| Timeline and cultural period
 | Westcoast | Northwestern Sub-continent (West Punjab-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
 | Indo-Gangetic Plain | Central India Deccan Plateau
 | Southern India | 
  | Western Gangetic Plain (Kurukshetra)
 | Northern India (Central Gangetic Plain)
 | Northeastern India (Bengal)
 | 
  | South Asian Stone Age (until c. 3300 BCE) | South Asian Stone Age (until c. 1100 BCE) | 
  | Culture | Paleolithicum (until c. 10,000 BCE) | 
  | 70,000 - 10,000 BCE |  | Sanghao Caves |  |  |  | Bhimbetka rock shelters (30,000-15,000 BCE)
 |  | 
  | Culture | Mesolithicum (c. 10,000-7,000 BCE) |  | Mesolithicum (c. 10,000-3,000 BCE) | 
  | c. 10,000-7,000 BCE |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 
  | Culture | Neolithicum (c. 7000-3300 BCE) |  | Mesolithicum (c. 10,000-3000 BCE) | 
  | c. 7,000-3,300 BCE |  | Mehrgarh |  |  |  |  |  | 
  | BRONZE AGE (c. 3300-1100 BCE) |  | NEOLITHIC (c. 3000-1400 BCE) | 
  | Culture |  | Early Harappan |  |  |  | 
  | 3300-2600 BCE |  | Early Harappan |  |  |  |  |  | 
  | Culture |  | Integration Era |  |  |  | 
  | 2600-1900 BCE | Indus Valley civilization | Indus Valley civilization | Indus Valley civilization |  |  |  |  | 
  | Culture |  | Localisation Era/Late Harappan OCP/Cemetery H
 |  |  |  | 
  | 1900-1500 BCE |  |  |  | Earliest known rice cultivation[a] |  |  |  | 
  | Culture |  | Localisation Era/Late Harappan OCP • Cemetery H • Early Vedic period • Gandhara grave culture
 |  |  | Megalithic (c. 1400-1100 BCE)
 | 
  | 1500-1300 BCE |  | Indo-Aryan migration |  |  |  |  |  | 
  | 1300-1100 BCE |  | Wandering Vedic Aryans |  |  |  |  |  | 
  | IRON AGE (c. 1100-300 BCE) | 
  | Culture |  | Middle Vedic Period |  |  |  | 
  | Gandhara grave culture | Black and red ware culture |  | 
  | 1100-800 BCE |  | Vedic settlements Gandhara
 | Vedic settlements Kuru
 |  |  |  |  | 
  | Culture |  | Late Vedic Period |  |  |  | 
  | Gandhara grave culture | (Brahmin ideology)[b] • early Upanishads • Painted Grey Ware culture | (Kshatriya/Shramanic culture)[c] • Northern Black Polished Ware | 
  | 800-600 BCE |  | Gandhara | Kuru-Pancala | Kosala-Videha |  |  |  | 
  | Culture |  | Late Vedic Period Mahajanapada
 |  |  |  | 
  | Gandhara grave culture | (Brahmin ideology)[d] • early Upanishads • Painted Grey Ware culture | (Kshatriya/Shramanic culture)[e] • Northern Black Polished Ware | 
  | 6th century BCE |  | Gandhara | Kuru-Panchala | Kosala Magadha
 Anga
 |  | Adivasi (tribes) |  | 
  | Culture |  | Persian-Greek influences | "Second Urbanisation" |  |  | 
  | Later Upanishads | Rise of Shramana movements Jainism - Buddhism - Ājīvika - Yoga
 Later Upanishads
 |  | 
  | 5th century BCE |  | (Persian rule) |  | Shishunaga dynasty |  | Adivasi (tribes) |  | 
  | 4th century BCE |  | (Greek conquests) |  | Nanda empireKalinga
 |  |  | 
  | HISTORICAL AGE (after 300 BCE) | 
  | Culture | Spread of Buddhism | Pre-history | Sangam period (300 BCE – 200 CE)
