Question Discussion & Solution

The correct answer is Maharashtra.

• Ajanta is 100 kilometres from the Ellora Caves, which contain Hindu, Jain and Buddhist caves, the last dating from a period similar to Ajanta.
• Ellora is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, India.

Key Points

• These Buddhist and Jain caves are ornately carved, yet seem quiet and meditative and exude divine energy and power.
• These are the rock-cut caves of Ajanta nestled in a panoramic gorge, in the form of a gigantic horseshoe.

Additional Information

• Ajanta Caves constitute ancient monasteries and worship-halls of different Buddhist traditions carved into a 75-meter (246 ft) wall of rock.
  • The caves also present paintings depicting the past lives and rebirths of the Buddha, pictorial tales from Aryasura's Jatakamala, and rock-cut sculptures of Buddhist deities.
  • The caves, cut into the face of a mountain, form a horseshoe shape around the Wangorah River.
    • They are an example of one of Indian's unique artistic traditions known as rock-cut temples. Ajanta consists of thirty caves, each dedicated to the life of the Buddha.
• Ellora (also known as Elura and, in ancient times, as Elapura) is a sacred site in Maharastra, central India.
  • ​The Ellora Caves are listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and are celebrated for their Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain temples and monuments which were carved from the local cliff rock in the 6th to 8th century CE. 
  • Ellora Caves served as lodgings to the travelling Buddhist and Jain monks besides being a site for the trade route.
    • A part of the Hindu and Buddhist Caves were built during the Rashtrakuta dynasty, and the Jain Caves were built by the Yadav dynasty.

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 Sushruta.

Confusion Points

• Charaka was known to be a physician in the court of King Kanishka during the 2nd century AD.

Important Points

• The Gupta Era (320 AD- 550 AD) considered to be the golden era of India in terms of Art, Literature, Astronomy, Medical science etc.
• Sushruta is known for his work on medicine during the Gupta period.
• About Sushruta:
  • Sushruta is known for his work on medicine during the Gupta period. Sushruta was the first Indian surgeon.
  • The Sushruta Samhita is a Sanskrit text on surgery.
    • The work is attributed to Sushruta, a historical physician of 6th century BCE, although the text as preserved dates to the 3rd or 4th century CE. It is one of the three foundational texts of Ayurveda (Indian traditional medicine).
  • The Sushruta Samhita, in its extant form, is divided into 186 chapters and contains descriptions of 1,120 illnesses, 700 medicinal plants, 64 preparations from mineral sources and 57 preparations based on animal sources.

Additional Information

• About the Gupta Era (320-550 AD):
  • The Gupta age in ancient India has been called the ‘Golden Age of India’ because of the many accomplishments  in the field of arts, science, and literature that Indians made under the Guptas.
  • The affluence under the Guptas initiated a period of distinguished accomplishments in arts and sciences.
    • The Gupta Empire lasted from 320 AD to 550 AD.
  • Sanskrit literature thrived under the Guptas. Kalidasa, the great poet, and playwright were in the court of Chandragupta Vikramaditya.
    • He composed great epics such as Abhijnanashaakuntalam, Kumarasambhavam, Malavikagnimitram, Ritusamharam, Meghadootam, Vikramorvashiyam, and Raghuvamsham.
  • Vishnu Sharma of Panchatantra fame lived during this era.
  • Vishakhadatta composed Mudrarakshasa. Other philologists who contributed to the Sanskrit language include Vararuchi and Bhartrihari.
  • Aryabhatta, the great Indian mathematician and astronomer wrote Surya Siddhanta and Aryabhattiya. 
    • He also gave the value of Pi.
    • He also gave the distance between earth and sun which is remarkably close to the actual value.
    1. He wrote on geometry, astronomy, mathematics and trigonometry.
  • These are some of the achievments during the Gupta Era.

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 Brihadratha.

• He was the last ruler of the Mauryan empire who ruled from 187 to 180 BCE.
• Brihadratha was assassinated by his own general, Pushyamitra Shunga, who went on to establish the Shunga Empire.
• Brihadratha was the successor of Shatadhanvan who ruled between 195 to 187 BCE.

Important Points

• The Maurya dynasty was established by Chandragupta Maurya and this dynasty dominated the Indian subcontinent between 322 and 185 BCE.
• The Mauryan empire was extended over more than 5 million square kilometres which made it the largest political entity that has existed in the Indian subcontinent.

Additional Information

• The national emblem of the modern Republic of India was also taken from the Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath.