Mauryan & Gupta — Set 6
Indian History · मौर्य और गुप्त · Questions 51–60 of 100
The term 'Dhamma Mahamattas' refers to officials appointed by:
Correct Answer: B. Ashoka
• **Dhamma Mahamattas** = special officers appointed by **Ashoka** in his **13th regnal year** to propagate Dhamma. • Worked among all classes — women, border tribes, forest people — and ensured **welfare of prisoners, elderly, and animals**. • They also monitored religious sects (not just Buddhism) — Ashoka's Dhamma was **non-sectarian** moral code. • 💡 Kanishka = promoted Mahayana Buddhism; Chandragupta Maurya = no such officers; Harsha = used Buddhist monasteries — Dhamma Mahamattas = Ashoka's creation.
The 'Bhitari Pillar Inscription' is associated with:
Correct Answer: B. Skandagupta
• **Bhitari Pillar Inscription** = located in **Ghazipur, UP**; records **Skandagupta's** victory over **Huna (Pushyamitra)** invaders. • Praises Skandagupta for 'making the earth tremble like the ocean' — glorifies his role as restorer of Gupta glory. • Also records **genealogy of Gupta rulers** — key historical source for later Gupta period succession. • 💡 Buddhagupta = later weak Gupta ruler; Chandragupta II = Junagadh/Udayagiri inscriptions; Samudragupta = Prayag Prasasti — Bhitari Pillar = Skandagupta.
In the Mauryan period, the 'Sitadhyaksha' was the superintendent of:
Correct Answer: B. Agriculture
• **Sitadhyaksha** = superintendent of **agriculture** in Mauryan administration; managed **Sita** (crown/state-owned) lands. • Responsible for crop production on royal estates — hired agricultural laborers, managed irrigation, storage. • Arthashastra lists **Sitadhyaksha's duties**: select seeds, determine sowing times, manage farm workers and cattle. • 💡 Weaving superintendent = Sutradhyaksha; Weights & Measures = Pautavadhyaksha; Mines = Akaradhyaksha — agriculture superintendent = Sitadhyaksha.
Which classical Sanskrit poet is called the 'Shakespeare of India'?
Correct Answer: D. Kalidasa
• **Kalidasa** = called **'Shakespeare of India'**; greatest Sanskrit poet-dramatist of **Gupta period** (Chandragupta II's court). • Works: Plays — **Abhijnana Shakuntalam** (most famous), **Vikramorvasiya, Malavikagnimitram**; Epics — **Raghuvamsa, Kumarasambhava**. • *Shakuntalam* was translated by **William Jones in 1789** — first Sanskrit text to impress Europe; Goethe praised it. • 💡 Banabhatta = Harshacharita (prose); Bhasa = Svapnavasavadatta; Bhavabhuti = post-Gupta dramatist — 'Shakespeare of India' = Kalidasa.
The Mauryan Empire was divided into provinces. The northern province capital was:
Correct Answer: D. Taxila
• **Taxila** = capital of **northern province (Uttarapatha)** of Mauryan Empire; major center of trade and learning. • On the **Silk Road**; famous as a university town where Chanakya and Chandragupta Maurya studied/met. • **4 Mauryan provincial capitals**: Taxila (North), **Ujjain** (West), **Suvarnagiri** (South), **Tosali** (East). • 💡 Suvarnagiri = southern province (Karnataka); Tosali = eastern province (Odisha); Ujjain = western province — Taxila = northern provincial capital.
Which Gupta ruler performed the Ashvamedha sacrifice as per coin evidence?
Correct Answer: A. Samudragupta
• **Samudragupta** performed the **Ashvamedha (horse sacrifice)** to assert imperial sovereignty after his conquests. • Issued special **Ashvamedha-type gold coins** showing a horse before a **yupa** (sacrificial post) — numismatic evidence. • **Kumaragupta I** also performed Ashvamedha — both father and son revived this ancient Vedic ritual for legitimacy. • 💡 Sri Gupta = minor feudatory, no Ashvamedha; Ghatotkacha = early Gupta, no coins; Ramagupta = weak/disgraced — Ashvamedha coin evidence = Samudragupta.
Who was the Buddhist monk who converted Ashoka to Buddhism?
Correct Answer: A. Upagupta
• **Upagupta** = Buddhist monk credited with converting **Ashoka to Buddhism** after Kalinga War's grief (261 BCE). • Upagupta was a disciple of **Ananda** (Buddha's closest disciple) — 4th patriarch of Buddhist tradition. • He guided Ashoka on a pilgrimage to **Buddhist sacred sites** (Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, Kushinagar). • 💡 Nagarjuna = Madhyamaka philosophy (2nd century CE); Asvaghosha = Buddhacharita (Kanishka era); Vasubandhu = Abhidhamma scholar — Ashoka's conversion monk = Upagupta.
The 'Nitisara' which is often called the Arthashastra of the Gupta period, was written by:
Correct Answer: A. Kamandaka
• **Kamandaka** = Gupta-era scholar; wrote **Nitisara** — called 'Arthashastra of the Gupta period'. • Nitisara is largely based on **Kautilya's Arthashastra** but simplified and adapted for Gupta political context. • Emphasizes **Saptanga (7 elements of state)**: king, minister, country, fort, treasury, army, ally — with detailed foreign policy. • 💡 Vishakhadatta = Mudrarakshasa (drama on Chandragupta Maurya); Harisena = Prayag Prasasti; Dandin = Dasakumaracharita — Nitisara = Kamandaka.
Ashoka sent his son Mahendra and daughter Sanghamitra to propagate Buddhism in:
Correct Answer: C. Sri Lanka
• **Mahendra** (son) and **Sanghamitra** (daughter) sent by Ashoka to **Sri Lanka (Tamraparni)** to spread Buddhism. • Sanghamitra carried a **branch of the original Bodhi Tree** from Bodh Gaya — planted in Anuradhapura; still alive today. • This mission converted **King Devanampiya Tissa of Sri Lanka** — established Theravada Buddhism permanently. • 💡 Burma = Sona and Uttara sent; China = Buddhism arrived 1st century CE; Tibet = Padmasambhava (8th century) — Ashoka's mission = Sri Lanka (Mahendra + Sanghamitra).
The famous Deogarh Dashavatara Temple is dedicated to which deity?
Correct Answer: A. Vishnu
• **Deogarh Dashavatara Temple** = dedicated to **Lord Vishnu**; one of the **earliest surviving stone temples** from Gupta period (5th–6th CE). • Located in **Lalitpur, Uttar Pradesh**; features three famous **Vaishnava relief panels**: Anantashayana, Nara-Narayana, Gajendramoksha. • Represents the **Panchayatana style** (main shrine with 4 corner shrines) — early. • 💡 Durga = Devi temples; Shiva = Elephanta Caves (later period); Surya = Konark (13th century) — Deogarh Dashavatara = Vishnu (Gupta era).