Question Discussion & Solution

The Correct Answer is 1921.

 Key Points

• Harappa was an Indus civilization urban centre.
• It lies in Punjab Province, Pakistan, on an old bank/bed of the River Ravi.
• Harappa was the first site of the civilization to be excavated in 1921.
• The excavation team was led by Daya Ram Sahni.

 Important Points

• Mohenjo-Daro was discovered in 1922 by R. D. Banerji.

The correct answer is Gopala.

• Pala Dynasty:
  • Its founder, Gopala, was a local chieftain who rose to power in the mid-8th century during a period of anarchy.
  • His successor, Dharmapala, greatly expanded the kingdom and for a while was in control of Kannauj.

Additional Information

• The incredible Buddhist complex of Paharpur was created under the Pala dynasty in Bengal and fostered by successive leaders.
  • The Pala dynasty ruled the regions of Bengal and Bihar for about 400 years, from the 8th century until the end of the 11th century, with about 20 leaders on the throne during the period.
  • To begin to understand the Pala Dynasty, it's useful to look at the state of affairs when the first ruler took power.
  • The region that is now north-eastern India and Bangladesh had been in a state of anarchy for about a century following the fall of the Post Gupta dynasty. Feudal lords had found themselves in a cycle of a petty conflict with no obvious path to resolution.
  • It wasn't until one feudal lord named Gopala managed to gain the support of other leaders that stability started to emerge.
  • Through a democratic process, he took control of the region called Varendra, made up of north-western Bangladesh, West Bengal, and the Indian area of Bihar. He would be the founder and first ruler of the Pala Empire.
  •  It was the dynasty's second ruler, the son of Gopala, who would have the biggest impact, though.
  • His name was King Dharma Pala Deva (also known as Dharmapala) and he greatly expanded the territory of the empire, spreading across northern India. He is regarded as an efficient administrator and, during this period, the region flourished economically

The correct answer is Megasthenese.

Key Points

• Megasthenes was a Greek traveller and geographer to whom the subsequent Greek writers were chiefly indebted for their accounts of India.
• The Hellenistic king Seleucus I sent him as an ambassador to the court of King Chandragupta Maurya in India.
• His report about the culture, history and religion of India was the basis of western knowledge about India. 

Additional Information

The correct answer is Kanishka.

Key Points

• Since the Parinirvana (death) of Buddha, all Buddhist communities sequentially convoked to settle theological matters and to amend the content of various Buddhist sutras and hence is called Buddhist Council. There are 6 such councils held until 1954.
  • First Buddhist Council was held at Girivraja also known as Rajgriha or Rajgir under the chairmanship of Mahakassap and kingship of Ajatshatru in the year 483 B.C. for adopting and preserving all Buddha’s sayings and disciplines known as Sutta and Vinaya respectively.
  • The second Buddhist Council was held at Vaishali under the chairmanship of Sabbakami and kingship of Kalasoka in year 383 B.C. No outcome was ascertained in this council due to the controversial act of accepting donations, done by monks.
  • The third Buddhist Council was held at Patliputra under the chairmanship of Moggaliputta Tissa and kingship of Ashoka in year 251 B.C. to classify established Pitakas.
  • Fourth Buddhist Council is segregated into two separate councils held at Srilanka (77 BCE) and Kashmir (127 CE) under Vattagamani Abhaya and Kanishka respectively resulting in the division of Buddhism into Hinayana (Theravada Buddhism) and Mahayana.
  • The fifth and sixth Buddhist council was held by Hinayana Buddhism at Burma in 1871 and 1954 respectively.

The correct answer is Parsvanatha.

Key Points

• In Jainism, Tirthankara is a savior who has succeeded in crossing over life’s stream of rebirths and has made a path for others to follow.
• There are 24 Tirthankaras in Jainism.
• Mahavira was the last Tirthankara.

               Important Tirthankaras