UGC NET Paper-2: History 9th Oct 2020 Shift 1 (Previous Year Paper)

Vrajapati was "The officer who led to battle heads of the fighting hordes"

Key Points

• The period between 1500 B.C and 600 B.C is divided into the Early Vedic Period and the Later Vedic Period.
• The Early Vedic period or the Rigvedic period is the period in the history of north India at the end of the urban Indus Valley Civilisation between 1500 B.C -1000 B.C.

Officials of Vedic Period:

 Additional Information

• In the early Vedic age, the fundamental unit of power lay within the realm of the patriarchal family which was called Kula.
• In the Vedic age, the concept of state emerged and the idea of Kingship evolved gradually from clan chieftainship.
• There are five types of State Systems during the Vedic period:

1. Rajya (Central kingdom): Ruled by the Raja.
2. Bhojya (Southern kingdom): Ruled by the Bhoja.
3. Swarajya (Western kingdom): Ruled by the Svarat.
4. Vairajya (Northern kingdom): Ruled by the Virat.
5. Samrajya (Eastern kingdom):  Ruled by the Samrat.

Chandana was the first to become a Jaina nun.

Key Points

• Jainism- The word Jain is derived from a Sanskrit word meaning conqueror.
• Jain Mahatmas are called Nirgrantha.
• Jain founders are called  Tirthankaras.

Note- The first to become a Jaina nun was Chandana.

• Over 25 centuries ago, Lord Mahavira, having established the final Tirtha of this declining era, attained Moksha in 599 BC.
• The Kalpa Sutra mentions that at that time Mahavira’s Sangha consisted of 14,000 monks,36,000 nuns,159,000 shravakas and 318,000 shavikas.
• Able Aryika Chandana, who was also known as Chandanabala, led the congregation of nuns.
• Chandana was born into a royal family.
• Tragically, as a result of the war, she was taken into slavery and sold.
• She was purchased by Seth Dhanadatta for use as a domestic servant.
• When the Seth’s wife saw Dhanadatta treat his slave kindly, she became jealous of the beautiful Chandana.
• While Dhanadatta was away, she had Chandana’s head shaved and her legs chained to the door of her slave quarters where she cried in anguish for days.
• When hungry, she was given half-cooked lentils in a flimsy bamboo container used for winnowing grain called a supa.
• A few months before she attained Keval Jnan, she continuously fasted until offered food by only that individual who met 10 untold and seemingly impossible conditions.
• She would accept (1)only urad lentils,(2) offered in a winnowing basket, (3) given by a person standing sideways with one foot on the threshold of a dwelling place and the other foot outside, (4) who was a princess turned in to a slave, (5) who had a shaven head, and (6) whose legs were bound by chains.
• She had to be (7) a chaste woman, (8) at the time performing the penances of attham (3 days fast), and would serve him (9) only after all other mendicants had rejected her food offering, (10) with tears in her eyes.
• But Chandana, a prince sold as a slave, shackled and humiliated by the jealous wife of a depraved merchant, fulfilled his secret conditions.
• As Mahavira passed by, he turned his face away at the last moment without accepting her humble alms.
• Already tormented and abused, Chandana began to cry.
• And thus the final condition was met.
• To the amazement of onlookers including her captors, in his bare palms, Mahavira accepted the food Chandana offered from her simple winnowing basket, breaking his six-month fast with a small handful of the rough slave fodder that Chandana had been living on for weeks.
• Chandana was released and she joined Lord Mahavira’s monastic order.
• She thus became the first nun of the Mahavira Jain tradition and eventually the leader of thousands of Aryikas.
• The significance of Chandana’s leadership may be judged by comparing the order of Jain nuns with the Buddhist nun.
• Buddha agreed to ordain nuns only after considerable hesitation and persistent pressure from his aunt.
• Within a few centuries of Buddhism, nuns were completely done away within the Theravada sect.

Key Points

• Arthashastra was written by Kautilya.
• According to Kautilya, a king is one who is always active in promoting the protection and welfare of the people.
• Kautilya has for the first time defined the state in Arthashastra.
• According to him, a State consists of people and the ruler who controlled the state.
• Kautilya’s Arthashastra is an ancient Indian Sanskrit treatise on statecraft, economic policy, and military strategy.
• It has been a subject of controversy whether a woman in post-Mauurya north India had some right to own and inherit the stridhana or separate property.
• So far as the constituent of elements of the separate property (stridhana) of a married woman is concerned, the Dharmasutras refer to ornaments and presents from her relatives, and the Arthasastras of Kautilya to (a) Cash or land assigned for her subsistence and (b) Ornaments.
• In this field, Manu, however, seems to be the first code-maker to give a comprehensive definition of stridhana.

Important Points

• The book on statecraft was written in the Mauryan period.
• The text is divided into 15 chapters known as books.
• The book was written in Sanskrit.
• Even before the final version of Arthashastra was written in the fourth century B.C. by Kautilya, there appeared a tradition of writing on and teaching statecraft because Kautilya acknowledges his debt to his predecessors in the field.
• Kautilya was the Prime Minister of Chandragupta Maurya.

The correct answer is  Mamulnkar.

Key Points

• Wealth and treasure accumulated by Nandas were mentioned in a few poems of Sangam literature in Tamil by a poet named MAMULANAR.
• Nandas were renowned for their immense wealth. Invaded nearby countries and accumulated huge wealth.
• There is a verse by the Tamil poet Mamulanar that refers to "the untold wealth of the Nandas", which was "swept away and submerged later on by the floods of the Ganges".
• The Nanda dynasty flourished between 344 BC - 323 BC. Founded by Mahapadma Nanda by overthrowing the Shishunaga dynasty.
• Racked up more assets through heavy taxes and trade.
• Their unpopularity may be due to heavy taxes imposed on the common man which may have led to a revolution, that paved the way for the Mauryan empire.
• Nanda dynasty at its peak would have expanded up to Deccan in the South, though there are disputes among historians on this.
• Nandas accumulated immense wealth through victorious battles and the treasures accrued were hidden in the nearby Ganges as per info provided by poet Mamulanar.
• Tamils may have known Nandas either through trade or they may have invaded parts of Deccan.

Kamban

• Tamil poet  Kavi Chakravarthy Kambar lived in c. 1180-1250 in southern India.
• The poet who is informally known as Kamban gained fame after writing the Kamba Ramayanam, which is the Tamil version of the Ramayana epic from the Hindu religion.
• Kamban was a learned scholar of India’s two ancient and culturally-rich languages – Sanskrit and Tamil.
• This masterpiece holds a special place in Tamil literature and his work is believed to be unparalleled by any other poet.
• The Kamba Ramayanam is believed to have more than 10,000 songs and is composed of 45,000 lines, forming one of the greatest epics in Tamil.

