For nearly 500 years, India remained in a state of disarray that made it ripe for conquest from outside. This came in about A. D. 1000, when the Muslim Turks swept in. For almost 400 years, they would control a wide swath of Indian territory from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal, an area that included the river valleys of the Indus and the Ganges. This kingdom was called the Delhi Sultanate (DEL-ee SUL-tun-et), a name that referred to the city of Delhi, where the sultan ruled.
In 1398, a Central Asian conqueror named Timur (TEE-moor) attacked the Delhi Sultanate. In 1526, a descendant of his named Babur (bah-BOOR) established the Mogul (MOH-guhl) Empire. The Moguls would rule for many years. Among their kings was Shah Jahan (SHAH jah-HAHN), who built the
Taj Mahal, photograph.
Archive photos. Reproduced by permission.
Famous Taj Mahal (TAHZH muh-HAHL) as a tomb for his beloved bride. By the late 1600s, the Hindu Marathas (muh-RAH-thuhz) were challenging the Muslim Moguls. Fighting between the two groups opened the way for Great Britain to conquer India.
The British began to acquire Indian territory beginning in 1765, and over the next 122 years, they fought numerous wars to extend their control. By 1887, the entire subcontinent belonged either to Britain or to local rulers subject to the British Crown. Though the British were not always kind to their Indian subjects, they also instituted a number of reforms, most notably in 1829, when they outlawed the Hindu custom of suttee (SUH-tee). After death, a Hindu was cremated on a funeral pyre. By the rules of suttee, a man's widow was expected to burn herself to death on the pyre.
British power weakened with the heavy losses it suffered in World War I (1914-1918). The period leading up to
Indira Gandhi, photograph.
AP/Wide World Photos. Reproduced by permission.
World War II (1939-1945) saw the rise of an independence movement led by Mohandas Gandhi (moh-HAHN-dus GAHN-dee; 1869-1948). Gandhi was sometimes called the Mahatma (mah-HAHT-muh), which means “great soul.” He was both a powerful political and religious leader, and his movement gathered enormous strength. In 1947,
Britain granted independence to India.
Fighting quickly broke out between Hindus and Muslims, and Gandhi himself was assassinated. The conflict led to the establishment of Pakistan as a separate state with a Muslim majority. The country was divided into two parts separated by more than
1,000 miles (1,609 kilometers) of Indian territory. India fought wars with China and later Pakistan, and a bloody 1971 clash with Pakistan resulted in the establishment of Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan) as an independent nation.
For the better part of fifty years, India was led by a single family. First came Jawarharlal Nehru (yah-wahr-hahr-LAHL NAY-roo; 1889-1964), a follower of Gandhi, who served as prime minister from 1947 to 1964. His daughter Indira Gandhi (in-DEER-uh; 1917-1984; no relation to Mohandas Gandhi) was an outspoken figure who led the nation from 1966 to 1977, and again from 1980 until her assassination in 1984. Indira Gandhi's son Rajiv (rah-ZHEEV; 1944-1991) took her place as prime minister until he was voted out in 1989. Two years later, during an election campaign, he too was assassinated.
Political unrest has been far from the only problem that has plagued modern India. There are fifteen major languages in the country, and hundreds of ethnic groups live in uneasy relations with one another. Although the caste system was abolished in 1947, poverty is still widespread. In 1999 the average Indian earned $1,600 a year, compared with $28,600 for the average American. Nonetheless, the country has made massive efforts at reform and has done so while maintaining
Hindu traditions that date back thousands of years. Western peoples, while possessing far greater material wealth than most Indians, have remained fascinated with the varied and exotic culture of India.
World History
