Ancient Indian History MCQs

Notes:
Hala was probably the 17th king in the line in the Satvahana dynasty. He was also a great poet who authored the Gatha Sattasai. It is a collection of 700 erotic poems in the Maharashtri Prakrit dialect.

Notes:
Unlike the gold coins of the Kushanas, the Satavahanas mostly issued lead coins apart from copper and bronze coins. The lead was probably imported from the Romans.

Notes:
Sarvasena who belonged to Vatsagulma Branch/Line of Vakatakas ruled from c. 330 to 355 CE. He adopted the title dharma-maharaja. He was a renowned Prakrit poet. The Vakatakas originated in the central Deccan.

Notes:
During the time of Harsha some of the subordinate rulers had titles such as samanta and raja. They used the Harsha era of 606 CE. 606 CE  was the year when Harsha Vardhana ascended the throne.

Notes:
During the early medieval period the Chandalas were employed for the execution of criminals. The Chandalas lived outside the village. They were not allowed to touch others. There was a serious crisis in the social order during that period.

Notes:
During the Medieval period, Siva was worshipped in the phallic form as well as in the human form. The Ardhanarisvara form of Shiva was also a common object of worship. In the images of Nataraja, Siva is shown dancing on the back of the bull.

Notes:
Dasaparadha refers to a fine which was realised for 10 offences committed by the villagers. Those offences included disobedience to the orders of the king, murder of a woman, intermixture of castes, adultery, theft, obscenity, assault, etc.

Notes:
Krishna III who ruled the Rashtrakuta empire from 939 A.D. to 967 A.D. is considered as the last great Rashtrakuta ruler, who consolidated the empire so that it stretched from the Narmada River to Kaveri River.

Notes:
The second Sangam was held at Kabadapuram which was another capital of the Pandyas. The important members of this sangam were Agastya, Irundaiyar, Tolkappiyar, Karungoli, Pandurangan, Tiraiyanamaran, Vellurkappiyanar etc.

Notes:
Surkotada site contains horse remains dated to 2000 BC, which is considered a significant observation with respect to Indus Valley Civilization. During 1974, Archaeological Survey of India undertook excavation at this site and J.P. Joshi and A.K. Sharma reported findings of horse bones at all levels.