Often it has been said that he who controls his past can control his future. Hence history is important for an individual`s growth. The history of India is integrally related to the identity of the Indian diaspora. Modern India is a democratic republic. But it was not so in the past. The freedom, the facilities enjoyed by the Indian masses today were missing and people in the past had fought hard to establish as she is today. Besides this, the history of India exemplifies the country with adequate evidences, the seat of oldest civilisation- Indus Valley Civilisation.

The history of India can be easily categorised into Ancient, Medieval and Modern. While the ancient history deals with the gradual evolution of the civilisation, the medieval history narrates the tales of the rise of the native kings, their administration, the rising fame of India and finally the Muslim and other foreign invasions. The unprecedented glory of India spread far and wide and led to the coming of the Europeans. The modern history deals with the events of their coming; how they enslave the Indian subcontinent and the atrocities they incur to rule the land.

The History of India is very extensive and interesting. Since ancient days, the country has been acknowledged in every field. Indian history is very ancient and has records over thousands of years. India is abode to the richest and the most ancient civilizations in the world, existing over 5,000 years ago. The history of the country is depicted in every religious texts and Hinduism relates about Indian civilisation. According to historical chronicle, the Indian civilization originated in the Indus River Valley and was known by the name of Indus Valley civilization. The civilization with its main cities Mohenjadaro and Harappa flourished for over eight centuries.

Indus Valley Civilization is the beginning History of India. This civilisation flourished in the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent, from 3300 to 1300 BCE. It was a Bronze Age civilization which collapsed at the beginning of the second millennium BCE and was followed by the Iron Age Vedic period. The civilisation extended over the Indo-Gangetic plains and witnessed the rise of major kingdoms such as the Mahajanapadas. Sources of History of India such as Coins and Coinage, Manuscripts and ancient texts narrate the story of creation of the country.

Ancient History of India includes the main histories of the two great cities - Harappa and Mohenjodaro. Archaeological excavations in the North eastern part of India highlight the remains of a highly developed urban civilization in ancient India. History of India introduces a civilization where the two cities were well-organised and solidly built out of burnt brick and stone. However in ancient times, India was invaded and the culture and religion of the Indian subcontinent was influenced by various foreign Invasions in India. The Aryans came to India in the 1500BC and they were the first invaders. Later, Mughals, Greek and Portuguese came to India and influenced the country.

According to the Medieval History of India, the Cholas came to power. This period was termed as the "Golden Age of India." During this period Indian civilization witnessed glorious period in the field of administration, culture, and religion. Islamic rule emerged in the middle ages of the country. Mughal rule came to cover most of the northern parts of the subcontinent. Indian Rulers were very powerful at that time. They fought many battles among themselves to establish power and supremacy. Indian Battles brought about a change in the History of India

Modern History of India is all about the British rule. The rule continued for over two decades. In the middle of the 18th century and over the next century, India was gradually annexed by the British East India Company. They started to tyrannize the whole of the country with their supremacy. In addition to that various social evils emerged with the harsh measures of the British. Various thinkers, poet and reformists appeared at the moment to introduce a mass awakening programme against oppression by the British. History of India depicts that it was the age of literary, culture and educational reforms.

History of India gets a new turn with the struggle for Indian Independence. A saga of political, social and cultural upheavals led to the Indian independence movement. The history of India is steeped in courageous tales of Indian freedom fighters. While some revolted and laid down their lives without any qualms for their motherland, others fought a long battle, unarmed and snatched away their right to freedom. An impressive fact about the history of India has been that there has never been dearth of rulers or leaders when the land required them the most. There are people whom the Indian masses know but there are numerous unnamed heroes, both men and women, who have protected their motherland against all odds. Personages like Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Mangal Pandey, Jatindranath Mukherjee, Subhash Chandra Bose, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi and several others sacrificed everything to unchain their motherland from the barriers of colonisation.

This long battle finally came to a halt with India achieving its independence on 15th August, 1947. However the independence left its indelible marks with the partition of India and the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. Yet India moved on to establish itself as one of the most successful democracies in the world where an assortment of religions, cultures amalgamate, thus epitomizing Unity in Diversity. As one fleets through the pages of history of India he is sure to discover a myriad of colours.