Which one of the following inscriptions refers to a confederacy of Tamil States?
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Answer B (official UPSC key)Inscription on a confederacy of Tamil States → Hathigumpha Inscription of Kharavela
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History · Ancient
Post-Mauryan Dynasties & Foreign Invaders: 69 previous year questions
UPSC has asked 69 questions on Post-Mauryan Dynasties & Foreign Invaders between 1979 and 2026: CSE 23 · CDS 20 · CAPF 15 · NDA 4 · CISF (LDCE) 3 · Geo-Scientist 2 · EPFO (APFC) 2. 34 of them came after 2015, so this is a live topic examiners keep returning to. 23 were set in Civil Services Prelims; the rest come from UPSC's other papers, which draw on the same question bank.
Tap an option to check yourself. Answers follow the official UPSC key; where the key was dropped or disputed the question is not shown.
Ranigumpha Cave consists of an oval courtyard. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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Answer B (official UPSC key)Ranigumpha Cave → two-storeyed | Not plain: elaborate friezes, sculptures and carvings | Courtyard → rectangular, not oval
With reference to the Ranigumpha Cave (Odisha), consider the following statements : 1. Ranigumpha Cave is plain and contains no murals or sculptures. 2. Ranigumpha Cave is two-storeyed. 3. Ranigumpha Cave consists of an oval courtyard. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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Answer B (official UPSC key)Ranigumpha Cave → two-storeyed | Not plain: elaborate friezes, sculptures and carvings | Courtyard → rectangular, not oval
Which one of the following statements about the grammarian Katyayana is correct ?
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Answer C (official UPSC key)Katyayana → between Panini and Patanjali (Varttika on Panini; Patanjali's Mahabhasya comments on both)
Arrange the following in chronological order, beginning from the earliest: 1. Shudraka 2. Varahamihira 3. Panini 4. Patanjali the Grammarian Select the answer using the code given below :
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Answer B (official UPSC key)Earliest first → Panini (5th-4th century BCE) → Patanjali (2nd century BCE) → Shudraka (3rd-4th century CE) → Varahamihira
Which one of the following months of the Gregorian calendar corresponds with Asvina- Kartika months of the Indian calendar ?
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Answer C (official UPSC key)Asvina–Kartika → September–October
Consider the following statements about the costumes and headgear/ hairstyle in India during 4th-7th century AD : 1. There was a marked preference for stitched garment as compared to any previous age 2. Simple plaits without any floral embellishment dominated the hairstyle of women Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
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Answer A (official UPSC key)4th-7th century AD → marked preference for stitched garments | Simple plaited hairstyles disappeared; elaborate hairstyles instead
The Junagarh inscription goes on to tell us that during the reign of Rudra- daman, in the year 72 of the Saka era, there occurred a terrible storm. What would be the time in CE of the occurrence of that terrible storm ?
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Answer A (official UPSC key)Saka year 72 storm (Junagarh inscription, Rudradaman) → 150 CE (78 + 72)
Consider the following eras in early India: 1. Shaka era 2. Kalachuri era 3. Vikrama era 4. Harsha era 5. Gupta era Which one of the following is the correct chronological order of the above eras starting with the earliest ?