 

Kulasekhara

• Kulasekhara is one of the twelve Tamil Alwar saints of South India, who are known for their affiliation to Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism.
• The verses of the alwars are compiled as Nalayira Divya Prabandham and the 108 temples revered are classified as Divya desam.
• He is considered the seventh in the line of the twelve alwars.
• He is sometimes identified as Kulasekhara, the author of Sanskrit works such as Tapatisamvaranam, Subhadradhananjaya and Vichchinnabhiseka.

 

Madhurkavi

• Madhur Kavi Aazhwar was born before Swami Nammazhwar, in a Brahmin family.
• Madhura Kavi Aazhwar learnt the Vedas and was well-versed in both Tamil and Sanskrit.
• He used to compose poems in praise of Bhagavan.
• The Lord is more pleased if we serve His devotees more than directly serving Him.

The correct answer is  "Clarifying the relationship between Kanishka and Kadphises kings."

Key Points

• The information that we get from Rabatak's Inscription is about Kanishka and the related kings of his time.
• Kanishka was the third ruler of the Kushana empire.
• He was the grandson of Kadphises I, the founder of the Kushana empire.
• The famous Rabatak Inscription written on a rock in the Bactrian language and the Greek script presents valuable information on Kanishka.
• The most essential Bactrian inscription of the Kushan period is that of Rabātak, a record of the foundation of a temple housing the statues of Kanishka I and his ancestors as well as numerous gods and goddesses.
• One of the most precious pieces of information provided by the Rabātak inscription is the genealogy of Kanishka I, whose lineage is traced back via his father Vima (II) Kadphises and his grandfather Vima (I) Taktu to his great-grandfather Kujula Kadphises.

​

Talking about option 2),

• Since Rabatak Inscription gave a complete account of the genealogy of the early Kushan Empire.
• Therefore, it gives us no account related to the three Mauryan kings.

Talking about option 3),

• Rabatak Inscription gives information about the Kushan deities.
• Therefore, we do not mention the worship of Vishnu.

Talking about option 4),

• Rabatak Inscription in Bactrian and Greek was found in a place called Rabatak between Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif one of the most powerful and one of the most enigmatic empires in the crossroads between India, China and Persia.

Fa-Hien is the correct option.

Key Points

• He provides useful information for determining the beginning of the Gupta Era.
• Fa-Hien (337-c.422 AD) was the first Chinese Buddhist pilgrim to leave an account of his travels to Central Asia, India, and Sri Lanka.
• A native of san xi (Shansi), he left home at the tender age of three to join the Buddhist Samha.
• After his novitiate, Fa-Hien wanted to go to India to search for the treatises of the Vinaya Pitaka, the monastic rules of Buddhism.
• He departed for India in 399 AD.
• Travelling through Central Asia and Northwest India, Fa-Hien reached northern India and then visited the holy Buddhist sites located in the Ganges valley: Kapilavastu, the birthplace of Buddha; Bodhgaya, the site of Buddha's enlightenment; Sarnath, where Buddha preached his first sermon, and Kushinagar, the place of Buddha's nirvana.
• He spent much of his time visiting and describing the mid-India of Magadha.
• Fa-Hien returned to China in 414 AD after enduring many hardships at sea.
• Fa-Hien's pilgrimage to India inspired generations of other Chinese monks who defied the hazards of travel by land or sea to reach the desired Holy Land of the Buddha in search of the Ultimate Truth (Dhamma).

​

Hieun Tsang

• Hieun Tsang, the Chinese pilgrim, visited India during the reign of Harshavardhana with the aim of securing authentic Buddhist scripts.
• The Kanauj assembly (643 AD) was held in honour of Hieun Tsang and to popularise the Mahayana sect of Buddhism.
• He stayed in India for about fifteen years and recorded his experience in his book, 'Si-Yu-Ki’.
• The book throws light on the religion, customs, traditions, etc.

Al-Masudi 

• He was an Arab traveller, (957 AD)he has given an extensive account of India in his work ‘Muruj-ul-Zahab’.

Al Beruni

• Al-Biruni came from Uzbekistan.
• Al Beruni was the First Muslim Scholar to study India and its Brahmanical tradition.
• He is called the father of Indology and the first anthropologist.
• He was well-versed in physics, mathematics, astrology and natural sciences.
• He wrote many books most famous of which is Tahqiq-al-Hind.
• He was given the title ‘al-Ustadh’ for his remarkable description of early 11^th-century India.
• He is called the father of Indology and the first anthropologist.

The correct answer is option  Qazi Mughisuddin.

Key Points

• Allauddin Khilji came to the throne of the Delhi Sultanate in 1296 after killing the reigning Sultan, Jalaluddin Khalji, his uncle and father-in-law.
• His original name was ''Ali Gurshasp''.
• Even as a prince he had shown a passion for conquering far-off territories and had led armies for it.
• He wanted to become a world conqueror.
• In his coins, he described himself as Sikandar Sanni (Second Alexander).
• Once on the throne, among his severest challenges was facing six major Mongol attacks, often at the head of vast armies of a lakh or more.
• He led campaigns several against Gujarat, Mewar, Malwa etc. and also in the South and conquered them.

 

Qazi Mughisuddin was a theologian in Allauddin's court. 

• Qazi Mughisuddin advised Allauddin Khilji to act according to the laws of Shariat, but the Sultan rejected his advice.
• Therefore, Allauddin Khilji quoted the given lines to Qazi Mughisuddin.

Important Points

• Qazi Fakhruddin was a descendant of the noted Muslim theologian Abu Hanifa, who purchased Aibak.
• Aibak was treated affectionately in the Qazi's household and was educated with the Qazi's sons.
• He learned archery and horse riding, besides the Quran recital.
• Sharaf Qaini was the revenue minister in the empire of Allauddin Khilji.
• Alaul Mulk was the uncle of Barani, who convinced Allauddin to drop the idea of starting a new religion and it could only be found based on a revelation from God, not based on human wisdom.
• Alaul Mulk also argued that even great conquerors like Genghis Khan had not been able to subvert Islam, and people would revolt against Alauddin for founding a new religion.

The correct answer is 1870.

Key Points

• The Indian Penal Code defines sedition (Section 124A) as an offence committed when "any person by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the government established by law in India".
• Disaffection includes disloyalty and all feelings of enmity.
• However, comments without exciting or attempting to excite hatred, contempt or disaffection, will not constitute an offence under this section.

Punishment for the offence of sedition:

• Sedition is a non-bailable offence.
• Punishment under Section 124A ranges from imprisonment up to three years to a life term, to which a fine may be added.
• A person charged under this law is barred from a government job.
• They have to live without their passport and must produce themselves in the court at all times as and when required.

Origin of sedition law in Modern India:

• The law was originally drafted in 1837 by Thomas Macaulay, the British historian-politician, but was inexplicably omitted when the IPC was enacted in 1860.
• Section 124A was inserted in 1870 by an amendment introduced by Sir James Stephen when it felt the need for a specific section to deal with the offence.
• It was one of the many draconian laws enacted to stifle any voices of dissent at that time.

The correct answer is Parsis.

Key Points

• In 1850, on the eve of the rise of large-scale industry in India, the most prominent community i.e Parsis engaged in the trade of the two principal exportable goods from the western coast, cotton and opium.
• Colonial commodities created conditions that can be better understood in a global context and by scrutinizing the interconnections between developments in different parts of the world.
• As is well known, opium was a major colonial commodity.
• It was linked to trade in several other commodities of the modern era such as tea, sugar, cotton, and slaves.
• In the case of India, for instance, earnings from the several components of the opium enterprise played a vital role in the growth of industrial capitalism in western India.
• Dayaram Dulobha had been active in the Daman-Goa trade since the turn of the century.
• He remained a key figure in the Daman trade throughout the period.
• The names of Moolchand Heerachand and Karamchand Hurruckchand crop up repeatedly in contemporary records, both Portuguese and British.
• Antonio Moniz in his historical account of Daman refers to Moolchand Heerachand (Mulchande Íra) as one of those merchants who introduced the opium commerce in the port.
• Byramji Bhikaji and his son Kavasji Byramji belonged to a family of Parsi priests.
• The family had settled down in Pune (Poona) in the mid-eighteenth century and later moved to the Portuguese territories in Gujarat.
• Byramji became a revenue-farmer for some of the petty chiefs in Gujarat.
• Byramji diversified into commerce and invested money in the opium trade during the twenties.
• His business was later carried on by his two sons Bhikaji Byramji and Kavasji Byramji.
• They owned a ship that plied between Daman, Bombay, China and Mozambique.

The correct answer is Mahendra Lal Sarkar.

Key Points

• Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science in Calcutta founded on July 29, 1876, by Dr Mahendra Lal Sircar, IACS is the oldest institute in India devoted to the pursuit of fundamental research in the frontier areas of basic sciences.
• Professor C V Raman worked at IACS from 1907 to 1933, and it is here that he discovered the celebrated Effect that bears his name and for which he was awarded Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930.
• The Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS) is a society registered under Act XXI of 1860.
• It has a Governing Council with a number of members elected or nominated and the Registrar as its Non-Member Secretary.
• The Institute is run by the Governing Council, which is the apex policy-making body.

The Governing Council plays the following important role.

• The Council is the executive authority of the Association and would constitute the apex body responsible for the smooth running of the organization.

​The correct answer is H. H. Risley.

Key Points

• H.H. Risley was a British civil servant and ethnographer during the colonial period in India.
• Henry Hugh Risley served as the Home Secretary of the Government of India and was involved in the decision-making process leading to the partition of Bengal in 1905.
• The partition of Bengal was a controversial administrative decision made by the British government, which involved dividing the province of Bengal into two separate entities: Bengal and Eastern Bengal and Assam.
• While it is true that Risley made this statement, the general idea behind his statement was that a united Bengal posed a threat to British colonial rule, as it had a significant population and potential for unified political and social movements.
• By dividing Bengal, the British hoped to weaken the strength of the Bengali nationalist movement and prevent unified opposition to their rule.

​Hence we conclude that the correct answer is H. H. Risley.

The correct answer is 1927.

Key Points

• All India Women’s Conference (AIWC) was founded in 1927 in Pune.
• AIWC is a non-governmental organisation (NGO), founded by Margaret Cousins.
• It is an organisation dedicated to the upliftment and betterment of women and children.
• It has branches all over the country.
• The first meeting was held in Poona in which was attended by 2,000 people at the Fergusson College Hall at Poona University.
• One of the first secretaries of AIWC was Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay.
• The organisation runs MCH clinics, adult education centres to improve female literacy, milk centres and family planning clinics.
• Skill-based literacy programmes for women are conducted in remote areas as well as urban slums, with a view to empowering them economically.
• The All India Women’s Conference completed ninety years in 2017.

Some of the aims of AIWC:- 

• To work for a society based on the principles of social justice, personal integrity and equal rights and opportunities for all.
• To secure recognition of the inherent right of every human being to work and to the essentials of life, such as food, clothing, housing, education, social amenities and security.
• To support the claim of every citizen to the right to enjoy basic civil liberties.
• To stand against all separatist tendencies and to promote greater national integration and unity.
• To work actively for the general progress and welfare of women and children.

The correct answer is 1954.

Key Points

• The French settlement in India began in 1673 with the purchase of land at Chandernagore from the Mughal Governor of Bengal.
• In June 1948, the French conducted a referendum in which an overwhelming majority of 97 per cent of people opted for a merger with India.
• After so many legal hurdles, India was freed from France's rule in 1954.

Additional Information

​Options 1), 2) and 4) are not correct as the French presence in India remained between 1667 and 1954.

The correct answer is "Eran Pillar Inscription of Bhanugupta."

Key Points

• The first epigraphic evidence of Sati has been found in the Eran Pillar Inscription of Bhanugupta, Madhya Pradesh.
• Some records suggest that the first example of Sati appears in the Gupta Period in 510 AD.
• After about this time, instances of Sati began to be marked by inscribed memorial stones.
• According to Axel Michaels, the first clear proofs of the practice is from Nepal in 464 CE, and in India in 510 CE.
• In India, the earliest of these memorial stones are found in Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, though the largest collections date from several centuries later, and are found in Rajasthan.

So, the first option Eran Pillar Inscription of Bhanugupta is the correct answer.

Junagadh Inscription of Rudradaman-

• It is located in Junagadh, Gujarat.
• This inscription mentions the name of 4 rulers - Rudradaman, Chandragupta Maurya, Ashoka and  Skand Gupta.
• It also mentions the Sudarshan Lake from the time of Chandragupta Maurya.

 

Allahabad Pillar Inscription of Samudragupta- 

• It is also known as Prayag Prashasti.
• ​It was composed by Harisena, the court poet of Samudragupta.
• This inscription mentions that Samudragupta was a great conqueror.

 

Madhuban Inscription of Harsha- 

• This inscription is obtained from a place called Madhuban in Uttar Pradesh.
• The language of this inscription is Sanskrit and Script – Brahmi Script.
• The date of Harshsamvat 25 (631 AD) is mentioned in this Tampatra Inscription.

The correct answer is Punjab, Nepal and North-West Frontier Province.

Key Points

• The British Indian Army, during the early 20^th century, drew its recruits from different parts of India to ensure a mix of manpower from different communities.
• While Punjab, Nepal, and the North-West Frontier Province did contribute soldiers.
• The Indian Army had a wide range of regiments that were recruited from different regions of India.
• These regiments included the Punjab Regiment, Gurkha Rifles, Baloch Regiment, Rajput Regiment, Sikh Regiment, Garhwal Rifles, and many others.
• Each regiment had its own recruiting areas and drew soldiers from specific regions or communities.

So we conclude that by 1914, about three-quarters of the Indian infantry came from Punjab, Nepal and North-West Frontier Province.

The correct answer is Khizar Hayat Khan.

Key Points

• Sir Khizar Hayat belonged to the present-day district Sargodha (earlier named Shahpur).
• His army service strengthened his devotion to the crown.
• He lived on 22, Queen's Road, Lahore.
• After March 1946, he headed a coalition government in the Punjab Assembly.
• His party, the Unionist Party, had 18 seats in the 175-member Assembly.
• He was so popular that he was supported by both the Congress and the Akali Dal in the pre-Partition Punjab Assembly.
• He was a member of the Indian Delegation to the Paris Peace Conference in 1946.
• He resigned from his Premiership on 2 March 1947.
• Although he remained at Shimla until independence, he did not thereafter seek an active part in politics and left the country, returning to Pakistan in October 1949, in order to try to put his property affairs there in order.

Therefore, Khizar Hayat Khan was not associated with the Lahore Resolution.   

• The Lahore Resolution commonly known as the Pakistan Resolution was a formal political statement adopted by the Muslim League on the occasion of its three-day general session on 22-24 March 1940 that called for greater Muslim autonomy in British India.
• The resolution was presented by A. K. Fazlul Huq.
• The name Pakistan was not used in the resolution and the official name of the resolution was Lahore Resolution.
• It was the Hindu newspapers including Partap, Bande Matram, Milap, Tribune etc., who ironically coined the name Pakistan Resolution.
• It was one of the most important resolutions ever passed because it created the history and affected millions of people
• It is the culmination (a logical consequence) of the two-nation theory.
• It became a turning point in the history of the Muslims of India.
• Hindu rejected the resolution immediately and called the resolution as Vivisection of Mother India (i.e. its murdering India.

The correct answer is Sayyid Ahmed Khan.

 Key Points

• Between 1871 and 1897, Sayyid Ahmed Khan launched “ Tahzib al- Akhlaq”.
• Tehzib al- Akhlaq came into being as a result of Sir Syed’s ultimate motto of religious, educational, and social reform.
• He held morality as the common ground for all of these reforms that he earnestly wanted to carry out.
• He firmly believed that the political decline among Muslims (the most immediate of all the troubles) was related to none but their moral decline

Objectives of Tahzibul Akhlaq:-

• (i) Establishment of Social Harmony among the Muslims of India.
• (ii) Revival of True Islamic Traditions.
• (iii) Remove the misconception of Islam from the masses in regard to modern developments.
• Tahzibul Akhlaq faced stiff resistance from the Muslims of India but at the same time, it found its well-wishers also.
• Tahzib al- Akhlaq was trying to present the true picture of Islam.
• From its inception in 1870 till 1881, Tahzib al- Akhlaq was discontinued twice and finally, in 1881 it was merged with Aligarh Gazette.

Additional Information

• Jamalal-dinal-Afghani:  
• In full Jamal al-DIn al-Afghani al-Sayyid Muḥammad ibn Ṣafdar al-Ḥusayn, also called Jamal al-Dīn al-Asadabadi, (born 1838, Asadabad, Persia (now in Iran)—died March 9, 1897, Istanbul, Ottoman Empire (now in Turkey), Muslim politician, political agitator, and journalist whose belief in the potency of a revived Islamic civilization in the face of European domination significantly influenced the development of Muslim thought in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries.
• Nawab Mohsin-ul-Mulk
• ​He was born on 9^th December 1837 in the town of Etawah, a part of the United Provinces.
• He was the son of Syed Mir Zaamin Ali.
• He got his early education in and around Etawah.
• He was given an education in Persian and Arabic.
• He participated in Aligarh and he was also included in those people who were the founder of All India Muslim League.
• Ismail Yusuf  (c. 1870 - 1915): 
• He was an early 20^th-century Indian businessman and the proprietor of the Bombay Steam Navigation Company.
• He is also known as Haji Ismail Yusuf.
• The Yusuf family own vast amounts of land in Mumbai and in the vicinity and is one of the ten largest private landowners in Mumbai.

The correct answer is - Bhulabhai Desai

Key Points

• Bhulabhai Desai
• He was a prominent Indian independence activist and lawyer.
• He led the defense team in the first Indian National Army (INA) trials held at the Red Fort in 1945-46.
• Desai’s defense strategy was instrumental in garnering public sympathy and political support for the INA soldiers.
• His efforts in the trials significantly highlighted the legality issues and moral implications of the INA actions during World War II.

Additional Information

• Jawaharlal Nehru
• He was the first Prime Minister of independent India.
• Nehru was actively involved in the defense of INA soldiers but did not lead the defense.
• Mahatma Gandhi
• He was the preeminent leader of the Indian independence movement.
• Gandhi did not partake directly in the INA trials but supported the soldiers' cause through political advocacy.
• Sardar Patel
• He was a key figure in the Indian independence movement and the integration of the princely states into modern India.
• Patel was not directly involved in the INA trials but supported the movement's overall cause politically.

The correct option is "Belief in the authority of the Shastri class."

Key Points

Arya Samaj

• Arya Samaj was founded in 1875 by Swami Dayanand Saraswati in Bombay.

• Its headquarter was later shifted to Lahore.

• Arya Samaj focussed on the equality of sexes, love and charity towards all.

• The Samaj emphasised the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of Man.

• The Samaj started the Shuddhi movement to convert non-Hindus to Hinduism.

• This became a contributory factor in the spread of Communalism in India in the 20^th century.

• Arya Samaj accepted the authority of Vedas but didn't believe in the authority of the Shastri class.

• The most phenomenal achievement of Arya Samaj has been in the field of Education.

• In 1886, the Anglo-Vedic school was established in Lahore.

• In 1902, Gurukul Pathshala was instituted under Lala Hansraj.

• Dayanand Saraswati's ideals were to unite India socially, religiously and nationally.

• His motto was ''Go back to Vedas''

• Arya Samaj rejected the concept of Idol worship.

• Monotheism (belief in one God) was emphasised.

The instrument of Accession was an accession treaty i.e. the state will come under the Dominion of India.

