Ancient Indian History MCQs

Notes:
Maski inscription at Raichur doab in Karnataka mentions his personal name, Devanam Priyadasi. Maski derives its name from Mahasangha. The site came into prominence with the discovery of a minor rock edict of Emperor Ashoka by C. Beadon in 1915. It was the first edict of Emperor Ashoka that contained the name Ashoka in it instead of the earlier edicts that referred him as Devanampiye piyadasi.

Notes:
Eastern Neolithic culture is known for Brownish-red pottery.

• Malwa culture: Black-on-Red pottery
• Burzahom culture: Grey pottery
• Jorwe culture: Red pottery
• Southern Neolithic culture: Burnished-grey pottery

Notes:
The capital of Kamboja Mahajanapada was Pooncha, that is, present-day Rajouri and Hajra of Kashmir and Northwest frontier province of Pakistan. The Kambojas were famous for their excellent breed of horses.

Notes:
The Magadha Mahajanapada was located in the present-day Bihar. The capital of Magadha Mahajanapada was at Rajagriha or Girivraja. Magadha played a vital role in the development of Buddhism and Jainism.

Notes:
Alexander (356 BCE – 326 BCE) was the son of the Philip of Macedonia, Greece. Alexander invaded India in 326 BCE. It is believed that after defeating Persians led by Darius, Alexander moved towards India through Khyber pass.

Notes:

The Maurya period is remarkable in the early history of the Indian subcontinent. Chandragupta Maurya was the first ruler who tried to consolidate small fragmented kingdoms and combined them to form the first empire of the Indian subcontinent.

Notes:
During his reign, Bindusara expanded the Maurya empire to the southern part of India up to Mysore. His empire extended from the Arabian Sea (west coast of India) to the Bay of Bengal (east coast of India). As his kingdom spanned the territory between the two seas, he gained the fame as “the conqueror of the land between the two seas”.

Notes:
Ashoka was appointed the viceroy of both Taxila and Ujjain during the reign of Mauryan King Bindusara. Both the cities handled commercial activities. Asoka had himself formally crowned in 268 BC.

Notes:
Lion was one of the motifs used in Ashokan pillars. Lion is a solar symbol and it also represents the Buddha, as he is referred to as Sakyasimha which also means a lion among the Sakyas.

Notes:
During the Mauryan period the notion of private property of Kshetra emerged and got established during this time. The kshetrika was the land-owner and was distinguished from the upasava (tenant).