | Buddhism | Born Lumbini; enlightenment at Bodh Gaya; first sermon at Sarnath; died at Kushinagar |
| Mahavira | Jainism | 24th Tirthankara; born Vaishali; died Pavapuri |
Mauryan Empire (322-185 BCE)
| Ruler | Key Fact |
|---|
| Chandragupta Maurya | Founder, guided by Kautilya (Chanakya); defeated Seleucus |
| Ashoka | Kalinga War (261 BCE) → embraced Buddhism → Dhamma edicts (deciphered by James Prinsep, 1837) |
Gupta Empire (319-550 CE) — "Golden Age"
| Ruler | Key Fact |
|---|
| Chandragupta I | Founder; started Gupta Era (319 CE) |
| Samudragupta | "Napoleon of India"; Allahabad Pillar Inscription |
| Chandragupta II | Navaratnas (incl. Kalidasa); visited by Fa-Hien |
📌 Golden Age Achievements: Aryabhata (astronomy, mathematics), Kalidasa (Sanskrit literature), Nalanda University founded (Kumaragupta I).
Quick Revision Table
| Topic | One-Line Recall |
|---|
| Harappan script | Still undeciphered |
| Kalinga War | 261 BCE, transformed Ashoka |
| James Prinsep | Deciphered Brahmi script (1837) |
| Nalanda | Founded under Kumaragupta I |
✅ SSC Focus: Site-feature matching for Harappan sites · Buddha/Mahavira life-event locations · Mauryan and Gupta ruler-achievement matching · Golden Age scholars.