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Answer D (official UPSC key)Eras, earliest first → Vikrama (57 BCE) → Shaka (78 CE) → Kalachuri (248–249 CE) → Gupta (319–320 CE) → Harsha (606 CE)
First coins in Indian history bearing the names and images of rulers were issued by the :
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Answer D (official UPSC key)First coins bearing names and images of rulers → Indo-Greeks
Which of the following pairs are correctly matched ? Inscription/Event Time Period 1. Prayag Prashasti by Harishena 4th century CE 2. Chinese traveller Fa Xian‘s Account 6th century CE 3. Mudrarakshasa of Vishakhadatta 5th century CE 4. Harshacharita of Banabhatta 6th century CE 5. Aihole Prashasti of Ravikirti 7th century CE 6. Kavirajamarga of Amoghavarsha 8th century CE Select the correct answer using the code given below :
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Answer D (official UPSC key)Prayag Prashasti (Harishena) → 4th century CE | Mudrarakshasa (Vishakhadatta) → 5th century | Aihole Prashasti (Ravikirti) → 7th century | Fa Xian → visit 399–412 CE, not 6th century | Harshacharita (Banabhatta) → 7th century, not 6th | Kavirajamarga (Amoghavarsha) → 9th century, not 8th
The famous Hathigumpha inscription of Kharavela mentions that in the eleventh year of his reign, Kharavela destroyed a confederacy of Tamil States, “Tramiradesa Sanghatam”, which had long been a source of danger. How old was this confederacy of Tamil States at that time ?
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Answer D (official UPSC key)Tamil confederacy destroyed by Kharavela (Hathigumpha) → 113 years old
Chronologically arrange the following events : 1. Invasion of Alexander 2. Indo-Greek Rule in the North-West 3. Accession of Kanishka 4. Accession of Chandragupta Maurya Select the correct answer using the code given below.
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Answer D (official UPSC key)Earliest first → Invasion of Alexander (327–325 BCE) → Accession of Chandragupta Maurya (c. 321 BCE) → Indo-Greek rule in the North-West → Accession of Kanishka
In which one of the following regions was Dhanyakataka which flourished as a prominent Buddhist centre under the Mahasanghikas, located?
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Answer A (official UPSC key)Dhanyakataka (Mahasanghika Buddhist centre) → Andhra
Which one of the following statements about Rabatak inscription is not correct ?
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Answer C (official UPSC key)Rabatak inscription (23 lines) → Bactrian language, Greek script, not Gandhari
Near which one of the following cities in India have large statues of Kushana rulers been discovered ?
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Answer D (official UPSC key)Large statues of Kushana rulers → discovered near Mathura
Which one of the following statements about coins struck during 200 BCE to 300 CE in the Indian subcontinent is not correct?
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Answer D (official UPSC key)Indo-Greeks → bilingual, biscript coin legends | Kushanas → large gold and low-denomination copper coins | Satavahanas → silver, copper, lead and potin coins | Negama (Taxila guild) coins → still in circulation; guild power not declining
Which one of the following is not the work of Ashvaghosha ?
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Answer D (official UPSC key)Not a work of Ashvaghosha → Manjushrimulakalpa (of: Sariputraprakarana, Buddhacharita, Saundarananda, Manjushrimulakalpa)
When did Charaka Samhita originate?
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Answer B (official UPSC key)Charaka Samhita → 3rd to 2nd Century BCE
In the Mathura School of Art, Buddha’s images are largely carved in
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Answer B (official UPSC key)Mathura School Buddha images → largely in Abhaya Mudra
The Satavahanas are identified in the Puranas by which one of the following epithets?
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Answer A (official UPSC key)Satavahanas in the Puranas → Andhras
Consider the following statements about Patanjali‟s Mahabhashya : 1. It makes a mention of Kautilya. 2. It is a book on grammar and refers to historical personalities only incidentally. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
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Answer B (official UPSC key)Patanjali's Mahabhashya → grammar book; refers to historical personalities only incidentally | Mahabhashya → no reference to Kautilya
Kushanas were the descendants of which of the following Central Asian Tribes ?
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Answer D (official UPSC key)Kushanas → descendants of the Great Yueh-Chi
The first coins to bear the names and images of rulers were issued by the:
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Answer C (official UPSC key)First coins bearing names and images of rulers → Indo-Greeks
Which of the following statements is/are correct ? 1. The Satavahanas ruled over parts of western India and the Deccan 2. The Satavahanas repaired and rebuilt Sudarshana Lake Select the correct answer using the code given below:
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Answer A (official UPSC key)Satavahanas → ruled parts of western India and the Deccan | Sudarshana Lake repaired by Rudradaman, not the Satavahanas
Which of the following rulers were identified through matronymics (names derived from that of the mother)?
