South Asia: Creating Dilemmas of Diversity - Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East and Southeast Asia - page 154

Table 6-1 ( Continued )

Ruler Dynasty Year Century Important Events

16th-17th C. A1542-160Mughals Defeat of Rajputs and conquest of Gujarat and Bengal. Infusion of

Persian culture. Persian merges with languages of Delhi and Agra
to become Hindi.

Akbar

Establishment of British East India Company .
17th C. AD

17th C. AD Mughals Akbar 1600

British get permission to develop trading post in Gujarat.
17th C. AD

Mughals Jahangir 1616

1627-165Mughals Shah Jahan Shah Jahan “Ruler of the W orld” erects grand architecture such

as Taj Mahal in Agra, Red Fort and Jama Masjid (largest
mosque in India) in Delhi. Rich zamindars control vast swathes of
land. Many peasants become indebted to zamindar moneylenders
and lose their land. Series of famines; millions die. Mughals
weakened by too rapid expansion of empire.

17th C. AD Mughals 1661 Portugal cedes Bombay (Mumbai) to Britain.

17th C. AD Mughals 1639 British buy land on southwest coast to build trading post. Later

becomes Madras (Chennai).

17th C. AD 1627-168Mughals Aurangzeb Zealous Hindu, Shivaji “The Mountain Rat,” and the Marathas

attack Mughals.

17th-18th C. A1658-170Mughals Aurangzeb Shah Jahan' s son Aurangzeb seizes power. Indian state at its

greatest extent. Cruel anti-Hindu policies and brutalization of
Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists. Collapse of Mughal Empire with
death of Aurangzeb in 1707.

17th C. AD Mughals 1690 British found Calcutta (Kolkata) on the Hooghly river.

18th C. AD 1702-170Mughals Famine and plague on Deccan cause deaths of 2 million. Rise of

separate states ruled by Maharajahs, Nizams, etc. Decline of Delhi.

18th C. AD 1751 British make deals with various state rulers—protection for loyalty .

Britain becomes leading colonial power in India.

18th C. AD Maratha 1761 Marathas rule most of northern India. Constant factionalism and

Confederacy civil war. Severe loss to Afghan invaders at Battle of Panipat

northwest of Delhi. With the defeat of the only real power in India,
the British take advantage to extend their territory .

18th C. AD 1769 Famine kills 10 million in Bengal, and East India Company does

nothing to help.

19th C. AD 1853 Railways, postal service, and telegraph system introduced into

Dalhousie as

Lord

India by British. Development of ports.

Governor
General of
India

19th C. AD 1857 First Indian revolt against the British known as the “Sepoy

Mutiny .”

The Raj 1858 Formalization of India as a British colony . Indians call this period

“The Raj” meaning “The Rule.”

19th C. AD The Raj 1869 Opening of Suez Canal shortens route from Asia to Europe.

19th C. AD The Raj Rise of colonial ports and building of railway network in order to

bring raw materials such as cotton from the interior destined for
textile and other factories in England. Manufactured goods to be
imported and sold in India.

( continued )