Final Flashcards
Who left an inscription in Allahabad and was the first great ruler of the imperial Guptas?
Samudragupta
What was the old name of Allahabad?
Prayag
When did Chandragupta I rule?
AD 320 -335
When did Samudragupta live?
AD 335 - 375
Samudragupta’s most famous campaign took place where?
Southern India
Why did the king of Sri Lanka send gifts to the Gupta court?
Intended to persuade him to build a monastery and a resthouse for Sinhalese pilgrims at Bodh Gaya, where Buddha attained enlightenment.
One model some scholars use to explain Gupta rule is which of the following?
Vakataka-Gupta Age
When did Chandragupta II live?
AD 375 - 413/415
What was Chandragupta II greatest military success?
His victory over the mighty Shaka-Kshatrapa dynasty and the annexation of their prosperous realm in Gujarat.
When did the Vakataka dynasty rise to prominence?
3rd Century AD
What role did Prabhavatigupta play in the Vakataka’s realm?
To act as a regent on behalf of her two sons.
What was the original pattern for Gupta coins?
Roman pattern
What types of currencies were used in the Gupta dynasty?
Silver coins, following the tradition of the Shakas. As well as copper coins and shells served as a local currency.
When did Faxian visit India?
5th - 7th centuries
One of the reasons that the Guptas are so famous is which of the following?
Flowering of classical Sanskrit literature under their patronage
Who was the greatest dramatist and poet during the Gupta dynasty?
Kalidasa
When did the Puranas achieve their final shape?
Age of the Guptas
How many Great Puranas are there?
18
Which Purana teaches about Durga?
Markandeya Purana
What is the Indian name for the god of war?
Indra
One source of revenue for Buddhist temples during the Gupta period was donations by wealthy individuals. What was another source of income for them?
Gold coins were donated to Buddhist monasteries with detailed instructions for the use of the interest of accruing on the investment of the capital.
What was one source of income for Hindu temples during the Gupta period?
Donations to Brahmins and Hindu temples like land grants or the assignment of the revenue of whole villages.
Who were the Pushyamitras?
A tribal community living on the banks of the Narmada.
What was one of the results of Skandagupta’s victory over the Huns?
Disrupted the international trade of northwestern India, and thus, diminished one of the most important financial sources of the Gupta empire.
When were the Huns successful in conquering NW India?
510
Toramana the Hun’s son was named which of the following?
Mihirakula
Yashodharma won a battle against the Hun king in 528. But what lead to the Hun’s down fall?
Their defeat at the hands of the Turks in Central Asia around the middle of 6th century.
What was the effect of Hun rule on Buddhist establishments?
Destroyed what was left of the Gupta empire in the NW, centrifugal were set free, they destroyed cities and trading centres of northern India, the Buddhist monasteries in the Hun territory were also assaulted.
What separates South India from the North?
By the Vindhya mountains, Narmada river, and large tracts of barren and inhospitable land.
What cultural influence spread from South India to the North?
Bhakti movement
What was one way Hinduisation affected the southern tribes?
Oppression and exploitation of former tribal groups as well as pariahs and untouchables within the caste society.
What made the southern delta areas so enticing to settlement?
Natural and artificial irrigation by means of canals, tanks, and wells made rice cultivation possible in the area.
Which products does the Arthashastra NOT list as found in South India?
Shells, diamonds, and other precious stones, pearls and articles made of gold.
Which eco-type is NOT mentioned in the Sangam texts?
The mountains, forests, and pastures, dry, barren land, the valleys of the great rivers and the coast.
What was one of the goods that South India coastal areas produced?
Fishing, trading and making salt.
The Mauryan empire’s administration acted as a model for southern India’s emerging centers. What else was a major influence on the development of politics?
Trade with North India added to this flow of information and so did the migration of buddhist and Jaina monks, who introduced monastic organization in Central and Southern India. Interregional trade and these developed monastic institutions which maintained a symbiotic relationship for the emergence of political infrastructures in the South.
Following the fall of the Maurya Empire who called himself “Supreme Lord of Kalinga”?
Kharavela
What allowed the king of Kalinga to eliminate taxes?
The spoils of successful campaigns which Kharvela conducted almost every year made him so rich that by the 6th year of his reign, he could afford to abolish taxes by the paura and janapada.
How many war elephants did Kalinga maintain according to Pliny the Elder?
700
According to the Aitareya Brahmana text what is the origin of the Shatavahana?
Andhra
Where was the capital of the Shatavahana under Satakarni I?
Pratisthana was located on the banks of the Goaveri in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra.
How many cavalry did the Shatavahanas keep according he Pliny the Elder?
30 000
Administratively what was a general feature of state formation in the early medieval period in India?
The incorporation of local lords into the state hierarchy.
