THE ACCESSION OF CHANDRAGUPTA MOURYA TO THE THRONE OF MAGADHA MARKED THE BEGINNING OF THE GOLDEN AGE OF INDIAS HISTORY.Chandraguptas capital was pataliputra, near modern patna, just below nepal. pataliputra was probably the largest city in the world at that time, eight miles long and a mile and half wide, with five hundred seventy towers and sixty four gates, all surrounded by a moat six hundred feet wide and forty five feet deep.he owed his success predominantly to his mentor, kautilya or chanakya as he was popularly known

the dharma chakra of ashok finds a place in the national flag of India.  The national emblem of India has been taken from the ashok poillar .ashok holds amongst indians today a place of pride and utmost national importance, both for his valour and wisdom.

son and successor of kirti varman, is regarded as the greatest rler of the chalukya dynasty of southern india.

prithviraj was the most famous of the chauhan rulers who ruled delhi.  he was the warrior king whose military aachievements have been immortalised in the poem, prithviraja-raso written by his court poet chand bardai.he defeated teh muslim invader mohammad ghori in 1191 ad in the first battle of tarain after having thwarted several of  his attempts earlier.

he is the most famous kong of the vijaynagar empire.  he is a learned man, a great conqueror and an enlightened ruler.  He suppressed revolts with ability, seized raichur doab from the sultan of bijapur in 1512 ad.he built magnificent temples, constructed irrigation projects, beautified the capital and other cities and promoted the welfare of the people.during his rule several ltravellers from italy, portugal, persia and samarkand visited vijaynagar.

a descendent of timur dynasty,babur was bornin feb 1482 ad  in central asia.he is the founder of moghul empire in india.his personal memoirs were recorded in the form of a famous book "babur nama"

Akbar was born at Amarkot in 1542 AD. He became the ruler of the Mughal kingdom at the age of 13 in 1556 AD. Though uneducated, he was highly cultured and redefined. Besides, abolishing the “jizia” tax, he also introduced the “Din-i-Ilahi”, a new faith, which literally translated, means the religion of god. Akbar’s reign is well known for establishment of a regular revenue system, organization of civil and military administration, encouragement of art and literature and construction of magnificent monumentsAkbar was born at Amarkot in 1542 AD. He became the ruler of the Mughal kingdom at the age of 13 in 1556 AD. Though uneducated, he was highly cultured and redefined. Besides, abolishing the “jizia” tax, he also introduced the “Din-i-Ilahi”, a new faith, which literally translated, means the religion of god. Akbar’s reign is well known for establishment of a regular revenue system, organization of civil and military administration, encouragement of art and literature and constructio

Shivaji, the founder of Maratha Empire was born in 1627 AD at Shivneri, a hill fort near Poona, to Shaji Bhosle and JIjabai. He overran a number of hill forts near Poona – Rajgarh ,Kondana, Torna from 1645 – 1647. In 1659, in cunning but a daring manner he disposed of Afzal khan, the general of the Sultan of Bijapur. As part of an agreement with Aurangzeb which however broke down. He was imprisoned but escaped dramatically from Agra in 1666. He crowned himself formally at Rajgarh in 1674. He undertook his last major expedition in Bijapur in Karanataka in 1676 and humbled Qutab shah the ruler.

Maharana pratap singh became the ruler of mewar in 1572 AD. In 1576, emperor Akbar deputed raja Man Singh with the task of getting Mewar within the Mughal fold. The armies fought the famous battle of Haldighati wherein the rana’s 3000 strong force comprising of Rajputs, Afgans and Bhils threw the Mughal force into disarray. However, fresh Mughal reinforcements compelled the wounded Rana to escape on his famous horse “CHETAK”. Restoring to guerilla warfare , the Rana continued his fight for independence and defied the Mughals thus epitomizing a glorious saga of Rajput valour and the spirit of sacrifice for cherished principles. He managed to recover many territories including Kumbhal garh and the areas near Chittor but could not recover Chittor itself. He built a new capital, Chavand, near modern Dungarpur

Raja Man Singh was one of the most brilliant personalities of Akbar’s court. Brother-in-law of Akbar, Raja man singh was one of the most trusted lieutenants of the emperor. He was entrusted with the most arduous duties and added conquests to the empire from Khotan to the ocean.

Jai Singh II – Rajput Kachwaha prince was supremely talented – both politically and intellectually in battle craft. He raised his kingdom to the richest position in Rajasthan. It is claimed by the historians he won the title of “Sawai” at the age of 14 and succeeded to the throne of Amber. His spectacular rise to power was due to the decline in the power and authority of the Mughal Empire following the death of emperor Aurangzeb. He was so greatly respected by other contemporary Rajput rulers that they framed and executed their policies in consultation with him, thereby acknowledging his diplomatic leadership. Jai Singh will always be remembered for founding one of the most planned cities in the world – Jaipur in 1727 and for the construction of astronomical observatories in different parts of India.

Suraj Mal Jat was born in 1707 AD. He was the adopted son of Sadan Singh. Beginning with the capture of Bharatpur from Khem Reran Sagaria, he extended his kingdom to Mewar and the Jat areas across the river Yamuna. In 1745 AD, he led a Jat contingent in Emperor Muhammad shah’s campaign against Ali Muhammed Rohilla. He then arrested the Mughal faujdar of Aligarh and achieved a powerful position in the area. The Jat ruler defeated the Maratha ruler Maharaj Holker in 1748 AD and supported Safdar Jung , the Wazir of Delhi against the Emperor in a civil war in 1753 AD. He seized Agra in 1761 AD and spread his kingdom upto Alwar in the west and Gurgaon and Rohtak in the north. He died in an ambush during his fight against Najib – ud – daulah.

Tipu sultan was born in 1753 AD, he became the ruler of Mysore in 1782 after the death of his father Haider Ali. He continued the war against the british which his father had begun in 1780. The war ended in 1784 with the treaty of Mangalore. In 1790 , tipu attacked the ruler of Coorg and Travencore, allies of the british. Lord Cornwallis therefore attacked Mysore and laid siege siege to Seringapatnam. In this third Anglo – Mysore war, Tipu was compelled to sue for peace. He had to surrender his territory ,pay a huge war indemnity and hand over his two sons as hostages. Unable to bear the humiliation, tipu started negotiations with the French for their help against the british. His open sympathy for the French revolution and his non – acceptance of lord Wellesley’s policy of subsidiary alliance resulted in the fourth Anglo – Mysore war of 1789 in which Tipu was defeated and died fighting bravely at one of the gates of his fortress city.