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The Tripitaka are the doctrinal canons of the Theravadin school of Buddhism, a collection of primary Pali language texts.

• The Sutta Pitaka or the second and the largest section of the Tripitakas has five major divisions called nikayas.
• And the above-mentioned dialogue between Avantiputra and Kachchana is noted in Majjhima Nikaya.

Important Points

1. The following dialogue exchange may not be true but it reveals the Buddhist attitudes towards the varna practice.
2. The dialogue between King Avantiputra and the disciple of the Buddha named Kachchana- and Avantiputra questions Kachchana about his thoughts on the supreme status of the Brahmanas, where the Brahmans were considered the best pure and the others as lowly.
3. To this question, Kachchana answers with another question- that if a shudra were wealthy won't a Shudra, Vaishya or Brahmana speak politely to him
4. And Avantiputra replied that if a Shudra were wealthy he could get a Shudra or Vaishya or Kshatriya or a Brahmana as his obedient servant
5. Therefore, Kachchana asked that hence isn't the four varnas the same?- and Avantiputra agreed that there was no difference between the four varnas on this count.

Hence Majjhima Nikaya of Buddhist text contains a dialogue between, a king named Avantiputra and a disciple of the Buddha named Kachchana.

Additional InformationThe Tripitaka are the-  

1. Vinaya Pitaka- the Basket of Disciple- provides for the regulation of monastic life
2. Sutta Pitaka- the Basket of Discourse- contains sermons and doctrinal and ethical discourses attributed to the Buddha or sometimes to his disciples. This contains the following five books
3. Digha Nikaya
4. Majjhima Nikaya
5. Samyutta Nikaya
6. Anguttara Nikaya
7. Khuddaka Nikaya
8. Abhidhamma Pitaka- the Basket of Special/Further Doctrine- deals with the detailed scholastic analysis and summary of the Buddha's teachings in the Suttas.

The Vinaya Pitaka of the Tripitaka or the first book of the doctrinal canon of Theravadin Buddhism is the text that contains the set of rules and regulations for those who joined the sangha or monastic order.

Important Points

• The two branches of Buddhism are Theravadin ( or Hinayana) and Mahayana school.
• Though the Mahayana school is said to be split off from the Theravadin school, they too revere it but hold it as additional rather than canonical.
• The Vinaya Pitaka is the first book of the Tripitakas and is translated into the 'Basket of Discipline'.
• It follows guidelines attributed to the Buddha to control monastic life and the daily activities of monks and nuns. Even in Mahayana schools, the rules are essentially the same.
• The Vinaya Pitaka consists of three works:
• Sutta-vibhaga is an explanation of the monastic regulations or patimokkha. The rules are organized according to severity, ranging from violations necessitating expulsion from the order to those requiring just confession.
• Khandhaka is a collection of 22 sections that include: how to join the order, monastic rites, rules for food, clothes, and lodging, and how to handle crimes and disputes. Similar to the Sutta-vibhanga, a description of the occasion on which each regulation was created by the Buddha is provided. The narratives of significant events are presented, and the chronological order paints a picture of the early monastic community's changing way of life.
• Parivara or Appendix is apparently exclusive to the Theravada school and is a classified digest of the regulations found in the other Vinaya texts.

Hence, option Vinaya Pitaka contained a set of rules and regulations for those who joined the sangha or monastic order

Additional Information

• The Tripitakas are the-  
• Vinaya Pitaka- the Basket of Disciple- provides for the regulation of monastic life
• Sutta Pitaka- the Basket of Discourse- contains sermons and doctrinal and ethical discourses attributed to the Buddha or sometimes to his disciples.
• Abhidhamma Pitaka- the Basket of Special/Further Doctrine- deals with the detailed scholastic analysis and summary of the Buddha's teachings in the Suttas.

The six schools of the orthodox philosophical system are Samkhya & Yoga, Nyaya & Vaishesika, Mimasa & Vedanta. 

Important Points

Six orthodox schools of thought, or darshan, that consider the Vedas as the last revealed scriptures make up Hindu philosophy. These are the schools:

• Samkhya- Samkhya is a strongly dualist and atheistic theoretical analysis of consciousness and matter.
• Yoga- Meditation, introspection, and emancipation are key concepts in the yoga philosophy.
• Nyaya- Logic, or Nyaya, investigates the origins of knowledge.
• Vaishesika- An empiricist branch of atomism called Vaishesika.
• Mimasa- an anti-ascetic and anti-mysticist school of orthopraxy.
• Vedanta- is concerned with the study of the last book of the Vedas or Upanishad and also includes various schools of thought and these are formed, distinct from one another based on how they perceive the nature of the relationship and degree of identity between the eternal core of the individual self (atman) and the absolute (brahman).

Vedanta came to be the dominant current of Hinduism in the post-medieval period. Of the historical division into six darshans, only two schools, Vedanta and Yoga, survive. In conclusion, Vaishesika is the right answer to the question.

