Ancient Indian History MCQs

Notes:
The rulers of Sarvanana dynasty were the first to make land grant to Brahmins.

Notes:
The second Buddhist Council took place at Vaishali in 383 BC. It was presided by Sabakami under Kalasoka of Shisunga dynatsy to settle down dispute between two opposing groups of monks of Vaishali and Patliputra and monks of Kausambi and Avanti regarding the code of discipline.

Notes:
Jagadal is situated in Bengal and was founded by Ramapala, the Pala ruler.

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Rahul was the name of only son of Gautama Buddha.

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Dashkumarcharitam was composed by Dandin, who was a Sanskrit author of prose romances and expounder on poetics in the 6th-7th century. The book, Dashkumarcharitam is a prose romance in Sanskrit that describes the adventures of ten young men, the Kumaras, all of whom are either princes or sons of royal ministers, as narrated by the men themselves.

Notes:
Aihole inscription mentions the name of the poet Kalidasa. The inscription was written in 634 by Ravikirti, the court poet and minister of the Chalukya king Pulakesin II. The inscription is located in Aihole, Karnataka.
The Aihole inscription also provides information about the early history of the Chalukyas of Badami until 634 AD. It also provides a terminus ante quem of 634 CE for both Kalidasa and Bharavi.

Notes:
The Sakas introduced Satrap system of government along with Parthians that was similar to that of the Achaemenid and Seleucid systems in Iran. Under this system, the kingdom was divided into provinces each under military governor Mahakshatrapa (great satrap). The governors of lower status were called kshatrapas (satraps). These governors had the power to issue their own inscriptions and mint their own coins.

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Samudragupta believed in the policy of war and conquest and because of his bravery and generalship he is known as the “Napoleon of India” by historian Vincent. A. Smith.

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Kalidasa was one of the gems of the court of Gupta king Chandragupta II (375–415 CE). The poems he wrote were usually of epic proportions and were written in classical Sanskrit. He wrote two epic poems called Kumara sambhava, which means birth of Kumara and the Raghuvamsha, which means dynasty of Raghu. There are also two lyric poems written by Kalidasa known as Meghadutta that stands for cloud messenger and the Ritusamhara that means description of the seasons. Meghadutta is one of the finest works of Kalidasa in terms of world literature. The beauty of the continuity in flawless Sanskrit is unmatched till date. The most famous and beautiful work of Kalidasa is the Shakuntalam. It is the second play of Kalidasa after he wrote Malavikagnimitra. The Shakuntalam tells the story of king Dushyant who falls in love with a beautiful girl Shakuntala, who happens to be the daughter of a saint.

Notes:
The Kushana Dynasty, established by Kujula Kadphises in the 1st century AD, has been primarily identified through numismatic (coin) evidence. Historians and archaeologists deciphered the inscriptions and images on coins, enabling the understanding of their reign, relationship with other regions, and the extent of their empire. The numismatic study also helped to discern the religious influences and the transition of power within the dynasty.