Age of the Empire Trivia Quiz

Answer:

Many empires have ruled over different parts of India at different points in time. Some of these covered large areas of the modern day country while others were smaller kingdoms. Similarly, there were some that left a lasting impression on the history and culture of the region, while others disappeared and are barely mentioned in history textbooks.

The Gupta empire was named after its founder, Gupta. Famous rulers from this kingdom include Chandragupta I, Samudragupta, and Skandagupta. The empire was in power from the mid 3rd century to the mid 6th century and at its peak ruled much of the Indian subcontinent. This is often referred to as the 'Golden Age of India'.

The Chola dynasty emerged from southern India and conquered large regions of South Asia given their force as a maritime empire. While the Chola dynasty is believed to have originated much earlier than this, the empire was at its peak from the 9th century to the 13th century.

The Delhi Sultanate was made up of five separate dynasties. It ruled over large parts of modern day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal for over 3 centuries from 1206 to 1526 before they were conquered by the Mughals.

The Mughal Empire was founded by Babur in the early 16th century and ruled India for several centuries. Famous Mughal emperors include Humayun, Shah Jahan, and Aurangzeb. The Mughal influence is seen across Indian architecture, language, art, cuisine, and much more.

India's colonial history began soon after Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama, discovered a sea route to the country from Europe, landing here in 1498. While the British Raj is famous, other European colonial powers also held control over smaller areas of the subcontinent. The French reached India in the first half of the 16th century. Despite their success in other parts of the world, they only managed to colonize small parts of India. By the time India achieved independence in 1947, they had only five small trading posts, geographically spread out across the coast. In the early 1950s, these were incorporated into India.

Denmark's presence in India is hardly commented upon and not even a footnote in most Indian history textbooks. Danish India included a few towns in the states of Tamil Nadu and West Bengal and the Nicobar Islands that are now part of the Indian Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar.

The Maratha Empire ruled from 1674 to 1818. Originating in the Deccan Plateau, the empire ruled over a third of the Indian subcontinent at the height of its power.

The Sikh Empire was founded by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1799. Despite its name, the kingdom was religiously diverse. Lahore, now in Pakistan, was the capital of the kingdom. The empire lasted until 1849 when it lost the Second Anglo-Sikh War to the British East India Company.

The Kumaon Kingdom was not very large but it lasted for several centuries. It was located in the Himalayas. First established in the 7th century, it remained an independent state until 1791 when the Gorkhas of Nepal invaded and conquered it.

The Kingdom of Sikkim was a small monarchy in the Eastern Himalayas. Ruled by the Chogyals of the Namgyal dynasty, it lasted from 1642 to 1975 when it was annexed by India and converted to a state.