Ancient Indian History MCQs

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Gautama Buddha belongs to Sakya clan of Kshatriyas. They lived in the area near Magadha. His mother is Maya devi and father is Suddhodana.

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Srauta is a Sanskrit word that means “belonging to sruti”, that is, anything based on the Vedas of Hinduism. “Katyayana Srauta sutra” talks about Rules of vedic sacrifices.

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Priyadarsika is a Sanskrit play attributed to king Harshavardhan. It was first translated into English by G. K. Nariman, A. V. Williams Jackson, and Charles J. Ogden in 1923. Ratnavali and Nagananda are other works of Harshavardhan. Harshavardhan was also a great lover of education and learning. Emperor Harshvardhana wrote all the three plays in the Sanskrit Language.

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The Mousterian refers to a techno-complex (archaeological industry) of flint lithic tools associated primarily with Neanderthals. Acheulean refers to the ancient industry of stone tool manufacture characterized by distinctive oval and pear-shaped “hand-axes” associated with Homo erectus and related species. Oldowan is the oldest-known stone tool industry and dates back as far as 2.5 million years ago. The term Grotian is related to international law and does not related to ancient stone tool industries.

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hotr was the presiding priest, with perhaps only the adhvaryu as his assistant in the earliest time.

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“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.

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The Hindu religious text Manusmriti describes Brahmavarta as the region between the rivers Sarasawti and Drishadwati in India. The earliest of the Hindu sacred text, Rig-Veda refers to the Saprasindhava, Panchanada, Madhyadesha 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). 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 Sarasawti and Drishadwati was known to the Indo-Aryan as Brahmavarta.

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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.

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Rajendra Chola I was one of the greatest emperors of the Chola dynasty. Apart from reaching northwards to River Ganges and moving overseas to Maldives and Sri Lanka, he also invaded the Southeast Asian territories of Srivijaya in Malaysia, Indonesia and southern Thailand. He assumed the title ‘Gangaikonda Chola’ after defeating the Gangas, Chalukyas, Cheras, Palas, Pandyas, Kalinga and other rulers. He built a vast empire and a strong military and naval force. His rule came to be known as the ‘Golden Age of Cholas’.

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Man passed from food gathering stage to the food producing stage during the Neolithic Age. Neolithic age began 12,000 years ago.