Ancient Indian History Quiz Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

Notes:
James Princep had deciphered an inscription in 1837 written in Brahmi, which referred a King called Devanampiya Piyadassi. However, immediately, it could not be confirmed that it was Asoka. It was later only when Buddhist Chronicles of Ceylon and other inscriptions confirmed the name of King Asoka.

Notes:
Alvar saints is a group of 12 south Indian mystics who, in the seventh to tenth centuries, wandered from temple to temple singing ecstatic hymns in adoration of Lord Vishnu. The songs of the Alvars rank among the world’s greatest devotional literature. Among the followers of Shiva, the counterparts of the Alvars are the Nayanars. In Tamil, Alvar means “one who is immersed in meditation of God”. Their bhakti (devotion) was of an intensely passionate kind; they compared the soul to a woman who yearns for her lord’s love. The Alvars are described as falling unconscious in rapture before the image of their lord. Saint Nammalvar, in speaking of the “madness” of religious exaltation, urged his fellow mystics to “run, jump, cry, laugh, and sing, and let every man witness it”. The hymns of the Alvars were gathered in the tenth century by Nathamuni, a leader of the Shrivaishnava sect, who introduced the regular singing of the hymns in Vaishnava temples of south India. The collection is called Nalayira Prabandham (collection of 4,000 songs).Andal was a 10th century Tamil poet who is revered as a saint in the southern parts of India, the only woman Alvar (saint).

Notes:
Mimānsā is a Sanskrit word that means “reflection” or “critical investigation” and thus refers to a tradition of contemplation which reflected on the meanings of certain Vedic texts. It is anti-ascetic and anti-mysticist.

Notes:
The most commonly used script in the inscriptions of the emperor Ashoka (r. 269–232 B.C.E.), the greatest figure in the Maurya dynasty. Ashoka’s empire encompassed all of the subcontinent except the deepest parts of southern India and went west into modern Afghanistan. Brahmi script was used in all regions of the Mauryan empire except in the northwest, where the Kharoshthi script was used. Ashoka’s rock edicts and pillar edicts are the earliest significant Indian written documents and give invaluable information about contemporary social, political, and religious life. Brahmi is the ancestor of the modern Indian scripts, including Devanagari. It is also the ultimate source for all indigenous southeast Asian alphabets, which developed from trade with southern India in the early medieval period. Over the course of time, Brahmi was replaced by later scripts, was forgotten, and became unreadable. Although Ashoka’s inscriptions ensured that Europeans were aware of Brahmi, their content was a mystery until 1837, when James Prinsep deciphered the Brahmi alphabet by working backward from later, known scripts.

Notes:
Kathopnishad was translated by Max Müller in 1879. It was rendered in verse by Edwin Arnold as “The Secret of Death”. The central story is immortality and covers the story of encounter of Nachiketa, son of sage Vajasravasa, with Yama, God of death.

Notes:
The first statement is correct because the many of the republics and oligarchies that were prevalent in the pre-Mauryan India had collapsed with the rise of Mauryas. The second statement is not correct. Though Kautilya supported monarchy but he never stood for royal absolutism. He writes that the King should take advice of his ministry (Mantriparishada) in running the administration.

Notes:
Surkotada is an archaeological site located in Kutch district of Gujarat. Surkotada site is the only Indus Valley site that contains horse remains dated to ca. 2000 BCE. Mehrgarh site is located near the Bolan Pass in Pakistan. This site shows the sequence from earliest settlement and the start of agriculture, to the mature Harappan Civilisation. Malwan is a small town in Sindhudurg District of Maharashtra. It is the Southernmost Harappan site in India.

Notes:
Sculptures found at Daimabad were: Copper Rhinoceros, Copper Elephant & Copper Chariot.

Notes:
All of the above given pairs are correct. 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.

Notes:
All given statements are correct. Jain philosophy rejected the existence of created god. They denied the authority of vedas. They accepted the doctrine of Karma and rebirth. They separate body from the soul.