India, also known as Bharat, has a long and rich history dating back over 30,000 years. Some of the earliest human remains in South Asia have been dated to around 30,000 years ago. One of the earliest urban cultures in South Asia was the Indus Valley Civilization, which flourished between 2600-1900 BCE in modern-day Pakistan and Western India. During the Vedic period from 2000-500 BCE, many regions transitioned to the Iron Age and important Hindu scriptures like the Vedas were composed. 16 major kingdoms known as the mahajanapadas emerged by the 6th century BCE, and the Mauryan Empire went on to control most of the subcontinent by the

1. al name for the country, is used by many Indian languages in its variations. The eponym of
Bharat is Bharata, a theological figure that Hindu scriptures describe as a legendary emperor of
ancient India.
Hindustan ([ɦɪnd̪ ʊˈst̪aːn] ( listen)) was originally a Persian word that meant "Land of the
Hindus"; prior to 1947, it referred to a region that encompassed northern India and Pakistan. It is
occasionally used to solely denote India in its entirety.[18][19]
History
Main articles: History of India and History of the Republic of India
Ancient India
The earliest authenticated human remains in South Asia date to about 30,000 years ago.[20]
Nearly contemporaneous Mesolithic rock art sites have been found in many parts of the Indian
subcontinent, including at the Bhimbetka rock shelters in Madhya Pradesh.[21] Around 7000
BCE, the first known Neolithic settlements appeared on the subcontinent in Mehrgarh and other
sites in western Pakistan.[22] These gradually developed into the Indus Valley Civilisation,[23] the
first urban culture in South Asia;[24] It flourished during 2600–1900 BCE in Pakistan and western
India.[25] Centred on cities such as Mohenjo-daro, Harappa, Dholavira, and Kalibangan, and
relying on varied forms of subsistence, the civilisation engaged robustly in crafts production and
wide-ranging trade.[24]
Map of Vedic period.
During the period 2000–500 BCE, in terms of culture, many regions of the subcontinent
transitioned from the Chalcolithic to the Iron Age.[26] The Vedas, the oldest scriptures of
Hinduism,[27] were composed during this period,[28] and historians have analysed these to posit a
Vedic culture in the Punjab region and the upper Gangetic Plain.[26] Most historians also consider
this period to have encompassed several waves of Indo-Aryan migration into the
subcontinent.[29][27] The caste system arose during this period, which created a hierarchy of
priests, warriors, free peasants and traders, and lastly the indigenous peoples who were regarded
as impure; and small tribal units gradually coalesced into monarchical, state-level polities.[30][31]
On the Deccan Plateau, archaeological evidence from this period suggests the existence of a
chiefdom stage of political organisation.[26] In southern India, a progression to sedentary life is
indicated by the large number of megalithic monuments dating from this period,[32] as well as by
nearby traces of agriculture, irrigation tanks, and craft traditions.[32]

2. Paintings at the Ajanta Caves in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, 6th century
In the late Vedic period, around the 6th century BCE, the small states and chiefdoms of the
Ganges Plain and the north-western regions had consolidated into 16 major oligarchies and
monarchies that were known as the mahajanapadas.[33][34] The emerging urbanisation and the
orthodoxies of this age also created heterodox religious movements, two of which became
independent religions. Buddhism, based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha attracted followers
from all social classes excepting the middle class; chronicling the life of the Buddha was central
to the beginnings of recorded history in India.[35][36][37] Jainism came into prominence during the
life of its exemplar, Mahavira.[38] In an age of increasing urban wealth, both religions held up
renunciation as an ideal,[39] and both established long-lasting monastic traditions. Politically, by
the 3rd century BCE, the kingdom of Magadha had annexed or reduced other states to emerge as
the Mauryan Empire.[40] The empire was once thought to have controlled most of the
subcontinent excepting the far south, but its core regions are now thought to have been separated
by large autonomous areas.[41][42] The Mauryan kings are known as much for their empire-
building and determined management of public life as for Ashoka's renunciation of militarism
and far-flung advocacy of the Buddhist dhamma.