Final Exam 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?
320-335 AD
When did Samudragupta live?
335-375 AD
Samudragupta’s most famous campaign took place where?
Southern India (Dakshinapatha)
Why did the king of Sri Lanka send gifts to the Gupta court?
The rich gifts sent to Samudragupta were intended to persuade him to look kindly upon a request to build a monastery and a resthouse for Sinhalese pilgrims at Bodh Gaya, the place where the Buddha attained enlightenment.
One model some scholars use to explain Gupta rule is which of the following?
Multicentered (rather than a unitary structure) gupta state?
When did Chandragupta II live?
375 - 413/15 AD
What was Chandragupta II greatest military success?
Victory over Shaka-Kshatrapa dynasty and 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?
Acted as regent for her two sons (2 and 5 yr olds) which lasted 20 yrs
What was the original pattern for Gupta coins?
Roman pattern
What types of currencies were used in the Gupta dynasty?
Gold, silver and copper coins, shells
When did Faxian visist India?
from the 5-7th centuries AD
One of the reasons that the Guptas are so famous is which of the following?
Classical Sanskrit literature (Chandragupta II had a circle of poets at court - ‘nine jewels’)
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?
Kumaraskanda
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 donated with instructions for the use of the interest accruing on the investment
What was one source of income for Hindu temples during the Gupta period?
Donations taking the form of land grants or of the assignment of the revenue of whole villages
Who were the Pushyamitras?
Tribal community living on the banks of Narmada
What was one of the results of Skandagupta’s victory over the Huns?
Disruption of international trade of northwestern trade - diminishing of financial source of Gupta empire
When were the Huns successful in conquering NW India?
510 AD
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?
Huns defeated by the Turks in central Asia (middle of the 6th century)
What was the effect of Hun rule on Buddhist establishments?
Destruction of buddhist monasteries
What separates South India from the North?
Vindhya mountains
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 (pariahs and untouchables within caste society)
What made the southern delta areas so enticing to settlement?
Fertile lands which supported settled agriculture and the growing of rice
Which products does the Arthashastra NOT list as found in South India?
Products include → shells, diamonds, precious stones, pearls and articles made of gold
Which eco-type is NOT mentioned in the Sangam texts?
Five are mentioned → mountains, forests/pastures, dry barren lands, valleys of great rivers, the coast
What was one of the goods that South India coastal areas produced?
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?
Monastic orders that formed from the migration of buddhist and jaina monks
Following the fall of the Maurya Empire who called himself “Supreme Lord of Kalinga”?
Kharavela
What allowed the king of Kalinga to eliminate taxes?
Spoils of successful campaigns
How many war elephants did Kalinga maintain according to Pliny the Elder?
700 elephants
According to the Aitareya Brahmana text what is the origin of the Shatavahana?
500 BC - a non-aryan tribe
Where was the capital of the Shatavahana under Satakarni I?
Pratisthana (Paithan)
How many cavalry did the Shatavahanas keep according he Pliny the Elder?
30,000 Cavalry
Administratively what was a general feature of state formation in the early medieval period in India?
Incorporation of local lords into 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?
Listed → Kashmir and Gandhara, the Yavanas (Greeks) in NW india, Kirata in Himalayas (nepal), Vanavasi in W india, Toshali and Vanga (orissa and Benegal) in the east, Damila (Tamil Nadu), Island of Tamrapani (sri lanka) and even China
According to modern research when was the Sangam literature composed?
1st-3rd century AD
Which kingdom used the kulasangha form of rule?
Chera kingdom
When did the Kalabhra Interregnum end?
Ended when the Pallava dynasty emerged as the first regional power of south india in the 6th century
Under which Kalabhra king did Buddhism and poets prosper?
Acchutavikkanta
What was an important aspect of South Indian history?
Flourishing trade with Rome
How did Hegel depict trade with India?
Significant for universal history on how trade routes led to treasures from India to make their way to the west and how it influenced the fate of so many nations
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, Italy
What was the driving force on India’s international trade?
