History History

Arrival in the south of the Indian subcontinent of the Dravidian peoples, who would be descendants of farmers from Western Asia. They speak Dravidian languages, from which Tamil (spoken in Tamil Nadu), Malayalam (Kerala), Kannada (Karnataka) and Telugu (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana) are derived.

It is in the Bronze Age that the first civilizations of the continent appear, in the valley of the Indus river: the Harappan civilizations, named after the biggest city of the time, Harappa. According to recent genetic studies, the peoples who make up this civilization are of Dravidian origin. Around 2,800 BC, this urban civilization developed and included several large cities. These cities, planned in an ingenious and standardized way, had complex water supply systems and centralized granaries. The houses were built with bricks of similar size and weight, which attests to the level of development and coherence that this civilization had. Several objects made at this time have been found throughout northern India and have revealed that this society was already using bronze, copper, cotton and wool. Several of these objects, including beautiful seals with inscriptions or animal representations, indicate that the craftsmen had a certain know-how. The Indus Valley civilization declined almost suddenly around 1900 B.C., for reasons that are still unknown. Some historians attribute this decline to extreme climatic changes, others to natural disasters or invasions.

Coming from Central Asia, the Aryans, or Arya, settled in the north and northwest of the Indian peninsula, along the Indus, Ganges and Yamuna rivers. This nomadic people are of different origin than the Dravidians and speak a language of the Indo-European family. The Aryans have played a fundamental role in the history of India. It was during this period that the Vedic culture and the great Hindu sacred texts were developed, notably the Vedas, the Brahmanas and the Upanishads. By 800 BC, most of northern India was occupied by various Aryan kingdoms, which sometimes went to war with each other or with the peoples of the lands they wished to enslave. As the Aryans became sedentary, their social and political structures changed. The society is structured in a hierarchical way according to the different classes (Varnas) which compose it. This is the beginning of the caste system that still exists today in India. At the top of the social pyramid are the Brahmins (priests), then the Kshatriyas (warriors and rulers), the Vaishyas (merchants, farmers and traders), the Shudras (craftsmen, servants and indigenous people).

Large kingdoms, the Mahajanapadas, were formed by the reunification of different territories. There were 16 of them, stretching from the territory of present-day Afghanistan to the state of Bihar (northeast India). The most powerful of these kingdoms is that of Kashi (Varanasi) and the largest that of Magadha.

Birth of Siddharta Gautama, the Buddha.

Birth of Mahavira, the ^24th thirtankara of Jainism.

Foundation of the Chera Empire, one of the great Tamil dynasties. The kingdom is located on the Malabar coast, in the southwest of the country, which corresponds more or less nowadays to Kerala. Their capital was established in Vanchi, near Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu), or in Kochi (Kerala), historians still differ on this point. Little is known about this period; however, it is known that they favored maritime exchanges with Europe and the Middle East, notably the trade in spices, wood and precious stones. These exchanges also favored the interaction of cultures and religions: Jews, Muslims, Christians and Buddhists were welcomed in Chera country. The last Chera king died in 1102 but the dynasty continued in the Kozhikode region of Kerala.

Since the ^6th century BC, the kingdom of Magadha continued its expansion by conquering kingdoms and adjacent territories, extending into central India in the ^4th century BC. Its capital was the city of Pataliputra, near the present Patna in the state of Bihar. It was in 321 BC that Chandragupta Maurya acceded to the throne of the kingdom of Magadha, thus becoming the first king of the Maurya dynasty. He seized other territories, including the Punjab conquered by Alexander the Great, further extending the influence of the first great Indian empire. In 270 BC, his grandson came to power: Ashoka. Ashoka perpetuated the expansion of the Empire, which then encompassed almost the entire Indian territory, from present-day Afghanistan to Bengal and as far south as the Mysore plateau. After a bloody and victorious campaign against the kingdom of Kalinga, the emperor Ashoka turned away from conquests and wars to devote himself to the principle of non-violence. At this time, Buddhism and Jainism flourished in the kingdom, without becoming state religions. Ashoka also greatly contributed to the development of Buddhism by sending his son Mahinda and his daughter Sanghamitta to the island of Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, to propagate this religion. He also sent missionaries to Southeast Asia and Central Asia. The influence of Ashoka's political ideology and his rejection of violence was such that at the time of India's independence in 1947, the top of a Sarnath pillar bearing an inscription of the emperor was chosen to become the national emblem of the country. The death of Ashoka in 232 BC sounded the death knell of the Maurya Empire which quickly collapsed and fell under the yoke of the Shunga dynasty.

