Ancient Indian History MCQs

Notes:
The deer park in Sarnath is where Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharma, and where the Buddhist Sangha came into existence through the enlightenment of Kondanna. It was also the site of the Buddha’s Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, which was his first teaching after attaining enlightenment, in which he taught the four noble truths and the teachings associated with it.
So either A or D can be marked as the correct answer.

Notes:
Taxila is located in between River Indus and Hydaspes, river Hydaspes is now known as river Jhelum it is a tributary of river Indus. It is located in Rawalpindi,Punjab.

Notes:
Rigveda has 10 Mandalas, 1,028 Suktas and 10,580 Richas.

Notes:
The ancient Indian sites of Burzahom and Gufkral have evidence of pit-dwellings. These sites are located in the Kashmir Valley.  The pits were circular or oval in shape and were dug into the ground. The pits were wide at the ground and narrow near the opening. The pits were plastered with soil. The sites also have evidence of early agriculture, pottery, stone tools, and animal bones.  The excavations at Burzahom reveal four phases of cultural significance between 3000 BC and 1000 BC.

Notes:
The Vakataka dynasty was founded by Vindhyashakti in the mid-3rd century CE. Established in 255 AD, the Vakatakas emerged as a significant power in the Deccan after the decline of the Satavahana dynasty. The dynasty is noted for its patronage of art, architecture, particularly the Ajanta Caves, and literature. Pravarsena I, one of its most renowned rulers, performed four Ashwamedha sacrifices. The Vakatakas also played a critical role in the political and cultural landscape of ancient southern India.

Notes:
Kalibangan and Banawali have the evidence of proto-Harappan and Harappan cultural phases.

Notes:
There are six Angas or explanatory limbs, to the Vedas: the Siksha and Vyakarana of Panini, the Chhandas of Pingalacharya, the Nirukta of Yaska, the Jyotisha of Garga, and the Kalpas (Srauta, Grihya, Dharma and Sulba) belonging to the authorship of various Rishis. Siksha is a knowledge of phonetics. Siksha deals with pronunciation and accent. The text of the Vedas is arranged in various forms or Pathas. The Pada-patha gives each word its separate form. The Krama-patha connects the word in pairs. Vyakarana is Sanskrit grammar. Panini’s books are most famous. Without knowledge of Vyakarana, you cannot understand the Vedas. Chhandas is metre dealing with prosody. Nirukta is philology or etymology. Jyotisha is astronomy and astrology. It deals with the movements of the heavenly bodies, planets, etc., and their influence in human affairs. Kalpa is the method of ritual. The Srauta Sutras which explain the ritual of sacrifices belong to Kalpa. The sulba Sutras, which treat of the measurements which are necessary for laying out the sacrificial areas, also belong to Kalpa. The Grihya Sutras which concern domestic life, and the Dharma Sutras which deal with ethics, customs and laws, also belong to Kalpa

Notes:
The Gandhara school of art came into existence in Mahayana sect. Mahayana sect believes in idols worship of Buddha and Bodhisattvas. The Gandhara School of art had also developed in first century AD along with Mathura School during reign of Kushana emperor Kanishka

Notes:
Initially, the capital was Rajagriha. Later, it was shifted to Pataliputra, near the present-day Patna in India. The founder of this dynasty was Bimbisara himself. According to the Buddhist text, the Mahavamsa, Bimbisara was anointed king by his father at the age of fifteen.

Notes:
Raksas was the prime minister of the Nandas, whom Chandragupta defeated with the help of Chanakya. Chandragupta ruled from 322-298 BC. He was succeded by his son Bindusara.