Key Points

Jodhpur

• The Rajput princely state of Jodhpur was a strange case of tilting towards Pakistan despite having a Hindu king and a large Hindu population while the prince, Maharaja Hanvant Singh, was strong in his willingness to join India, he somehow got the idea that it might be more beneficial for him to join Pakistan on account of the fact that his state shared border with the soon to be born country.
• Further, he was lured into joining Pakistan by Jinnah who offered him full port facilities in Karachi along with military and agrarian support.
• However, when Vallabhbhai Patel was made aware of the possibility of Jodhpur going to Pakistan, he immediately contacted the prince and offered him sufficient benefits and explained to him the problems of joining a Muslim state and eventually the Jodhpur prince was won back.
• The Maharaja of Jodhpur states signed the instrument of accession only after a last-minute theatrical show of defiance.

​So the correct answer is Jodhpur.

Additional Information

• The last ruler of the Jodhpur state was Hanwant Singh.
• He ascended the throne in 1947.
• He was a descendant of the Rathore dynasty.
• He was the son of Maharaja Umaid Singh
• He delayed signing the Instrument of Accession to India and briefly considered joining Pakistan.
• But thanks to the effective persuasion of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Lord Mountbatten, the maharajah of Jodhpur is in agreement to the accession of his state to the new Dominion of India.
• He formed a new political party Akhil Bhartiya Ramrajya Parishad in 1952 after Independence.
• He died in a plane crash in 1952.​

Aryabhatta was not discovered "The earth revolves around the sun".

Key Points

• Aryabhatta was the first Indian mathematician and astronomer who lived in Kusumpur in Pataliputra (Bihar).
• He did many discoveries like algebraic identities, trigonometrical functions, the value of pi, the Place value system, Theory of eclipses.
• He worked on the approximation for pi to 3.1416.
• Aryabhata also explained the solar and lunar eclipses in his book.
• The shadow of the earth falling on the moon causes eclipses.
• Aryabhata provided elegant results for the summation of a series of squares and cubes.
• His works include the Aryabhaṭiya (499 CE, when he was 23 years old) and the Arya-Siddhanta.
• The great discovery that the Earth rotates around its own axis from west to east is recorded in the Aryabhatiya.
• Aryabhata did solve quadratic and indeterminate equations, and provided an extremely accurate approximation for “pi”.

The correct option is Vishnugupta.

Key Points

• Vishnugupta was one of the lesser-known kings of the Gupta Empire.
• He is considered to be the '' last recognized king'' of the Gupta dynasty.
• He ruled between 540 A.D. and 550 A.D.
• He was the son of Kumaragupta III and the grandson of Narasimhagupta Baladitya.
• Gold coins having the name Vishnu written vertically on the obverse and the title Chandraditya on the reverse had been discovered in the Kalighat hoard.
• The Fifth Damodarpur copper plate dated 543 A.D.  in which the first part of the emperor's name is damaged is considered to belong to the reign of Vishnugupta.
• This copper plate mentions that the Gupta Empire extended from Magadha up to Northern Bengal which was governed by Devabhattaraka.
• He is also to have issued gold coins with a lesser percentage of gold in them.

Skandagupta​

• The Gupta period is known as the '' golden period of ancient Indian history'' and Skandagupta is known as  ''Vikramaditya''  Saviour of India as he successfully fought the battle against the invading Huns.
• He ascended the throne in 455 AD and ruled till 467 AD.
• Skandagupta issued five types of gold coins: Archer type, King and Queen type, Chhatra type, Lion-slayer type and Horseman type.
• His silver coins are of four types: Garuda type, Bull type, Altar type and Madhyadesha type.

Budhagupta

• Budhagupta became the ruler of the Gupta Empire in 476 AD after the death of Kumaragupta II, and he allied with the kings of Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh, northern India against the White Huns.
• Budhagupta extended his authority to Mathura in the north through a series of campaigns, and victory pillars were erected in his honour.
• He was succeeded by Narasimhagupta in 495.

Narasimhagupta

• Narasimhagupta Baladitya was a Gupta dynasty ruler of northern India.
• He was a son of Purugupta and probably the successor of Budhagupta.
• Baladitya along with Yashovarman of Kannauj is credited with driving the Hunas or White Huns from the plains of Northern India.
• His clay sealing has been found in Nalanda. The name of his queen mentioned in the Nalanda sealing is Shrimitradevi.
• He was succeeded by his son Kumaragupta III.

The correct answer is  "Genealogical records from Assam."

Key Points

• Burunjis is known as the class of historical chronicles and manuscripts written initially in the Ahom Language and later in the Assamese language.
• The first such Burunji was written on the instructions of the first Ahom king Sukaphaa who established the Ahom kingdom in 1228.
• There were two kinds of Burunjis: - one maintained by the state (official) and the other maintained by families.
• Most of the manuscripts of Burunjis are written in the Ahom language.
• But later the tradition of writing Burunji was minimised and the amount of Burunji become lesser and Assamese Lingua franca was adopted by the end of the kingdom.
• The Burunjis not only describe the Ahom kingdom but also the neighbours (Chutiya, Kachari and Tripura Buranjis) and those with whom the Ahom kingdom had diplomatic and military contacts (Padshah Burunji).
• They were written on the barks of the Sanchi tree or aloe wood.
• Though many such Burunjis have been collected, compiled and published, an unknown number of Burunjis are still in private hands.
• During the reign of Rajeswar Singha, Kirti Chandra Borbarua had many Burunjis destroyed because he suspected they contained information on his lowly birth.

Therefore, Burunjis are related to Assam and are a kind of genealogical record of Assam.

The correct answer is Iltutmish.

Key Points

ILTUTMISH (1211A.D. -1236A.D.)

• The death of Qutbuddin Aibak in 1210 brought to the forefront the inherent defects of the ill-cemented sultanate.
• It raised the problem of controlling the ambitious provincial governors and partisan nobles.
• The spirit of provincial insubordination and assertion of authority by the nobility were the chief difficulties that the Delhi Sultanate faced throughout its period of existence.
• Iltutmish accepted the invitation of the nobles of Delhi.
• Aram Shah, who was unwilling to give up his claim as Iltutmish near Delhi defeated the successor of Aibak in 1211.
• He held in succession the fiefs of Gwalior and Baran (Bulandshahr).
• Later, he was appointed as the governor of Badaon.
• Iltutmish was the first Turkish ruler to introduce a purely Arabic coinage.
• His silver coin called the tanka weighed 175 grains.
• It had an Arabic inscription on it.
• It was meant to replace the former Hindu coins.
• The issue of the tanka in both gold and silver indicated that the Delhi Sultanate had acquired stability and continuity.

