"Unity in Diversity" is the phrase being used since ages to describe India. India is most definitely a diverse country…with diverse cultures, diverse religions and diverse beliefs. This diversity is both, India’s strength and a weakness. If we look into India’s history, we will know why diversity exists in India.

The oldest known habitation in India appeared over 9,000 years ago. This was the well-known and very famous Indus valley civilization covering western India. India was later ruled by many rulers belonging to different religions, cultures and backgrounds. There was a time when Hindu rulers such as, Chandragupta Maurya, Ashoka the Great in north India and Chalukyas, the Cholas and the Vijayanagara Empire in southern India. They brought with them their own religious practices to India which later spread into particular regions. Thus, India became a land of varied religions and social practices. Coming back to the history of India, the Indus valley civilization was followed by the Vedic period. The vedic period gave rise to India’s main religion – Hinduism. It ended in the 500s BCE and gave way to independent Indian kingdoms around the 550 BCE.

Later, various muslim rulers invaded India and the perod is collectively known as the Delhi Sultanate. This period in India existed from the year 1206 to 1526. Delhi became the centre of rule for various Turkic and Pashtun ("Afghan") dynasties such as, the Mamluk dynasty (1206-90), the Khilji dynasty (1290-1320), the Tughlaq dynasty (1320-1413), the Sayyid dynasty (1414-51), and the Lodhi dynasty. The mughals emerged in India in 1526. It stretched from early 16th century to the mid-19th century. Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar is the first recognized mughal ruler to rule India in 1556. Aurangzeb was the last and died in 1707.

The British were the last to rule India. They started spreading their roots in India during the 16th century and has everything under control by 1856. India became British’s colony and was exploited for its riches. However, India’s first war of Independence in 1857 sowed the seeds of freedom and India finally gained independence in 1947.