Ancient Indian History MCQs
Multiple Choice Quiz Questions (MCQs) on Ancient Indian History for General Studies and GK preparation of SSC, NDA, CDS, UPSC, UPPSC and State PSC Examinations.
11. Who among the following is ascribed for the work Mudrarakshaha?
[A] Kalidasa
[B] Vishakhadatta
[C] Kautilya
[D] Bhatrihari
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Vishakhadatta]
Notes:
Kautilya’s Arthashastra, Ashoka’s Inscriptions, Megasthenes Indica and Vishakhadatta`s Mudrarakshasa are the main sources of Mauryan History.
12. Which among the following system in the Vedic Age has provided for a marriage of a childless widow with the brother of blood relation of her deceased husband for the sake of progeny ?
[A] Amaju
[B] Niyoga
[C] Arsa
[D] none of the above
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Niyoga]
Notes:
Niyoga practice in the Vedic Age has provided for a marriage of a childless widow with the brother of blood relation of her deceased husband for the sake of progeny.
13. The following were the immediate successors of imperial Mauryas?
[A] Pandyas
[B] Kushans
[C] Nandas
[D] Sungas
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Sungas]
Notes:
The Shunga Empire was an ancient Indian dynasty from Magadha that controlled areas of the central and eastern Indian subcontinent from around 185 to 75 BCE. They are the immediate successors of imperial Mauryas.
14. Hemis festival is dedicated to Lord Padmasambhava (Gur Rimpoche) venerated as the representative reincarnate of Buddha. In which part of India it is held every year?
[A] Himachal Pradesh
[B] Assam
[C] Ladakh
[D] Orissa
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Ladakh]
Notes:
The Hemis festival is dedicated to Lord Padmasambhava (Gur Rimpoche) venerated as the representative reincarnate of Buddha. He is believed to have been born on the 10th day of the fifth month of the Monkey year as predicted by the Shakia Muni Buddha
15. Who among the following was not among the 9 gems (Navratna) of the Vikramaditya’s court?
[A] Vetalbhatt
[B] Amar Simha
[C] Kaalidasa
[D] Aryabhatta
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Aryabhatta]
Notes:
Nine gems of Vikramaditya are Dhanwantari, Kshapanaka, Amarasimha, Shankhu, Khatakarpara, Kalidasa, Vetal Bhatt, Vararuchi, and Varahamihira.
16. Which among the following was the earliest drama of Kalidasa?
[A] Vikramorvishiyam
[B] Malvikagnimitram
[C] Abhijnanshakuntalam
[D] Kumarasambhava
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Malvikagnimitram]
Notes:
The Mālavikāgnimitram is a Sanskrit play written by Kālidāsa. It is his first play. The play tells the story of the love of Agnimitra, the Shunga Emperor at Vidisha, for the beautiful handmaiden of his chief queen. He falls in love with the picture of an exiled servant girl named Malavika.
17. The Elephanta caves have been mostly ascribed to which among the following dynasty?
[A] Chalukyas
[B] Cholas
[C] Rasthrakutas
[D] Pallavas
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Rasthrakutas]
Notes:
Rashtrakuta dynasty is credited with building the Elephanta caves. The caves were constructed by cutting the walls of high basalt rock walls. The caves are located on an island in the Sea of Oman, close to Bombay. The caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and contain a collection of rock art linked to the cult of Shiva.
The caves were completed in the second quarter of the 6th century. Contemporary scholars attribute the caves to king Krishnaraja of the Kalachuri dynasty. The caves were commissioned by the warrior king Pulakeshin II of the Chalukyas of the Badami dynasty.
The island was known as Gharapuri, or “place of caves”, in ancient times. The name Elephanta was given by 16th-century Portuguese explorers after seeing a monolithic basalt sculpture of an elephant near the entrance.
18. What is the vedic name of river Satluj?
[A] Satudri
[B] Askini
[C] Arjikya
[D] Vipasha
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [ Satudri ]
Notes:
River Satluj was called as ‘Satudri’ in Vedic period. Its sanskrit name is ‘Shatadru’
19. With reference to vedic literature, “Tat Tvam Asi” is one of the most interpreted mahavakya (great saying). Which among the following is source of this mahavakya?
[A] Aitareya Brahman
[B] Kalpasutra
[C] Brahadaranyaka
[D] Chandogya Upanishad
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Chandogya Upanishad ]
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.
20. During whose reign did the apostle St.Thomas go to India to preach Christianity?
[A] Kujala Kadphises
[B] Antialkidas
[C] Gondophernes
[D] Wema Kadphises
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Gondophernes]
Notes:
Apostle St.Thomas go to India to preach Christianity in the reign of Gondophernes. Gondophernes was a Parthian ruler who invaded India.
