121. The paintings of Ajanta depict the stories of
Correct Answer:-C ( Jataka )
Description:- The scenes depicted in the Ajanta paintings are mostly didactic, devotional, and ornamental, with scenes from the Jataka stories of the Buddha’s former existences as a bodhisattva), the life of the Gautama Buddha, and those of his veneration. The two most famous individual painted images at Ajanta are the two over-life size figures of the protective bodhisattvas Padmapani and Vajrapani on either side of the entrance to the Buddha shrine on the wall of the rear aisle.
122. Which is the port-town of Indus valley civilisation?
Correct Answer:-B ( Lothal )
Description:- Lothal is one of the most prominent cities of the ancient Indus valley civilization. It was the most important port of this civilization and was one of the most important centres of export of beads, unguent vessels, chank shells, ladles and inlays. Lothal engineers accorded high priority to the creation of a dockyard and a warehouse to serve the purposes of naval trade.
123. Poet Kalidasa lived in the court of
Correct Answer:-C ( Chandragupta Vikramaditya )
Description:- Kalidasa is generally associated with Chandragupta II who was one of the most powerful emperors of the Gupta empire in northern India. It was during his reign that the Gupta Empire achieved its zenith, art, architecture, and sculpture flourished, and the cultural development of ancient India reached its climax. Culturally, the reign of Chandragupta II marked a Golden Age. This is evidenced by later reports of the presence of a circle of poets known as the Nine Gems in his court. The greatest among them was Kalidasa.
124. Which was the oldest University?
Correct Answer:-C ( Nalanda )
Description:- Nalanda was an ancient center of higher learning in Bihar which was a religious center of learning from the fifth or sixth century CE to 1197 CE. At its peak, the university attracted scholars and students from as far away as Tibet, China, Greece, and Persia. Nalanda was ransacked and destroyed by an army under Bakhtiyar Khilji in 1193.
125. Who is called as the ‘Second Ashoka’?
Correct Answer:-C ( Kanishka )
Description:- Kanishka worked for preaching of Buddhism. He spread Buddhism to China, Japan, Central Asia and Tibet; and convened the 4th Buddhist Council at Kundalvana in Kashmir. Due to his works he is often called ‘Second Asoka’.
126. The famous Kailasanath Temple at Kanchi was built by—
Correct Answer:-B ( Narasimhavarman II )
Description:- The Kailasanath temple is the oldest temple of Kanchipuram. It was built by the Pallavas in the early 8th century CE. This temple was built by Pallava King Narasimhavarman II (Rajasimhan), and is also called Rajasimha Pallaveswaram.
127. Kalibangan is situated in
Correct Answer:-C ( Rajasthan )
Description:- Kalibangan is a town located on the left or southern banks of the Ghaggar (Ghaggar-Hakra River), identified by some scholars with Sarasvati River in Tehsil Pilibangan, between Suratgarh and Hanumangarh in Hanumangarh district, Rajasthan, near Bikaner. It was a major provincial capital of the Indus Valley Civilization. Kalibangan is distinguished by its unique fire altars and ‘world’s earliest attested ploughed field.’
128. Bindusara sent Asoka to quell the rebellion in—
Correct Answer:-C ( Ujjain )
Description:- Because of his reputation as a frightening warrior and a heartless general, Ashoka was sent by Bindusara to curb the riots in the Avanti province (Ujjain) of the Mauryan empire. The Buddhist text Divyavadana talks of Ashoka putting down a revolt due to activities of wicked ministers. He was twice to pacify the Taxilans.
129. Mahabalipuram is an important city that reveals the interest in arts of
Correct Answer:-A ( Pallavas )
Description:- Mahabalipuram was a 7th century port city of the South Indian dynasty of the Pallavas around 60 km south from the city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu. The name Mamallapuram is believed to have been given after the Pallava king Narasimhavarman I, who took on the epithet Maha-malla (great wrestler), as the favourite sport of the Pallavas was wrestling. It has various historic monuments built largely between the 7th and the 9th centuries, and has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
130. Lord Mahavira died at
Correct Answer:-D ( Pavapuri )
Description:- Pawapuri is a holy site for Jains located in the Nalanda district in Bihar. Around 500 BC, Lord Mahavira, the last of the 24 Tirthankaras achieved Moksha or Nirvana. He was cremated at Pawapuri, also known as Apapuri (the sinless town).
