TRADERS, KINGS AND PILGRIMS

Question 1

WHICH COINS HAVE BEEN FOUND IN SOUTH INDIA ANCIENT TIMES?

Answer 1

ROMAN GOLD COINS.

Question 2

WHAT IS MEANT BY TERM MUVENDAR?

Answer 2

THIS IS A TAMIL WORD MEANING THREE CHIEFS, USED FOR THE HEADS OF THREE RULING FAMILIES, THE CHOLAS, CHERAS AND PANDYAS WHO BECAME POWERFUL IN INDIA AROUND 2300 YEARS AGO.
THIS TERM IS MENTIONED IN SANGAM POEMS.

Question 3

AMONGST THE RIVER VALLEYS IN SOUTH INDIA (ANCIENT TIMES) THAT OF _______ IS THE MOST FERTILE?

Answer 3

KAVERI.

Question 4

WHAT IS TAMILAKAM?

Answer 4

ANCIENT TAMIL COUNTRY WHICH WAS DIVIDED INTO MULTIPLE KINGDOMS. BEST KNOWN AMONG THEM ARE CHOLAS, CHERAS, PANDYAS AND PALLAVAS.

Question 5

FOUNDER OF CHOLA EMPIRE?

Answer 5

VIJAYALAYA.

Question 6

COMMON THING BETWEEN CHOLAS, CHERAS AND PANDYAS?

Answer 6

1 EACH OF THE THREE CHIEFS HAD TWO CENTRES OF POWER: ONE INLAND AND ONE ON THE COAST.
2 THE CHIEFS DID NOT COLLECT REGULAR TAXES.
3 THEY DEMANDED AND RECIEVED GIFTS FROM THE PEOPLE.
4 THEY WENT ON MILITARY EXPEDITIONS AND COLLECTED TRIBUTE FROM NEIGHBOURING AREAS. NOTE*- CHOLAS ALSO HAD A STRONG NAVY.
5 THEY KEPT SOME OF THE WEALTH AND DISTRIBUTED THE REST AMONGST THEIR SUPPORTERS, INCLUDING MEMBERS OF THEIR FAMILY, SOLDIERS AND POETS.

Question 7

PORT OF THE CHOLAS?

Answer 7

PUHAR OR KAVERIPATTINAM.

Question 8

CAPITAL OF THE PANDYAS?

Answer 8

MADURAI.

Question 9

MOST IMPORTANT RULER OF SATAVAHANA DYNASTY?

Answer 9

GAUTAMIPUTRA SHRI SATAKARNI.
HE SENT HIS ARMY TO THE EASTERN, WESTERN AND SOUTHERN COASTS.

Question 10

INSCRIPTION THAT TELLS ABOUT GAUTAMIPUTRA SHRI SATAKARNI?

Answer 10

GAUTAMI BALASHARI- AN INSCRIPTION COMPOSED ON BEHALF OF HIS MOTHER.

Question 11

GAUTAMIPUTRA SHRI SATAKARNI AND OTHER SATAVAHANAS WERE KNOWN AS THE LORDS OF?

Answer 11

DAKSHINAPATHA- THE ROUTE LEADING TO THE SOUTH, WHICH WAS ALSO USED AS A NAME FOR THE ENTIRE SOUTHERN REGION.

Question 12

WHICH COINS SATAVAHANAS DID NOT ISSUED?

Answer 12

DID NOT ISSUE ANY GOLD COINS.

Question 13

TECHNIQUES OF MAKING SILK WERE FIRST INVENTED IN?

Answer 13

CHINA AROUND 7000 YEARS AGO.

Question 14

THE BEST KNOWN RULERS WHO CONTROLLED THE SILK ROUTE WERE THE?

Answer 14

KUSHANAS, WHO RULED OVER CENTRAL ASIA AND NORTH WEST INDIA AROUND 2000 YEARS AGO.

Question 15

MAJOR CENTRES OF POWER OF KUSHANAS?

Answer 15

TWO MAJOR CENTRES OF POWER OF KUSHANAS WERE
1 PESHAWAR
2 MATHURA
TAXILLA WAS ALSO INCLUDED IN THEIR KINGDOM.

Question 16

EXTENSION OF SILK ROUTE DURING KUSHANAS RULE?

Answer 16

DURING THEIR RULE, A BRANCH OF THE SILK ROUTE EXTENDED FROM CENTRAL ASIA DOWN TO THE SEAPORTS AT THE MOUTH OF THE RIVER INDUS, FROM WHERE SILK WAS SHIPPED WESTWARDS TO THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

Question 17

EARLIEST GOLD COINS WERE ISSUED BY?

Answer 17

THE KUSHANAS WERE AMONGST THE EARLIEST RULERS OF THE SUBCONTINENT TO ISSUE GOLD COINS. c. FIRST CENTURY CE.

Question 18

BANABHATTA WAS COURT POET OF?

Answer 18

HARSHA.

Question 19

RAVIKIRTI WAS COURT POET OF?

Answer 19

PULAKESHIN 2.

Question 20

HARISHENA WAS COURT POET OF?

Answer 20

SAMUDRAGUPTA.

Question 21

ASHVAGHOSHA WAS COURT POET OF?

Answer 21

KANISHKA.

