Ancient Indian History MCQs
Multiple Choice Quiz Questions (MCQs) on Ancient Indian History for General Studies and GK preparation of SSC, NDA, CDS, UPSC, UPPSC and State PSC Examinations.
1. Which of the following later Satavahana rulers of the second century CE recovered parts of the western Deccan from the Shakas?
[A] Gautamiputra Satkarni
[B] Satkarni I
[C] Hala
[D] Yajna Sri Satakarni
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Yajna Sri Satakarni]
Notes:
Yajna Sri Satakarni was a later Satavahana ruler associated with the recovery of territory from the Shakas in parts of the western Deccan. His coins and inscriptions indicate a renewed Satavahana presence in western regions, including the Konkan. This distinguishes him from Gautamiputra Satakarni, who fought the Shakas earlier, and from Hala and Satakarni I, who are not associated with this later recovery.
2. Who were the first rulers in India to issue gold coins attributed to the Kings?
[A] Sungas
[B] Kanvas
[C] Indo Greeks
[D] Sakas
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [ Indo Greeks ]
Notes:
The Indo-Greeks were the first rulers in India to issue coins which can definitely be attributed to the kings. They were the first to issue gold coins in India.
3. Which Greek ambassador set up a pillar in honour of Vishnu?
[A] Megasthenes
[B] Heliodoros
[C] Theodorus
[D] Plato
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [ Heliodoros ]
Notes:
The Greek ambassador Heliodoros set up a pillar in honour of Vishnu (Vasudev) at Vidisha. He was sent to the court of Sunga King, Bhagbhadra by the Greek King of Taxila, Antialkidas.
4. During whose reign the Third Buddhist Council was organized?
[A] Ashoka
[B] Kalasoka
[C] Ajatsatru
[D] Kanishka
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [ Ashoka ]
Notes:
The Third Buddhist Council was held at Patliputra during the reign of Emperor Ashoka. It was held under the Presidentship of Moggliputra Tissa to revise scriptures.
5. Which among the following Mudra is the gesture of Buddha as depicted in his first sermon?
[A] Abhaya Mudra
[B] Dhyana Mudra
[C] Dharmachakra Mudra
[D] Bhumisparsa Mudra
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [ Dharmachakra Mudra ]
Notes:
The sermon Buddha gave to the five monks was his first sermon, called the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta. The Seated Buddha from Gandhara is an early statue of the Buddha made in Gandhara, in modern Pakistan, in the 2nd or 3rd century The pose, which was to become one of a number of standard ones, shows Buddha as a teacher setting the wheel of Dharma in motion (Dharmachakra Mudra). Buddha did this following his enlightenment and after delivering his first sermon at the deer park at Sarnath near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
6. At which of the following sites, all the Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic sites have been found in sequence?
[A] Sarai Nahar Rai
[B] Kurnool Valley
[C] Belan Valley
[D] Ahar
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [ Belan Valley ]
Notes:
In the Belan valley (Uttar Pradesh), all the three phases, the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic, have been found in sequence.
7. The word ‘Sangam’ of Sangam Age was closely associated with which of the following?
[A] Crowd
[B] Assembly
[C] Influence
[D] Source
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [ Assembly ]
Notes:
The word Sangam is associated with a College or Assembly of Tamil scholars and Poets .
8. Who composed Buddhacharita?
[A] Kanishka I
[B] Kanishka II
[C] Asvaghosha
[D] Charak
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [ Asvaghosha ]
Notes:
Ashvaghosha composed Buddhacharita, a Sanskrit poem on the life of the Buddha. He is also known for Saundarananda and is traditionally associated with Kanishka.
9. Kushinara or Kushinagar, where Lord Buddha attained parinirvana was located in which among the following provinces of ancient India?
[A] Anga
[B] Magadha
[C] Malla
[D] Vatsa
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Malla]
Notes:
The Buddha belonged to a small gana known as the Sakya gana, and was a kshatriya. When he was a young man, he left the comforts of his home in search of knowledge. He wandered for several years, meeting and holding discussions with other thinkers. He finally decided to find his own path to realisation, and meditated for days on end under a peepal tree at Bodh Gaya in Bihar, where he attained enlightenment. After that, he was known as the Buddha or the Wise One. He then went to Sarnath, near Varanasi, where he taught for the first time.
Buddha attained Nirvana at Kusinara a village some 180km from Varanasi and it was in the state of Mallas.
10. The Arthashastra is traditionally associated with Kautilya, a minister of which period?
[A] Gupta
[B] Maurya
[C] Shaka
[D] Kushan
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Maurya]
Notes:
The Arthashastra is traditionally attributed to Kautilya, associated with Chandragupta Maurya. Its surviving text contains layers whose dates are debated. R. Shamasastry rediscovered a manuscript in 1905 and published the Sanskrit text in 1909. The work is arranged in 15 books.