 | 
  | 3rd century BCE | Maurya Empire | Early Cholas Early Pandyan Kingdom
 Satavahana dynasty
 Cheras
 | 
  | Culture | Preclassical Hinduism[f] - "Hindu Synthesis"[g] (c. 200 BCE-300 CE)[h][i] Epics - Puranas - Ramayana - Mahabharata - Bhagavad Gita - Brahma Sutras - Smarta Tradition
 Mahayana Buddhism
 | Sangam period (continued)
 (300 BCE – 200 CE)
 | 
  | 2nd century BCE |  | Indo-Greek Kingdom |  | Shunga Empire |  | Adivasi (tribes) | Early Cholas Early Pandyan Kingdom
 Satavahana dynasty
 Cheras
 | 
  | 1st century BCE |  |  | Yona | Maha-Meghavahana Dynasty |  | 
  | 1st century CE |  | Indo-Scythians Indo-Parthians
 |  | Kuninda Kingdom |  | 
  | 2nd century |  |  | Pahlava |  | Varman dynasty | 
  | 3rd century |  |  | Kushan Empire | Western Satraps | Kamarupa kingdom | Kalabhra dynasty | 
  | Culture | "Golden Age of Hinduism"(c. 320-650 CE)[j] Puranas
 Co-existence of Hinduism and Buddhism
 | 
  | 4th century | Gupta Empire | Kadamba Dynasty Western Ganga Dynasty
 | 
  | 5th century | Vishnukundina | 
  | 6th century | Maitraka |  |  |  |  | Adivasi (tribes) |  | 
  | Culture | Late-Classical Hinduism (c. 650-1100 CE)[k] Advaita Vedanta - Tantra
 Decline of Buddhism in India
 | 
  | 7th century | Maitraka | Indo-Sassanids | Vakataka dynasty Empire of Harsha
 | Mlechchha dynasty | Adivasi (tribes) | Pallava | 
  | 8th century |  | Kidarite Kingdom |  |  | Kalachuri | 
  | 9th century |  | Indo-Hephthalites (Huna) | Gurjara-Pratihara |  | Chalukya | 
  | 10th century |  |  |  |  | Pala dynasty Kamboja-Pala dynasty
 | Rashtrakuta | 
  | Culture | Islamic rule and "Sects of Hinduism" (c. 1100-1850 CE)[l] - Medieval and Late Puranic Period (500–1500 CE)[m] | 
  | 11th century | Western Chalukyas | (Islamic conquests) Kabul Shahi
 (Islamic Empire)
 | Rajputs | Pala Empire Paramara dynasty
 Chaulukya dynasty
 Eastern Ganga dynasty
 | Sena dynasty | Adivasi (tribes) | Chola Empire Yadava dynasty
 Western Chalukyas
 Eastern Chalukyas
 Kakatiya dynasty
 Hoysala Empire
 | 
  | 12th century | Western Chalukyas |  | Rajputs | Paramara dynasty Chaulukya dynasty
 Eastern Ganga dynasty
 | Chola Empire Yadava dynasty
 Western Chalukyas
 Eastern Chalukyas
 Kakatiya dynasty
 Hoysala Empire
 | 
  | 13th century |  | Delhi Sultanate | Chola Empire | 
  | 14th century |  |  | Delhi Sultanate |  |  | Vijayanagara Empire | 
  | 15th century |  |  | Delhi Sultanate |  | 
  | 16th century | Mughal Empire |  | 
  | 17th century | Mughal Empire |  | Maratha Empire | 
  | Culture | Maratha Empire and British Colonisation - Company rule in India | 
  | 18th century | Maratha Empire |  | Maratha Empire |  | British | Maratha Empire/British | 
  | Culture | British Colonisation - British Raj | 
  | 19th century |  | Sikh Empire |  |  |  |  |  | 
  | Culture | British Raj - Independence struggle - Pakistan - India - Bangladesh | 
  | 20th century | Pakistan | India | Bangladesh | India | 
  | 21st century |