Additional Information

1. Satyaarth Prakash - is a book written by Swami Dayanand Saraswati in the 19^th century.
2. Mahabharata- is one of the two Sanskrit epics. It contains 18 Parvas or Books and has two main recensions- Northern and Southern.
3. Upanishad- It is the last book of the Vedas [ Samhita, Brahmana, Aranyaka and Upanishad]. Though the Vedanta is concerned with Upanishads, Vedanta contains more than just Upanishads.

At the court of Chandragupta Maurya, Megasthenes was the ambassador of the Greek ruler of West Asia named Seleucus Nicator.

Important Points

1. Megasthenes's account of Indica on the Mauryan Empire is considered as one of the most valuable contemporary works of the Mauryan Empire.
2. The following is one of the significant information from his account-Megasthenes mentions a military coordination committee with six subcommittees:
3. One of these was in charge of the fleet,
4. the second oversaw transportation and supplies,
5. the third oversaw foot soldiers,
6. the fourth over horses,
7. the fifth over chariots, and
8. the sixth over elephants.
9. His account also notes the various distinct officers appointed for different duties under the Mauryan Empire- 
10. Officers of state - superintend the river, measure the land, and inspect the canal sluices.
11. Some were in charge of huntsmen and held the power to reward or punish them. They collect taxes and superintend occupations connected with land, like woodcutters, carpenters, etc.

Additional Information

1. Fahien- During the Gupta Dynasty under Chandragupta II's rule, the Chinese pilgrim Fa-Hien made a pilgrimage to India. He made his way on foot from China to India, then took the sea to return.
2. Xuan Zang- During the reign of King Harsha Vardhan, a Chinese Buddhist monk named Hiuen Tsang or Xuanzang crossed land from China to India in search of Buddhist texts.
3. Itsing - The 7^th-century Chinese Buddhist pilgrim Itsing has left behind a journal detailing his journey to India.

The correct answer is I, II, III.

Key Points

• Arikamedu is located in Puducherry.
• In ancient India, it was a coastal settlement and trade centre.
• It was excavated in the 1940s.
• A massive brick structure, which may have been a warehouse was found at the site.
• Other finds include pottery from the Mediterranean region, such as amphorae.
• Roman lamps, glassware and gems have also been found at this site.

 Thus, we can say that Arikamedu is located in Puducherry and was a coastal settlement.

The correct answer is Harsha.

Key Points

• Xuan Zang, also known as Hein Tsang, was a 7^th-century Chinese Buddhist monk.
• Xuan Zang was a Chinese pilgrim who travelled overland from China to India during the reign of King Harshavardhana.
• He left a detailed account of what he saw.
• Xuan Zang decided to go to learn the teachings of Buddhists, collect Buddhist manuscripts to carry to China and pay homage to the sacred places associated with Buddha.
• In 629 CE, he decided to travel to India.

 Thus, we can say that the Chinese pilgrim, Xuan Zang lived in the court of Harsha.

The correct answer is Abhigyan Shakuntalam

Key Points

• ‘Abhijnana Shakuntalam’, is the story of the love between a king named Dushyanta and a young woman named Shakuntala. We find an interesting description of the plight of a poor fisherman in this play.

The correct answer is Uttar Pradesh.

Key Points

• The temple of Bhitargaon is located in the Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh.
• It is the largest Indian brick temple to survive from the time of the Gupta Empire.
• It was built in the fifth century during the Gupta period.
• The temple is built on a square plan with double-recessed corners and faces east.
• It is the oldest remaining terracotta Hindu shrine with a roof and a high shikhara.

 Thus, we can say that the temple of "Bhitargaon" is situated at Uttar Pradesh.

The correct answer is Bhagwati Dharma.

Key Points

• Shankardeva was a leading proponent of Vaishvanism in Assam in the late 15^th century.
• He is credited with building on past cultural relics and as a figure of importance in the cultural and religious history of Assam.
• He inspired the Bhakti movement in Assam.
• The teachings of Sankardeva are known as Bhagwati Dharma.
• This was so because the teachings were based on Bhagwad Gita and Bhagavata Puran.
• It focused on the absolute surrender to the supreme deity, Vishnu.

 Thus, we can say that the teachings of Shankardeva were addressed as Bhagwati Dharma in the late fifteenth century.

The correct answer is Types of farmers.

Key Points

• Two types of farmers are referred to in a seventeenth-century source during the Mughal Period.
• These are:
• Khud-kashta
• Pahi-kashta
• Khud kashta were residents of the village in which they held their land.
• They permanently lived in villages and practised cultivation on their own land.
• Pahi-kashta were non-resident cultivators.
• They cultivated land on a contractual basis.

 Thus, we can say that Khud-Kashta and Pahi-Kashta in the Mughal period were types of farmers.