History - Ancient India Flashcards
The beginning of the second urbanisation in India is also known as ____.
Age of the Buddha
Founder of Jainism
Rishabhnath
- 1st tirthankara
- described as incarnation of Narayana in Vishnu Purana and Bhagvata Purana
There were ___ tirthankaras.
Last one was ____.
24
Mahavira [means ‘the brave’]
The Rig Veda mentions two tirthankaras - _____ & ____
Rishab Dev & Arishtanemi
_____ was a tirthankara who left his life as a prince and became a hermit.
Parsavanath
- prince of Benaras
Mahavira was born at ___.
Kundalgram, near Vaishali in Bihar
Mahavira attained ____ at 42 under a sal tree in ____.
Kaivalya [perfect knowledge], Jimbhika Grama
Mahavira’s first sermon was at ____. His disciplines were also called ____.
Pava, Ganddharas
Mahavira became the head of the sect called ____.
Jinas
- initially called Nirgranthas
Three Ratna’s in Jainism
Right faith [samyak vishwas]
Right knowledge [samyak gyaan]
Right conduct [samyak karma]
Five cardinal principles in Jainism
Non-injury [ahimsa] Non-stealing [asteya] Non-lying [satya] Non-possession [aparigraha] Celibacy [brahmacharya]
In Jainism, monks who observe the 5 principles are called ____.
Mahavratas
In Jainism, lay people who observe the 5 principles are called ____.
Anuvratas
In Jainism, ____ is the philosophy of ‘may be’ and our thoughts being conditioned with no absolution.
Syadavada
____ was the doctrine of maybe-ness in reality.
Anekantavada
In Jainism, perception through the working of the sense organs is called ____.
Mati Jnana
In Jainism, telepathic knowledge is called ____.
Manahparyaya jnana
Jain monks migrated from Ganga valley to the deccan during _____ reign.
Chandragupta Maurya
- led by Bhadrabahu
Two sects of Jainism
Digambara - led by Bhadrabahu
Swetambara - led by Sthulabhadra
Buddha was born in ____.
Lumbini
Buddha died at _____ in UP.
Kusinagar
Buddha’s Great Renunciation at 29 is also called _____.
Mahabhinishkrama
Symbol for Buddha’s birth
Lotus and bull
Pratitya Samutpada is also known as ____
Law of dependent origination
Worshippers of Buddha are also known as ____.
Upasakas
_____ sect of Buddhism believe that they can attain salvation through magical powers.
Vijrayana
- their chief divinity is Taras
_____ tripitaka contains Buddha’s sermons.
Sutta pitaka
_____ tripitaka contains the philosophy of Buddha’s teachings.
Abhidhamma pitaka
Vinayana pitaka contains ____.
Rules for monastic discipline for monks
____, emperor of Kushan dynasty, was the patron of Mahayana sect of Buddhism.
Kanishka
_____ was the Bodhisatva who holds a thunderbolt.
Vajrapani
____ Bodhisatva was considered to be future Buddha.
Maitreya
____ Bodhisatva is Buddha of Heaven.
Amitabha / Amitayusha
_____ takes credit for being the first to worship human statues.
Buddhism
_____ is a style of Buddhist visual art that developed in now NW Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan between the 1st century BCE - 7th century CE.
Gandhara art
According to ____, Mauryas were connected to Nandas and were called ‘Virshal’.
Mudrarakshasa [play by Vishakhadatta]
_____ is the treatise of the state craft and public administration under Mauryas.
Arthashastra of Kautilya
____ contain the socio-economic conditions of the Mauryan period.
Jataka
___ contains the administrative structure under Mauryas and the caste system in India.
Indica of Megasthenes
Dipavamsa and Mahavamsa contain Ashoka’s role in ____.
spreading of Buddhism in Sri Lanka
There are ___ major rock edicts of the Mauryan period.
14
Ashoka’s edicts were first deciphered by ____.
James Princep [1837]
Ashoka’s minor edict No. 3, discovered in ____
Sannati village
____ was also known as Sandrocottus by Greek scholars.
Chandragupta Maurya
Selecus sent ____ as the Greek ambassador to Chandragupta Maurya.
Megasthenes
____ was the first Indian to unite the whole of North India.
Chandragupta Maurya
Bindusara was also known as _____ by the Greeks.
Amrito Chates
- aka slayer of foes
This Buddhist monk credited Bindusara for conquering the lands between the two seas.
Taranath
___ Buddhist text tells the story of Ashoka killing his 99 brothers.
Dipavamsa
The misery of ____ war cause Ashoka to leave his life of physical conquests, and shifted to cultural conquests.
Kalinga War
Ashoka embraced Buddhism under ____.
Upagupta
Last ruler of Mauryan empire
Brihadratha
- assassinated by Pushyamitra Shunga [founder of Shunga dynasty]
____ classified Mauryan art into two categories.
Ananda Coomaraswamy
- royal art & folk art
____ was the most famous Indo-Greek ruler.
Menander
Greek rulers were the first to issue ___.
coins
____, the king of Ujjain, defeated the Shakas.
Vikramaditya
Most famous Shaka ruler who repaired the Sudarshan river in Kathiawar.
Rudradaman
- Sudharashana lake was constructed by Pushyagupta under Chandragupta Maurya
St. Thomas came to India during _____ reign.
Gondophernes [Parthian ruler]
____ is also known as second Ashoka.
Kanishka
- started the Saka era
____ were first to issue gold coins in India.
Kushana
____ ruler controlled the famous silk route in Central Asia.
Kanishka
The Nandiswara, an exmaple of Amaravati art is located in ____.