Quest for Roman goal - eagerness to get precious metals
When did Harsha reign?
606-647 AD
What was the northern boundary of Harsha’s kingdom?
Northern Orissa
What was Bana’s book’s title?
Harshacharita
How long did Xuanzang visit India to study Buddhism?
13 years (630-643)
Who defeated Harsha’s army in about 630 CE?
Pulakeshin II of the Chalukya dynasty
Where was the Pallavas’ capital?
Kanchipuram
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 dynasty
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?
700,000-900,000 men in each
How did the Cholas gain control of the Krishna-Godaveri delta region?
Marital alliance
What did the fire sacrifice on Mount Abu accomplish for the Rajputs?
All clans were purified and admitted to the status of Kshatriyas
Who founded Delhi?
Tomaras
Who had built the Khajuraho temples?
Chandellas
Who founded the Pala dynasty?
Gopala
How did Ramapala put an end to Kaivarta power?
Cementing an alliance with various neighbouring rulers
Who replaced the Palas?
Sena dynasty (Vijayasena)
Who took the western part of Lakshmanasens’s kingdom?
Muhammad Bakhtyar Khalji
Which educational institution was founded by Dharmapala?
Buddhist university of Vikramashila
What is one indication of Palal Buddhist culture influencing Southeast Asia?
Painting of Thangkas in Tibet
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 AD
Who founded the Pallava dynasty?
King Simahavishnu
What was the original religion that Mahendravarman followed?
Jainism
Who constructed the port Mahabalipuram?
Narasimhavarman (aka Mahamalla - Great Wrestler)
Who was the greatest Pallava builder?
Narasimhavarman II
How many Buddhist monasteries were there in Kanchipuram during Pallava rule?
100 monasteries
How many Hindu temples were there in Kanchipuram during the Pallava rule?
80 temples
What opportunity provided the Chola come back in the 9th -10th century?
Serving as tributary princes
Which kingdoms did Rajaraja Chola defeat to expand his territorial boundaries?
Pandyas and Cheras
Who built and Buddhist monastery at Nagapatam in 1005 CE?
Shaildendra king of Shrivijaya
What drove the expansion of the Cholas into Southeast Asia and raised concerns with Siam and Cambodia?
Drive to be seen as universal rulers by conquering the world, interested in plunder or establishing a monopoly of trade
When did the international trade merchants raise to a significant power factor in India?
In the days of the Pallavas
Which region of international trade was controlled by the Ayyavole?
dominated trade of the Deccan - connections extended to western asia
What was the regional base of the Manigramam trade guild?
based in Tamil Nadu - connections concentrated in southeast asia
What evidence is there that the “negation of the world” philosophy was not as prevalent in the late Middle Ages as it was in the early period of India?
Inscription (1055 AD) recorded by guild of the Ayyovole Merchants
What effect did the constant rise and fall of dynasties in the Middle Ages have on the culture of India?
different areas got a chance to flourish and develop their regional culture
What difference in structure of the government is found in comparing Harsha’s Empire with the Gupta Empire?
differ in internal structure - Harsha’s realm was decentralized - also diff type on control in central core area
What was a distinctive structural feature on the Medieval realms?
Rise of the Samantas
Why was the Medieval political structure inherently weak?
Samantisation slowly eroded the power base of the ruler even in the core area of his realm - samantachakra was,of course, inherently unstable
What was the first stage of “development from below” in South India?
A tribal chieftain would turn into a local hindu princeling
What role did the tributary princes play in administration of the nuclear areas of a realm in Medieval India?
attended court of the vicious king but did not play a significant role
What event would mark the beginning of the third phase in the “development from below” in South India?
Conquest and annexation of at least one other early kingdom and of some principalities
What was one type of development Orissa had before the decline of Kharavela’s realm?
Development which was either imposed from above or imported from some other region (eg. Dakshina Koshala)
When did the second phase of development in Orissa began?