131. The Indus people knew the use of Weights and Measures, which is proved by the discovery of the seal at—
Correct Answer:-B ( Harappa )
Description:- The people of the Indus Civilization achieved great accuracy in measuring length, mass, and time. They were among the first to develop a system of uniform weights and measures. Their smallest division, which is marked on an ivory scale found in Lothal, was approximately 1.704 mm, the smallest division ever recorded on a scale of the Bronze Age.
132. Which language was mostly used for the propagation of Buddhism?
Correct Answer:-C ( Pali )
Description:- Pali is a Middle Indo-Aryan language (of Prakrit group) of the Indian subcontinent. It is best known as the language of many of the earliest extant Buddhist scriptures, as collected in the Pali Canon or Tipitaka, and as the liturgical language of Theravada Buddhism. Pali is a literary language of the Prakrit language family and was first written down in Sri Lanka in the first century BCE.
133. The Hoyasala’s capital was
Correct Answer:-C ( Dwarasamudra )
Description:- Halebidu (literally ‘ruined city’), also known as Dwarasamudra, was the regal capital of the Hoysala Empire in the 12th century. It is home to one of the best examples of Hoysala architecture in the ornate Hoysaleswara and Kedareswara temples. This name is given because this city was ruined two times by Bahmani Sultanate.
134. Who, among the following, was not a part of the Mauryan dynasty?
Correct Answer:-A ( Ajatsatru )
Description:- Ajatasatru (491 BC – c. 461 BC) was a king of the Magadha empire in north India. He was the son of King Bimbisara, the great monarch of Magadha. He was contemporary to Mahavira and Buddha.
135. Sangam Age is associated with the history of
Correct Answer:-C ( Tamil Nadu )
Description:- Sangam period is the period in the history of ancient southern India (known as the Tamilakam) spanning from c. 30th century BC to c. 4th century CE. It is named after the famous Sangam academies of poets and scholars centered in the city of Madurai. In old Tamil language, the term Tamilakam referred to the whole of the ancient Tamil-speaking area, corresponding roughly to the present-day Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, parts of Andhra Pradesh, parts of Karnataka and northern Sri Lanka.
136. Who was the court poet of Harsha?
Correct Answer:-C ( Banabhatta )
Description:- Banabhatta was a Sanskrit prose writer and poet of India. He was the Asthana Kavi in the court of King Harshavardhana, who reigned in the years century. 606–647 CE in north India.
137. Where is the Lingaraja Temple located ?
Correct Answer:-C ( Bhubaneswar )
Description:- Lingaraj Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Harihara, another name for Shiva and is one of the oldest temples of Bhubaneswar, a revered pilgrimage center and the capital of Odisha. Shiva is here worshipped as Tribhuvaneshwara (Master of three worlds, i.e. Heaven, Earth and Netherworld). His consort is called Bhuvaneshvari. The temple is traditionally believed to be built by the Somavanshi king Jajati Keshari, in 11th century CE.
138. Who wrote the grammatical work Ashtadhyayi?
Correct Answer:-C ( Panini )
Description:- Panini is known for his Sanskrit grammar, particularly for his formulation of the 3,959 rules of Sanskrit morphology, syntax and semantics in the grammar known as Ashtadhyayi (‘eight chapters’), the foundational text of the grammatical branch of the Vedanga, the auxiliary scholarly disciplines of Vedic religion.
139. Beetapala and Dhiman, the two great artists that India had produced, belonged to the
Correct Answer:-A ( Pala Age )
Description:- Both Beetapala and Dhiman were the artists during the Pala rule in Bengal who flourished in the 9th century A.D. The artistic centre of gravity was displaced after the decline of the Buddhist kings of Bengal when decadence in the style of Dhiman became apparent.
140. Buddha gave his first religious message at
Correct Answer:-D ( Sarnath )
Description:- Sarnath is the deer park where Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharma, and where the Buddhist Sangha came into existence through the enlightenment of Kondanna. It is located to the north-east of Varanasi, in Uttar Pradesh.
141. The origins of Indian music could be traced to
Correct Answer:-C ( Samavedic Samhita )
Description:- The Sama Veda is the third of the four Vedas, the ancient core Hindu scriptures, along with the Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, and Atharva Veda which consists of a collection (samhita) of hymns, portions of hymns, and detached verses, all but 75 taken from the Sakala Sakha of the Rigveda, to be sung, using specifically indicated melodies called Samagana, by Udgatar priests at sacrifices. The origins of Indian music is traced from this veda. Samaveda’s Upaveda (technical manual) is Gandharva-veda that deals not only with the topics of music but also of dance and theatre.
