UPSC Prelims: Ancient Indian History

India maintained its early cultural contacts and trade links with Southeast Asia across the Bay of Bengal. For this pre-eminence of early maritime history of Bay of Bengal, which of the following could be the most convincing explanation/explanations?

Regarding the Indus Valley Civilization, consider the following statements: 1. It was predominantly a secular civilization and the religious element, though present, did not dominate the scene. 2. During this period, cotton was used for manufacturing textiles in India. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

The "dharma" and "rita" depict a central idea of ancient Vedic civilization of India. In this context, consider the following statements: 1. Dharma was a conception of obligations and of the discharge of one's duties to oneself and to others. 2. Rita was the fundamental moral law governing the functioning of the universe and all it contained. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

With reference to the scientific progress of ancient India, which of the statements given below are correct?

The religion of early Vedic Aryans was primarily of

With reference to the guilds (Shreni) of ancient India that played a very important role in the country's economy, which of the following statements is/are correct?

The Chinese traveller Yuan Chwang (Hiuen Tsang) who visited India recorded the general conditions and culture of India at that time. In this context, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. The roads and river-routes were completely immune from robbery. 2. As regards punishment for offences, ordeals by fire, water and poison were the instruments for determining the innocence or guilt of a person. 3. The tradesmen had to pay duties at ferries and barrier stations. Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

Which of the following characterizes/characterize the people of Indus Civilization? 1. They possessed great palaces and temples. 2. They worshipped both male and female deities. 3. They employed horse-drawn chariots in warfare. Select the correct statement/statements using the codes given below.

Which of the following Kingdoms were associated with the life of the Buddha? 1. Avanti 2. Gandhara 3. Kosala 4. Magadha

Consider the following pairs: 1. Champaka : Central India 2. Durgara : Jammu 3. Kuluta : Malabar. Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?

Which of the following kingdoms were associated with the life of the Buddha? 1. Avanti 2. Gandhara 3. Kosala 4. Magadha

Who of the following had first deciphered the edicts of Emperor Ashoka?

With reference to the difference between the culture of Rigvedic Aryans and Indus Valley people, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. Rigvedic Aryans used the coat of mail and helmet in warfare whereas the people of Indus Valley Civilization did not leave any evidence of using them. 2. Rigvedic Aryans knew gold, silver and copper whereas Indus Valley people knew only copper and iron. 3. Rigvedic Aryans had domesticated the horse whereas there is no evidence of Indus Valley people having been aware of this animal. Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Which one of the following was a very important seaport in the Kakatiya kingdom?

Which one of the following is not a Harappan site?

In which of the following relief sculpture inscriptions is Ranyo Ashoka' (King Ashoka) mentioned along with the stone portrait of Ashoka?

With reference to forced labour (Vishti) in India during the Gupta period, which one of the following statements is correct?

Consider the following events in the history of India: 1. Rise of Pratiharas under King Bhoja 2. Establishment of Pallava power under Mahendravarman - I 3. Establishment of Chola power by Parantaka-I 4. Pala dynasty founded by Gopala. What is the correct chronological order of the above events, starting from the earliest time?

With reference to the history of India, the terms "kulyavapa" and "dronavapa" denote

Who among the following rulers advised his subjects through this inscription? "Whosoever praises his religious sect or blames other sects out of excessive devotion to his own sect, with the view of glorifying his own sect, he rather injures his own sect very severely."

With reference to the scholars/litterateurs of ancient India, consider the following statements: 1. Panini is associated with Pushyamitra Shunga. 2. Amarasimha is associated with Harshavardhana. 3. Kalidasa is associated with Chandra Gupta - II. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

With reference to the period of Gupta dynasty in ancient India, the towns Ghantasala, Kadura and Chaul were well known as

With reference to the history of India, consider the following pairs: 1. Bhilsa - Madhya Pradesh, 2. Dwarasamudra - Maharashtra, 3. Girinagar - Gujarat, 4. Sthanesvara - Uttar Pradesh. Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

Which one of the following ancient towns is well-known for its elaborate system of water harvesting and management by building a series of dams and channelizing water into connected reservoirs?

From the decline of Guptas until the rise of Harshavardhana in the early seventh century, which of the following kingdoms were holding power in Northern India? 1. The Guptas of Magadha 2. The Paramaras of Malwa 3. The Pushyabhutis of Thanesar 4. The Maukharis of Kanauj 5. The Yadavas of Devagiri 6. The Maitrakas of Valabhi

Consider the following pairs: 1. Burzahom : Rock-cut shrines 2. Chandraketugarh : Terracotta art 3. Ganeshwar : Copper artefacts. Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

With reference to the history of ancient India, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. Mitakshara was the civil law for upper castes and Dayabhaga was the civil law for lower castes. 2. In the Mitakshara system, the sons can claim right to the property during the lifetime of the father, whereas in the Dayabhaga system, it is only after the death of the father that the sons can claim right to the property. 3. The Mitakshara system deals with the matters related to the property held by male members only of a family, whereas the Dayabhaga system deals with the matters related to the property held by both male and female members of a family.