Foundation of the Chola dynasty, a Tamil dynasty in southeast India. The Coromandel Coast, which stretches from Andhra Pradesh to Pondicherry, is a name derived from the francization of Chola Mandalam, which means "the land of the Cholas".

Foundation of the Pandya dynasty, also called the Pandyans of Madurai, another Tamil dynasty.

The Satavahana empire covered a large part of central and southern India and the dynasty was based in Amaravati (in present-day Andhra Pradesh) and Junnar (Pune in modern-day Maharashtra). After about 450 years of reign, the power of the Satavahana dynasty disintegrated when Vijaya acceded to the throne, and the empire was divided into several independent territories.

The Shunga dynasty overthrew the Maurya empire and re-established Hinduism as the main religion. The Shunga consolidated the power of the kingdom, which then consisted of vast territories, but reigned for only a century. The Kanva dynasty overthrew the Shunga in 73 BC, who were in turn defeated by the Satavahanas (or Andhra) in 28 BC.

The Mahameghavahana dynasty, the Megha, took power over the upper part of the eastern coast of India, annexing the kingdoms of Kalinga and Kosala. The Megha rule over this territory lasted until the ^4th century.

It was around 220-250 AD that this Hindu dynasty began its domination of the southeast coast of the country. Kanchipuram was the capital of the empire. It is a period of spiritual renewal in the south of India; Buddhism fades and Hinduism comes back to the forefront, notably with the appearance of the notion of bhakti, the path of devotion and unconditional adoration to Ishvara (the supreme lord of Hinduism). This period is also rich in artistic, pictorial, literary and musical works. The architecture of the Pallava is particularly remarkable, with magnificent and imposing stone constructions, such as the famous Shore Temple and delicate sculptures excavated in the rock at Mamallapuram. The Pallava successfully developed their maritime trade with Southeast Asia and the island of Ceylon. They were the predominant power on the Coromandel coast until 888, when they were defeated by the Chola Empire.

The Gupta dynasty was founded by the king of Magadha, Chandragupta ^I. His successors unified a large part of India by incorporating various kingdoms into the Gupta empire and even tried to seize Kanchipuram. This period, marked by an abundant artistic and scientific production, is sometimes called "the golden age of Indian civilization". One of the important contributions of the Guptas was the introduction of the zero and decimal systems in mathematics, which would only appear a few centuries later in Europe through the Arabs. From about 465, the empire lost its prestige. It suffered foreign invasions and had to face new local rulers, finally collapsing around 550.

The Chalukya royal dynasty began its rise and gained independence from the kingdom of Kadamba (a large monarchy in Karnataka) as early as the^5th century. In 636, the Chalukya of Vatapi (now Badami) reigned over an empire extending over the entire Deccan plateau, with a developed political organization and intensive commercial exchanges. This was a flourishing cultural period for Karnataka, with founding writings in the Kannada language and an innovative architectural style. In 753, the Chalukya Empire was conquered by the Rashtrakuta dynasty which dominated the Deccan until 982.

King Kadungon came to power and revived the domination of the Pandyans of Madurai over the Tamil country. The politics of the south of the country is dominated for three centuries by three important dynasties: the Pandyans, the Chalukya of Vatapi and the Pallava of Kanchi.

In 993, the conquest of the island of Ceylon by the Chola king Rajaraja ^I consolidated the authority of the Cholas in southern India. Assertive navigators, they destroyed the Chera fleet. Thanjavur was the capital of this empire and King Rajaraja ^I built the superb Brihadesvara temple, a perfect example of Chola architecture. At the beginning of the ^11th century, King Rajendra Chola ^I had another temple built in the new capital, Gangaikonda Cholapuram, 70 km from Thanjavur. The kingdom disintegrated at the beginning of the ^13th century and was then assimilated by the kingdom of Vijayanâgar. At the same time, the Hoysala Empire was created in 1026, and reigned over a vast territory encompassing today's Karnataka, the western part of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and the north of Tamil Nadu. Belur and Halebid succeeded each other as capital of the empire. The Hoysala period is marked by a remarkable architecture, as shown by the splendid temples of Belur and Halebid. The empire collapsed in the middle of the ^14th century and was also absorbed by the Vijayanâgar empire.

