150,000-100,000 BCE |
Evidence for presence of Hominins with Acheulean technology in north Tamil Nadu. |
30,000 BCE |
Paleolithic industries in north Tamil Nadu |
8000-3000 BCE |
Pre-pottery microlithic industries |
3000-1000 BCE |
Neolithic and fine microlithic industries |
1000-300 BCE |
Megalithic age |
600 BCE |
TAMILI (Tamil-Brahmi) prevalent as the Tamil script |
300 BCE |
Greek ethnographer Megasthenes describes Pandyan capital Madurai., |
250 BCE |
Asoka\’s inscription recording the four kingdoms (Chera, Cholas, Pandya and Satyaputra) of the ancient Tamil country |
200 BCE |
Elara, a Tamil prince and contemporary of Dutte Gamini, rules Lanka |
200 BCE-200 CE |
Sangam age during which books of Sangam Literature are created |
150 BCE |
Kharavela of Kalinga records his conquest of a federation of Tamil kings in his Hathigumpha inscription |
13 |
Greek historian Nicolaus of Damascus met an ambassador sent by Pandyan King to Caesar Augustus, Strabo XV.1-73. |
1-100 |
The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea gives a detailed description of early Chera and Pandya kingdom and mentions Tamil country as \’Damirica\’ |
77 and 140 |
Greco-Roman writers Pliny the Elder and Ptolemy mention Madurai ruled by Pandyan. |
130 |
Chera king Udayanjeral rules in the Chera country |
175-195 |
Gajabahu I of Lanka a contemporary of Chera Senguttuvan and Karikala Chola (the Gajabahu synchronism) |
190 |
Chera Kadukko Ilanjeral Irumporai rules in the Chera country |
200 |
Writing becomes widespread and vattezuttu evolved from the Tamil Brahmi becomes a mature script for writing Tamil |
210 |
Pandya Neduncheliyan rules in Madurai and defeats his enemies at the battle of Talaiyalanganam |
300-590 |
Kalabhras invade the Tamil country and displace the traditional rulers |
300-500 |
Post-Sangam period, Tamil epics such as Silappatikaram written |
560-580 |
Pallava Simhavishnu overthrows the Kalabhras in Tondaimandalam |
560-590 |
Pandya Kadungon rules from Madurai and displaces the Kalabhras from the south |
590-630 |
Pallava Mahendravarman I rules in Kanchipuram |
610 |
Saiva saint Thirunavukkarasar (Appar) converts Mahendravarman from Jainism |
628 |
Chalukya Pulakesi II invades the Pallava kingdom and lays siege on Kanchipuram |
630-668 |
Pallava Narasimhavarman I (Mamalla) rules in Tondaimandalam |
642 |
Pallava Narasimhavarman I launches a counter invasion into the Chalukya country and sacks Vatapi. Pulakesi is killed in battle |
670-700 |
CE-Pandya Arikesari Parankusa Maravarman rules in Madurai |
700-728 |
Pallava Rajasimha[disambiguation needed] builds the Kailasanatha temple in Kanchipuram and many of the shore temples in Mamallapuram |
710-730 |
Pandya king Kochadaiyan Ranadhiran expands the Pandya kingdom into the Kongu country |
731 |
Pandya Maravarman Rajasimha aligns with the Chalukya Vikramaditya II and attacks the Pallava king Nandivarmam |
731-765 |
Pandya Maravarman Rajasimha aligns with the Chalukya Vikramaditya II and attacks the Pallava king Nandivarmam |
735 |
Chaluka Vikramaditya II invades the Pallava country and occupies the capital Kanchipuram |
760 |
Pallava Nandivarman II invades and defeats the Ganga kingdom at the battle of Villande |
768-815 |
Pandya Parantaka Nedunchadaiyan (Varaguna Pandyan) rules in Madurai |
767 |
Pandya forces defeat the Pallavas on the south banks of the Kaveri |
800-830 |
Varagunan I becomes Pandya king and extends his empire up to Tiruchirapalli by defeating the Pallava king Dandivarman |
830-862 |
