St. Thomas is said to have come to India to propagate Christianity during the reign of the
(a) Cheras
(b) Parthians
(c) Pandyas
(d) Cholas
Solution: (b)
St. Thomas is traditionally believed to have sailed to India in 52AD to spread the Christian faith among the Jews, the Jewish diaspora present in Kerala at the time. He is supposed to have landed at the ancient port of Muziris near Kodungalloor. He then went to Palayoor (near present-day Guruvayoor), which was a Hindu priestly community at that time. He left Palayoor in AD 52 for the southern part of what is now Kerala State, where he established the Ezharappallikal, or “Seven and Half Churches”. Thomas landed in Cranganoor (Kodungallur, Muziris) and took part in the wedding of Cheraman Perumal and proceeded to the courts of Gondophorus in North India. Gundaphorus was indeed a historical figure and he belonged to the Parthian Dynasty from Takshasila (Taxila).
Who started the Saka Era and when?
(a) Kadphises in 58 BC
(b) Rudradaman I in AD 78
(c) Vikramaditya in 58 BC
(d) Kanishka in AD 78
Solution: (d)
Most of what is known about Kanishka derives from Chinese sources, particularly Buddhist writings. When Kanishka came to the throne is uncertain. His accession has been estimated as occurring between his reign is believed to have lasted 23 years. The year 78 marks the beginning of the Saka era, a system of dating that Kanishka might have initiated.
The monk who influenced Ashoka to embrace Buddhism was
(a) Vishnu Gupta
(b) Upagupta
(c) Brahma Gupta
(d) Brihadratha
Solution: (b)
Upagupta was a Buddhist monk. According to some stories in the Sanskrit Avadana he was the spiritual teacher of Asoka the great Mauryan emperor. Upagupta’s teacher was Sanavasi who was a disciple of Ananda, the Buddha’s attendant. Due to the absence of his name in Theravada literature it is assumed that Upagupta was a Sarvadin monk.
Which of the following is not one of the animals carved on the Sarnath Pillar?
(a) Humped Bull
(b)Deer
(c) Elephant
(d) Horse
Solution: (b)
Ashoka built the Sarnath pillar to commemorate the site of the first preaching of Lord Buddha, where he taught the Dharma to five monks. The Lion Capital of Ashoka comprises four lions, standing back to back, mounted on a cylindrical abacus. The abacus features the sculptures of an elephant, a galloping horse, a bull, and a lion, separated by intervening 24-spoked Dharma wheels over a bell-shaped lotus. The four animals in the Sarnath capital are believed to symbolize different phases in Lord Buddha’s life. The Elephant is a representation of Queen Maya’s conception of Buddha when she saw a white elephant entering her womb in dream. The Bull represents desire during the life of the Buddha as a prince. The Horse symbolizes Buddha’s departure from palatial life while the Lion represents the attainment of Nirvana by Lord Buddha.
The first metal used by man was
(a) Aluminium
(b) Copper
(c) Iron
(d) Silver
Solution: (b)
The first two metals to be used widely were gold and copper. The use of copper in antiquity is of more significance than gold as the first tools, implements and weapons were made from copper. From 4,000 to 6,000 BC was the Chalcolithic period which was when copper came into common use. By 3600 BC the first copper smelted artifacts were found in the Nile valley and copper rings, bracelets, chisels were found. By 3000 BC weapons, tools etc. were widely found. Tools and weapons of utilitarian value were now within society, however, only kings and royalty had such tools; it would take another 500 years before they reached the peasants.
Where did Lord Budha breathe his last?
(a) Bodh Gaye
(b) Sarnath
(c) Kushinagar
(d) Varanasi
Solution: (c)
At the time of the Buddha, Kushinagar was the capital of the Mallas, and the scene of the Buddha’s death. The Buddha died of old age, when he was eighty years old. The death was triggered by his body reaction to a dish of wild mushroom.
Mention the place where Buddha attained enlightenment.
(a) Sarnath
(b) Bodh Gaya
(c) Kapilavastu
(d)Rajgriha
Solution: (b)
Bodh Gaya is a religious site and place of pilgrimage associated with the Mahabodhi Temple Complex in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place where Gautama Buddha is said to have obtained Enlightenment (Bodhimandala). According to Buddhist traditions, circa 500 BC Prince Gautama Siddhartha, wandering as an ascetic, reached the sylvan banks of Falgu River, near the city of Gaya. There he sat in meditation under a bodhi tree (Ficus religiosa). After three days and three nights of meditation, Siddharta claimed to have attained enlightenment and insight, and the answers that he had sought.
Arthasastra was written by
(a) Dhanananda
(b) Kautilya
(c) Bimbisara
(d)Pushyamitra
Solution: (b)
The Arthasastra is an ancient Indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy which identifies its author by the names ‘Kautilya’ and ‘Vishnaugupta’, both names that are traditionally identified with Chanakya (c. 350–283 BC), who was a scholar at Takshashila and the teacher and guardian of Emperor Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of Mauryan Empire. Because of its harsh political pragmatism, the Arthasastra has often been compared to Machiavelli’s The Prince.
Alexander and Porus fought a battle at
(a) Hydaspes
(b) Jhelum
(c) Panipat
(d) Tarain
Solution: (a)
The Battle of the Hydaspes River was fought by Alexander the Great in 326 BC against King Porus of the Hindu Paurava kingdom on the banks of the Hydaspes River (Jhelum River) in the Punjab near Bhera in what is now modern-day Pakistan. The battle resulted in a complete Macedonian victory and the annexation of the Punjab, which lay beyond the confines of the defeated Persian Empire, into the Alexandrian Empire. The battle is historically significant for opening up India for Greek political (Seleucid Empire, Indo-Greeks) and cultural influence (Greco-Buddhist art) which was to continue for many centuries.
Seleucus Nicator was defeated by
(a) Asoka
(b) Chandragupta Maurya
(c) Bindu Sara
(d) Brihadratha
Solution: (b)
Seleucus I Nicator was a leading officer of Alexander the Great’s League of Corinth and one of the Diadochi. In the Wars of the Diadochi that took place after Alexander’s death, Seleucus established the Seleucid dynasty and the Seleucid Empire. He was defeated by the emperor of India, Chandragupta Maurya and accepted a matrimony alliance for 500 elephants after ceding the territories considered as part of India.