Question 22

MOST FAMOUS KUSHANA RULER?

Answer 22

KANISHKA WHO RULED AROUND 1900 YEARS AGO. HE ORGANIZED A BUDDHIST COUNCIL.

Question 23

BUDDHACHARITA IS COMPOSED BY?

Answer 23

A BIOGRAPHY OF BUDDHA COMPOSED BY ASHVAGHOSHA.
ASHVAGHOSHA AND OTHER BUDDHIST SCHOLARS NOW BEGAN WRITING IN SANSKRIT.

Question 24

MAHAYANA BUDDHISM DEVELOPED DURING THE RULE OF?

Answer 24

KUSHANAS.

Question 25

TWO DISTINCT FEATURES OF MAHAYANA BUDDHISM?

Answer 25

1 EARLIER THE BUDDHA’S PRESENCE WAS SHOWN IN SCULPTURE BY USING CERTAIN SIGNS. EG HIS ATTAINMENT OF ENLIGHTENMENT WAS SHOWN BY SCULPTURE OF THE PEEPAL TREE.
NOW STATUES OF BUDDHA WERE MADE.
2 BELIEF IN BODHISATTVAS.

Question 26

WHAT ARE BODHISATTVAS?

Answer 26

PERSON WHO HAD ATTAINED ENLIGHTENMENT.
ONCE THEY ATTAINED ENLIGHTENMENT, THEY COULD LIVE IN COMPLETE ISOLATION AND MEDITATE IN PEACE. HOWEVER INSTEAD OF DOING THAT, THEY REMAINED IN THE WORLD TO TEACH AND HELP OTHER PEOPLE.

Question 27

THE OLDER FORM OF BUDDHISM WAS KNOWN AS?

Answer 27

THERAVADA BUDDHISM.

Question 28

IMAGE COMPARISON OF BUDDHA FROM MATHURA AND TAXILLA?

Answer 28

HALO IN MATHURA IS MORE DECORATED.

Question 29

CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER OF CHINESE BUDDHIST PILGRIMS THAT VISITED INDIA?

Answer 29

FXI
1 FA XIAN- 1600 YEARS AGO.
2 XUAN OR HUAN ZANG- 1400 YEARS AGO.
3 I-QING OR TSING- 1350 YEARS AGO.
THEY CAME TO VISIT PLACES ASSOCIATED WITH THE LIFE OF THE BUDDHA AS WELL AS FAMOUS MONASTERIES.

Question 30

WHICH CHINESE PILGRIM TOOK THE LAND ROUTE BACK TO CHINA AND WHAT DID HE TAKE BACK ALONG WITH HIM?

Answer 30

XUAN ZANG, WHO TOOK THE LAND ROUTE BACK TO CHINA (THROUGH NORTH WEST AND CENTRAL ASIA) CARRIED BACK WITH HIM STATUES OF THE BUDDHA MADE OF GOLD, SILVER AND SANDALWOOD, AND OVER 600 MANUSCRIPTS LOADED ON BACK OF 20 HORSES.
OVER 50 MANUSCRIPTS WERE LOST WHEN THE BOAT ON WHICH HE WAS CROSSING THE INDUS CAPSIZED.

Question 31

NALANDA UNIVERSITY WAS FOUNDED BY?

Answer 31

KUMARAGUPTA.
IT WAS A UNIQUE CENTRE OF BUDDHIST LEARNING.

Question 32

DID XUAN ZANG VISITED NALANDA?

Answer 32

YES HE SPENT TIME STUDYING IN NALANDA (BIHAR).

Question 33

THE IDEA OF BHAKTI IS PRESENT IN_____ BOOK OF HINDUS?

Answer 33

BHAGAVAD GITA SACRED BOOK OF THE HINDUS WHICH IS INCLUDED IN THE MAHABHARATA.

Question 34

VISHNU AS VARAHA STATUE IS FOUND IN WHICH STATE?

Answer 34

ERAN, MADHYA PRADESH.

Question 35

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF BHAJ IN ANCIENT TERMS?

Answer 35

BHAKTI COMES FROM THE SANSKRIT TERM BHAJ MEANING TO DIVIDE OUR SHARE.
THIS SUGGESTS AN INTIMATE, TWO WAY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE DEITY AND THE DEVOTEE.
BHAKTI IS DIRECTED TOWARDS BHAGAVAT WHICH IS OFTEN TRANSLATED AS GOD BUT ALSO MEANS ONE WHO POSSESSES AND SHARES BHAGA, LITERALLY GOOD FORTUNE OR BLISS.
THE DEVOTEE KNOWN AS THE BHAKTA OR THE BHAGAVATA SHARES HIS OR HER CHOSEN DEITY’S BHAGA.

Question 36

WHO WAS APPAR?

Answer 36

WAS A DEVOTEE OF SHIVA WHO LIVED ABOUT 1400 YEARS AGO.
APPAR WAS A VELLALA.

Question 37

APPAR WAS CONTEMPORARY OF WHICH CHINESE PILGRIM?

Answer 37

XUAN ZANG COMES TO INDIA, APPAR COMPOSES DEVOTIONAL POEMS IN PRAISE OF SHIVA (ABOUT 1400 YEARS AGO).