Pandya Sirmara Srivallabha rules in Madurai |
840 |
Srimara invades Lanka and captures the northern provinces of the Lanka king Sena I |
848 |
Rise of Vijayalaya Chola in Tanjavur after defeating the MuttaraiyarMuthuraja rulers of kaveri delta |
846-869 |
Pallava Nadivarman III leads an invasion against the Pandya kingdom and defeats the Pandyas at the battle of Tellaru. Pallava kingdom extends up to the river Vaigai |
859 |
Pandya Srivallaba defeats the Pallavas at a battle at Kumbakonam |
862 |
Sinhala forces under Sena II invade the Pandya country and sack Madurai. Srimara is killed in battle |
903 |
Chola defeats the PallaAdithyava king Aparajita 0] |
949 |
Battle of Takkolam. Rashtrakuta Krishna III defeats the Chola army 0] |
985 |
Accession of Rajaraja Chola I 0] |
1010 |
Rajaraja completes the Brihadisvara Temple |
1012 |
Accession of Rajendra Chola I 0] |
1023 |
Rajendra\’s Expedition to the Ganges |
1025 |
Chola navies defeat the king of Srivijaya |
1041 |
Rajendra invades Lanka |
1054 |
Rajadhiraja Chola dies in the battle of Koppam against Western Chalukyas |
1070 |
Accession of Kulothunga Chola I |
1118 |
Vikrama Chola |
1133 |
Kulothunga Chola II |
1146 |
Rajaraja Chola II |
1163 |
Rajadhiraja Chola II |
1178 |
Kulothunga Chola III |
1216 |
Rajaraja Chola III |
1246 |
Rajendra Chola III |
1190-1260 |
Bana Dynasty rule Magadaimandalam with family title of \’ponparappinan\’ and headquarters at Aragalur |
1216 – 1238 |
Kadava Dynasty and Maravarman Sundara Pandyan ruled regions of South India |
1251 |
Accession of Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan I |
1279 |
End of the Chola dynasty with the death of Rajendra Chola III |
1268-1310 |
Kulasekara Pandiyan rules in Madurai |
1308 |
Malik Kafur a general of Allaudin Khilji invades Devagiri en route to Tamil Nadu |
1310 |
Sundara Pandian, son of Kulasekara Pandiyan, kills his father and becomes king. In the ensuing civil war he is defeated by his brother Vira Pandiyan. |
1311 |
Malik Kafur, invades Pandiya country and attacks Madurai |
1327-1370 |
Madurai under the rule of Madurai Sultanate |
1370 |
Bukka, the Vijayanagara ruler and his son Kumara Kamapna capture the entire Tamil country |
1518 |
Portuguese land on the Coromandel Coast in Pulicat |
1532 to 1580 |
Sevappa Nayak rules as the first independent Nayak ruler in Tanjavur |
1600to 1645 |
Ragunatha Nayak, the greatest of the Tanjavur Nayaks |
1609 |
the Dutch establish a settlement in Pulicat |
1623 to 1659 |
Tirumalai Nayak rules in Madurai |
1639 |
British East India Company purchases Chennapatinam and establishes Fort St. George |
1652 |
Tanjavur and Gingee fall to the Bijapur Sultan |
1656 |
Mysore army invades Salem against the Madurai Nayak Tirumalai |
1676 |
Maratha army from Bijapur marches into Tanjavur, Ekoji declares himself king |
1692 |
Nawab of Arcot established by Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Khan, a viceroy of the Moghul Emperor |
1746 |
La Bourdonnais of the French East India company attacks and takes Fort St. George |
1749 |
British regain Fort St. George through the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle arising out of the War of the Austrian Succession |
1751 |
Robert Clive attacks Arcot and captures it.0] |
1756 |
The British and the French sign the first Carnatic treaty. Mahommed Ali Walajah was recognized as Nawab of the Carnatic |
1759 |
French under Thomas Arthur, Comte de Lally, attack Madras |
1760 |
Battle of Vandavasi between the British and the French. Birth of Veerapandya Kattabomman |
