A timeline of classical Indian civilization from the Maurya Empire to the Gupta Golden Age — Ashoka's transformation, the birth of Buddhism, and India's intellectual flowering.
The future Buddha is born into a warrior-noble clan in what is now southern Nepal.
After years of seeking, Siddhartha attains bodhi under a tree in Bodh Gaya and becomes the Buddha — 'the Awakened One.'
Chandragupta overthrows the Nanda Dynasty and establishes India's first great empire, eventually conquering most of the subcontinent.
Ashoka ascends to the Maurya throne and begins an aggressive expansion of the empire.
The devastating Kalinga war kills 100,000 and leads Ashoka to embrace Buddhist nonviolence — one of history's most remarkable personal transformations.
Ashoka dispatches missionaries to Sri Lanka, Central Asia, and the Hellenistic kingdoms, projecting Buddhism beyond India for the first time.
The last Maurya emperor is assassinated, ending India's first great imperial dynasty.
Chandragupta I establishes the Gupta Dynasty, beginning India's Golden Age of mathematics, science, and the arts.
Gupta-era mathematicians formalize the decimal numeral system and the concept of zero — arguably the most important mathematical innovation in history.
Hunnic invasions and internal fragmentation bring the Gupta Golden Age to an end, though its cultural legacy endures across Asia.