Muslim and Mughal invasions in northern India.

Sultanate of Delhi.

Visit to Marco Polo on the Coromandel coast

In the ^13th century, the various Hindu kingdoms of the Deccan, the Yadava empire of Devagiri, the Warangal dynasty and the Pandya empire, were constantly attacked and plundered by Muslim assailants arriving from the north of the country. The Vijayanâgar Empire was created by unifying the former prosperous Hindu kingdoms to form a resistance to the Sultanate of Delhi, which wished to expand its territory and influence. In 1336, Harihara ^I became the first king to accede to the throne of this immense empire, consisting of the present states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and even including parts of Maharashtra and Telangana. Located on the banks of the river Thungabadra, the capital is Vijayanâgar, the present Hampi. The promotion of Hinduism in the empire was a determining factor in the unification of the peoples of the south in the face of the Muslim threat, thus transcending the exacerbated regionalisms. The Vijayanâgar kingdom reached its apogee in the ^15th century, and even recovered territories in the northern Deccan which were controlled by different sultanates. These sultanates then formed a coalition to defeat the Vijayanâgar empire in 1565 in the bloody battle of Talikota. The Vijayanâgar army could not compete with the modern artillery of the sultanates, which left the capital and the major cities of the kingdom in a state of ruin, signalling the end of the grandeur of this powerful empire. It is these ruins with indescribable charm, almost intact, that travelers from all over the world come to admire nowadays in Hampi. The sovereigns thus chose another capital, Penukonda in Andhra Pradesh, to try to revive the flame of Vijayanâgar. In 1572, King Tirumala Deva Raya abdicated, dividing the empire between his three sons. At this time, several Hindu kingdoms gain their independence, including the principality of Mysore, further weakening the empire, which must also face repeated attacks from the Sultanate of Bijapur and the arrival of Europeans. The Vijayanâgar empire finally collapsed in Vellore, in 1646.

Arrival of the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama and his ships who landed on the beach of Calicut (Kozhikode), on the Malabar coast.

The Portuguese subjugated Goa as well as Daman & Diu (Gujarat). Thanks to the relations maintained with the Deccan kingdom and the protection of a large naval fleet, the Portuguese were the first Europeans to ensure prosperous maritime trade with India. They also began an evangelization campaign to spread Christianity. In 1542, the famous Spanish missionary St. Francis Xavier arrived in Goa and subsequently succeeded in converting thousands of Indians along the western coastline. It is in Goa that the Portuguese influence is most visible today, notably with the magnificent churches of Old Goa, classified as a Unesco heritage site, as well as the religious, cultural, architectural and gastronomic heritage still present in the daily life of the Goanese.

Founded at the end of the ^14th century by the Hindu dynasty of Wodeyar, the small principality of Mysore was initially a vassal state of the powerful Vijayanagar empire, before proclaiming its independence after the battle of Talikota in 1565. For two centuries, the Wodeyars did not cease to extend their kingdom and to establish their power. In 1765, the young prince Krishnaraja Wodeyar II appointed Haider Ali, a Muslim warrior, as head of the Mysore armies. The latter betrayed him, seized power and became the de facto sultan of the princely state. Tipu Sultan, son of Haider Ali and ally of the French, succeeded him on the throne, before perishing under the fire of English soldiers during the battle of Srirangapatnam in 1799. The man who was nicknamed the "Tiger of Mysore", now occupies an important place in the history of the country because of his fierce opposition to the British. Upon his death, Krishnaraja Wodeyar II was returned to the throne by His Majesty's subjects, only to be ousted in 1831 by the latter, who then seized complete control of the kingdom until 1881.

Creation of the British East India Company.

Creation of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in 1602. The first Dutch ships sent to India were heavily armed, not to come and annex the coastal regions, but to be able to supplant the Portuguese fleet and gain exclusive control over maritime trade. They quickly competed with the British East India Company for successful trade with India, including trade in spices, timber, textiles and precious metals. Subsequently, market demand in Europe changed, the need for pepper diminished, and new products, such as tea and coffee, were in demand. Unlike the British, the VOC did not have the infrastructure to meet these demands and the Dutch East India Company disappeared in 1799.

