Ancient Indian History MCQs

Notes:
Fa-hien wrote this book when he came to India during the reign of Gupta dynasty most probably between A.D 399-414. He was a Chinese Buddhist monk and translator who traveled by foot from Ancient China to Ancient India, visiting many sacred Buddhist sites in Central Asia, the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia between 399-412 to acquire Buddhist texts.

Notes:
According to the scriptures of all Buddhist schools, the first Buddhist Council was held soon after the death of the Buddha.It was dated by the majority of recent scholars around 400 BCE. It took place under the patronage of the king Ajatashatru with the monk Mahakasyapa presiding, at Sattapanni caves, Rajgriha.

Notes:
The largest Buddhist Monastry is in Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh not in Assam.

Notes:
A fragment of a woven cloth was found at Harappa. This small fragment gives evidence of the Harappan’s knowledge of weaving and textile manufacture. Impressions of woven cloth have also been found on pottery jars and sealings from sites like Mohenjo-daro and Chanhudaro, indicating cotton cultivation and spinning industries contributed to Harappan economy and trade networks. Cloth production would have been a major craft industry employing many urban artisans across the Indus cities.

Notes:
Most terracotta figurines recovered from Indus Civilization urban sites were hand modeled rather than molded, suggesting artisans were skilled at independently sculpting and crafting small statues in clay reflecting localized stylistic conventions. Depictions include zebu bulls, toys with movable limbs, cows feeding calves, females adorned with bangles and headdresses interpreted possibly as mother goddesses. The cow and bull imagery resonates with subsequent Indian traditions exemplifying continuing cultural elements.

Notes:
Several Harappan phase small rural settlements have revealed remains of pit-dwellings, including Burzahom near Srinagar, Nageen in Baluchistan, several sites in Haryana like Farmana, and Gufkral in Kashmir among others spanning the civilization’s territory. These were structures built partially underground for insulation and represented a more basic accommodation for semi-nomadic pastoral communities on the periphery, contrasting the brick houses and planned drainage system of metropolitan Harappan cities.

Notes:
Indus Valley Civilization, also called Harappan culture, belongs to the Proto-Historic period. Proto-Historic generally refers to those ancient periods which lack written records, but are explored through material culture evidencing the beginnings of civilized settlement – as compared to Prehistoric era. IVC was a Bronze Age urban civilization present across North-West regions of South Asia emerging after Neolithic.

Notes:
The Indus Valley people obtained copper from the Khetri mines located in the northeastern part of Rajasthan. Archaeological evidence suggests the mines were in operation during the Mature Harappan phase between 2600 BCE and 1900 BCE. Ore was brought to the valley civilization sites and melted in furnaces to produce both tools and decorative items. Copper was a prized metal used extensively in urban Harappan centers.

Notes:
Chetaka was the king of Vajji mahajanapada. The capital of Vajji was Vaishali. The Vajjis were defeated by Ajajshatru. They were assimilated in the Magadha empire by Ajatshatru.

Notes:
The Avanti Mahajanapada was located in the present-day central Malwa region and was divided into two parts by the Vindhya ranges. The capital of the northern part of the state of Avanti was Ujjain.