Ancient History Gk Questions

Correct Answer:-C ( The Cholas )
Description:-  The Chola navy played a vital role in the expansion of the Chola Empire, including the conquest of the Ceylon islands and Sri Vijaya (present day Indonesia), the spread of Hinduism, Dravidian architecture and Dravidian culture to South east Asia and in curbing the piracy in Southeast Asia in the 900 CE. Inscriptions and historical sources assert that the Medieval Chola king Rajendra Chola I sent a naval expedition to Indo-China, the Malay peninsula and the Indonesian archipelago in 1025 in order to subdue the Srivijaya Empire.

Correct Answer:-D ( Gandhara )
Description:-  Gandhara art is the 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 Kushan dynasty and was contemporaneous with an important but dissimilar school of Kushan art at Mathura.

Correct Answer:-C ( Cotton )
Description:-  The Harappans were the earliest known people to grow cotton. They produced cotton cloth hundreds of years before anyone else. In fact, the Greek word for cotton is sindon, a word derived from Sind which is a part of the Indus Valley Civilization region.

Correct Answer:-C ( graves encircled by big pieces of stones. )
Description:-  A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. Many of these, though by no means all, contain human remains, but it is debatable whether use as burial sites was their primary function. Though generally known as dolmens, the correct term accepted by archaeologists is portal tomb..

Correct Answer:-D ( Hiuen Tsang )
Description:-  Hiuen Tsang was a Chinese pilgrim who came to India in the first half of the seventh century A.D. during the time of Harshavardhan in order to visit the places of pilgrimage associated with Buddha. His object was to secure authentic Buddhist scriptures and visit places of Buddhist interest. On returning to China, he put down all his impressions in a book called Si- yu-ki or ‘The Records of the Western World’ which proved to be an invaluable source of information to historians about Harsha and the political, social, economic and religious conditions in India during his reign.

Correct Answer:-A ( Mahendra Varman-I )
Description:-  Narasimhavarman-I, son of Mahendravarman-I, was a Tamil king of the Pallava dynasty who ruled South India from 630–668 A.D. He avenged his father’s defeat at the hands of the Chalukya king, Pulakesin II in the year 642 CE. Narasimhavarman was also known as Mamallan (great wrestler) and Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram) was named after him. It was during his reign that the Chinese traveller Hieun Tsang visited Kanchipuram.

Correct Answer:-D ( Buddhist Art. )
Description:-  Greco-Buddhist art is the artistic manifestation of Greco-Buddhism, a 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. Under the Indo-Greeks and then the Kushans, the interaction of Greek and Buddhist culture flourished in the area of Gandhara, in today’s northern Pakistan, before spreading further into India, influencing the art of Mathura, and then the Hindu art of the Gupta empire, which was to extend to the rest of South-East Asia.

Correct Answer:-D ( Gupta period )
Description:-  The Ajanta Caves in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra are about 30 rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments which date from the 2nd century BCE to about 480 or 650 A.D. The caves include paintings and sculptures are masterpieces of Buddhist religious art, with figures of the Buddha and depictions of the Jataka tales. Most of the paintings belong to the Vakataka- Gupta period.

Correct Answer:-B ( urban )
Description:-  The Harappan cities were planned to serve these functional, social and economic requirements of their inhabitants. The urbanism of the Harappan civilization is associated with its mature phase. Many scholars have called the Harappan urbanization as ‘The Urban Revolution’, which could not have been possible without the strong central authority, specialized economic organization and socio-cultural unity.

Correct Answer:-A ( barley )
Description:-  Dantidurga (735–756 CE), also known as Dantivarman or Dantidurga II was the founder of the Rashtrakuta Empire of Manyakheta. His capital was based in Gulbarga region of Karnataka. He was succeeded by his uncle Krishna I who extended his kingdom to all of Karnataka.

Correct Answer:-A ( Dandi Durga (Danti Durga) )
Description:-  The Indus Valley Civilization was noted for its cities built of brick, roadside drainage system, and multistoried houses. The buildings were made of burnt bricks, which have been preserved even to this day. Sun-dried bricks were used for the foundation of the buildings and the roofs were flat and made of wood.

Correct Answer:-A ( Rashtrakutas )
Description:-  The Ellora caves were patronized mainly by the Chalukya and the Rashtrakuta Dynasty rulers between the middle of sixth century and the eleventh century A.D. Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra are 28-30 rock-cut cave monuments created during the first century BC and 5th century AD, containing paintings and sculptures considered to be masterpieces of both Buddhist religious art and universal pictorial art.

Correct Answer:-A ( art and architecture )
Description:-  The peace and prosperity created under the leadership of the Guptas enabled the pursuit of scientific and artistic endeavors. This period is called the Golden Age of India and was marked by extensive inventions and discoveries in science, technology, engineering, art, dialectic, literature, logic, mathematics, astronomy, religion and philosophy that crystallized the elements of what is generally known as Hindu culture.

Correct Answer:-D ( Harshavardhana )
Description:-  Harshavardhana was a good scholar and a noted author. He wrote three plays in Sanskrit namely Ratnavali, Priyadarsika and Nagananda. We can find welldocumented record of his reign in the work of his court poet Banabhatta.

Correct Answer:-B ( Raja Raja Chola )
Description:-  The famous Chola temple built at Tanjavur (Tanjore) is known as the Brihadeshvara temple. It is also called the Rajarajeshwara temple after the name of king Rajaraja who built it in honour of Lord Shiva in about 1009 A.D. It is a tribute and a reflection of the power of its patron Raja Raja Chola I. It remains India’s largest temple.

