Ancient Indian History MCQs

Notes:
The ancient Indian sites of Burzahom and Gufkral have evidence of pit-dwellings. These sites are located in the Kashmir Valley.  The pits were circular or oval in shape and were dug into the ground. The pits were wide at the ground and narrow near the opening. The pits were plastered with soil. The sites also have evidence of early agriculture, pottery, stone tools, and animal bones.  The excavations at Burzahom reveal four phases of cultural significance between 3000 BC and 1000 BC.

Notes:
The Yogācāra is a Buddhist school’s philosophical tradition that stressed on metaphysical idealism. Nagarjuna, unlike the other philosophers Vasubandhu, Dinnaga, and Dharmakirti, was not a significant contributor to this tradition. Nagarjuna is renowned for his doctrine of “śūnyatā” (emptiness), a cornerstone of the Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition, rather than the Yogācāra tradition.

Notes:
“Tat Tvam Asi” is a Sanskrit phrase that translates to “That Thou Art” in English. It is a central teaching in the Hindu philosophical tradition of Advaita Vedanta, which holds that the ultimate reality is non-dual and that the individual self (atman) is ultimately identical to the ultimate reality (Brahman). Tat Tvam Asi comes from Chandogya Upanishad.

Notes:
Flint is a sedimentary rock that was used by prehistoric humans to make tools. It is a type of microcrystalline quartz that is strong and durable, but can be easily shaped and carved. Flint is a silica material that breaks to create very sharp edges. Early humans learned to make these sharp edged tools intentionally and how to keep them sharp. They used flint to butcher animals, hunt, and cut other materials more efficiently.
Flint is one of the oldest and most used stone types used for making various early human tools. The process of shaping flint into stone is called flintknapping. Flake tools are created through flintknapping.

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The Saka Era was founded by Kanishka, the emperor of Kushana empire from the year 78 A.D. The Shaka era is a historical calendar era, corresponding to Julian year 78. It is commonly known in Indian languages as Shalivahana Śaka.

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Narasimhavarman ruled from AD 630-668 and was considered the greatest of the Pallava Kings. He sent two naval expeditions to Ceylon. His greatest achievement however was the three successive triumphs over the Chalukya King Pulakesin II and annexed Vatapi to his kingdom.

Notes:
Megasthenes described what he called “the great capital of Pataliputra” as the most largest and prosperous city in the world. He wrote about its palaces, school, temples, parks, and said that the wall around the city “was crowned with 570 towers and had 64 gates”.

Notes:
A monolithic statue of Bahubali referred to as “Gommateshvara” built by the Ganga dynasty minister and commander Chamundaraya is a 60 feet monolith and is situated above a hill in Shravanabelagola, in the Hassan district of Karnataka. It was built in the 10th century AD.

Notes:
In the context of Harappan civilization, the term ‘English Bond’ refers to the brickwork bonding pattern where bricks are laid in alternating header (short side) and stretcher (long side) arrangement in successive courses. This interlocking arrangement created structural stability, detectible in granaries and walls at sites like Mohenjo-daro and Rakhigarhi. English bond provided earthquake resistant buildings reflecting the town planning Sophistication of these ancient cities.

Notes:
Soft limestone and white marble were the most abundantly used raw materials for crafting the excavated stone sculptures of Harappan civilization. Artisans shaped and engraved steatite, serpentine, and terracotta as well. The statuettes portray deities, priests, dancers, mortals, animals both real and mythical like unicorns. Grey sandstone was used for the important early seals while copper smelting produced bronze images.