Ancient Indian History MCQs

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Menander II was the Indo-Greek king who established a large empire in the South Asia and became a patron of Buddhism.

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Kasyapa Matanga is thought to have been the first to introduce Buddhism to China. According to Chinese tradition, he traveled from India to Lo- yang in China with another Indian monk, known by his Chinese name Chu Falan. They came in C.E. 67 at the invitation of Emperor Ming of the Later Han dynasty.

Notes:
In the Vedic era, the river Ghaggar-Hakra, which flowed through parts of present-day Rajasthan, Haryana, and Punjab in India, and Cholistan in Pakistan, was known as “Drishdvati” or “Drishadvati.” The Ghaggar-Hakra river system was an important river during the Vedic period and is mentioned in ancient Hindu texts such as the Rig Veda, Mahabharata, and Puranas.
It was one of the major rivers along which the early Vedic people settled and established their civilization. However, the Ghaggar-Hakra river system lost its prominence over time due to a number of factors, including tectonic activity and climate change. The river gradually dried up, leaving behind a dry channel that can still be seen today.

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Parsvanath was the 23^rd of 24^th Tirthankaras.

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Sautramani was the sacrifice of the asuras and was adopted by the devas. The sacrificial materials used was sura, wine. In the Sautramani sacrifice the oblations of sura are prescribed.

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Tripitaka or Three Baskets is a traditional term used for various Buddhist scriptures. It is known as pali Canon in English. The three pitakas are Sutta Pitaka, Vinaya Pitaka and Abhidhamma Pitaka.
Sutta Pitaka: It contains over 10 thousand suttas or sutras related to Buddha and his close companions. This also deals with the first Buddhist council which was held shortly after Buddha’s death, dated by the majority of recent scholars around 400 BC, under the patronage of king Ajatasatru with the monk Mahakasyapa presiding, at Rajgir. It is divided into various sections as shown in following graphics:
Vinaya Pitaka: The subject matter of Vinay Pitaka is the monastic rules for monks and nuns. It can also be called as Book of Discipline. Its three books are Suttavibhanga, Khandaka and Parivara.
Abhidhammapitaka deals with the philosophy and doctrine of Buddhism appearing in the suttas. However, it does not contain the systematic philosophical treatises. There are 7 works of Abhidhamma Pitaka which most scholars agree that don’t represent the words of Buddha himself.

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The Sun Temple at Konarak was built in about 1250 AD by the East Ganga king Narasimhadeva in order to commemorate military successes against Muslim invaders.It is also known as the Black Pagoda.

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Ramraja or Ramarajabhushanudu who was a Telugu poet and a notable musician was one of the Astadiggajas (a collective title for Telugu poets in the court of Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagara Empire).

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Prabhakaravardhana was a king of Thanesar in northern India around the time of the decline of the Gupta Empire. Banabhatta credits Prabhakaravardhana with a strong stance against the Hunas, describing him as:”A lion to the Huna deer”.

Notes:
Bimbisara, the founder of the Haryanka Dynasty, annexed Anga to Magadha. Bimbisara was one of the first kings of the Indian kingdom of Magadha. His expansion of the kingdom, especially the annexation of Anga, is considered to have laid the foundations for the later expansion of the Mauryan empire.
Bimbisara killed Brahmadatta, the last free ruler of Anga, in the middle of the 6th century. The annexation of Anga added the river Champa to the Magadha Empire. Champa was important for trade with South-East Asia and Sri Lanka.
Bimbisara was succeeded on the throne by his son Ajatashatru.