The list of major invaders of India throughout its history often includes the following groups and empires:
Aryans: Around 1500 BCE, the Aryans are believed to have migrated into the Indian subcontinent.
Achaemenid Empire: The Persian Empire, under rulers like Darius I, invaded the northwestern regions of India around 520 BCE.
Alexander the Great: In 326 BCE, Alexander the Great invaded India and conquered parts of the northwest, including Punjab.
Indo-Greeks: After Alexander's empire fragmented, his successors, the Indo-Greeks, ruled parts of northwest India.
Kushans: Originally from Central Asia, the Kushans invaded and established an empire in northern India around the 1st century CE.
Huns: The Huna people, often identified with the Hephthalites or White Huns, invaded India in the 5th century CE.
Arabs: In the early 8th century, Arab forces led by Muhammad bin Qasim invaded the Sindh region.
Turks: Several Turkic invasions occurred, most notably by Mahmud of Ghazni in the 11th century.
Ghurids: In the late 12th century, the Ghurid Empire, led by Muhammad of Ghor, established a foothold in India.
Mamluks: The Delhi Sultanate was established by Qutb-ud-din Aibak, a former slave of the Ghurids, in the early 13th century.
Mongols: The Mongols, led by Genghis Khan's descendants, invaded India multiple times in the 13th and 14th centuries, but they were unable to establish a lasting presence.
Tughlaqs: The Tughlaq dynasty, part of the Delhi Sultanate, faced invasions from the Mongols but maintained control over India during their rule.
Timur: In 1398, Timur (Tamerlane) invaded northern India, sacking Delhi and causing widespread destruction.
Mughals: The Mughal Empire, founded by Babur in 1526, established one of the most significant empires in Indian history.
Portuguese: The Portuguese established their presence in Goa and other coastal areas starting in the late 15th century.
British: The British East India Company began its conquest in the 18th century, leading to full control by the British Crown in 1858 until India's independence in 1947.
