India, 1757–1950
Select a year on the ledger to open its record below. Each entry gives the date, place, people involved, and why it mattered.
Battle of Plassey
The East India Company's victory over the Nawab of Bengal at Plassey, aided by the defection of commander Mir Jafar, gave the Company effective political control over Bengal — a turning point that shifted the Company from a trading concern into a territorial power in India. It marks the conventional starting point for the era of British colonial rule on the subcontinent.
Revolt of 1857
Sepoy grievances and wider political discontent triggered the first large-scale armed uprising against Company rule, spreading across northern and central India before being suppressed by 1858. Read the full article.
Indian National Congress founded
Founded as a forum for educated Indians to raise administrative and economic grievances, the Congress evolved over six decades into the central organisational platform of the freedom movement. Read more on the Freedom Movement hub.
Partition of Bengal & the Swadeshi Movement
Curzon's partition of Bengal provoked a boycott of British goods and a surge in nationalist economic self-reliance, radicalising a new generation of leaders. Read more on the Freedom Movement hub.
Gandhi returns to India
After over two decades in South Africa developing satyagraha, Gandhi returned to India in January 1915, beginning a period of travel and observation that preceded his entry into national leadership. Read his full profile.
Jallianwala Bagh massacre
British troops fired on an unarmed gathering in Amritsar, killing hundreds and injuring many more. The massacre hardened nationalist sentiment nationwide and directly shaped the Non-Cooperation Movement that followed.
Non-Cooperation Movement begins
Gandhi's first nationwide mass movement urged Indians to withdraw cooperation from British institutions, linking with the Khilafat Movement for broad participation. Read the full article.
Dandi March
Gandhi's 24-day march to break the colonial salt law opened the Civil Disobedience Movement, turning a household necessity into a nationwide symbol of resistance. Read the full article.
Quit India Movement
Congress's "Do or Die" resolution demanded an immediate end to British rule, triggering mass arrests and the movement's most intense phase of decentralised resistance. Read the full article.
Independence and Partition
India became independent under the Indian Independence Act, 1947, which simultaneously partitioned British India into India and Pakistan — triggering mass migration and communal violence alongside the celebration of independence. Read more on the Freedom Movement hub.
Constitution of India comes into force
Adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26 November 1949, the Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950, formally establishing India as a sovereign democratic republic. Read Ambedkar's full profile.