According to Kautilya's Arthashastra, which of the following are correct? 1. A person could be a slave as a result of a judicial punishment. 2. If a female slave bore her master a son, she was legally free. 3. If a son born to a female slave was fathered by her master, the son was entitled to the legal status of the master's son. Which of the statements given above are correct?

Consider the following pairs: Site of Ashoka's major rock edicts - Location in the State of 1. Dhauli - Odisha 2. Erragudi - Andhra Pradesh 3. Jaugada - Madhya Pradesh 4. Kalsi - Karnataka. How many pairs given above are correctly matched?

Which one of the following statements about Sangam literature in ancient South India is correct?

In which one of the following regions was Dhanyakataka, which flourished as a prominent Buddhist centre under the Mahasanghikas, located?

With reference to ancient South India, Korkai, Poompuhar and Muchiri were well known as

Which one of the following explains the practice of 'Vattakirutal' as mentioned in Sangam poems?

Consider the following information: Archaeological Site | State | Description 1. Chandraketugarh | Odisha | Trading Port town 2. Inamgaon | Maharashtra | Chalcolithic site 3. Mangadu | Kerala | Megalithic site 4. Salihundam | Andhra Pradesh | Rock-cut cave shrines In which of the above rows is the given information correctly matched?

Sanghabhuti, an Indian Buddhist monk, who travelled to China at the end of the fourth century AD, was the author of a commentary on:

Who among the following rulers in ancient India had assumed the titles 'Mattavilasa', 'Vichitrachitta' and 'Gunabhara'?

Fa-hien (Faxian), the Chinese pilgrim, travelled to India during the reign of

Who among the following led a successful military campaign against the kingdom of Srivijaya, the powerful maritime State, which ruled the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java and the neighbouring islands?

With reference to ancient India (600-322 BC), consider the following pairs: Territorial region : River flowing in the region I. Asmaka : Godavari II. Kamboja : Vipas III. Avanti : Mahanadi IV. Kosala : Sarayu. How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

Ashokan inscriptions suggest that the 'Pradeshika', 'Rajuka' and 'Yukta' were important officers at the

The famous female figurine known as 'Dancing Girl', found at Mohenjo-daro, is made of

Consider the following statements: I. Pali texts contain the first definite references to coins, e.g., kahapana, nikkha, kamsa, and kakanika. II. The literary evidence from Pali texts is corroborated by archaeological evidence of punch-marked coins from many sites, most of them made of silver. The above statements have been associated with which of the following? 1. Emergence of urban life 2. Transition to money economy. Select the answer using the code given below:

Consider the following statements about the archaeological findings in Harappan towns: I. There is wide occurrence of spindle-whorls in the houses but absence of spinning wheels. II. Weights and measurement scales, complete with graduations have been discovered. III. There are houses built in large part with baked bricks, around relatively spacious courtyards, with their own wells, bathing platforms, and large rooms. Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above statements? 1. Statement I suggests that spinning was a laborious activity done at home. 2. Statement II suggests the extent of the scientific knowledge that the Harappans possessed. 3. Statement III suggests the emergence of a common property system. Select the answer using the code given below:

Consider the following statements about the Rigvedic period: I. Irrigation from wells allowed agriculture to expand away from flood plains and strips on river margins into the present Punjab and Haryana plains having underground water levels reasonably close to the surface. II. Draught-animal power was employed to draw up water out of the wells. Which of the following information support/supports the above statements? 1. There is evidence in the Rigveda of the use of ashma chakra (stone pulley wheel) and ahava (strapped wooden pails) to draw up water. 2. Mention has been made in the Rigveda of the use of implements like parashu / kulisha (axe) and datra / sreni (sickle). 3. There is a history of the use of ox, even before the Rigveda, for ploughing the land and pulling the carts. Select the answer using the code given below:

Which of the following pairs of ancient and modern names of rivers is/are correctly matched? 1. Vitasta : Chenab 2. Asikni : Jhelum 3. Parushni : Ravi 4. Yavyavati : Beas Select the answer using the code given below :

Which of the following pairs of the king and his dynasty in early historical Tamilakam is/are not correctly matched? 1. Senguttuvan : Chera 2. Udiyanjeral : Chola 3. Nedunjeliyan : Pandya Select the answer using the code given below :

In which one among the following texts does the term kshetrā-patni ('mistress of the field') originate ?