Correct Answer:-B ( Magasthenese )
Description:-  Megasthenes was a Greek ethnographer and explorer in the Hellenistic period, author of the work Indica. He became an ambassador of Seleucus I of the Seleucid dynasty possibly to Chandragupta Maurya in Pataliputra, India. Scholars place it before 298 BC, the date of Chandragupta’s death. Hiuen Tsang came during the reign of Harshavardhana; while ITsing and Fa Hien came during the Gupta times.

Correct Answer:-B ( Ashoka )
Description:-  The Third Buddhist council was convened in about 250 BCE at Asokarama in Pataliputra, supposedly under the patronage of Emperor Asoka. It was presided over by the Elder Moggaliputta Tissa and one thousand monks participated in the Council. The council is recognized and known to both the Theravada and Mahayana schools, though its importance is central only to the Theravada school.

Correct Answer:-B ( Satavahanas )
Description:-  The earlier phase of Ajanta falls between third century BCE to second century BC. In this phase, just five caves were excavated: Caves 9, 10, 12, 13 and 15A. The region during this time was ruled by the Satavahana dynasty (230 BC – c. 220 A.D). Therefore, they may be called the Satavahana-period caves. This phase is also widely known as the Hinayana phase.

Correct Answer:-D ( Sanskrit )
Description:-  The Sanskrit language, once ignored under the Buddhist and Jain influence, was patronised during the Gupta period. It was recognised as the court language and was used in their inscriptions. Gradually it became the lingua franca of India. Some of the wellknown scholars who flourished during this period were: Kalidasa, Vishakhadutta, Shudraka, Bharavi, Dandin, Subandhu, etc.

Correct Answer:-D ( Khjuraho – Chandelas )
Description:-  Khajuraho was the cultural capital of Chandel Rajputs, a Hindu dynasty that ruled this part of India from the 10-12th centuries. The political capital of the Chandelas was Kalinjar. The Khajuraho temples were built over a span of 200 years, from 950 to 1150. The Chandela capital was moved to Mahoba after this time, but Khajuraho continued to flourish for some time. Khajuraho has no forts because the Chandel Kings never lived in their cultural capital.

Correct Answer:-D ( Pulakesin II )
Description:-  Pulakesin-II was the most famous ruler of the Chalukya dynasty. In his reign the Chalukyas of Badami saw their kingdom extend over most of the Deccan. Pulikeshi-II routed the Pallava king Mahendravarman- I in the battle of Pullalur. In a decisive battle fought on the banks of the river Narmada, Pulakesin defeated Harshavardhana.

Correct Answer:-B ( Banabhatta )
Description:-  The Harshacharita, is the biography of Indian Emperor Harsha by Banabhatta, also known as Bana, who was a Sanskrit writer of 7th century in India. He was the ‘Asthana Kavi’, meaning ‘Court Poet’, of King Harsha.

Correct Answer:-A ( Purushapura )
Description:-  The Kushan king Kanishka, who reigned from at least 127 AD, moved the capital from Pushkalavati (now called Charsadda in the Peshawar valley) to Purushapura (Peshawar) in the 2nd century AD. Following this move by the Kushans, Peshawar became a great center of Buddhist learning even though Zoroastrianism, Hindusim and animism seem to have survived in the majority population.

Correct Answer:-C ( Pali )
Description:-  Tripitaka is the collection of the teachings of the Buddha over 45 years in the Pali language, and it consists of Sutta – conventional teaching, Vinaya – disciplinary code, and Abhidhamma – moral psychology. Tripitaka is the main categories of texts that make up the Buddhist canon.

Correct Answer:-D ( Samudragupta )
Description:-  Samudragupta, ruler of the Gupta Empire, and successor to Chandragupta-I, is considered to be one of the greatest military geniuses in Indian history according to Historian V. A. Smith. He was called the Napoleon of India because he wanted to conquer more and more.

Correct Answer:-B ( Ashoka )
Description:-  As a Buddhist emperor, Ashoka sent many prominent Buddhist monks (bhikshus) Sthaviras like Madhyamik Sthavira to modern Kashmir and Afghanistan; Maharaskshit Sthavira to Syria, Persia / Iran, Egypt, Greece, Italy and Turkey; and Massim Sthavira to Nepal. He built a number of stupas, Sangharama, viharas, chaitya, and residences for Buddhist monks all over South Asia and Central Asia. The Asokan pillar at Lumbini, Nepal speaks about Asoka and his works.

Correct Answer:-A ( Kanchipuram )
Description:-  The Pallavas ruled regions of northern Tamil Nadu and southern Andhra Pradesh between the second to the ninth century A.D. Their capital was Kanchipuram. Located on the banks of river Vegavathy, it served as the capital city of the Pallava Kingdom during the 4th to 9th century A.D.

Correct Answer:-D ( Indo-Greek style )
Description:-  Gandhara sculpture was an amalgamation of Indo- Greek styles. The distinguishing Gandhara sculpture is the standing or seated Buddha. The western classical factor rests in the style, in the handling of the robe, and in the physiognomy of Buddha. The cloak, which covers all but the appendages is dealt like in Greek and Roman sculptures.

Correct Answer:-C ( Kanishka )
Description:-  Kanishka’s reputation in Buddhist tradition is based mainly that he convened the 4th Buddhist Council in Kashmir. Images of the Buddha based on 32 physical signs were made during his time. He provided encouragement to both the Gandhara school of Greco- Buddhist Art and the Mathura school of Hindu art. Kanishka personally seems to have embraced both Buddhism and the Persian cult of Mithra.

Correct Answer:-C ( Chandragupta-II )
Description:-  Chandragupta-II was one of the most powerful emperors of the Gupta empire in northern India. His rule spanned c. 380–413/415 A.D, during which the Gupta Empire achieved its zenith, art, architecture, and sculpture flourished, and the cultural development of ancient India reached its climax. He adopted the title of Vikramaditya which holds a semi-mythical status in India.