India Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's India appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 95 different states, among them British Raj, India, Hindu kingdoms, Sultanate of Delhi, Mauryan Empire.
IndiaExplore the history of India in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · India as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of India, map by map
Share of sample points inside today's borders held by each state on each map. Areas with no organised state on the map are left out.
Historic cities in India
Famous people of India
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| c. 563 BC – 483 BC | Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha | Founder of Buddhism |
| c. 340 BC – 297 BC | Chandragupta Maurya | Founder of the Maurya Empire |
| c. 304 BC – 232 BC | Ashoka | Maurya emperor |
| AD 602 – AD 664 | Xuanzang | Buddhist monk and translator |
| 1304 – 1369 | Ibn Battuta | Traveller |
| 1336 – 1405 | Timur (Tamerlane) | Founder of the Timurid Empire |
| 1371 – 1433 | Zheng He | Admiral and explorer |
| c. 1469 – 1524 | Vasco da Gama | Navigator |
| 1471 – 1529 | Krishnadevaraya | Emperor of Vijayanagara |
| 1483 – 1530 | Babur | Founder of the Mughal Empire |
| 1542 – 1605 | Akbar | Mughal emperor |
| 1592 – 1666 | Shah Jahan | Mughal emperor |
| 1618 – 1707 | Aurangzeb | Mughal emperor |
| 1861 – 1941 | Rabindranath Tagore | Poet |
| 1869 – 1948 | Mahatma Gandhi | Leader of Indian independence |
| 1889 – 1964 | Jawaharlal Nehru | First prime minister of India |
Battles and historic sites
| Year | Battle or site |
|---|---|
| 528 BC | Bodh Gaya |
| 261 BC | Battle of Kalinga War |
| 1498 | Calicut |
| 1526 | Battle of Panipat |
| 1757 | Battle of Plassey |
| 1944 | Battle of Kohima |
Landmarks
Taj MahalStanding · 1653
Qutb MinarStanding · 1220
Red FortStanding · 1648
NalandaRuins · AD 427
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of India?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern India belonged to British Raj, India, Hindu kingdoms, Sultanate of Delhi, Mauryan Empire, Mughal Empire, along with 89 other states.
What was India part of in 1000?
On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's India lay within Rajput kingdoms.
What was India part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's India lay within Sultanate of Delhi.
What was India part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's India lay within British Raj.
Further reading
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.