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Answer D (official UPSC key)Rulers identified through matronymics → Satavahanas
In the Gandhara School of Art, initially blue schist and green phyllite were used. When did stucco completely replace stone as main material used by Gandhara School sculptors?
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Answer C (official UPSC key)Gandhara: stucco almost completely replaced stone → by the 3rd century CE
Consider the following statements pertaining to the Satavahanas : 1. Satavahana rulers were identified through metronymics 2. Satavahana succession to the throne was generally patrilineal Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
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Answer C (official UPSC key)Satavahana rulers → identified through metronymics | Succession → generally patrilineal
Consider the following statements Statement I : For early societies, historians retrieve information about elite families mostly from inscriptions. Statement II : Satavahana inscriptions generally end with the term Putra, a Prakrit word meaning ‘son‘. Code :
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Answer B (official UPSC key)Historians retrieve information on elite families mostly from inscriptions | Satavahana inscriptions → names ending in Putra (Prakrit: 'son') | II does not explain I
Which of the following statements about the usage of the term „barbarian‟ is/are correct? 1. It is derived from the Greek word ‗barbaros‘ which means a non-Greek. 2. Romans used the term for the Germanic tribes, the Gauls and the Huns. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
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Answer C (official UPSC key)'Barbarian' → from Greek 'barbaros' (non-Greek) | Romans → used it for Germanic tribes, Gauls and Huns
Consider the following statement about votive inscriptions in the second century BC: 1. They record gifts made to religious institutions. 2. They tell us about the idea of transference of the meritorious results of the action of one person. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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Answer C (official UPSC key)Votive inscriptions (second century BC) → record gifts to religious institutions | Votive inscriptions → idea of transference of merit of one person's action
Patanjali was
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Answer D (official UPSC key)Patanjali → author of Mahabhasya, commentary on Panini's Sanskrit grammar
In ancient India, the 'Yaudheyas' were
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Answer C (official UPSC key)Yaudheyas → a republican tribe (military ganasangha)
Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the code given below the Lists: List-I (King) List-II (Region) A. Shashanka 1. Assam B. Kharavela 2. Maharashtra C. Simuka 3. Orissa D. Bhaskara Varman 4. Bengal
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Answer C (official UPSC key)Shashanka → Bengal | Kharavela → Orissa | Simuka → Maharashtra | Bhaskara Varman → Assam
Consider the following statements Statement I : The rich sculptural tradition of Mathura is distinguished by its principal medium, the white spotted red sandstone Statement II : The white spotted red sandstone is locally available in Mathura region Code .
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Answer A (official UPSC key)Mathura sculpture → principal medium white spotted red sandstone | Stone locally available in Mathura region | II explains I
Chaitra 1 of the national calendar based on the Saka Era corresponds to which one of the following dates of the Gregorian calendar in a normal year of 365 days?
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Answer A (official UPSC key)Chaitra 1 (national calendar, Saka era) → 22 March (21 March in a leap year)
Consider the following statements Statement I: Sculptures of the Gandhara School stylistically are typically linked to the Greco- Roman and the Parthian art of Iran. Statement II: The earliest stone Buddha images in the Swat valley pre-dated the Kushana period, which suggests that certain iconographic conventions were already well-established in the pre- Kushana period. Codes
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Answer B (official UPSC key)Gandhara sculptures → linked to Greco-Roman and Parthian art of Iran | Earliest stone Buddha images in Swat valley → pre-Kushana | II does not explain I
Who among the following scholars were contemporary of Kanishka? 1. Ashvaghosa 2. Nagarjuna 3. Vasumitra 4. Chanakya Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
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Answer D (official UPSC key)Ashvaghosa, Nagarjuna, Vasumitra → contemporaries of Kanishka (Chanakya not)
The first Indian ruler to be shown in images as wearing a dress akin to trousers is
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Answer C (official UPSC key)First Indian ruler shown in a dress akin to trousers → Kanishka
Which one among the following statements regarding Satavahanas is not correct ?
