Ancient History Art And Culture — Part 1 MCQs with Explanations

The Painted Grey Ware culture (PGW) is an Iron Age Indian culture of the western Gangetic plain and the Ghaggar-Hakra valley on the Indian subcontinent, lasting from roughly 1200 BCE to 600 BCE.

In order to propagate the Dhamma and the teachings of the Buddha, he sent nine missionaries. Each missionary was consisting of five theories in order that the Upasampada, the Ordination Ceremony, could be performed. These missionaries may have travelled along trades that spanned from the Far East to the West.

The Maurya Empire was a geographically-extensive Iron Age historical power based in Magadha and founded by Chandragupta Maurya which dominated ancient India between 321 and 187 BCE.

Yashovarman was king of Kannauj in the early part of the eighth century. Vakpati wrote Gaudavaho, based on the exploits of Yasovarman of Kanauj.

Vasudeva Kanva was the founder of the Kanva dynasty. Vasudeva Kanva was a Brahmin king. He was originally an Amatya (minister) of last Shunga ruler Devabhuti.

Vikramashila was founded by Pāla king Dharmapala in the late 8th or early 9th century. It prospered for about four centuries before it was destroyed by Bakhtiyar Khilji along with the other major centres of Buddhism in India around 1193.

The Bagh Caves are a group of nine rock-cut monuments, situated among the southern slopes of the Vindhyas in Bagh town of Dhar district in Madhya Pradesh state in central India. These rock cut caves posses the most amazing paintings known to be made by ancient man. These are renowned for mural paintings by master painters of ancient India.

Nagananda is among the most acclaimed Sanskrit dramas. Through five acts, it tells the popular story of Jimutavahana's self-sacrifice to save the Nagas. The unique characteristic of this drama is the invocation to lord Buddha in the Nandi verse, which is considered as one of the best examples of the dramatic compositions. Harshavardhana was the great scholar of Sanskrit and he had written this play.

Astrology is a field that involves the study of celestial objects and their positions to predict and understand human affairs and natural phenomena. Several ancient Indian texts and books are based on astrology and provide insights into this field. Among the options provided: Option A: Romak Siddhanta The Romak Siddhanta is an ancient treatise on astronomy, not specifically focused on astrology. It deals with astronomical calculations and theories. Option B: Aryabhattiya The Aryabhatiya, written by the Indian mathematician and astronomer Aryabhata, is a significant work in Indian astronomy. While it contains astronomical concepts, it is not primarily an astrology book. Option C: Hora Shastra The Hora Shastra, also known as Jyotisha Shastra, is a book dedicated to astrology. It deals with the study of horoscopes, planetary positions, and their influence on human lives and events. Option D: Brahma Siddhanta The Brahma Siddhanta is an ancient text that includes astronomical and mathematical concepts. While it contains astronomical calculations, it is not specifically focused on astrology. Therefore, the correct answer is Option C: Hora Shastra , as it is a book based on astrology.

The correct answer is Option C: Atharvaveda Here's why: Rigveda : This Veda is the oldest and primarily contains hymns and prayers praising various deities. It's more about spiritual knowledge and praise. Samveda : This Veda is essentially a collection of melodies and chants derived from the Rigveda. It focuses on the musical aspect of rituals. Atharvaveda : This Veda is unique because it contains spells, charms, incantations, and practical knowledge for everyday life. Think of it as the Veda dealing with magic, healing, and protection. So, it directly addresses the question about magical hymns and spells. Yajurveda : This Veda deals with the procedures and formulas for performing sacrifices and rituals. It's more about the practical execution of religious ceremonies. Therefore, Atharvaveda is the Veda that specifically contains magical hymns and charms.

Harihara I (1336–1356 CE), also called Hakka and Vira Harihara I, was the founder of the Vijayanagara empire. He was Bhavana Sangama's eldest son and was founder of the Sangama dynasty, the first among the four dynasties that ruled Vijayanagara.

This was the third dynasty to rule Vijayanagar Empire. The most famous ruler of the Vijayanagar kingdom, Krishna Deva Raya belonged to this dynasty. Tuluva Narasa Nayaka (1491-1503 AD). He was the commander of the Vijayanagar army under the rule of Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya and became the de-factor ruler of the kingdom after the death of Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya.

The Kathopanishad is considered as a major Upanishad (out of a total of 108), and its importance can be gauged by the fact that many of its verses are found in the Bhagavad Gita, which was composed later, around 1500 BC.

South India has a literary tradition reaching back over two thousand years. The first known literature of South India are the poetic Sangams, which were written in Tamil around two to one and a half thousand years ago. In South Indian literature and philosophy, women are considered very powerful.

The Ashoka Chakra is a depiction of the Buddhist Dharmachakra, represented with 24 spokes. It is so called because it appears on a number of edicts of Ashoka, most prominent among which is the Lion Capital of Sarnath which has been adopted as the National Emblem of the Republic of India.

Anga and other Mahajanapadas in the Post Vedic period - Anga was an ancient Indian kingdom that flourished on the eastern Indian subcontinent and one of the sixteen mahajanapadas ("large state"). It lay to the east of its neighbour and rival, Magadha, and was separated from it by the river Champa.

The use of the name "Andhra" in the Puranas has led some scholars to believe that the dynasty originated in the eastern Deccan region (the historic Andhra region, present-day Andhra Pradesh and Telangana).

Ajanta paintings now in Maharashtra lies in the Western Ghats which marks the boundary of the Deccan land separating it from that of Khandesh along the valley of the river Tapti. An outstanding feature of Ajanta art is that it combines architecture, sculpture and painting in its variety of expression.

