Chirand, situated on the northern bank of the Ganga River in Saran district has continuous archaeological record from the Neolithic age (about 2500–1345 BC). The occupational categorization in Chirand covers three periods – Period I Neolithic (2500–1345 BC), Period II Chalcolithic (1600 B.C) and Period III Iron age.
1100-500BCE: Mithila region of Bihar became the centre of Indian Power in the later Vedic Period under the rule of Janaks. Sita, a daughter of one of the Janaks of Mithila is mentioned as the consort of Lord Rama, in the Hindu epic, Ramayana, written by Valmiki.
560-480 BCE: Anga
490 BCE: Establishment of Pataliputra (Modern Patna)
Before 325 BCE: Anga, Nanda clan in Magadha, Licchavis in Vaishali
Before 500 BCE: Foundation of world's first republic in Vaishali.
450-362 BCE: Mahapadma Nanda is ruler of the Magadh Empire, Nanda Dynasty; Start of the Golden Age of Bihar
325-185 BCE: Period of the Maurya dynasty
340 BCE: Period of Chandragupta Maurya
304 BCE: Ashoka born in Pataliputra
273 BCE: Ashoka crowned new Emperor of Magadh
273-232 Ashoka expands Magadh to greatest territorial extent, with Pataliputra (modern Patna) as its capital.
232 BCE Death of Ashoka
185 BCE-80 CE: Shunga dynasty established by Magadh General Pushyamitra Shunga.
75 BCE - 26 BCE: Kanva Dynasty
240 - 600: Gupta Dynasty. First ruler is Srigupta.
375-415: Reign of Chandragupta II
500: Attack by Huna tribe weakens Pataliputra End of the Golden Age of Bihar
Pala and Harshvardhan rule
600 - 650: Harsha Vardhana empire expands into Magadh from the Haryana region
750 - 1200: The Bengali Pala Dynasty Expands into Magadh
1200: Bakhtiyar Khilji's army destroys the Buddhist universities at Nalanda and Vikramshila in Bihar. Start of the Afghan-Muslim Era.
1200-1400: Sharp decline of Buddhism in Bihar and northern India in general
1250-1526: Magadh becomes a core part of the Delhi Sultanate e Hind (Hindustan).
1526-1540: Mughal Emperor, Babur, defeats the last Sultan of Delhi, Lodi, and establishes the Mughal Dynasty in Delhi and Agra
1540-1555: Sher Shah captures empire from Mughals.
1540-1555: Building of the Grand Trunk Road, Introduction of the Rupee and Custom Duties
1556: Mughal dynasty restored in Agra after the Battle of Panipat.
1556 - 1764: Bihar is a province of the Mughal Sultanate-e-Hind
1666: Guru Gobind Singh The 10th and last Sikh Guru, is born in Patna
1757-1857: The British East India Company expands it rule into Bihar from Bengal
1764: Battle of Buxar: Tax collection becomes the duty of the East India Company.
1764-1920 Migration of Bihari & United Provinces workers across the British world by the Company and later British government.
Civil War and Rebellion
1857: Period of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. East India Company Sepoys from the Bengal Army (80% Hindu according to William Daryample in the book "The Last Mughal") declare Bahadur Shah Zafar II Emperor of Hindustan. The region becomes the centre of resistance to the East India Company. End of the Muslim Era.
1858: Mughal Sultanate-e-Hind reorganised to form the new British Indian Empire after the British Government abolishes the East India Company.
1877: House of Windsor is made the new Imperial Royal Family. Queen Victoria declared the first Emperess of the British Indian Empire
1912: Province of Bihar and Orissa separated from Bengal
1913: Start of the dramatic slowdown in wealth creation in India and Bihar
1916: Patna High Court founded
1917:Mahatma Gandhi arrives in Champaran with a team of eminent lawyers: Brajkishore Prasad, Rajendra Prasad, Anugrah Narayan Sinha and others. The Champaran Satyagraha movement is launched.Establishment of Patna University.
1925: Patna Medical College Hospital established under the name "Prince of Wales Medical College"
1935: 1935 Government of India Act federates the Indian Empire and creates a new Bihar.
1936: Sir James David Sifton appointed the first Governor of Bihar.
1937: First Democratic election of Bihar in March, 1937.Congress emerged as largest political party, Muslim Independent Party headed by Barrister Muhammad Yunus stood second.Barrister Mohammad Yunus formed Government and became first Premier(April- July, 1937 )of Bihar province.
1937:The first Congress ministry is formed in Bihar under provincial autonomy granted by British rule,Dr.Sri Krishna Sinha sworn in as Premier and Dr.Anugrah Narayan Sinha became Deputy Premier cum Finance Minister.Other two ministers inducted were Syed Mehmud and Jaglal Chaudhry.
1942:Launch of Quit India Movement.Prominent Bihar leaders like Rajendra Prasad, Anugrah Narayan Sinha & Sri Krishna Sinha imprisoned.