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Answer D (official UPSC key)Satavahanas → Andhras of the Puranas; Brahmana descent; prolonged conflict with Sakas | Rudradaman defeated Satakarni (lord of Dakshinapatha), not the reverse | Vashishtiputra Satakarni → son-in-law of Rudradaman
Consider the following statements Statement I: The Greek influence on Indian art manifested itself in the form of the Gandhara School of Art and moved from Taxila to Mathura and Sarnath. Statement II: During the Gupta period, art became entirely and truly Indian. Code :
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Answer B (official UPSC key)Greek influence → Gandhara School, moved from Taxila to Mathura and Sarnath | Gupta period → art became entirely Indian | II does not explain I
“Use of white marble, long legs and slender frames, human beings as central characters and prominence of kings, princess and palaces” were the characteristic features of which one of the following ancient art forms of India?
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Answer A (official UPSC key)White marble, long legs, slender frames, kings, princes and palaces → Amaravati School of Art
„Use of white marble, long legs and slender frames, human beings as central characters and prominence of kings, princess and palaces‟ were the characteristic features of which one of the following ancient art forms of India?
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Answer A (official UPSC key)White marble, long legs, slender frames, kings, princes and palaces → Amaravati School of Art
Agnimitra, the hero of Kalidasa's Malavikagnimitra belonged to :
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Answer A (official UPSC key)Agnimitra (Kalidasa's Malavikagnimitra) → Sunga dynasty
Consider the following statements about national calendar of India : 1. The national calendar based on the Saka era with Chaitra its first month. 2. Dates of the national calendar have a permanent correspondence with dates of the Gregorian calendar. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
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Answer C (official UPSC key)National calendar → Saka era, Chaitra first month | Dates → permanent correspondence with Gregorian dates
The Ashtadhyayi of Panini, the Mahabhasya of Patanjali and the Kashika Vritti of Jayaditya deal with
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Answer C (official UPSC key)Ashtadhyayi (Panini), Mahabhasya (Patanjali), Kashika Vritti (Jayaditya) → principles of Sanskrit grammar
With reference to the invaders in ancient India, which one of the following is the correct chronological order?
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Answer A (official UPSC key)Invaders in chronological order → Greeks → Sakas → Kushans
Consider the following statements 1. The Ikshvaku rulers of southern India were antagonistic towards Buddhism. 2. The Pala rulers of Eastern India were patrons of Buddhism. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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Answer B (official UPSC key)Pala rulers of Eastern India → patrons of Buddhism | Ikshvaku kings → Shaivites, but Buddhism flourished in their reign (not antagonistic)
Who among the following was not a contemporary of the other three?
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Answer C (official UPSC key)Not a contemporary of Bimbisara, Buddha, Prasenjit → Milinda (Menander, 165–145 BCE)
Match List–I (Persons) with List–II (Writings) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List–I (Persons): A. Asvaghosha; B. Nagarjuna; C. Patanjali; D. Ramanuja List–II (Writings): 1. Buddha Charita; 2. Madhyamika Sutra; 3. Vedanta Sangraha; 4. Yogasutra
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Answer B (official UPSC key)Asvaghosha → Buddha Charita | Nagarjuna → Madhyamika Sutra | Patanjali → Yogasutra | Ramanuja → Vedanta Sangraha
Match List–I (Indian Kings) with List–II (Dynasty) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List–I (Indian Kings): A. Karikala; B. Rudradaman I; C. Milinda; D. Kanishka List–II (Dynasty): 1. Bactria-Greek; 2. Chola; 3. Chalukya; 4. Kushan; 5. Shaka
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Answer B (official UPSC key)Karikala → Chola | Rudradaman I → Shaka | Milinda → Bactria-Greek | Kanishka → Kushan
Consider the following statements: 1. The last Mauryan ruler Brihadratha was assassinated by his commander-in-chief, Pushyamitra Sunga. 2. The last Sunga king, Devabhuti was assassinated by his Brahmana minister Vasudeva Kanva who usurped the throne 3. The last ruler of the Kanva dynasty was deposed by the Andhras. Which of these statements is/are correct?
