Ancient Indian Empires Questions and Answers

Q: Which city served as the capital of the ancient kingdom of Magadha during the early Vedic period?

The capital was Rajagriha.Rajagriha (Rajgir), ringed by five hills, was the first capital of Magadha, under the Brihadratha and then the Haryanka kings such as Bimbisara. The capital later moved to Pataliputra, founded by Udayin on the Ganga.Strictly, Magadha rose to power in the later Vedic and Mahajanapada period rather than the early Vedic, but its earliest capital was Rajagriha. Champa was the capital of Anga, Vaishali of the Vajji confederacy, and Pataliputra a later capital of Magadha.

Q: According to Chinese source, Meghavarman, the ruler of Sri Lanka, sent a missionary to which of the following Gupta Kings for permission to build a Buddhist temple at Gaya?

The king was Samudragupta.According to a Chinese source, the Sri Lankan king Meghavarman (Meghavarna) sent an embassy with gifts to Samudragupta seeking permission to build a monastery at Bodh Gaya for pilgrims from Sri Lanka. Samudragupta granted it, and a large monastery was built there.Chandragupta I was Samudragupta's father and Chandragupta II his son; the embassy is dated to Samudragupta's reign.

Q: Which of the following statements are true about Buddha's teachings ?A. Our sufferings and unhappiness are a result of our past births.B. Our sufferings and unhappiness are a result of our cravings and desires.C. All believers had to accept and follow the teachings of Buddha for a happy life.Choose the correct option :

The true statements are A and B.The Buddha taught that life is full of suffering and unhappiness, caused by our cravings and desires (B). He also believed that the results of our actions (karma), good or bad, affect us both in this life and in the next, so suffering is linked to actions in past births (A).Statement C is false. The Buddha encouraged people to think for themselves and test his teachings against their own experience, rather than simply accept and follow them. He taught in the language of ordinary people so that everyone could understand. Options including C are therefore wrong.

Q: Which one of the following is not true for Mahajanapadas regarding the collection of regular taxes ?

The statement that is not true is Usually tax on crops was fixed at ½ (half) of what was produced.In the mahajanapadas, the tax on crops was usually fixed at one-sixth of what was produced. This was known as bhaga, or a share. Half the produce would have been far heavier than the usual rate.The other statements are true. Craftspersons paid taxes in the form of labour, herders paid in animals and animal produce, there were taxes on goods bought and sold through trade, and hunters and gatherers also had to provide forest produce to the raja.

Q: The colours used in the Ajanta Caves Paintings have been derived from which of the following materials?

The colours were derived from plants and minerals.The painters of the Ajanta caves (from about the second century BCE to the sixth century CE) used natural pigments, such as earth ochres for reds and yellows and lampblack for black, ground from minerals or prepared from plant material and mixed with binders. NCERT's Class VI history text describes the Ajanta colours as made from plants and minerals.Animal organs, graphite and slate are not the sources described for the Ajanta paintings.

Q: The first ruler of Magadha Mahajanapadas in the sixth century BC was-

The keyed ruler is Bimbisara.Bimbisara of the Haryanka dynasty is regarded as the first important ruler of Magadha in the sixth century BC. He strengthened the kingdom through marriage alliances and the conquest of Anga, with Rajagriha as his capital, and was a contemporary of the Buddha.Ajatashatru was his son and successor, who extended Magadha's power further. Prasenjit was the king of Kosala, a rival mahajanapada, and Mahavira was the twenty-fourth Jain tirthankara, not a king.

Q: Which one of the following is not among the three jewels of Buddhism?

Ahimsa is not one of the three jewels of Buddhism.The three jewels (triratna) are the Buddha (the teacher), the Dhamma (his teaching) and the Sangha (the community of monks and nuns). Buddhists take refuge in these three.Ahimsa, non-violence, is an important Buddhist value, but it is not one of the three jewels. The phrase three jewels is also used in Jainism, where it means right faith, right knowledge and right conduct.

Q: Under the Mahayana Buddhism

Under Mahayana Buddhism, statues of Buddha were made.Earlier, the Buddha's presence was shown in sculpture only through signs, such as the bodhi tree, his footprints or an empty seat. NCERT's Class 6 history explains that under Mahayana Buddhism this changed: images of the Buddha were made, many of them in Mathura and Taxila. Belief in Bodhisattvas, enlightened beings who stayed in the world to help others, also became important.So the use of signs describes the earlier practice, Bodhisattvas were central to Mahayana rather than rejected, and Mathura and Taxila grew as centres of sculpture instead of declining.

