Ancient Indian History MCQs

Notes:
Rigveda is the oldest Veda .In it,only two shakas of the Rig-Veda, Shakala sakha and Baskala shaka, remain alive out of the 21 which existed at one time.

Notes:
The IX Mandala of the Rigveda, known as the Soma Mandala, is dedicated to Soma Pavamana (purifying Soma), the sacred potion Somaras. Soma refers to the drink made from the Soma plant, as well as the god associated with it. This Mandala contains hymns in praise of Soma, who was considered the drink of the gods in Vedic tradition.

Notes:
Bhamala Stupa is an ancient Gandhara stupa located in Pakistan near Haripur and is a part of so called Bhamala Buddhist Complex. It is a national heritage site of Pakistan and dates back to 4th century AD. This stupa is different from other Gandhara stupas as it looks cross shaped like an Aztec Pyramid.

Notes:
The word Sangam is associated with a College or Assembly of Tamil scholars and Poets .

Notes:
Samudragupta adopted the title of Kaviraj (King of poets), he was an expert ‘ Veena’ player.

Notes:
The achievements of Samudragupta are composed by his court-poet Harisena in Allahabad Pillar inscription ( or Prayag-Prasasti inscription).

Notes:
The battle of ten kings was fought between Sudas, a Bharata king of the Tritsu family and the confederacy of ten well-known tribes- Puru, Yadu, Turvasa, Anu, Druhyu, Alina, Paktha ,Bhalanas,Shiva and Vishanin. In the bloody and decisive battle on the banks of River Purushni, the Bharatas emerged victorious. The reason behind the war is the rivalry between Vishwamitra and Vasishtha.

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Sautramani was the sacrifice of the asuras and was adopted by the devas. The sacrificial materials used was sura, wine. In the Sautramani sacrifice the oblations of sura are prescribed.

Notes:
Bhandi was a leading noble of Kannauj and on advice of the political leaders of Kannauj; he offered the crown of Kannauj to Harsha after death of Grahavarmana. Bhandi was later described as one of the chief officers of Harsha. When Harsha chased Shashanka for release of his sister, through Bhandi only Harsha could know that his sister has been released and Shashanka has escaped

Notes:
The Guptas gave the largest grant of villages to temples and Brahmins. The practice of donating land to Brahmins was common during the Gupta period, which was a time of great cultural and intellectual flourishing in India.  The three types of land grants in the Gupta period were:

• Brahmadeya: Land given to a group of Brahmins.
• Devadana: Land given to the gods.
• Agrahara: A settlement of priests.

The land was typically used for farming or other agricultural purposes. The income generated from the land was used to support the Brahmins and their families. The taxes from the villages were assigned to the Brahmana donees, who were also given the right to get the donated land cultivated.