The timeline of major famines in India prior to 1765 covers major famines in India from 1 AD to 1765 AD. The famines included here span the entirety of the Indian subcontinent, currently comprising the Republic of India, Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the People's Republic of Bangladesh. The year 1765 is chosen as the end date as that was the start of the colonial period.
Chronological List of Famines in India between 1 AD and 1765 AD | ||
---|---|---|
Year | Area Affected | Mortality (if known) |
1509 [1] [2] | Bangalore (to possible Coromandel Coast) | Unknown |
1520 [3] | Deccan to South India | Unknown |
1521 [4] [5] | Malabar Coast, Afghanistan | Unknown |
1525-26 [6] [7] [8] [9] | Gujarat, Multan | Unknown |
1528 [10] | Ahmednagar | Unknown |
1534 [11] [12] [13] | Kashmir | Unknown |
1539-40 [14] [15] [16] | Cambay | Unknown |
1540-42 [17] [18] [19] | Sindh | Unknown |
1544 [20] [21] | Parava | Unknown |
1550 (roughly) [22] [23] | Kollam, Punjab | Unknown |
1555-56 [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] | Delhi | Unknown |
1557 [29] | Cochin | Unknown |
1564 [30] | Goa | Unknown |
1570 (roughly) [31] [32] [33] [34] | Cambay, Fishery Coast, Tamil Nadu, Goa | Unknown |
1572 [35] | Sirhind | Unknown |
1574-75 [36] [37] [26] [38] | Gujarat, Bengal, Bihar, Scarcity in UP | Unknown |
1576 [39] [40] | Kashmir | Unknown |
1577 [41] [42] | Kutch, Punjab | Unknown |
1578 [43] [44] | Bikaner | Unknown |
1591 [45] | Goa | Unknown |
1595-98 [46] [47] [48] [49] [50] | Punjab, Doab | Unknown |
1613 [51] | Udaipur Hill Tracts | Unknown |
1614-16 [52] [53] [54] [55] [56] | Doab, Mewar (only 1614, roughly) | Unknown |
1616-17 [57] [58] [59] [60] | Kashmir | Unknown |
1618-19 [61] [62] | Southern Mughal Empire, Coromandel | Unknown |
1619 [63] | Goa | Unknown |
1622 [64] [65] [66] | South East India (since 1620) | Unknown |
1626 [67] | Fishery Coast | Unknown |
1628 [68] | Masulipatam | Unknown |
1629-32 [69] | Deccan | Unknown |
1630 [70] [71] [72] [73] [74] [75] [76] [77] [78] [79] [80] [81] [82] [83] | Entire India | Unknown |
1631 [84] [85] [86] [87] [88] [89] [90] [91] [92] [93] [94] | Entire India (continuation from 1630) | At least 7,400,000 since 1630. |
1632-3 [95] [96] [97] [98] [99] | Entire India (continued from 1630) | At least 7,400,000 |
1635 [100] | Northern India | Unknown |
1636 [101] [102] | South-East India, Punjab | Unknown |
1640-41 [103] [104] [105] | Central India, South-East India | Unknown |
1641 (or 1642) [106] [107] [108] | Kashmir | Unknown |
1642 [109] [110] [111] | East Coast of India | Unknown |
1644 [112] | Madurai to Coromandel Coast | Unknown |
1646-48 (till 1647 in Madurai to Coromandel Coast) [113] [114] [115] [116] [117] [118] | Madurai to Coromandel Coast, Punjab | Unknown |
1647 [119] | Agra to Ahmedabad | Unknown |
1648-49 [120] [121] | Madurai to Coromandel Coast | Unknown |
1649 [122] | Goa | Unknown |
1650-51 [123] [124] | North-Central India | Unknown |
1651 [125] | Kashmir | Unknown |
1658-61 [126] [127] [128] [129] [130] | Northwest to East India | Unknown |
1659-61 [131] [132] [133] [134] | South-East India | Unknown |
1661 [135] [136] [137] [138] [139] [140] | Central North India, Mewar | Unknown |
1662-63 [141] [142] [143] [144] | Eastern Bengal | Unknown |
1663-64 [145] [146] [147] [148] | Punjab to Gujarat, South-East India | Unknown |
1665 [149] [150] [151] | Jaipur | Unknown |
1669-70 [152] [153] | Bombay | Unknown |
1670-71 [154] [155] [156] | Bihar, Bengal | 100,000 dead in Patna alone. |
1671-73 [157] [158] | Deccan (Bombay Karanatak) | Unknown |
