UP History Timeline

Several of the sixteen Mahajanapadas lay in today's UP, including Kashi (Varanasi), Kosala (Shravasti), Vatsa (Kaushambi), Shurasena (Mathura) and Malla (Kushinara).

After his enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, the Buddha gave his first sermon at the Deer Park in Sarnath near Varanasi — the 'turning of the wheel of Dharma'. The year is the traditional date.

The Buddha passed away at Kushinara (Kushinagar), in the land of the Mallas, at the age of 80. The year is the traditional date.

The Mauryan emperor Ashoka set up a pillar at Sarnath crowned with four lions. This Lion Capital was adopted as India's national emblem on 26 January 1950.

Under the Kushanas, Mathura became a great centre of sculpture. Its artists carved Buddhist, Jain and Hindu images in the local spotted red sandstone.

Samudragupta's conquests are recorded on the Ashokan pillar at Prayagraj (Allahabad) in the Prayag Prashasti, composed by his court poet Harishena.

The Dashavatara temple at Deogarh (Lalitpur district), dedicated to Vishnu, is one of the earliest surviving stone temples of North India, built in the Gupta period.

Harshavardhana came to the throne in 606 CE and made Kannauj his capital. The Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang) visited his court.

The Gurjara-Pratiharas, the Palas and the Rashtrakutas fought for control of Kannauj, then the most prized city of North India. The Gurjara-Pratiharas ruled from Kannauj for a long period.

In one of his many raids into India, Mahmud of Ghazni plundered the temple town of Mathura and attacked Kannauj.

Muhammad Ghori defeated Jaichand, the Gahadavala ruler of Kannauj, at Chandawar, opening the Ganga plains to the Ghurid armies.

In 1394 Malik Sarwar, a Tughlaq noble given the title Malik-us-Sharq, became governor of Jaunpur and soon ruled independently, founding the Sharqi dynasty. Jaunpur became a centre of learning and architecture, known as 'Shiraz-e-Hind'; the Atala Masjid is its best-known building.

Sher Shah Suri defeated Humayun at Kannauj (also called the Battle of Bilgram), and Humayun was forced to leave India.

Sher Shah Suri was killed by a gunpowder explosion while besieging Kalinjar fort, in present-day Banda district.

Akbar built a new capital at Fatehpur Sikri near Agra, honouring the Sufi saint Shaikh Salim Chishti. Its Buland Darwaza commemorates his conquest of Gujarat.

Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal at Agra, on the bank of the Yamuna, as a tomb for his wife Mumtaz Mahal.

Saadat Khan (Burhan-ul-Mulk) was appointed governor of Awadh, founding the line of the Nawabs of Awadh.

After the Battle of Buxar (1764), Robert Clive's treaties at Allahabad gave the East India Company the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa from Shah Alam II, and restored Awadh to Nawab Shuja-ud-Daula.

Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula moved the capital of Awadh from Faizabad to Lucknow, where he later built the Bara Imambara.

Lord Dalhousie annexed Awadh on the charge of misgovernment. Nawab Wajid Ali Shah was deposed and sent to Calcutta.

Sepoys at Meerut rose in revolt, freed their jailed comrades and marched to Delhi, starting the Revolt of 1857.

Nana Saheb, the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II, led the revolt at Kanpur; Tantia Tope was among his commanders.

Begum Hazrat Mahal led the uprising in Lucknow and declared her young son Birjis Qadr the Nawab; the British Residency was besieged for months.

Rani Lakshmibai led the resistance at Jhansi, a state the British had taken over under the Doctrine of Lapse.

Lord Canning read out Queen Victoria's Proclamation at Allahabad, announcing that the British Crown had taken over the government of India from the East India Company.

The High Court for the North-Western Provinces was established at Agra in 1866 and moved to Allahabad in 1869 — today's Allahabad High Court.

Sir Syed Ahmad Khan opened a school at Aligarh that became the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College in 1877 and Aligarh Muslim University in 1920.

The North-Western Provinces and Oudh, administered together since 1877, were renamed the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh.

At Lucknow, the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League agreed on joint constitutional demands; the Congress moderates and extremists also reunited at this session.

Peasants of Awadh, led by Baba Ramchandra, organised against high rents and forced labour (begar); the Oudh Kisan Sabha was set up in 1920 with Jawaharlal Nehru among its leaders.

A crowd set fire to the police station at Chauri Chaura in Gorakhpur district, killing several policemen. Gandhi then called off the Non-Cooperation Movement.

Revolutionaries of the Hindustan Republican Association took government money from a train at Kakori near Lucknow. Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, Rajendra Lahiri and Roshan Singh were later hanged.

Chandrashekhar Azad died fighting the police at Alfred Park, Allahabad, rather than be captured. The park is now named after him.

During the Quit India Movement, Chittu Pandey led a short-lived parallel government in Ballia.

On Independence Day, Sarojini Naidu became Governor of the United Provinces — the first woman governor in India.

The United Provinces was renamed Uttar Pradesh, and 24 January is now observed as UP Diwas. Govind Ballabh Pant, who headed the provincial government, became UP's first Chief Minister when the Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950.

Sucheta Kripalani became Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh — the first woman to be Chief Minister of any Indian state.

UNESCO inscribed the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort as World Heritage Sites; Fatehpur Sikri followed in 1986.

Thirteen districts in the north of UP became the new state of Uttaranchal, which was renamed Uttarakhand in 2007.

Allahabad was renamed Prayagraj, and Faizabad district was renamed Ayodhya.