​

• In order to justify his calm to the throne of Delhi Iltutmish secured a letter of investiture from the Abbasid Caliph of Baghdad, Al-Mustansir Billah.
• Thus, Iltutmish initiated a fully sovereign and legally constituted Sultanate of Delhi.
• He became the first legal sovereign of the sultanate and may be described as the real founder of the Delhi Sultanate.
• Iltutmish realized the need to put the status and dignity of the sovereign beyond anybody’s challenge.
• As the Qutbi and other nobles were unwilling to accept his overlordship, Iltutmish was convinced that he could command the obedience of his subordinate officers only when almost all the high offices were granted to his own favourites.
• Thus, he organized a ‘group of forty’ and distributed all high offices among them.
• This ‘group of forty’ also known as turkan-i-chahalagni became a new order of nobility that enhanced the prestige of the Sultan.
• The ‘group of forty’ became the basis of his power and strength.
• To give greater stability to the state, Iltutmish selected able persons both foreigners and local inhabitants.

The correct answer is Chalukyas.

Key Points

• The women of the Chalukya dynasty were very influential and hugely involved in the functioning of the administration.
• The role of women in society varied and largely depended on their economic status and level of education.
• Contemporary records indicate some royal women were involved in administrative and martial affairs such as Princess Akkadevi, (sister of King Jayasimha II) who fought and defeated rebellious feudal.
• Some important literary works of the time related to music and musical instruments were Sangita Chudamani, Sangita Samayasara and Sangitha Ratnakara.
• Records describe the participation of women in the fine arts, such as Chalukya queen Chandala Devi and Kalachuri queen Sovala Devi's skill in dance and music, compositions of thirty Vachana poets including the 12^th-century Virashaiva mystic Akka Mahadevi whose devotion to the bhakti movement is well known.
• Inscriptions emphasise public acceptance of widowhood indicating that Sati though present was on a voluntary basis.

Chahamanas

• Chahamana rulers were also known as Chauhans of Ajmer.
• They ruled in present-day Rajasthan between the 6^th century CE - 12 century CE.
• As per legends, contained in Mahobakhanda, the Chandela family was descended from the union of Moon (in Hindi called Chandra) and Hemavati.
• But there is no evidence of women being powerful in administration.

Chandelas

• The Chandela was an Indian Rajput clan of Central India.
• They were popularly termed as Chandelas or Jejakabhukti dynasty in Indian history.
• Chandela dynasty ruled much of the Bundelkhand region of Central India for long periods between the 9^th and the 13^th centuries AD.
• The capital city of Chandels was Khajuraho which was later changed to Mahoba.
• The former capital city was a part of the Pratihara kingdom.
• Nannuk, a ruler of a small kingdom was the founder of the Chandela Dynasty.
• Therefore, we do not get information regarding the influence of women in administration.

Cholas

• The Cholas have occupied the region of the Kaveri Delta and the adjoining area.
• The region of Kanchi was also part of the Cholas kingdom.
• The Kingdom was situated towards the north-east of Pandya kingdom and it was also called Cholamandalam in early medieval times.
• One of the main sources of wealth for Cholas was a trade in cotton cloth.
• Here also we find no mention of women in administration.

The correct answer is  Khotan.

Key Points

• The first discovery of the Prakrit text of the Dhammapada in Kharosthi was made in 1892 by the French traveller Dutreuil de Hhins, he also founded altogether three fragments in Khotan, which lie despatched to Paris.

• The Dhammapada is the only text of which a fragment has been preserved in Kharosthi, a script in which two recensions of Asoka's Rock Edicts, at Shahbazgarhi and Mansehra, are inscribed, and this is the only Buddhist text which has been hitherto found composed in a Prakrit dialect.

• The manuscript is one of the earliest finds from Khotan.

• Among later finds in Khotan, we have to mention a few documents containing dispositions and reports of local authorities, instructions, regulations, official and private correspondence — all inscribed in the Kharosthi script and drawn up in a Prakrit dialect.

• "Dhammapada," is a compound term composed of dhamma and pada.

• Dhamma refers to the Buddha's "doctrine" and Pada means "foot".

• Tufran- We do not find any manuscripts of Dhammapada in Kharoshti script.

• Kashagara - Here also we do not find Dhammapada in Kharoshti script.

• Kuchi- Similarly, we do not find Dhammapada in Kharoshti script here.

The correct answer is Sikandar Lodi.

Key Points

• Lodi dynasty ruled in India during the year 1451-1526.
• They succeeded the Syyaid dynasty.
• Bahalul Lodi was the founder of the Lodi dynasty.
• He died in the year 1489 and was succeeded by his son Sikandar Lodi.
• Sikandar was the greatest ruler of all the three in the Lodi dynasty.
• He extended his kingdom from Bihar to Punjab and defeated many Rajput Chiefs.
• He also instituted the system of proper accounting and audit of the income and expenditure of governors and officers.
• He established the system of espionage.
• He also distributed free rations to the poor and opened free kitchens.
• The Sultan himself used to take a keen personal interest in the development of agriculture.
• He abolished zakat (import duty) on grain and introduced a measurement standard, which continued to prevail till the Mughal period
• Sikandar’s reign was material prosperity.
• All the systems of law and order, trade and commerce, agriculture and irrigation and daily life of people were in place.
• Ibrahim Lodi succeeded his father Sikandar Lodi who was an arrogant ruler.
• He even insulted and humiliated his nobles openly in the court.
• The nobles who revolted against him were put to death.
• Babur marched to Delhi and he defeated and killed Ibrahim Lodi in the first battle of Panipat (1526).
• This was the end of the Lodi dynasty.
• The kingdom lasted only for 75 years.

The correct answer is Hauz-ul Hayat.

Key Points

• Amritakunda is an ancient manual of yogic practice.
• It was translated into Persian and Arabic as Hauz-al-Hayat or Cistern of the Water of Life.
• The original translator was Ruknuddin Samarqandi from 13^th-century Bengal, but the texts available now are by Gaus Gwaliori.
• Amritakunda became well-known, especially in Sufi circles.
• It now exists in over 40 Arabic recensions alone and is also quoted by later thinkers like Muhsin Fani, the author of Dabistan.
• Al-Misri described it as an important book for the study of Hindu yogic practices which had become a part of Indian Sufism.

The correct answer is "they wanted to make them sedentary to enhance the imperial income".

Key Points

• Sindh also spelt Sind, province of southeastern Pakistan.
• It is bordered by the provinces of Balochistān on the west and north, Punjab on the northeast, the Indian states of Rajasthan and Gujarat to the east, and the Arabian Sea to the south.
• Sindh is essentially part of the Indus River delta and has derived its name from that river, which is known in Pakistan as the Sindhu.
• The province of Sindh was established in 1970.