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Aśoka (c. 273-236 B.C.), the grandson of Chandragupta, styled 'the beloved of the gods' and 'of lovable appearance', succeeded to the throne of Pāṭaliputra by winning a fratricidal war. Nine years after his accession he rounded off the empire which he inherited from his grandfather by annexing Kaliṅga. The Kaliṅga war brought to the emperor a violent reaction, no doubt under the influence of Buddha's teachings. He regretted the vast numbers of men killed or taken prisoner; he bemoaned the lot of pious men and women to whom befell 'personal violence, death or banishment from loved ones'; and he eschewed for ever war as an instrument of governance. 'If any one does him wrong, the "beloved of the god" must bear all that can be borne. He embarked on a career of Dharma Vijaya, conquest through Dharma. He set up a network of missions to preach Dharma; declared that all men were his children; 'and what little effort I make, - what is it for ? - (in order) that I may be free from debt to the creatures, that I may render some happy here and that they may gain heaven in the next world', said he. The Emperor constituted himself as the guardian of the moral and material welfare of the world.

Which one of the following did not form part of the Asokan empire ?

A.Tamilakam
B.Saurashtra
C.Kandahar
D.Kashmir

Exam Year(s)

UGC NET - 2013,

Answer: A

Tamilakam, the Tamil country in the far south, did not form part of the Asokan empire. Asoka's Rock Edicts II and XIII name the Cholas, Pandyas, Satiyaputras and Keralaputras as neighbouring states beyond his borders.

Saurashtra (Girnar), Kandahar (where edicts were found) and Kashmir were part of the empire, so they are wrong for a question that asks for the area outside it. The distinction between the empire and the independent states on its southern borders is clear from the edicts and also from the find-spots of the inscriptions.

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Which city served as the capital of the ancient kingdom of Magadha during the early Vedic period?

A.Rajagriha
B.Campa
C.Vaishali
D.Pataliputra

Exam Year(s)

BPSC Exam - 2023, BPSC CDPO - 2023,

Answer: A

The capital was Rajagriha.

Rajagriha (Rajgir), ringed by five hills, was the first capital of Magadha, under the Brihadratha and then the Haryanka kings such as Bimbisara. The capital later moved to Pataliputra, founded by Udayin on the Ganga.

Strictly, Magadha rose to power in the later Vedic and Mahajanapada period rather than the early Vedic, but its earliest capital was Rajagriha. Champa was the capital of Anga, Vaishali of the Vajji confederacy, and Pataliputra a later capital of Magadha.

Discuss in Forum

According to Chinese source, Meghavarman, the ruler of Sri Lanka, sent a missionary to which of the following Gupta Kings for permission to build a Buddhist temple at Gaya?

A.Chandragupta I
B.Samudragupta
C.Chandragupta II
D.None of them

Exam Year(s)

BPSC Exam - 2023, BPSC CDPO - 2023,

Answer: B

The king was Samudragupta.

According to a Chinese source, the Sri Lankan king Meghavarman (Meghavarna) sent an embassy with gifts to Samudragupta seeking permission to build a monastery at Bodh Gaya for pilgrims from Sri Lanka. Samudragupta granted it, and a large monastery was built there.

Chandragupta I was Samudragupta's father and Chandragupta II his son; the embassy is dated to Samudragupta's reign.

Discuss in Forum

Which of the following statements are true about Buddha's teachings ?

A. Our sufferings and unhappiness are a result of our past births.
B. Our sufferings and unhappiness are a result of our cravings and desires.
C. All believers had to accept and follow the teachings of Buddha for a happy life.

Choose the correct option :

A.B and C
B.A and C
C.A, B and C
D.A and B

Exam Year(s)

CTET - 2023,

Answer: D

The true statements are A and B.

The Buddha taught that life is full of suffering and unhappiness, caused by our cravings and desires (B). He also believed that the results of our actions (karma), good or bad, affect us both in this life and in the next, so suffering is linked to actions in past births (A).

Statement C is false. The Buddha encouraged people to think for themselves and test his teachings against their own experience, rather than simply accept and follow them. He taught in the language of ordinary people so that everyone could understand. Options including C are therefore wrong.

Discuss in Forum

Which one of the following is not true for Mahajanapadas regarding the collection of regular taxes ?

A.Hunters and gatherers also had to provide forest produce to the Raja.
B.There were taxes on goods that were bought and sold, through trade.
C.Usually tax on crops was fixed at ½ (half) of what was produced.
D.Herders were expected to pay taxes in the form of animals and animal produce.

