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India has a rich and varied history, with the first known permanent settlements appearing over 9,000 years ago. Around 2500 BC, the people of the Indus River valley developed a civilisation based on agriculture, which was followed in 1500 BC by the Vedic Civilisation, which formed the foundations of Hinduism in India.

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It was in the 16th century that European traders from Britain, France, Portugal, and the Netherlands arrived in India and later established colonies. By the mid 19th century, the British East India Company controlled most of India. In 1857, a rebellion in North Indian (known as the Sepoy Mutiny) forced a re-think and the British decided to transfer control from the East India Company to the crown. India became a colony of the British Empire and was under direct British control.

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Jawaharlal Nehru became India’s first Prime Minister and the Nehru dynasty has dominated the Indian political scene, with both his daughter Indira Gandhi and grandson Rajiv Gandhi leading the congress party, before both were assassinated, Indira in 1984 and Rajiv in 1991.

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