Talking about the Mughals and Sindh:

• In the 16^th and 17^th centuries, Sindh was ruled by the Mughals (1591–1700) and then by several independent Sindhian dynasties, the last of which lost the region to the British in 1843.

• The political history of Sindh is overshadowed with continuous conflicts between the regional and the central powers.

• The Mughal empire was in dire need of generating revenue which could be channelled as funds for armies and other war-expedition related expenses. .

• The Mughal rulers took keen interest and made great efforts for the progress of agricultural activities.

• Tribal people were found in almost every region of the subcontinent.

• The tribal chief, Kamal Khan Gakkhar, was made a noble (mansabdar) by Emperor Akbar.

• In Multan and Sind, the Langahs and Arghuns were subdued by the Mughals.

• The Balochis were another large and powerful tribe in the north-west.

• The Arab conquest of Sindh in 711 led to the entry of Islam into the Indian subcontinent.

• Sindh was part of the administrative province of Al-Sind in the Umayyad and ʿAbbāsid empires.

• With the eventual weakening of central authority in the caliphate, the Arab governors of Al-Sindh established their own dynastic rule of the region from the 10^th to the 16^th century.

Mughals had control over the nomadic tribes of Sindh for numerous benefits -

• political authority over the region.
• generating revenue
• annual tribute
• agricultural benefits.

The correct answer is Mahmud Khalji I.

Key Points

• Mandu formed a prominent capital city of the Malwa kingdom.
• Ala’ al-Din Khalji (reg. 1296-1316) captured this erstwhile settlement of the Paramaras, it was renamed Shadiabad by Hushang Shah Ghuri.
• The Ghurid dynasty was quickly replaced by the Khaljis, who controlled the Malwa sultanate from 1436 to 1531.
• There was a small period when the Sultans of Gujarat and the Mughals had control, but from 1537 to 1561, Mandu struggled to remain as an independent state.
• The last of its independent rulers was the famous Baz Bahadur (reg. 1555-1561).
• Through all these dynastic changes, it remained the capital of the sultans of Malwa from 1401 to till it was completely subdued by the Mughals in 1562.
• Mahmud Khalji I was interested in architecture.
• Besides completing the Jama Masjid and Tomb of Hoshang, he built number of structure.
• He built a hospital in mandu in 1445.
• He gave land for its maintenance, with his own physician being appointed to supervise the hospitals.

The correct answer is Sultan Husain Sharqi.

Key Points

• Hussain Shah assumed the title of Gandharva.
• He contributed significantly in the development of Khayal, a genre of Hindustani classical music.
• He also composed several new ragas (melodies).
• Most notable among these are Malhar-syama, Gaur-syama, Bhopal-syama, Hussaini- or Jaunpuri-asavari (presently known as Jaunpuri) and Jaunpuri-basant.
• Hussain Shah was the last ruler of Sharqi dynasty.
• Hussain Shah got successively defeated by the Sultan of Delhi, Bahul Lodi.
• He signed a four years' peace treaty with Bahlul Lodi in 1458.
• Later, in order to invade Delhi reached the banks of the Yamuna with a very large army in 1478, as a result, Bahlul Lodi defeated him.

​

Sultan Sikandar Lodi- 

• Sikandar Lodi is regarded as the ablest, the greatest and the most successful Sultan.
• He had great qualities as a general, as an administrator, a consolidator of the empire and a man of letters.
• He established law and order.
• He encouraged agriculture and trade which resulted in economic prosperity.
• He enhanced the glory and power of the king.
• He was known for impartial justice.
• The Sultan took a great interest in music.
• He enjoyed ‘sehnai’ very much.
• A reputed work on music titled ‘Lahjat-i- Sikandar Shahi’ was prepared during his reign.

Raja Man Singh of Gwalior- 

• Raja Man Singh Tomar born to Raja Kalyanmall, the Rajput Tomar ruler of Gwalior, he ruled for over 30 years.
• He married famous Gujari rani 'Mrignayani'.
• He built the famous Gwalior Fort and also a separate palace called Gujari Mahal for his wife.

Amir Khusrao- 

• Amir Khusro is today known as the mystic poet-musician par excellence.
• He is also venerated as a saint, with the suffix Hazrat (Honorable) attached to his name.
• His annual urs (death anniversary) is among the most popular of Sufi religious celebrations.
• Khusrau was not only a courtier, but a Sufi mystic as well; one of the favourites of the famous Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya.

The correct answer is Akhbar-ul Akhyar.

Key Points

• Akhbar ul Akhyar appeared in the 16^th century.
• Shaikh Abdul Haq Muhaddis Dehlawi (1551–1663) was one of the most illustrious scholar-sufis (alim-sufi) of Mughal India.
• He compiled Akhbar ul Akhiyar in Persian, which is recognised as a leading source of South Asian Sufism.
• He was born in 1551 (958 AH) in Delhi, hence the suffix Dehlavi to his name.
• He became a writer in Arabic and Persian, who won favour from both Mughal Emperors, Jahangir (r.1605-28) and Shah Jahan (r.1628-58), and in time became a scholar of Islam.
• Akhbar ul Akhyar was compiled in order to explore elements of the implicit and at times explicit, challenges posed to the hegemonic orthodoxy, which was often identified with the Arabisation process.

Maasir-ul-Umara:

• It is a biographical dictionary of the officers in the Mughal empire until 1780 AD.
• It was the work of Shah Nawaz Khan (entitled Samsamuddaula) and his son Abdul Hai.
• Shah Nawaz Khan devoted himself to the compilation of the work from August 1741 to 1747.
• The Maasir-ul-Umara is a storehouse of knowledge about the history of the Mughals in India.
• There is no dearth of the contemporary history of the Mughal empire; these include the namahs, such as Baburnamah, Humayun namah, Padshahnamah, Alamgirnamah etc.

Akhbar-ul Akhyar:

• It is a Persian-language biography of notables in the Mughal Empire (1556–1780).
• It was written by Samsam ud Daula Shah Nawaz Khan and his son Abdul Hai Khan.
• Its variants of the title include Ma'athir al-Umara, Maasir al-Umara, and Maathir ul-Umara.
• Shah Nawaz Khan relies upon a variety of Persian histories for his information, which he lists in his introduction.

Zakhirat-ul Khwanin:

• It is a biographical dictionary of Mughal Nobles.
• Composed in 1651, Zakhiratul Khwanin of Shaikh Farid Bhakkari is an important source to understand social trends and tensions of the Mughal times.
• The author of this work was the pioneer in the field of writing biographies of even the lesser mansabdars associated with the Mughal court.
• Zakhiratul Khwanin would be studied as a source of information regarding the Mughal society.

