Ancient Indian History Quiz Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) - Set 1

ANSWER: Vararuchi

Explanation:
The oldest surviving Prakrit grammar is Vararuchi’s Prākrita Prakāśa, whose date is debated.

ANSWER: Lumbini

Explanation:
At the 20th anniversary of his enthronement, Asoka announced Lumbini as tax-free and proclaimed only 1/8th part as taxable. Description of this fact is found in the inscriptions of Nigliva and Rumindei.

ANSWER: Kalamas – Allakappa

Explanation:
Sakyas of Kapilavastu , republican clan with the capital at Kapilavattu, was a vassal of King Prasenjit of Kosala It was a great center of Buddhism.

Koliyas, a republican clan had 2 chief settlements in Ramagama and Devadaha. Buddha was related to the Koliyans through his mother and wife. After the demise of the Buddha, the Koliyans obtained a share of his relics and erected a stupa over it.

Mallas had 2 confederacies; one at Kusinara and the other at Pava. Kusinara was famous as it was the site of Buddha’s Mahaparinirvana. Malla Raja initially opposed Buddhism, later accepted him after he heard the Buddha’s discourses.

Bulis of Allakappa, Moriyas of Pipphalivana and Kalamas of Kesaputta were followers of the Buddha. All are related to Gautam Bhudha and Kautilya also mention many self governing clans in which these exist.

ANSWER: Jagadal

Explanation:
Jagadal is situated in Bengal and was founded by Ramapala, the Pala ruler.

ANSWER: Brihadratha

Explanation:
Maurya Emperor Brihadratha was killed by his senapati (Commander-in-Chief) Pushymitra Shunga . Pushymitra Shunga founded the Shunga Dynasty in around 185-183 BC.

ANSWER: Only 1 & 4

Explanation:
The gold coins of Gupta period were called Dinara inspired by the Roman coins but later the coins were minted in the Indian style with the weight standard of 9.2 gms of gold and called Suvarna.

ANSWER: Theft

Explanation:
According to Manu, a Brahamana was to be awarded higher punishment than the persons of other varnas for the offence of Theft.

ANSWER: Serpent

Explanation:
Tirthankara Parswanath was the 23rd Tirthankar who preached four teachings of Jainism: not to kill, not to lie, not to steal and not to own property. His idol is recognized by the symbol of serpent.

ANSWER: Bharavi

Explanation:
Bharavi, a 6th century Sanskrit poet , was the author of Kiratarjuniya (“Arjuna and the Mountain Man”).

ANSWER: Chamundaraya

Explanation:
Bahubali also called Gomateshwara was an Arihant. According to Jainism, he was the second of the hundred sons of the first Tirthankara, Rishabha and king of Podanpur. A monolithic statue of Bahubali referred to as “Gommateshvara” built by the Ganga dynasty minister and commander Chamundaraya is a 60 feet (18 m) monolith and is situated above a hill in Shravanabelagola, in the Hassan district of Karnataka. It was built in the 10th century AD.

ANSWER: Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Explanation:
The Arctic Home in the Vedas is a book on the origin of Aryans by Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak The book was written at the end of 1898, but was first published in March 1903 in Pune .It propounded the theory that the North Pole was the original home of Aryans during pre-glacial period which they had to leave due to the ice deluge around 8000 B.C. And had to migrate to the Northern parts of Europe and Asia in search of lands for new settlements. In support to his theory , Tilak has presented certain Vedic hymns, East Iranian passages, Vedic chronology and Vedic calendars with interpretations of the contents in detail.

ANSWER: Surkotada

Explanation:
In the Indus Valley Civilization, the remains of Horse bones have been found from Surkotada site. The site at Surkotada is located 160 km north- east of Bhuj, in the district of Kutch, Gujarat.

ANSWER: Menander II

Explanation:
Menander II was the Indo-Greek king who established a large empire in the South Asia and became a patron of Buddhism.

ANSWER: Dharampala

Explanation:
Dharamapala, the second ruler of Pala dynasty was a pious Buddhist King and is best known for establishing the Vikramshila University.
Dharampala had also built a Vihara at Somapuri, another at Paharpur and yet another Vihara at Odantapuri. The five places viz. Nalanda, Vikramshila, Somapuri, Paharpur and Odantapuri are called Five Mahaviharas. Bakhtiyar Khilji destroyed the Vikramshila University in 1200 AD. Somapura Mahavihara is now located in Bangladesh. It is one of the best known Mahaviharas of Buddhism in Indian subcontinent and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

ANSWER: Jhelum

Explanation:
Rigvedic Name and Modern Names of Indian Rivers:
Sindhu- Indus
Vitasta- Jhelum
Askini- Chenab
Vipasa- Beas
Purushini- Ravi
Satudri- Sutlej
Gomal- Gomati
Drishvadati- Ghaggar

ANSWER: Gupta Period

Explanation:
The Yājñavalkya Smrti is a Dharma-related texts of Hinduism composed in Sanskrit. It is dated to between the 3rd to 5th-century CE, and belongs to the Gupta period.

ANSWER: Aryabhatta

Explanation:
Aryabhatta was the first of the major mathematician-astronomers from the classical age of Indian mathematics and Indian astronomy. He treated mathematics as a different discipline.

ANSWER: Indo Greek Ruler

Explanation:
The Milinda Panho is a Buddhist text which dates from sometime between 100 BC and 200 CE. It records a dialogue between the Buddhist sage Nāgasena, and the Indo-Greek king Menander.

ANSWER: Study the teachings of Gautam Buddha

Explanation:
Fa-Hien was a Chinese Buddhist, was one of the pilgrims who visited India during the reign of the Gupta emperor Chandragupta II. His main motive is to study the teachings of Gautama Buddha.

ANSWER: Ganga

Explanation:
The Sun Temple at Konarak was built in about 1250 AD by the East Ganga king Narasimhadeva in order to commemorate military successes against Muslim invaders.It is also known as the Black Pagoda.