In 326 B.C. the Greek army approached the frontier city of Taxila (which was situated only within ten miles of modern Rawalpindi). It was unfortunate that the king of Taxila, Ambhi, to whom the Greeks called Omphis, did not resist the invaders, but instead opened the gates of his capital to the foreigners.

The Allahabad pillar is an Ashoka Stambha, one of the pillars of Ashoka, an emperor of the Maurya dynasty who reigned in the 3rd century BCE. While it is one of the few extant pillars that carry his edicts, it is particularly notable for containing later inscriptions attributed to the Gupta emperor, Samudragupta (4th century CE).

Harisena, also Harishena or Hirisena, was a 4th-century Sanskrit poet, panegyrist, and government minister. He was an important figure in the court of the Gupta emperor, Samudragupta. His most famous poem, written c. 345 CE, describes the bravery of Samudragupta and is inscribed on the Allahabad Pillar.

The struggle was between the Chalukyas, Pallavas and Pandyas. The 3 kingdoms struggled for the power in South India. They were rulers of the Tamil country.

River Sutlej was once known as Shutudri. It is the longest river among famous five rivers of Punjab.

Megasthenes was an ancient Greek historian, diplomat and Indian ethnographer and explorer in the Hellenistic period. He described India in his book Indika. Megasthenes knew about the Pandyan dynasty around 300 BCE. He described it in his book Indika, as occupying the portion of India, which is southward and extends to the sea. He had stated that it had 365 villages, each of which was expected to meet the needs of the royal household for one day in a year. He described the queen of Pandyan Kingdom at that time, as Pandaia, as a daughter of Heracles.

The Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang visited India during the period of emperor Harsha. Harsha called a religious assembly at Kannauj to honour him. Hiuen Tsang presided over that assembly. He also participated in one of the religious assemblies called by Harsha at Prayag after that. He left India in 644 A.D.

The Thalavaipuram copper plate, belonging to the period between 1018 and 1054 brought out by the Pandya kings, describes giant waves, most possibly a tsunami. And there is more hyperbole: the valiant Pandya kings “stopped” the tsunami. An earlier copper plate, the Seevaramangalam plate of 784 AD, also talks about a tsunami.

The Rigveda is the oldest and the most highly valued work of the Hindus. This Samhita (Collection) is unique in its nature. In fact, it is not a book, but a compilation composed of several books which can be individually distinguished from each other. The present from of this Samhita clearly indicates that the collection is not a single work, but consists of older and later elements.

The ruler of Tuluva dynasty, Sri Krishnadevaraya founded the town Nagalapur (near Vijayanagar) in the memory of his mother Nagala Devi and built tanks, temples, gopurams, etc. in various parts of the empire. He was known as Andhara Bhoja or Abhinav Bhoja.

The Kailasa temple (Cave 16) is one of the 34 cave temples and monasteries known collectively as the Ellora Caves. Its construction is generally attributed to the eighth century Rashtrakuta king Krishna I ( r . c. 756 – 773)

The first two Kushana kings, Kujula and Vima issued gold coins. The coins were die-struck and produced in large numbers to facilitate growing trade and commerce. Largest number of copper coins was issued by the Kushanas. It was also a period of great wealth marked by extensive mercantile activities.

Thiruvalluvar, also known as Valluvar, was a celebrated Tamil poet and philosopher. He is best known for authoring Thirukkuṛaḷ, a collection of couplets on ethics, political and economical matters, and love. The text is considered as one of the finest works of the Tamil literature.

Thiruvalluvar, also known as Valluvar, was a celebrated Tamil poet and philosopher. He is best known for authoring Thirukkuṛaḷ, a collection of couplets on ethics, political and economical matters, and love. The text is considered as one of the finest works of the Tamil literature.

Samudragupta was a ruler of the Gupta Empire of present-day India. As a son of the Gupta emperor Chandragupta I and the Licchavi princess Kumaradevi, he greatly expanded his dynasty's political power. Samudragupta is represented on his coins playing the lute (Vina).

Sage Kapila is traditionally credited as a founder of the Samkhya school. However, it is unclear in which century of 1st millennium BCE Kapila lived. Kapila appears in Rigveda, but context suggests that the word means "reddish-brown color".

This first three Vedas are jointly called Vedatrayi i.e. trio of Vedas. The Atharva Veda is the "knowledge storehouse of atharvāṇas, the procedures for everyday life". The text is the fourth Veda, but has been a late addition to the Vedic scriptures of Hinduism.

Mihira Bhoja or Bhoja I was a ruler of the Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty of India. He succeeded his father Ramabhadra. Bhoja was a devotee of Vishnu and adopted the title of Adivaraha which is inscribed on some of his coins.

The ancient city of Pataliputra was founded in the 5th century BCE by Ajatashatru, king of Magadha (South Bihar). His son Udaya (Udayin) made it the capital of Magadha, which it remained until the 1st century BCE.

River Indus and Hydaspes, river Hydaspes is now known as river Jhelum it is a tributary of river Indus.

He is also known for his cultural achievements and was a great friend and protector of the Buddha. Bimbisara built the city of Rajagriha, famous in Buddhist writings. He was succeeded on the throne by his son Ajatashatru, who murdered his father to obtain power.

I. Panini's Ashtadhyayi, a book on grammar in eight chapters, is the final culmination of this excellent art of writing in sutra (precepts) in which every chapter is precisely interwoven. II. The Brahmanas elaborate the Vedic caste system of society. Upon reevaluation: Statement I is indeed correct, as explained earlier. Panini's Ashtadhyayi is a significant work in grammar. Statement II, while not providing extensive elaboration, does contain references to social structure and rituals in the Vedic society, including aspects related to caste. Given this reevaluation, it is reasonable to conclude that both statements are correct. Therefore, the correct answer is: Option C: Both I & II