Ancient Indian History MCQs

Notes:
Some of the ancient professions and their names are as follows: 

• Karmara – Blacksmith
• Takshan – Carpenter
• Vapta – Barber
• Charmana – Tanner
• Hiranayakara – Goldsmith
• Tantuvaya – weaver

Notes:
“Baladhikarana” in the Gupta Age is the Head of the army. The Gupta Empire is referred to as the Golden Age of India because of the extensive inventions and discoveries in science, technology, engineering, art, dialectic, literature, logic, mathematics, astronomy, religion and philosophy that illuminated the elements of Hindu Culture.

Notes:
Before becoming a Buddhist, Menander (an Indo-Greek king) asked Nagasena many questions relating to Buddhism.These questions and Nagasena’s answers are recorded in a form of book known as ‘Milindapanho (or The Questions of Milinda).

Notes:
The rivers ganga ,Yamuna and saraswati had great prominence in Vedas. Ganga and Yamuna are mentioned together for the first time in Rig Veda. Yamuna is mentioned three times and Ganga is mentioned once in Rig veda.

Notes:
Pashupata sect to worships the god Shiva as the supreme deity. Acording to Mahabharat, Shiva indicated that he would enter a dead body and incarnate himself as Lakulin or Nakulin or Lakulisha. Inscriptions from the 10th and 13th centuries refer to a teacher named Lakulin, whose followers believed him to be an incarnation of Shiva.

Notes:
Kumārasaṃbhavam is a poem by Kālidāsa. It is regarded as one of Kālidāsa’s finest works. Sati system has been mentioned in this.

Notes:
Amri culture refers to the Amri archaeological sites in Sindh and Balochistan provinces of Pakistan. It flourished in the 4th and 3rd millennia BC.

Notes:
Various forms of taxes / cess in Gupta era are as follows:

• Bhaga 1 /6th share of produce ‘
• Bhoga Flowers, fruits, milk etc; given to king
• Kara Additional cess
• Bali Religious Tax
• Uparikara Additional cess
• Udranga Tax from permanent peasants
• Hiranya Tax in cash
• Vata Bhuta Tax for wind and water gods

The meaning of some other terms are as follows:

• Khetra Cultivable land
• Khila Barren land
• Aprahata Jungle
• Vasti Basti- Habitable land
• Gapatha Saraha Pastures

Notes:
The earliest of the Hindu sacred text, Rig-veda refers to the Saprasindhava, Panchanada, Madhydesa and Praki. These were perhaps the first references to the emergence of regions. The geographical location of these regions suggests that the Indo- Aryans preferred to settle down along the banks of the rivers-Sindhu (Indus), Vitasta, Jhelum), Asikni also known Chandrabhaga (Chenab). References are also found to Airavati (Ravn. Parushuni or Vipasa (Dcas), Saradru (Saduj) and the Saraswati. There is a general agreement that the region known as Panchanada included the plains of the five great eastern tributaries of the Sindhu river. Further east, the land between the Saraswati and Drishadvati was known to the IndoAryans as Brahmavarta. On the periphery of these plains lie the alluvial basins of the Gomti (Gomal), Krumu (Kurrum) and Kubha (Kabul). It is believed that these were the earliest Indo-Aryan settlements. Literary evidence suggests eastward march of the Indo-Aryans led to their settlements to the Madhyadesa regions. (Source: Geography of the South Asian subcontinent: a critical approach By Aijazuddin Ahmad)

Notes:
The archaeological sources are immense when it comes to rediscovering the harappan civilization. There are 100s of sites uncovered which belong to the harappan period which include Harappa, mohenjodaro, lothal, Dholavira, nageshwar, balakot, Rakhigarhi etc. With each site having its unique evidence and structures such as the great bath at mohenjodaro, the reservoir at Dholavira and the traces of bead making worksops which include the tools used for making beads and it is clear what each site was used for.