142. Who amongst the following is associated with the study of the Harappan Civilisation?
Correct Answer:-D ( M.S. Vats )
Description:- M.S. Vats’ ‘Excavations at Harappa,’ gives an account of archaeological excavations at Harappa carried out between the years 1920-1921 and 1933-34. M.S. Vats first excavated the ‘Granary,’ and published the results of his and Sahni’s excavations in 1940.
143. The Gupta era was started by whom?
Correct Answer:-B ( Srigupta )
Description:- The Gupta Empire was an ancient Indian empire which existed from approximately 320 to 550 CE and covered much of the Indian Subcontinent. It was founded by Maharaja Sri Gupta. The first evidence of Sri Gupta comes from the writings of I-tsing around 690 CE who describes that the Poona copper inscription of Prabhavati Gupta, a daughter of Chandra Gupta, describes ‘Maharaja Sri-Gupta’ as the founder of the Gupta dynasty.
144. Which Chola king founded the city of Puhar?
Correct Answer:-D ( Karikala )
Description:- Karikala was a very popular Chola ruler who founded the city of ‘Puhar’ (Kaveripatnam) in 1st century B.C. Today is a town in the Nagapattinam district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu which for a while served as the capital of the early Chola kings in Tamilakkam.
145. Which Rashtrakuta ruler built the famous Kailash temple of Siva at Ellora?
Correct Answer:-C ( Krishan-I )
Description:- Kailashnath Temple is a famous temple, one of the 34 monasteries and temples, known collectively as the Ellora Caves located at Ellora, Maharashtra. It is designed to recall Mount Kailash, the abode of Lord Shiva. It is a megalith carved out of one single rock. It was built in the 8th century by the Rashtrakuta king Krishna-I.
146. Which museum houses the largest collection of Kushan sculptures?
Correct Answer:-A ( Mathura Museum )
Description:- The Mathura Museum is famous for ancient sculptures of the Mathura school dating from 3rd century BC to 12th century AD which attained the pinnacle of glory during the reign of Great Kushan and Gupta Emperors. Mathura school represents cultural syncretism between the Classical Greek culture and Buddhism, which developed over a period of close to 1000 years in Central Asia, between the conquests of Alexander the Great in the 4th century BCE, and the Islamic conquests of the 7th century CE.
147. Mahavira was born in a Kshatriya clan by the name of
Correct Answer:-B ( Janatrika )
Description:- Born into the kshatriya (warrior) caste Mahavira’s father was chief of the Jnatrika clan, an indigenous oligarchical tribe. Mahavira’s tribal affiliation is reflected in one of his later epithets, Nigantha Nataputta, which means literally ‘the naked ascetic of the Jnatrika clan.’
148. The Virupaksha Temple was built by the
Correct Answer:-A ( Chalukyas )
Description:- The Virupaksha Temple is located in Hampi near Bangalore, in the state of Karnataka in southern India. Virupaksha is a form of Shiva and has other temples dedicated to him. The temple’s history is uninterrupted from about the 7th century when it was built by the Chalukyas. Evidence indicates there were additions made to the temple in the late Chalukyan and Hoysala periods, though most of the temple buildings are attributed to the Vijayanagar period.
149. Taxila was a famous site of
Correct Answer:-C ( Gandhara art )
Description:- Taxila dates back to the Gandhara period when it was an important Hindu and Buddhist centre, and is still considered a place of religious and historical sanctity in those traditions. Gandhara art was a style of Buddhist visual art that developed in what is now northwestern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan between the 1st century B.C and the 7th century A.D. The style, of Greco-Roman origin, seems to have flourished largely during the Kushana dynasty
150. The gold coins were introduced first in India by
Correct Answer:-B ( The Greeks )
Description:- The Indo-Greek kings were the first to issue gold coins in India and their coins were special in the sense that each king had his own distinctive coins by which he could be definitely identified. The names of at least thirty Bactrian kings are known with the help of numerous coins, and they help in the reconstruction of the history of the kings. The coins carry legends in Greek and also in Kharosthi and Brahmi.