After the decline of the Gupta empire, when the Shailodbhava dynasty emerged
What areas were brought together by the Somavamshis?
Dakshina Koshala and Khinjali Mandala
Which group of government officials is not mentioned in the Mahanadi delta inscription?
Governors or district officers
Who can the mandala lords of the Bhaumakara dynasty’s realm be compared to?
Allodial lords of medieval europe
How was the king’s prestige measured in Medieval India?
The number of tributary princes attending their court
What was Amoghavarsha’s clever way to control the tributary princes?
Sent 1000s of dancers and courtesans as spies to the courts of his samantas
In the Gupta dynasty why did the king give land grants to Brahmins in distant lands?
Grants been made in distant uncultivated lands where the Brahmins were to act as missionaries for Hindu culture
What was the name of the large temple build in Paramaras around 1059-80?
Udayeshvara temple
The close connections between the king and the large temple allowed him to do what to unruly samantas?
threaten disobedient samantas with the wrath of the royal god if they didn’t obey the king’s orders
What is one religious factor that characterizes medieval India?
Transformation of ‘Brahminism’ into a new kind of popular hinduism
What was one non-religious factor that characterizes medieval India?
Emergence of regional kingdoms, evolution of regional languages, growth of regional centres
In medieval India why was infrastructure and agrarian extension under financed?
More resources were diverted to the Brahmins and temples
What two contradictory tendencies when synthesized led to Hinduism of today?
‘Brahmin counter-reformation’ and the movements of Bhakti cults
Which of the Hindu schools of philosophy is considered the “essence of Indian philosophy”?
Vedanta (the end, ie. anta, of the Vedas)
When did Shankara live?
788-820 AD
According to Shankara why do people believe the world is real?
The belief is due to ignorance (avidya) that prevents the soul (atman) from realizing its identity with the divine spirit (brahman)
How did Shankara accommodate popular Hinduism?
Allowing for a ‘lower truth’ which embodies the manifold appearance of the world and implies the existance of a divine creator (ishvara)
Bhakti emphasizes which of the following?
The love of god and childlike devotion for him
Where did the Bhakti movement begin?
6th century in Tamil Nadu
What was one group of Vaishnavite bhakti saints called?
Nayanars and Alwars
What constitutes the “Tamil Veda”?
Collections of writing from great saints
What groups of people made up the early Shaivite bhakti movement?
traders and peasants - people of low caste - nayanar saints?
What religious phenomenon helped increase bhakti’s appeal?
The idea of holy places - ‘public’ temples
What were two aspects of incorporating local gods into the greater Hindu pantheon?
process of anthropomorphisation (associate with hindu icons at holy temples), form legends, cults were ‘sanskritized’ and related to the ‘great tradition’
What cult is centered at Chidambaram?
Cult of Shiva - ‘King of Dancers’
Vyagrahapada came to Chidambaram for what reason?
to worship the Mulasthana lingam
How was the “fish-eyed” goddess incorporated into the Great Tradition of Hindusim?
identifying her with Shiva’s wife (parvati) and making their marriage the central feature of the cult of Minakshi
According to the Great Tradition who is Jagannath?
Lord of the world - identified with Vishnu
Why do people go on pilgrimage to Gaya?
Sacrifice for the ancestors
Who was the most important representative of the Vaishnavite school of philosophy?
Ramanuja
The Vaishnavite philosophy of 1,100 CE is classified as which of the following?
Became the doctorine of the Shri Vaishnavas - qualified monism (vishishthadvaita)
What is the content of the Gitagovinda?
emotional and erotic terms of love of Radha and Krishna - mysticism of the Krishna cult
When did Chaitanya live?
1485-1533
What was one factor that helped northern India emerge from being eclipsed by the south?
Mathura was chosen by his disciples as the centre of the Krishna cult - region began to regain religious importance
The most prominent school of Shaivism in the north was which of the following?