1673-75 [159] [160] [161] | Madurai to Gingee, Gujarat | Unknown |
1678 [162] [163] [164] | Marwar, Madurai | Unknown |
1681 [165] [166] | Negapatnam, Marwar | Unknown |
1682 [167] [168] | Ahmedabad | Unknown |
1685-6 (only 1685 in Kashmir) [169] [170] [171] [172] [173] [174] [175] [176] [177] [178] [179] [180] [181] [182] [183] | Kashmir, Southern India | Unknown |
1685-1689 [184] [185] [186] [187] [188] [189] [190] [191] [192] [193] [194] [195] [196] [197] [198] [199] [200] | South-East India, Deccan (only 1687), Golconda (1685-1687) | Unknown |
1688 [201] [202] | Mandi state, Delhi (possibly) | Unknown |
1690 [203] | Gujarat | Unknown |
1694-1697 (till 1695 in Gujarat to Rajasthan, till 1697 in Coromandel Coast, 1696–7 in Marwar to North Gujarat) [204] [205] [206] [207] [208] [209] [210] | Coromandel Coast, Gujarat to Rajasthan, Marwar to North Gujarat | Unknown |
1699-1700 [211] | Satara | Unknown |
1702-1704 [212] [213] [214] [197] [215] | Deccan | Unknown |
1703 [216] | Thurr and Parker, Sindh | Unknown |
1705-1707 (only 1705 in Marwar) [217] [218] | Deccan, Marwar | Unknown |
1708-1709 [186] [219] [220] [221] [222] [223] | Southern India | Unknown |
1710-1712 [224] [225] | Calcutta, East Coast | Unknown |
1711-12 (only 1711 in Jaipur) [226] [227] [228] [229] | Jaipur, Coromandel Coast | Unknown |
1713 [230] | Osmanabad (possibly to Nanded) | Unknown |
1716 [226] | Jaipur | Unknown |
1717-1720 (only till 1719 in Gujarat) [186] [231] [232] [233] [234] [235] [236] [237] [238] [239] | Madras to Madurai, Gujarat | Unknown |
1721-1723 [240] | Canavay, Mysore | Unknown |
1723-24 (possibly Gujarat in 1723) [241] [242] | Kashmir, Gujarat (possibly) | Unknown |
1727-1728 [243] [244] [245] [246] [247] [248] [249] | Tamil Nadu | Unknown |
1729 [250] [251] [252] [253] [254] | South-West India, Coromandel Coast | Unknown |
1730 [255] | Ludhiana | Unknown |
1731-1732 (only 1731 in Coromandel Coast and Kashmir) [256] [257] [258] [259] [260] [261] [262] [263] [241] | Gujarat, Coromandel Coast to Orissa, Kashmir | Unknown |
1733-1736 [264] [265] [256] [266] [267] [268] [269] [270] | Madras (extended to South-East India by 1734) | Unknown |
1737-1738 [271] [186] [272] [273] [274] [275] [256] [276] | East Coast, Malwa to Ahmedabad | Unknown |
1738 [277] [278] [279] [280] [281] | Coromandel Coast to Tanjore (since 1737), Bengal | Unknown |
1739 [282] [283] | Delhi | Unknown |
1741 [284] [285] [286] | Eastern Tamil Nadu | Unknown |
1742-43 [287] | Gujarat | Unknown |
1745 [288] [289] [290] [291] | Kashmir, Nara area in Sindh (till 1752) | Unknown |
1746-1747 [292] [293] [294] [295] [296] [297] [230] [186] [298] [299] [300] | Gujarat, Rajasthan, Coromandel Coast, Mysore, Osmanabad | Unknown |
1750 (or 1751) [301] | Bellary | Unknown |
1751 [302] | East Gujarat | Unknown |
1752-1755 [291] | South-West Sindh | Unknown |
1753-54 [303] | Rohtak (in Haryana) | Unknown |
1754 [304] | Kashmir | Unknown |
1755 [305] [306] [307] [308] [309] [310] | Kashmir, South-East Tamil Nadu (till 1756) | Unknown |
1756 [311] [312] [313] | Gujarat, Marwar, Adoni | Unknown |
1757 [314] | Kutch | Unknown |
1758 [315] | Punjab | Unknown |
1759-1761 [316] [317] [318] [319] [320] [321] [186] | Punjab (since 1758), Kutch to Sindh (till 1760), east Tamil Nadu (till 1760) | Unknown |
1761 [322] [323] [324] [325] [326] [327] | Bengal, Mewat, parts of Rajasthan | Unknown |
1762 [328] | Multan | Unknown |
1763 [329] | Mewar, Rajasthan | Unknown |
1765 [305] | Kashmir | Unknown |
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