Foundation of Fort St. George in Madras by the British.

First British trading posts in Bombay and Calcutta.

Creation of the French East India Trading Company, which received from Louis XIV the monopoly of trade in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, from the Cape of Good Hope to the Strait of Magellan, for fifty years. This company, based in Lorient, had as one of its objectives to create trading posts in India.

First important French trading post in Pondicherry.

The military capabilities of the British naval fleets finally rivaled those of the Dutch. The antagonisms between the European nations in India deepened and hardened. In the north of the country, the Mughal empire was crumbling, several kingdoms were emancipated and constituted a real danger for the Europeans. These kingdoms regularly clashed with each other in conflicts involving the armed forces of the British and the French. The French East India Company was a real threat to the development of the British East India Company; for two decades the two countries clashed several times for control of the trade in India, culminating in the battle at Plassey, a village in West Bengal.

It opposed the army of the nawab of Bengal, supported by French artillery, to the forces of the British East India Company. This confrontation marks both the beginning of the British hold on the country and the decline of French influence in India. It is also considered the founding event of the British Raj. Until the end of the ^eighteenth century, the British Empire continued to establish its influence and expand its dominance. Agreements with some Indian kingdoms and princely states allowed the stationing of British troops. As soon as their political situation was weakened, or their leaders did not serve the interests of the British East India Company, they were automatically annexed. But it was mainly thanks to their military armada that the British gained new territories, notably Maharashtra in 1818. It was during this period that the British began large-scale construction projects in order to modernize and facilitate the transportation of goods: construction of railroads, roads, bridges... Other innovations also saw the light of day: postal services, complex irrigation systems, political and social reforms... This modernization of the country was, however, viewed with a bad eye by the local population.

The Cipayes, a term for Indian Hindu and Muslim soldiers in the British East India Company, rose up against British rule in Meerut, near Delhi. The Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah II, ruler of India in the service of the British, was then persuaded by the Cipayes to seize full powers. The revolt spread like wildfire and British garrisons were attacked throughout the country. The British managed to crush it, but the bloody uprising frightened the ruling authorities and in August 1858, the British Parliament dissolved the British East India Company. The power in India was then granted to the British crown, and in her speech, Queen Victoria pledged to respect the authority of Indian rulers if they pledged allegiance to the crown.

This was the beginning of British colonial rule on the Indian subcontinent, including almost all the territories stretching from Pakistan to Bangladesh (except for a few Portuguese and French trading posts such as Goa and Pondicherry), as well as the island of Ceylon and Burma. Calcutta, in West Bengal, was chosen as the new capital. In 1864, Shimla, in Himachal Pradesh, became the summer capital, as British officers could not stand the heat of the plains in summer. In 1876, Queen Victoria was appointed Empress of India. The British granted privileges to Indians who had shown loyalty during the revolt (jobs in the army, land, rewards), and ousted groups guilty of treason. The end of the nineteenth century saw the appearance of industrialization thanks to British companies, without the benefits falling on the Indian population. Although they were theoretically subjects of the crown, Indian citizens suffered discrimination in several professional sectors, particularly in the administration.

The Cipayan revolt is considered the starting point of the Indian political will to emancipate itself from British rule. Often educated in the universities of Calcutta, Bombay and Madras, founded by the colonists, the Indian intellectual elite, including politicians, writers, lawyers, journalists and teachers, saw that the British government was abusive and that the Indian population did not enjoy the same rights as British nationals. This movement against British rule began modestly. Serving as a mouthpiece for this intelligentsia, the Indian National Congress wanted the country to gain more independence from Britain. Believing that the British were unfairly plundering the country's resources, Congress president Dadabhai Naoroji initiated economic and social changes and envisioned a new national identity. However, the Congress's demands to the British government were only partially met, and by 1905, the discontent of the Indian population was growing, and the movement hardened. Opposition leaders with a more radical vision, such as Sri Aurobindo or Lal Bal Pal, demanded political independence for the country. This extremist national ideology spread and the British governors struggled to stop this momentum, despite measures taken to try to curb it. Some Indian leaders called for a boycott of British goods, while others joined terrorist factions to plot the murder of British officials. In 1906, a more liberal government was elected in Britain and a new Secretary of State, John Morley, took the reins of power. These political changes gave a new impetus to the moderates, and the most virulent independence fighters were sent to serve long sentences in the jails of Calcutta and Port Blair. The British then decided to change their capital, settling in Delhi, and began the creation of a city that would reflect the grandeur of their empire: New Delhi. At the same time, the First World War broke out. The human losses of the British army, in which nearly a million Indians served, were enormous, and the completion of this city will never see the light of day.

