1872 in India

Incumbents

• Richard Bourke, 6th Earl of Mayo, Viceroy
• Sir John Strachey, acting Viceroy
• Francis Napier, 10th Lord Napier, acting Viceroy
• Thomas Baring, 1st Earl of Northbrook, Viceroy

Events

• National income - ₹3,376 million
• 8 February - Viceroy of India, Lord Mayo killed by a prisoner of Cellular Jail, Sher Ali Afridi.

Law

• Indian Evidence Act
• Indian Contract Act
• Indian Christian Marriage Act
• Naturalisation Act
• Civil Marriage Act

Births

• 14 April – Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Islamic scholar who translated the Qur'an into English.
• 15 August – Sri Aurobindo, nationalist, scholar, poet, mystic, evolutionary philosopher, yogi and guru.
• 25 December – Ganganath Jha, scholar of Sanskrit, Indian philosophy and Buddhist philosophy.

Deaths

• 8 February – Richard Bourke, 6th Earl of Mayo, Viceroy