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Answer D (official UPSC key)Last Mauryan Brihadratha → assassinated by commander-in-chief Pushyamitra Sunga | Last Sunga king Devabhuti → assassinated by Brahmana minister Vasudeva Kanva | Last Kanva ruler → deposed by the Andhras (Satavahanas)
Which one of the following pairs is correctly matched?
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Answer B (official UPSC key)Kushans → Gandhara School of Art
The practice of military governorship was first introduced in India by the
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Answer A (official UPSC key)Military governorship first introduced in India → by the Greeks (strategoi)
The Indo-Greek kingdom set up in north Afghanistan in the beginning of the second century BC was
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Answer A (official UPSC key)Indo-Greek kingdom in north Afghanistan (early second century BC) → Bactria
Assertion (A): The Gandhara School of art bears the mark of Hellenistic influence Reason (R): Hinayana form was influenced by that art.
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Answer C (official UPSC key)Gandhara School of art → bears the mark of Hellenistic influence | NOT: Hinayana form was influenced by Gandhara art
Many of the Greeks, Kushanas and Shakas embraced Buddhism rather than Hinduism because
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Answer D (official UPSC key)Greeks, Kushanas, Shakas embraced Buddhism → it provided easier access to Indian society
In the Gandhara sculptures the preaching Mudra associated with the Buddha's First Sermon at Samath is
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Answer C (official UPSC key)Gandhara Buddha, First Sermon at Sarnath → Dharmachakra Mudra
One of the major towns in the Satavahana kingdom was
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Answer B (official UPSC key)Major town of the Satavahana kingdom → Pratishthana (Paithan)
In which one of the following the Gandhara sculptures of the Buddha are typically Indian and not Greek or Roman?
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Answer C (official UPSC key)Gandhara Buddha sculptures typically Indian, not Greek or Roman → in the iconography
Which of the following is not a feature of Gandhara School of Art?
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Answer C (official UPSC key)Not a feature of Gandhara art → origination of Hinayanism (Gandhara is associated with Mahayana)
The Prakrit text "Gathasaptasati" is attributed to the Satavahana king
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Answer B (official UPSC key)Prakrit text Gathasaptasati → Satavahana king Hala
Sculptures of the Mathura School of Art, which flourished in the early centuries of the Christian Era, are made out of
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Answer D (official UPSC key)Mathura School sculptures → red sandstone
Gandhara School of Art was developed during the reign of
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Answer B (official UPSC key)Gandhara School of Art → developed during the reign of Kanishka
The following were famous scholars in ancient India 1. Ashvaghosh 2. Nagarjuna 3. Vasumitra 4. Buddhaghosa Which of them was/were contemporary of Kanishka?
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Answer D (official UPSC key)Ashvaghosh, Nagarjuna, Vasumitra → contemporaries of Kanishka | Buddhaghosa → 5th century CE, not a contemporary
Which of the following is not related to the Gandhara School of Art?
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Answer C (official UPSC key)Not related to Gandhara School of Art → Khajuraho (of: Ellora, Ajanta, Khajuraho, Elephanta)
Saka era commenced from (1980)
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Answer A (official UPSC key)Saka era → commenced from 78 AD
Which of the following was the most important characteristic of Kanishka's rule?
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Answer C (official UPSC key)Most important characteristic of Kanishka's rule → Fourth Buddhist Council at Srinagar (of: the four options)
The name Pahlavi Dynasty in Iran is derived from the
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Answer A (official UPSC key)Name 'Pahlavi Dynasty' (Iran) → derived from the Pahlavi language
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