Who is recorded to have made donations to Nagarjunikonda?
queens
One of the South Indian Buddhist monasteries inscriptions lists relams it had relations with. Which kingdom is Not listed?
Kashmir and Gandhara, the Yavanas (Greeks) in northwestern India are mentioned, also Kirata in the Himalayas (Nepal?), Vanavasi in western India, Toshali and Vanga (Orissa and Bengal) in the east, Damila (Tamil Nadu), the Island of Tamrapani (Sri Lanka) and even China.
According to modern research when was the Sangam literature composed?
Probably composed in the first to the third centuries AD, the second century being the most active period.
Which kingdom used the kulasangha form of rule?
The Chera kingdom of the southwest coast (Kerala)
When did the Kalabhra Interregnum end?
6th century
Under which Kalabhra king did Buddhism and poets prosper?
Acchutabikkanta
What was an important aspect of South Indian history?
Flourishing trade with Rome
How did Hegel depict trade with India?
Talked about treasures that were most precious on earth:treasures of nature like pearls, diamond, incense, the essence of roses, elephants, lions, etc. Also the treasure of wisdom.
When trade with the Mediterranean declined what did South Indian kingdoms do?
Turned to Southeast Asia.
Under which Roman Emperor did trade with India greatly expand?
Emperor Augustus
What was the most important port on the Malabar coast of India?
Muziris
Where were the shards of Red Polish Ware dug up at Poduka originally form?
Arezzo in Italy where it was produced between 30 BC and AD 45
What was the driving force on India’s international trade?
Quest for Roman gold.
When did Harsha reign?
606 to 647
What was the northern boundary of Harsha’s kingdom?
The empire extended from the Panjab to northern Orissa, and from the Himalayas to the banks of the Narmada.
What was Bana’s book’s title?
Harshacharita
How long did Xuanzang visit India to study Buddhism?
13 years
Who defeated Harsha’s army in about 630 CE?
Pulakeshin II
Where was the Pallavas’ capital?
In Kanchipuram near Madras.
Whose brother was set up as viceroy at Vengi?
Pulakeshin
Who selected Kanauj as his capital one century after Harsha?
Yashovarman
Which dynasty controlled parts of Bihar and Bengal in the late eighth century?
Pala
Who ruled the Deccan following the Rashtrakutas?
Chalukyas
Who ruled Kashmir in the eighth century?
Lalitaditya
The Gurjara Pratihars and the Palas often fought each other. Which dynasty defeated both of them?
Dhruva
Which king bestowed the lands of the Cholas on his family members?
Krishna III
The Pratiharas maintained four large armies. How many men were in each?
800 000
How did the Cholas gain control of the Krishna-Godaveri delta region?
By Marital alliance.
What did the fire sacrifice on Mount Abu accomplish for the Rajputs?
All Rajput clans were purified and admitted to the status of Kshatriyas.
Who founded Delhi?
tomaras
Who had built the Khajuraho temples?
the chandellas
Who founded the Pala dynasty?
gopala
How did Ramapala put an end to Kaivarta power?
By cementing an alliance with various neighbouring rulers.
Who replaced the Palas ?
sena dynasty
Who took the western part of Lakshmanasens’s kingdom?
Muhammad Bakhtyar.
Which educational institution was founded by Dharmapala?
Vikramashita
What is one indication of Palal Buddhist culture influencing Southeast Asia?
The painting of Thangkas in Tibet and the sculptures of Southeast Asia provide evidence.
Who was the first Chalukya king?
Pulakeshin I
What did the first Chalukya king do to declare his independence from the Kadambas?
Great horse sacrifice
What year did Vikramiditya II of the Chalukya capture the Pallava capital?
740
Who founded the Pallava dynasty?
King Simhavishnu
What was the original religion that Mahendravarman followed?
Jainism
Who constructed the port Mahabalipuram?
Narasimhavarman, who was also known as Mahamalla (Great Wrestler)
Who was the greatest Pallava builder?
Narasimhavaram II
How many Buddhist monasteries were there in Kanchipuram during Pallava rule?
100
How many Hindu temples were there in Kanchipuram during the Pallava rule?
80
What opportunity provided the Chola come back in the 9th -10th century?
Tributary princes (under Pallavas); reasserted independence= Pallava power declined due constant confrontation w/ Rashtrakutas
Which kingdoms did Rajaraja Chola defeat to expand his territorial boundaries?
- Pandyas and Cheras
- Sri Lanka
- Anuradhapura (old capital)
- Maldive (distant) islands.
Who built and Buddhist monastery at Nagapatam in 1005 CE?
Shailendra king (of Shrivijaya)
What drove the expansion of the Cholas into Southeast Asia and raised concerns with Siam and Cambodia?
King Suryavarman I- the increasing competition for trade and trade routes (stimulated by Chinese embassies)