Amareshwara Temple
____ is considered to be the prosecutor of Buddhism.
Pushyamitra Shunga
- revival of Hindu culture, Sanskrit language and Bhagvatism
Agnimitra was the hero of Kalidas’ _____ work of literature.
Malvikagnimitram
Manusmirti was compiled in the ____ dynasty.
Shunga
____ period is also known as the ‘Golden Age of Hinduism’.
Gupta period
- founded by Sri Gupta
_____ was the first king of take on the title of ‘Maharajadhiraja’.
Chandragupta I
____ was also known as the ‘Napoleon of India’.
Samudragupta
- by VA Smith
The ruler of Sri Lanka, ____, sent a missionary to Samudragupta to build a buddhist temple at Gaya.
Meghavarman
The only Gupta ruler to issue copper coins.
Ramagupta
____ was the Chinese traveller who visited India during the time of Chandragupta II.
Fa Hein
____ inscriptions in Delhi, claims Chandragupta II’s authority over NW India and Bengal.
Mehrauli Iron Pillar
____ founded the Nalanda University.
Kumaragupta
Skandagupta got the title of ____ after repulsing the attacks of the Hunas twice.
Vikramaditya
The first sign of Sati came about in the ____ dynasty.
Gupta
Bhagavad Gita was written during ___ period.
Gupta
Gupta period is also known as the _____ of Ancient India.
Golden Age
The Gupta age marked the beginning of the main styles of temple architecture, mainly ____ & ____.
Nagara & Dravida styles with the Garbhagriha
These two Hindu epic texts were written during the Gupta period.
Ramayana and Mahabharata
- Manu Smriti was also written in this time
____ is a love story written in the Gupta period between Charudatta and Vasantasena.
Mrichchakatikam [by Sudraka]
The earliest book on sex that was written in the Gupta period.
Kamasutra [by Vatsyayana]
This Indian mathematician placed the value of zero and the first number line.
Aryabhatta
This Indian mathematician hinted at the law of gravitation in the Gupta period.
Brahmagupta [in Brahma Siddhanta]
_____ was also known as ‘Siladitya’, made Kannuaj the capital of his kingdom.
Harshavardhana
- also considered as the last great Hindu emperor of India
Details about Harshavardhana’s reign are written in ____.
Harshacharita
Harsha was defeated by ___.
Pulakesin II
____ Chinese pilgrim visited India during Harsha’s period
Huen Tsang
- spoke about revenue being divided in 4 parts [king, scholar, officers, religion]
The Tripartite struggle was between these groups.
Palas, Gurjaras & Rashtrakutas
- for Kannauj
- Palas won [Dharma Pala]
Vesara / Deccan style of architecture was created by ___.
Chalukyas
____ built the Sun Temple at Konark.
Narshima Deva I
____ wrote the first Kannad poem.
Amogvarsha
- Rashtrakuta dynasty
The land south of ____ river was divided into Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas
Krishna
Earliest known Chola ruler
Ellara
Earliest known Chera rulers
Udiyangera
Greatest Chera king
Senguttuvan / Red Chera
- founded the Pattini cult
- built Kannagi temple
Earliest known Pandya ruler
Mudukudumi
____ kingdom was mentioned by Megasthenes for their pearls.
Pandya
The Sangam age is also known as ___.
Golden / Augustan Age
Father of Tamil literature
Agastya
_____ is also known as the Fifth Veda or the Bible of the Tamil Land
Tirrukural / Kural
____ is also known as the Iliad of Tamil poetry
Silappadikaram [by Ilango Adigal]
- love story between Kovalan and Madhavi
Sequel of Silappadikaram
Manimekalai [by Seetalai Sattannar]
This Tamil epic has elements of Jainism in it.
Sevaga Chintamani [by Jaina Tiruttakadeva]
Ancient capital of the Cholas
Palayarai
____ revived the Chola empire.
Vijayalaya
____ took on the title of Maduraikonda and build a Siva temple at Tanjore.
Aditya Chola
Three gems of Tamil poetry
Kamban, Kuttana & Pugalendi
Dancing figure of Shiva, the ‘Nataraja’ was made during the ____ period.
Chola
___ style of architecture is a feature of Chola dynasty.
Dravida
- vimana dominates whole structure of the shrine
- also has gopurams & garbhagrihas
___ purana refers to the 10 incarnations of Vishnu.
Matsya
____ upanishad gave the first reference to lord krishna as the some of Devaki
Chandogya
____ purana refer to lingam worship.
Matsya purana
- oldest lingam: Gundimallam [Andhra]
Oldest Saivite cult
Pasupatal [founded by Lakulisa]
4 schools of Saivism
Pasupati, Saiva, Kapalika & Kalmukha
- Kapalika & Kalmukha were a tantric cult
Shakti Dharma, worship of female deity, is first mentioned in the ____.
Mahabharata
Andrew and Peter, Jesus’ first disciples were hanged by ___.
Portius, Roman Governor
Founder of Islam
Hazrat Muhammad Saheb
Hazrat Muhammad attained enlightenment here.
Hirat Caves near Mecca
Beginning of Islam era is also called ___ era.
Hijri
Kailash temple in Ellor was built during ___ dynasty.
Rashtrakuta
Which ruler ended the designation of ‘Khalifa’.
Mashtafa Kamal Pasha