1946:First Cabinet of Bihar formed; consisting of two members, Sri Krishna Sinha as first Chief Minister of Bihar and Dr. Anugrah Narayan Sinha as Bihar's first Deputy Chief Minister cum Finance Minister (also in charge of Labour,Health,Agriculture and Irrigation).Other ministers are inducted later.The Cabinet served as the first Bihar Government after independence in 1947.
1947: Indian Independence; Bihar becomes a state in the new Dominion of India.
1947-1949: Hindu-Muslim religious violence leads to the migration of millions of Bihari Muslims to Pakistan (West and East)
1952 Indian Government adopts symbols of ancient Imperial Bihar (Ashoka Chakra added to the Indian flag, the Lion Pillor is made the symbol of the central government of India, all state governments, reserve bank, and the military, whilst the Rupee, introduced in Bihar, is retained as the currency)
1950 Dr. Rajendra Prasad is appointed the first President of India.
1952:Many development projects needed for the all round development of the state initiated, be it on irrigation front or on industrial front by the state government. It included several river valley projects right from Koshi, Aghaur and Sakri to several other such river projects.
1952-57:Purulia became a part of West Bengal state.Bihar rated as the best administered among the states in the country.
1955 The Birla Institute of Technology(BIT) is established at Mesra, Ranchi.
1957-62:Second five-year plan period, Bihar government brought several heavy industries like Barauni Oil Refinery, HEC plant at Hatia, Bokaro Steel Plant, Barauni Fertiliser Plant, Barauni Thermal Power Station, Maithon Hydel Power Station, Sulphur mines at Amjhaur, Sindri Fertiliser Plant, Kargali Coal Washery, Barauni Dairy Project, etc. for the all round development of the state.
Indira Gandhi
1974 - 1977: Suspension of the Republican Constitution. Immediately after proclamation of emergency, prominent opposition political leaders from Bihar like Jayaprakash Narayan & Satyendra Narayan Sinha were arrested without any prior notice. Bihar is the centre of resistance against the Emergency.
1977: Janata Party Came to power at Centre and in Bihar;Karpoori Thakur became CM after winning chief ministership battle from the then Janata Party President Satyendra Narayan Sinha.
1984: Indira Gandhi Assassination leads to deadly anti-Sikh Riots in northern India, including Bihar.
1985: Mr. Chandra Shekhar Singh sworn in as Bihar Chief Minister after Congress's victory in assembly elections. Kanti thermal power station started operations as the second thermal power plant in Bihar,after Barauni Thermal Power Station,with the help of efforts by the then MP of Muzaffarpur, George Fernandes.
1988-1990: Removal of Bihar CM Bhagwat Jha Azad, Veteran Leader S N Sinha sworn in as Chief Minister of Bihar, Lalu Prasad Yadav appointed Leader Of Opposition.
1990: Janta Dal wins Bihar election,Laloo Prasad becomes Bihar Chief Minister defeating former Janata Party CM Ram Sundar Das.
1990 - 2005: Social injustice
1995: Janta Dal's second electoral victory.
1995- 2000: Economic stagniation, state GDP contracts.
1996: Lalu Prasad appoints wife, Rabri Devi, as Chief Minister.
1997: Split in Janta Dal, Nitish Kumar and Ram Vilas Paswan create Janta Dal (United).
1999:President's ruled is imposed in Bihar because of complete denigration of governance;lifted because it is not endorsed by the Rajya Sabha;Rabri Devi is back as CM.
2000: Bihar divided into two states by NDA central government.
2000: Lalu Prasad's split Janta Dal wins elections.
2000:Nitish Kumar becomes Bihar Chief Minister for seven days;resigns after his government fails to garner majority.Janata Dal is back in power.
2002 - 2004: Deadly crime wave grips Patna and Bihar.
2003: Maharashtra railways exams attacks, Assam ethnic conflict.
2005: In Feb, Lalu Prasad Yadav/ Rabri Devi lose power after 15 years
2005: In November, Janta Dal (United) with the BJP wins the state election.
2005 - 2007: Nitish Kumar is declared the best Chief Minister in India by the India Today magazine
2007: Bhojpuri cinema hall complex bombed in Punjab. 6 UP and Bihari migrant workers killed.
2008: Second Bihari-Bhojpuri Immigrant Worker Crisis: Migrants and students attacked in Maharashtra, Assam, Manipur, and Nagaland. Economic revival Q1 2008, resulting in labour shortages in Punjab, Maharashtra.
2008: Floods in Mithla region kill 3,000 people, displace millions.
2010:Nitish Kumar again becomes Bihar Chief Minister after a historic mandate.
2014: Nitish Kumar resigns after historic debacle in 2014 Lok Sabha elections; Jitan Ram Manjhi is Bihar's new CM
2015: Nitish Kumar sworn in as Bihar CM for the fourth time after resignation of incumbent Jitan Ram Manjhi
Nitish Kumar becomes Chief Minister of Bihar for the record fifth time after spectacular victory of Grand Alliance coalition, Former Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav's younger son Tejashwi Yadav, a debutant MLA, is sworn in as the fourth Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, becoming the youngest person to hold the post, while elder son of Lalu Prasad Yadav, Tej Pratap becomes Health Minister of Bihar.
