Indian History Questions and Answers

Answer: A

The Matsyas are referred to in the Rig Veda.

The Matsya tribe, whose territory around Bairath (Viratnagar) near Jaipur later formed the Matsya mahajanapada, is mentioned in the Rig Veda among the peoples involved in the Battle of the Ten Kings against Sudas. That is the earliest textual reference to them; they appear later in the Brahmanas, the Mahabharata and the Buddhist lists of the sixteen mahajanapadas.

The Sama, Yajur and Atharva Vedas are not where this early reference to the Matsyas is found, so they are not the answer.

Answer: C

Bappa Rawal was a ruler of the Guhila dynasty.

Bappa Rawal, who ruled in the eighth century, is regarded as the founder of the power of the Guhilas (Guhilots) of Mewar, from whom the later Sisodia ranas, including Rana Kumbha, Rana Sanga and Maharana Pratap, descended. Tradition credits him with taking Chittor and resisting Arab invasions.

The Chauhans ruled Ajmer and Sambhar, the Rathores Marwar and Bikaner, and the Bhatis Jaisalmer.

Answer: B

The Mughal forces at Haldighati were led by Man Singh I.

In the Battle of Haldighati in June 1576, Akbar's army was commanded by Raja Man Singh of Amber, with Asaf Khan, against Maharana Pratap of Mewar. The battle was indecisive in the long run, as Pratap escaped and continued his resistance.

Rana Sanga was Pratap's grandfather, who fought Babur at Khanwa in 1527. Rao Jaimal and Patta were the defenders of Chittor during Akbar's siege of 1567-68, fighting against the Mughals, not leading them.

Answer: B

The founder was Manikya Lal Verma.

Manikya Lal Verma founded the Mewar Praja Mandal at Udaipur in 1938 to campaign for responsible government in the princely state of Mewar. He later became the first Prime Minister of the United State of Rajasthan in 1948.

The others were revolutionaries outside Rajasthan's praja mandal movement: Vasudev Balwant Phadke led an armed revolt in Maharashtra in 1879, the Chapekar brothers assassinated W.C. Rand in Pune in 1897, and Madan Lal Dhingra shot Curzon Wyllie in London in 1909.

Answer: D

The state that did not join at this stage was Alwar.

Greater Rajasthan was formed on 30 March 1949, when the large states of Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner and Jaisalmer joined the United State of Rajasthan. That date is now celebrated as Rajasthan Day.

Alwar was part of the Matsya Union with Bharatpur, Dholpur and Karauli, formed in March 1948, and it merged into Rajasthan at the next stage, on 15 May 1949.

Answer: A

The answer is Anjana Devi Chaudhary.

Anjana Devi Chaudhary, wife of the Congress leader Ram Narayan Chaudhary, worked among the peasants and women of the Bijolia and Begun movements in Mewar and is recorded in Rajasthan's histories of the freedom movement as the first woman of the state to be arrested.

Kalibai was the young Bhil girl killed at Rastapal in Dungarpur in 1947 while defending her teacher, and Kishori Devi and Janki Devi Bajaj are remembered for other roles. None of them is the first woman arrested in the standard account.

Answer: A

The Hero of Haifa is Major Dalpat Singh.

Major Dalpat Singh Shekhawat of the Jodhpur Lancers led the cavalry charge that captured the port of Haifa from Ottoman and German forces on 23 September 1918, one of the last great cavalry actions in history. He was killed in the charge and awarded the Military Cross; the day is marked as Haifa Day.

Major Shaitan Singh won the Param Vir Chakra at Rezang La in 1962, and Brigadier Sawai Bhawani Singh of Jaipur the Maha Vir Chakra in the 1971 war. Neither fought at Haifa.

Answer: A

The one not in the Braj region is Bundi.

The Braj (Brij) cultural region of Rajasthan lies in the east, around Bharatpur, Dholpur and Karauli and adjoining parts of Sawai Madhopur, next to Mathura and Agra across the border. Braj Bhasha is spoken there.

Bundi belongs to the Hadoti region, with Kota, Baran and Jhalawar, whose dialect is Hadoti. So of the four, only Bundi falls outside Braj.

Answer: B

The founder was Dhumraj.

The inscriptions of the Paramaras of Abu (Arbuda), whose capital was Chandravati, name Dhumraj as the founder of the line. The dynasty's continuous genealogy is usually taken to begin later with Utpalraj, which makes him the common distractor.

Mulraj founded the Chaulukya (Solanki) dynasty of Gujarat, and Ajayraj was a Chauhan ruler of Shakambhari who founded Ajmer. Neither founded the Paramara line of Abu.

Answer: B

The inscription was found at Bairath.

The Bhabru (Calcutta-Bairath) rock edict was found near Bairath, the ancient Viratnagar, in Jaipur district. In it Ashoka declares his faith in the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha and names Buddhist texts for monks and lay followers to study, which is why it is taken as the clearest evidence that he was a Buddhist. It is now in the Asiatic Society in Kolkata.

The other places are known for other finds: Balathal near Udaipur is a chalcolithic settlement, Baror in Sriganganagar is a Harappan site, and Tilwara in Barmer is a Mesolithic site better known for its cattle fair. None of them is the find-spot of the Bhabru edict.