Ancient Indian History MCQs

Notes:
Brihadeeswarar Temple or Peruvudaiyar Kovil or Rajrajeshwaram temple at Thanjavur is the world’s first complete “granite” temple. It was built by Rajraja Chola-I and is a part of UNESCO’s world Heritage sites. The Vimana or the temple tower (known as Raja Gopuram) is 216 Feet in height and is one of the tallest buildings of its kind. The Nandi is carved out of a single rock. This temple has completed 1 millennium in 2010. It was dictated by lord Shiva to Rajraja Chola I, when he triumphed Ilam (Sri Lanka) Island.

Notes:
Arikamedu is the site near Pondicherry that best supports the view of ancient trade between Rome and the ancient Tamil country of India. Arikamedu was an important coastal and port town in ancient India. It was located near Puducherry, a union territory of India. Arikamedu was believed to be an active trading port with the Roman Empire as early as the second century BC. Arikamedu exported textiles, beads, and precious stones, and imported wine and olive oil from Rome. It was believed to be the only town to have ties with Rome.
Arikamedu is located about seven kilometers from Pondicherry. The name Arikamedu means “eroding mud”.

Notes:
Thiruvalluvar was the author of the book ‘Tirukkural (also known as the Kural). It is a classic Tamil sangam literature consisting of 1330 couplets or Kurals. The book is also called as the fifth Veda or ‘Bible of the Tamil Land’.

Notes:
Charak was a contemporary of King Kanishka. Charak was a member of Kanishka’s court and is known as the “Father of Indian Medicine”. Charak was a major contributor to Ayurveda and is famous for writing the Charak Samhita.  Kanishka was the king of the Kushan dynasty, which ruled over the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, Afghanistan, and possibly areas of Central Asia. Other scholars in Kanishka’s court included Parsva, Vasumitra, Asvaghosa, Nagarjuna, and Mathara.

Notes:
The triratnas are the three jewels (also referred to as ratnatraya) are understood as samyagdarshana (“right faith”), samyagjnana (“right knowledge”), and samyakcharitra (“right conduct”). One of the three cannot exist exclusive of the others, and all are required for spiritual liberation.

Notes:
Buddhist work that is written in Sanskrit is the “Divyavadana” (Option C). The “Divyavadana” is a collection of Buddhist stories and legends written in Sanskrit. It contains narratives of the lives and teachings of the Buddha, as well as stories about various Buddhist monks and nuns. Sanskrit was one of the classical languages used for Buddhist scriptures and texts, alongside Pali and other languages, depending on the Buddhist tradition and region.

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:
Jainism, an ancient Indian religion, is divided into two main sects – the Shwetambars and the Digambars. In a unique aspect, the Shwetambars believe the 19th Tirthankara, Mallinath, to have been a woman. However, this belief is not shared by the Digambar sect. This diversity in perspectives showcases the complexities and variations that exist even within single religious communities.

Notes:
Yajnavalkyasmriti, which is almost regarded as the official law book of Guptas, was composed also in Gupta era.

Notes:
Polyandry is a form of polygamy in which a woman takes two or more husbands at the same time. It is common in Hunas. Hunas or Huna was the name given by the ancient Indians to a group of Central Asian tribes who, via the Khyber Pass, entered India at the end of the 5th or early 6th century.