Exam Year(s)

CTET - 2023,

Answer: C

The statement that is not true is Usually tax on crops was fixed at ½ (half) of what was produced.

In the mahajanapadas, the tax on crops was usually fixed at one-sixth of what was produced. This was known as bhaga, or a share. Half the produce would have been far heavier than the usual rate.

The other statements are true. Craftspersons paid taxes in the form of labour, herders paid in animals and animal produce, there were taxes on goods bought and sold through trade, and hunters and gatherers also had to provide forest produce to the raja.

Discuss in Forum

The colours used in the Ajanta Caves Paintings have been derived from which of the following materials?

A.Remains of animal organs
B.Graphite
C.Plants and minerals
D.Slate

Exam Year(s)

CTET - 2018,

Answer: C

The colours were derived from plants and minerals.

The painters of the Ajanta caves (from about the second century BCE to the sixth century CE) used natural pigments, such as earth ochres for reds and yellows and lampblack for black, ground from minerals or prepared from plant material and mixed with binders. NCERT's Class VI history text describes the Ajanta colours as made from plants and minerals.

Animal organs, graphite and slate are not the sources described for the Ajanta paintings.

Discuss in Forum

The first ruler of Magadha Mahajanapadas in the sixth century BC was-

A.Mahavira
B.Prasenjit
C.Bimbisara
D.Ajatashatru

Exam Year(s)

CTET - 2018,

Answer: C

The keyed ruler is Bimbisara.

Bimbisara of the Haryanka dynasty is regarded as the first important ruler of Magadha in the sixth century BC. He strengthened the kingdom through marriage alliances and the conquest of Anga, with Rajagriha as his capital, and was a contemporary of the Buddha.

Ajatashatru was his son and successor, who extended Magadha's power further. Prasenjit was the king of Kosala, a rival mahajanapada, and Mahavira was the twenty-fourth Jain tirthankara, not a king.

Discuss in Forum

Which one of the following is not among the three jewels of Buddhism?

A.Buddha
B.Dhamma
C.Ahimsa
D.Sangha

Exam Year(s)

CTET - 2018,

Answer: C

Ahimsa is not one of the three jewels of Buddhism.

The three jewels (triratna) are the Buddha (the teacher), the Dhamma (his teaching) and the Sangha (the community of monks and nuns). Buddhists take refuge in these three.

Ahimsa, non-violence, is an important Buddhist value, but it is not one of the three jewels. The phrase three jewels is also used in Jainism, where it means right faith, right knowledge and right conduct.

Discuss in Forum

Under the Mahayana Buddhism

A.Buddha’s presence was shown in sculpture by using certain signs.
B.Statues of Buddha were made.
C.Bodhisattvas were not accepted as they were yet to attain enlightenment.
D.Mathura and Taxila declined as centres of sculpture.

Exam Year(s)

CTET - 2019,

Answer: B

Under Mahayana Buddhism, statues of Buddha were made.

Earlier, the Buddha's presence was shown in sculpture only through signs, such as the bodhi tree, his footprints or an empty seat. NCERT's Class 6 history explains that under Mahayana Buddhism this changed: images of the Buddha were made, many of them in Mathura and Taxila. Belief in Bodhisattvas, enlightened beings who stayed in the world to help others, also became important.

So the use of signs describes the earlier practice, Bodhisattvas were central to Mahayana rather than rejected, and Mathura and Taxila grew as centres of sculpture instead of declining.

Discuss in Forum

10.

Which of the following was Samudragupta's policy specifically towards the rulers of Dakshinapatha ?

A.Their kingdoms were uprooted and made a part of Samudragupta's empire.
B.They submitted to Samudragupta and offered daughters in marriage.
C.They brought tribute, followed his orders and attended his court.
D.They surrendered after being defeated and then were allowed to rule again.

Exam Year(s)

CTET - 2019,

Answer: D

Samudragupta's policy towards the rulers of Dakshinapatha was that they surrendered after being defeated and then were allowed to rule again.

The Allahabad pillar inscription (the prashasti composed by Harishena) describes four kinds of treatment. Twelve rulers of Dakshinapatha, the south, surrendered to him after being defeated, and he then allowed them to rule again.

The rulers of Aryavarta, in the north, had their kingdoms uprooted and joined to his empire. The rulers of the frontier states and the forest people brought tribute, followed his orders and attended his court, and the more distant rulers submitted and offered daughters in marriage.

Ancient Indian Empires Questions and Answers

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