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20 Most Famous Historical Events That Happened in India

Originally published by Pamela in February 2022, Updated by Charity K in May 2023, and Updated by Nellian in June 2024.

India’s set of experiences is epic, returning to the primary hints of human culture and accentuated by intrusions, the introduction of religions, and the ascent and fall of extraordinary civilizations.

There is proof, from the earliest times, of incredible developments of people groups across South Asia, once in a while supplanting existing populaces, some of the time incorporating with them. They came from West and Central Asia in huge moves throughout the elevated passes in the northwest, carrying with them the fundamentals of the Hindu confidence, later to be formed on Indian soil into an unobtrusive and exceptionally complex religion. Different religions, like Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, and Zoroastrianism, have formed and been ingested into India’s so-called wipe.

Of the multitude of Europeans who came to exchange India, it was the British who controlled, making the Subcontinent the “gem in the crown” of their realm. Progressive missions at long last prompted Indian freedom in 1947. Today, with a blossoming economy contending on the world stage, India’s majority-rule government is a victory in a place that is known for numerous ethnic, strict, and secessionist interests. In this article, we will investigate the 20 most popular verifiable occasions that occurred in India.

Read more about other historic events from different countries here.

1. Accession of Kashmir

The leader of Kashmir, Raja Hari Singh consented to an arrangement of increase because of which Kashmir turned into a fundamental piece of India. The choice had a boundless effect, with certain individuals supporting the choice and numerous against it. Kashmir has turned into a hotbed of hostility from that point forward. The choice of Raja Hari Singh to make Kashmir a piece of India has prompted four conflicts between India and Pakistan and has likewise prompted an extraordinary status for the province of Kashmir.

2. Partition

English-managed India was partitioned into two separate states, India and Pakistan. The parcel saw gore and killings on the two sides of the line and left a never-ending sway on the personalities of individuals.

3. Five-Year Plans

Long-term arranging was presented in India in the year 1950. The primary point behind executing long-term plans is to draw out an outline for India’s future, battling yearning and destitution that was caused because of the disintegrating economy because of the parcel.

4. Formation of the Union of India

At the hour of British rule, India was a blend of more than 500 August states. These royal states were added to the Union of India, disposing of the possibilities of little uprisings rising out of the Indian heartland. Indira Gandhi additionally presented the 26th amendment in 1971 which nullified privy handbags of the regal rulers.

5. Indo-China War

Image: Wikimedia Comms

The Indo-China battle of 1962 was a catastrophe for India’s faith in China being its essential accomplice. The 1962 conflict likewise prompted the breaking of Jawaharlal Nehru’s picture of being invulnerable. after 52 years, the Indo-China line debate is as yet a consuming worry for the two sides.

6. Reorganisation of States

The states were revamped based on phonetic characters in different pieces of the country. Andhra Pradesh was brought into the world in 1956, Gujarat in 1960, and Haryana and Himachal Pradesh in 1966.

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7. Emergency

The notorious crisis forced by the Indira Gandhi government in 1975 is the sort occasion in Indian history. The press was choked, protestors were shipped off prison and there was a sensation of distrustfulness around the country.

8. Creation of Bangladesh and India-Pakistan War

Image: Wikimedia Comms

India mediated in the uprising in East Pakistan. The relationship with Pakistan was at that point strained after the 1965 conflict. Additionally, the loss of India in 1962 on account of China had debilitated India’s situation in the locale, consequently helping in the formation of Bangladesh in restoring India as a significant power in South Asia.

9. Liberalisation

The financial changes of 1992 can be without a doubt recorded as one of the occasions that molded India. The economy was fizzling, and India was experiencing a stale GDP. The License Raj which was forced to safeguard the neighborhood organizations was not helping the economy. The economy was opened to unfamiliar ventures, and changes in charge systems and public area possessions saw the ascent of another monetary period for India.

10. The Kargil War

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The Kargil War, otherwise called the Kargil struggle, was an equipped clash battle between India and Pakistan from May to July 1999 in the Kargil locale of Jammu and Kashmir and somewhere else along the Line of Control (LoC). In India, the contention is likewise alluded to as Operation Vijay, which was the name of the Indian military activity to get out of the Kargil area.

The Indian Air Force’s job in acting together with Indian Army ground troops during the conflict was pointed toward flushing out normal and unpredictable soldiers of the Pakistan Army from emptied Indian situations along the LoC. This specific activity was given the codename Operation Safed Sagar.

