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