Kashmir Shaivism
Who was the greatest exponent of Shaivism who lived in the 11th century?
Abhinavagupta
What was one of the advantages that Shaiva Siddhanta?
With this new system the Shaivites could match the overpowering influence of Ramanuja’s Vaishnavite philosophy which had put them on the defensive for quite some time. This system served the same purpose of reconciling earlier orthodoxy with the ideas of the Bhakti movement.
What is one of the significant characteristics of the Lingayats?
all devotees carry a small lindam like an amulet as a sign of their exclusive adherence to their Shaivite faith - believed adherence would save them from rebirth - conservative moral standards (strict vegetarians, ahimsa, shun sexual excess)
What was one contributing factor in the development of regional literature?
Regionalism of indian culture, kingdom change of political structure and religious movements which lead to creation of new philosophical doctrines
What helped promote pilgrimage sites in the period 1000-1300 CE?
translation of sanskrit legends (chronicles of temples and dynasties) into regional languages to allow recitation everywhere
Which of the three theories of spreading Indian culture to SE Asia has been rejected by scholars?
Kshatriya theory
Why was J.C. van Leur important?
criticism on ‘indianization’ concept
wrote a book on indonesian trade and society and published posthumously
how indian culture was widely accepted by others
Who sent the first Buddhist monks to Burma?
Ashoka
Which South Indian Buddhist master spent five months in Suvarnadvipa on his way to China?
Vajrabodhi
Which area of India deserves the greatest credit for spreading Indian influences in SE Asia?
Tamil Nadu
When did direct Indian influence recede in SE Asia?
13th Century
Which dynasty is considered a Golden Age in India?
Guptas
Who was the last great Gupta ruler in the 5th century?
Skandagupta
Which areas of study advanced under the Gupta rule?
Math, astronomy, medical, architecture, art
Who was the greatest poet and dramatists during the Gupta period?
Kalidasa
Who were the great Mahayana philosophers and co-founders during the Gupta period?
Vatsysyana, Asanga, Vasubandu
What was different about the Gupta military in comparison to previous native Indian militaries?
Advanced siege warfare, catapults and battering rams, etc. And naval forces.
The God Shiva is often depicted as a lingam what is the goddess depicted as?
Yoni
The period of Shakyamuni’s life that Mahayana took as a model was which of the following?
Parinirvana (awakening - compassionate engagement)
The future earthly Buddha will be named which of the following?
Maitreya
When did the Vajrayana originate?
6th Century
Kriya, Carya, Yoga and Anuyoga tantras are based on what fundamental Buddhist concept?
Darshana
Which is a feature of Tantric Hinduism?
transmutation - Shakra system
One of the unique techniques used in Hindu tantra is which of the following?
Sex yoga, mantras, rituals, asanas, pranayama, yantra, mandalas
In what century did Harsh come to power?
6th Century
How old was Harsha when he was crowned king?
16 years old
Which play did Harsha write?
Ratnavali, Nagananda and Priyadarshika
When did the Pala empire begin?
750 CE
Which Pala king ruled in 1170 CE?
Govindapala
The earliest (proto-)Bengala literary work is which of the following?
Buddhist Charyapada
When was the Chera Dynasty founded?
3rd Century BCE
Who established the Medieval Cholas?
King Vijayalaya
In what year was Rajadhiraja Chola II ruling?
1163-1178
In what centuries did the Chalukya rule?
6th-12th Centuries
Which religious group did the Chalukya support?
Jainism and Shaivism
Who was the founder of the Badami Chulukya royal dynasty?
Pulakeshi I
In the Vedic Mahajanapada period, what was the name of Andhra?
Assaka/Asmaka - Telugu Cholas
According to the powerpoint, who was the last of the “Later Pallava” rulers?
Aparajitha Varman
Who brought Buddhism to Sri Lanka?
Ashoka’s son Mahinda
In which centuries did the Licchavis rule Kathmandu valley?
3rd Century CE