The reason for the conflict was the penetration of Pakistani soldiers masked as Kashmiri assailants into positions on the Indian side of the LoC, which fills in as the accepted boundary between the two states in Kashmir. During the underlying phases of the conflict, Pakistan accused the battling autonomous Kashmiri guerillas, however, archives left behind by losses and later explanations by Pakistan’s Prime Minister and Chief of Army Staff showed the contribution of Pakistani paramilitary powers, driven by General Ashraf Rashid.

The Indian Army, later upheld by the Indian Air Force, recovered a larger part of the situation on the Indian side of the LoC. Confronting worldwide strategic resistance, Pakistani powers pulled out from the leftover Indian situations along the LoC.

The conflict is the latest illustration of high-height fighting in the precipitous landscape, and thus, presented critical strategic issues for the battling sides. It is additionally the sole example of immediate, traditional fighting between atomic states (i.e., those having atomic weapons). India had led its first fruitful test in 1974; Pakistan, which had been fostering its atomic capacity in confidential since around a similar time, led its first-known tests in 1998, only two weeks following the second series of tests by India.

11. Application To Be a Permanent Seat 

India has been a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for eight terms which is a total of 16 years and counting. In September 2004, India along with Japan, Germany, and Brazil launched an application requesting a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. However, India still doesn’t have a permanent, because of the UN Charter rules that delay the process for so many other countries, but it is a member of the UN Security Council.

12. The First Female President of India

, , via Wikimedia Commons

Pratibha Devisingh Patil served as the 12th president of India spanning from 2007 to 2012. She is noted as the first woman to become the president of India. While she was in office she commuted the death sentences of 35 petitioners to life. However, her term as president faced a lot of controversies because she spent more money on foreign trips.

13. The Goods and Services Tax Launch

It is a successor to VAT used in India on the supply of goods and services. GST is a digitalized form of VAT where one can also track goods and services. It was launched on July 1, 2017, by the President and government of India.

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14. The Citizenship Act Amendment

On December 11, 2019, the Citizenship Act 2019 was passed by the Parliament of India. It amended the Citizenship Act, of 1955 by approving an accelerated pathway to Indian citizenship for persecuted religious minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.

15.  The Mars Orbiter Mission

The Indian Space Research Organization, the national space agency of India, launched the first Asian spacecraft in 2013. India was the first country to succeed on its first attempt. 

Read more about other historic events here.

16. The Delhi Sultanate

, , via Wikimedia Commons

This historical event saw a series of five dynasties rule over much of the Indian subcontinent between 1206 to 1526. These dynasties were Mamluk, Khilji, Tughluq, Sayyid, and Lodi. Each of these regimes shaped the region’s history, marking significant cultural and architectural developments.

Subsequently, the Qutub Minar was constructed during this era. This period also experienced a high spreading and firm establishment of Islamic culture in India.

17. Mughal Empire

The Mughal Empire ruled India between 1526 and 1857. This leadership introduced a Persian art flair to the Indian culture. The fusion of these two cultures led to remarkable architectural designs like the Taj Mahal. This facility’s architecture was developed from the Urdu language.

Furthermore, the Mughal Empire introduced Persian-style garden layouts in India. They also brought in miniature painting and culinary advancements which in turn influenced Indian cuisine to a large extent.

18. The Indian Rebellion of 1857

, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

This First War of Indian Independence in 1857 is a memorable historical event in the country. It goes by several names such as the Indian Mutiny, the Sepoy Mutiny, the First War of Independence, and more related names.

The uprising was begun by Indian troops (sepoys) in Meerut against British rule in 1857. The soldiers served in the British East India Company. The revolt spread across different parts of India including Delhi, Agra, Kanpur, and Lucknow. Though ultimately unsuccessful, ending in 1859, the rebellion became the trailblazer for future Indian independence movements.

19. The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre

This tragic event happened on April 13, 1919. British troops opened fire on unarmed Indians in an open space in the Amritsar region. This event caused many casualties, sparking outrage and protests across the country.

What’s more, this event marked an important moment in the History of Modern India. Gandhi’s push for Indian nationalism and independence grew more aggressive.

20. India’s Independence

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After more than 200 years of British colonial rule, India gained its independence on August 15, 1947. Led by Mohandas Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru the country underwent many years of nonviolent resistance to British rule. This event was the start of India’s journey as a sovereign state.

Besides, this independence also brought an end to the large-scale communal violence that took place before and after the subcontinent partition in August 1947. Peace reigned after the partitioning of British India into two separate states – India and Pakistan. At the time, Pakistan comprised of West and East Pakistan, which is present-day Bangladesh.