1767 |
Hyder Ali, Sultan of Mysore attacks Madras against British, but defeated by the British at the Battle of Chengam |
1773 |
British Government passes the Regulating Act. The administration of Madras comes under British Government review |
1777-1832 |
Serfoji II rules in Tanjavur |
1799 |
Serfoji cedes the Tanjavur kingdom to the British. Kattabomman executed by British |
1803 |
Bentinck appointed governor of Madras |
1800-1805 |
Polygar Wars or Palaiyakkarar Wars were wars fought between the Polygars of the former Tirunelveli Kingdom in Tamil Nadu, India and the British East India Company forces |
1806 |
Vellore Mutiny East India Company\’s Indian soldiers in Vellore mutiny against governor Bentinck in Vellore fort. 114 British officers killed and 19 mutineers executed. |
1892 |
British government passes the Indian Councils Act |
1909 |
\’Minto-Morley Reforms\’. Madras Legislative Council formed |
1921 |
First regional elections held in Madras. Justice party forms government |
1927 |
Madras Congress passes a resolution for \’Full Independence\’ |
1928 |
Simon Commission visits Madras. Mass protests result in several deaths |
1937 |
Congress party under C. Rajagopalachari wins provincial elections and forms government in Madras |
1938 |
Periyar E. V. Ramasamy organises a separatist agitation demanding Dravida Nadu consisting of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala |
1941 |
Indian Muslim League holds its congress in Madras. Muhammad Ali Jinnah delivers keynote speech |
1944 |
Periyar E. V. Ramasamy and C. N. Annadurai organise Dravidar Kazhagam |
1947 |
Madras Presidency, comprising Tamil Nadu and parts of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka established |
1953 |
\’Madras state comes into being along linguistic lines |
1965 |
Widespread agitations in response to the Federal Government\’s directive of Hindi being the National Language |
1969 |
Madras state is renamed as Tamil Nadu (Country of the Tamils) |
1972 |
Dravidian party and was founded by M. G. Ramachandran (popularly known as MGR) on 17 October 1972 |
1977 |
Karunanidhi\’s government was dismissed by the central government of Prime MinisterIndira Gandhi citing corruption charges against Karunanidhi and President\’s rule was imposed on the state. |
1977 |
M. G. Ramachandran (MGR), the ADMK founder and a leading Tamil film actor, was sworn in as Chief Minister for the first time. |
1978 |
1978 Srilankan Government Cancelled Ceylon Citizenship For 100,000 Tamils And Sent To Tamilnadu |
1983 |
Black July; Sinhalese Armed Forces massacred over 3000 Tamils, and thousands more were deported to the North-East. |
1987 |
M. G. Ramachandran (MGR) died on 24 December |
1991 |
Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by suicide bombing in Sriperumbudur |
1992 |
Jayalitha Became Cheifminister of Tamilnadu |
1997 |
Karunaneethi Became Cheifminister of Tamilnadu |
2001 |
Jayalitha Became Cheifminister of Tamilnadu |
2006 |
Karunaneethi Became Cheifminister of Tamilnadu |
2009 |
Eelam War IV – Tamil Tigers Admit Defeat in Sri Lankan Civil War |
2009 |
6 Tamils Self-immolate (suicide by fire) Triggered off by Muthukumar against injustice to Srilankan tamils |
2011 |
Senkodi (20), self-immolated in front of a government office in Kacheepuram to oppose the death sentence |
2016 |
Jayalalitha died on December 5 |
2017 |
More than one Million People made democratic protest against Jallikattu ban at Marina Beach in Chennai. |