Ancient Indian History MCQs

Notes:
The Rashtrakutas adopted Garuda as their dynastic emblem after the imperial Guptas. The Gupta period used Garuda as their royal emblem.

Notes:
Belan Valley is located in Uttar Pradesh, India. Archaeological excavation at Mahagara and Koldihwa in the Belan Valley found evidence of rice cultivation dating back to around 7000–6000 BCE. Charred grains of domesticated rice were discovered at these sites. This discovery predates rice findings from other Indian regions.

Notes:
As per the Jain literature, Bimbisara (who was the real founder of Haryanka dynasty) was also known as Shrenika.

Notes:
The last ruler of Haryanka dynasty, Nagadasaka was over thrown by his amatya (or governor) Shisunaga and he established Shisunaga dynasty in 412 BC. Nandivardhan (367 BC–345 BC) was the last ruler of this Shisunaga dynasty.

Notes:
Pattini cult was established by Cheran Senguttuvan, a famous ruler during the 2nd century AD. The Pattini cult involved the worship of Kannagi as the ideal wife. Kannagi was the wife of Kovalan, and their story was the subject of the Tamil epic Silappadigalam.  The Chera dynasty was one of the four principal Tamil dynasties of Tamilakam, which is present-day Southern India. The Chera dynasty is credited with creating the land of Kerala.

Notes:
There are four Vedas composed by Aryans – Rig Veda, Sam Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda. Of the four Vedas, the Rig veda (collection of lyrics) is the oldest text in the world and is also known as the first testament of mankind. It contains 1028 hymns, divided into 10 mandals.

Notes:
The Kalpasutra is a Jain text containing the biographies of the Jain Tirthankaras, most notably Parshvanath and Mahavira, including the latter’s Nirvana. The author of this text is Bhadrabahu.

Notes:
Maya, the mother of Gautama Buddha, belonged to the Koliya dynasty. She was also known as Queen Mahamaya or Queen Maya. The Koliya dynasty was a clan or family that ruled over a region in ancient India, which is believed to be in the modern-day Nepal. Queen Maya’s husband was King Suddhodana, who was the ruler of the Shakya clan, and they were both from the same Koliya dynasty. Maya passed away shortly after giving birth to Siddhartha Gautama, who later became known as Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism.

Notes:
The Saatvahana dynasty, also known as the Andhras in ancient India, played an influential role in re-establishing peace after the Maurya Empire’s fall. They took over the region of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh and expanded to Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Their reign contributed to the prosperity in Deccan, with their robust strategies in trade, agriculture and craftmanship.