Return to India of the lawyer Mohandas Gandhi, who became famous in South Africa for his involvement in non-violent resistance actions against the colonists. He develops his strategy of peaceful defense called Satyagraha, "the firm attachment to the truth". In 1916, Gandhi made a pact with the Indian Congress Party and the Muslim League, who joined forces to defend the civil rights of Indians. In 1920, Gandhi led the Congress Party and launched a major campaign of non-cooperation. Many Indians, now sympathetic to the movement towards independence in their majority, renounced participating in the British system (resigning from administrative positions, withdrawing their children from English schools, boycotting English goods...). In 1929, the Congress asked for total independence. It was the beginning of a massive insurrection movement, culminating in a demonstration against the salt tax promulgated by the British. Gandhi left for London as a representative of the Congress to begin negotiations for new reforms with the British government. In 1935, after long talks, the Government of India Act was approved by the British Parliament. This new legislation authorized the creation of a federal government. When World War II broke out in 1939, Britain dragged India into the conflict without even consulting Indian political leaders. Protests spread throughout the country and Gandhi launched the famous "Quit India" movement in 1942, calling on the British to withdraw from India. He was then imprisoned with other Congress leaders until 1944. The Muslim League supported Britain during the war, fearing that Muslims would be treated unfairly by the Hindu majority if the Congress inherited power. The Muslim League demanded independence for Muslim-majority states in Punjab and Bengal. These episodes helped to divide Muslims and Hindus, and led to violent clashes between the two communities throughout the country. In August 1946, a provisional government was set up. Jawaharlal Nehru, the Congress leader, was appointed acting prime minister. In Britain, the new Labour government wanted to withdraw from India as soon as possible and to carry out a rapid transfer of power.

After long and tedious negotiations, the Hindu-majority Indian Union and the Muslim-majority Pakistan, divided into two distinct regions, West Pakistan and East Pakistan (which later became Bangladesh), gained independence and state sovereignty on August 15, 1947. Some princely states that wanted independence, such as the Muslim-majority state of Hyderabad, joined the Indian Union a year later after tough negotiations. The partition of the country gave rise to appalling scenes that would result in the deaths of nearly 400,000 Indians and tens of millions of displaced persons. From 1948, the situation became tense between Pakistan and India over Kashmir, a Muslim-majority state whose Hindu prince had chosen to join the Indian Union. France and Portugal still hold territories after the proclamation of independence. The French territory of Pondicherry was ceded to India in 1956 and Portugal did not accept Indian sovereignty over the state of Goa until the early 1970s. Mahatma Gandhi, who deplored the division of his people, was assassinated in Delhi on January 30, 1948 by a Hindu extremist. India's independence was painful and bloody, but the country became the world's largest democracy by adopting a federal government with a parliament and elections by universal suffrage. Jawaharal Nerhu, Prime Minister of the new government, chose to keep the country in the Commonwealth.

Constitution comes into force: India officially becomes a republic.

The Dalai Lama fled from Tibet and established Tibetan power in exile in Dharamsala, India.

Military confrontations between India and China who disputed Himalayan territories at the border of the current Arunachal Pradesh, in the north-east of the country. After a month of war, China was victorious and took power over several Himalayan territories.

Death of the iconic leader Jawaharlal Nehru. Lal Bahadur Shastri becomes Prime Minister.

Indo-Pakistani war for the possession of Kashmir.

In January, Lal Bahadur Shastri died. Jawaharlal Nerhu's daughter, Indira Gandhi, succeeded him as Prime Minister. India entered a period of economic recession. Indira Gandhi nationalized several sectors, including banks. In 1971, she is guilty of corruption and faces a growing political opposition. She decided to declare a state of emergency in 1975, imprisoned several of her opponents, and exercised drastic control over the media.

Operation Blue Star: Indira Gandhi launched military troops into the Golden Temple of Amritsar, where Sikh terrorists had taken refuge. This bloody repression will make approximately 1 000 victims. The Sikhs of the whole planet are offended by the profanation of this sacred place.

Indira Gandhi is assassinated by her two Sikh bodyguards in Delhi. Rajiv Gandhi, her son, becomes Prime Minister.

Large-scale ecological disaster in Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh due to an accident in a pesticide factory.

Rajiv Gandhi sends a military contingent to Sri Lanka, the Indian peacekeeping force, to help resolve the conflict.

Rajiv Gandhi's party was defeated in the parliamentary elections, and V.P. Singh, then Minister of Defense, succeeded him as Prime Minister.

In January, Rajiv Gandhi was killed by a Sri Lankan Tamil rebel member of the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam). The June elections saw the victory of the Congress Party and P.V. Narashima Rao became the ^9th Prime Minister of India. His assumption of office coincided with a serious economic crisis that shook the country. He then decided to launch a major economic reform by encouraging foreign investors in particular. The following years saw India embrace economic liberalization with a consequent growth in GDP. The country was also plagued by a rise in Hindu nationalism, linked to the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), and there were many violent clashes between Hindus and Muslims. The climax was reached in March 1993 with a series of explosions in Mumbai that killed several hundred people. Although no one claimed responsibility, the attack was attributed to Muslim extremists by public opinion.

Parliamentary elections in May: the BJP won the elections and chose its leader, Atal Behari Vajpayee, to become Prime Minister. Thirteen days later, his party lost the vote of confidence and the government was dissolved. The United Front coalition took power and Deve Gowda became Prime Minister. For two years, India's political situation was unstable.

The BJP took over the reins of power and Atal Beharu Vajpayee became Prime Minister again. This time he held the post until 2004. This period was marked by strong economic growth, significant job creation and intense urbanization of major cities (construction of metro).

In May, the parliamentary elections created a shock wave: the BJP lost to the Congress Party represented by Sonia Gandhi, but because of pressure from the BJP and nationalist movements, she had to give up the post of Prime Minister. Manmohan Singh was chosen to head the government and became the first Sikh to hold the post.

India became the world's ^sixth nuclear power following an agreement between George Bush and Manmohan Singh allowing the country to obtain uranium.

Pratibha Pratil, a member of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) party, along with Manmohan Singh, became India's first female president.

The Mumbai bombings killed 188 people and injured over 300. Several iconic sites in the south of the city were targeted by explosions, shootings and hostage-taking, including the C.S.T. (formerly Victoria Terminus) station, Café Leopold, and the luxury hotels Taj Mahal Palace and Oberoi Trident. These coordinated terrorist attacks were carried out by a group of 10 Islamist militants trained in Pakistan. One terrorist was captured, the other nine were killed by law enforcement. This tragic event shook the entire nation and rekindled tensions with neighboring Pakistan.

Pranab Mukherjee, a member of the Congress Party, became the new president.

The horrific Delhi gang rape case shocks the nation and the world. This event of unprecedented violence provoked a national debate on the status of women in India.

In May, the legislative elections saw the coronation of the BJP, the Hindu nationalist party, which won the elections with a large majority of votes. Narendra Modi, the party's charismatic leader and proponent of ultra-liberal policies, became Prime Minister. In June, the large state of Andhra Pradesh split into two separate states: Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

To combat corruption and undeclared money in the country, Narendra Modi is launching a plan for the national demonetization of the Indian rupee. The 500 and 1,000 rupee bills lose their value, which is a huge constraint in India where cash accounts for almost 90% of financial transactions. The daily life of Indians was disrupted, a cash shortage spread throughout the country and many small businesses had to close their doors.

At the beginning of August, an exceptional monsoon in Kerala caused floods and landslides that killed nearly 500 people and displaced a million. Homosexuality is finally decriminalized in India, after more than 20 years of a fierce legal battle.

The BJP, Narendra Modi's party, won the legislative elections with an absolute majority. The Prime Minister was reappointed.

Droupadi Murmu, a member of the BJP, was elected President of India. The second woman to become president, she is also the first person from a tribal minority(adivasi) to hold this position. Narendra Modi remains the country's charismatic Prime Minister, which he leads with an iron fist.