The correct answer is Shaikh Abdul Quddus Gangohi.

Key Points

• Sheikh Abdul Quddus was also known as Sheikh Abd-Al-Quddus Gangohi and Abdul Quddus Hanafi Ghaznavi Chishti Gangohi bin Shaykh Muhammad Ismail bin Shaykh Safi al-din. (1456-1537).

• Sheikh Abdul Quddus was born into the family of Shaikh Moḥammad Esmail bin Safi-al-Din bin Nasir-al-din ca.( 860/1456).

• Sheikh Abd-al-Quddus was also an inventive writer in Persian, Arabic and Hindi.

• He was a Sufi poet and Chisti shaykh.

• He belonged to the Sabiri branch of the Chishti silsila.

• Sheikh Abdul Quddus, with his family, moved to Shahabad in the Punjab region, not far from Gangoh, where the saint eventually died and was buried

• Inevitably he was entangled in the Battle of Panipat (1526).

• Sultan Ibrahim Lodhi compelled him to bless the ill-fated Lodhi army.

• He then moved to Gangoh, where he lived for his remaining eleven years.

• He developed minimal but apparently cordial relations with both Babur and Humayun.

• Abd-al-Quddus recorded his exchanges with the Lodhi and Mughal royalty in letters, copies of which were retained, collected, and later transcribed by scrupulous disciples.

• These letters (the Maktubat-e-Quddusi) provide insights into the saint’s relations with contemporary rulers and government officials.

• Maulana Abdullah Ajudhani-  

• During his days as a Prince Sikandar Lodi also came in direct confrontation with Maulana Abdulla Ajudhani who objected to his interference within the religious practice followed by Hindus at Thaneshwar and commented that “Islam does not permit such interference”.

• Sikandar Lodi was a fanatic where there are records of destruction of Temples along with the destruction of Sharqi monuments tomb but they were saved only after the strong resistance by the scholars.

• Maulana Abdulla Ajudhani was a saint during Lodi dynasty.

• Shaikh Abdullah-

• He was a Sufi saint in the Mughal period.

• He interfered in the bitterness and animosity engendered by the strife between the sect's leaders and the government, the growing confusion and disorder of Islam during Sher Shah's reign.

• Shaikh Azizullah was a theologian and a Sufi saint during the Mughal period.

The correct answer is Maluk Das.

Key Points

• Maluk Das (1574–1682) was an Indian devotional poet of India.
• He was born in Kada, near Allahabad.
• Themes of his songs such as social reform, religious tolerance, goodwill among men, equality and the oneness of God, resemble other singers of the Bhakti movement such as Kabir and Guru Nanak.
• He also advocated the principle of one god worship. According to him, God is formless and can be worshipped from our soul, and he is occupying in each and everything.
• He was against idol worship, Hindu rituals and customs and doing pujas to god.
• Emperor Aurangazeb realizes his importance and gifted some villages to him.
• Maluk Das believes in God as a formless Being and the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, Who, at the same time, pervades through each and every shape.
• Maluk Das addresses Him by several names, e.g. Nirankar (That which has no shape), Avinashi (That which does not perish), Allah, Parameshwar, Jyoti Saroop (The form of Light), Parmanand (The absolute Joy), Sirjanhaar (The Creator), etc.

Additional Information

• At a different level, historians of religion often classify bhakti traditions into two broad categories: Saguna (with attributes) and Nirguna (without attributes).
• Saguna Bhakti included traditions that focused on the worship of specific deities such as Shiva, Vishnu and his avatars (incarnations) and forms of the goddess or Devi, all often conceptualized in anthropomorphic forms.
• Sagun Bhakti refers to devotion and prayer to god having some form and with attributes whereas Nirguna Bhakti refers to devotion and prayer to formlessness god without any attributes.
• Nirguna bhakti, on the other hand, was the worship of an abstract form of god.

The correct answer is Abdul Rahim Khan-i Khanan.

Key Points

• Shahnama is a poem written by Ferdowsi of Persia between 977 CE and 1010 CE.
• The poem consists of 50,000 couplets which poetically depicts Iran’s creation.
• Shahnama is one of the world's largest epic poems written by a single poet and the national epic of Greater Iran.
• Ferdowsi belonged to the class of dehqans, they were Iranians who used to own lands.
• They were flourished under the Sassanid dynasty.
• The famous poet Ferdowsi wrote the world's longest poem "Shahnama" in the Persian language.
• It tells mainly the mythical and to some extent the historical past of the Persian Empire.
• The illustrated copy of Shahnama of the late sixteenth-century Mughal school was prepared at the library for Abdul Rahim Khan-i Khanan.

Key Points

 About Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khanan

• Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khanan (1556 –1627), popularly known as simply Rahim, was a poet who lived in India during the rule of Mughal emperor Akbar.
• ​He was one of the nine important ministers (dewan) in his court, also known as the Navaratnas.
• Abdul Rahim was the son of Bairam Khan, Akbar's trusted guardian and mentor.
• Rahim was also a poet par excellence and his poetry and dohas are compared with those by Bhakti poets Surdas, Tulsidas and Kabir.
• Apart from writing various dohas, Rahim translated Babar's memoirs, Baburnama from Chagatai language to the Persian language.
• In Sanskrit, he wrote two books on astrology, Khetakautukam and Dwatrimshadyogavali.

The correct answer is Bhaktamal.

Key Points

• It was sometime in mid 15^th century that the poet-saint Kabir Das was born in Kashi.
• The details about the life of Kabir are shrouded in uncertainty.
• There are differing opinions, contrasting facts and multiple legends about his life.
• Even sources discussing his life are scanty.
• Earliest sources include the Bijak and Adi Granth.
• Others are Nabhaji by Bhakta Mal, Dabistan-i-Tawarikh by Mohsin Fani and Khajinat al-Asafiya.
• Bhaktamal is a poem in the Braja language that gives short biographies of more than two-hundred Bhaktas.
• It was written by Guru Nabha Dass ji (Bhaktamala) and was composed by Nabhadas (a saint belonging to the tradition of Ramananda).
• The Bhaktamal gives the earliest reliable account of many Bhakta and hence is considered an important source for the literary and devotional history of northern India.
• Vernacular texts like the Bhaktamals turned to hagiographies of the founders of the various sects.
• In Northern India, the basic model was established sometime during the late sixteenth century by Nabhadas in his Bhaktamal and its later commentaries.
• Here the emphasis is placed squarely on hagiography, the life stories of individual religious poets and saints.
• Bhaktamal is the earliest known account of the medieval bhaktas to be found in a single work.

The correct answer is Tavernier and Fryer.

Key Points

Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (1605-89):

• He was a firangi in the literal sense – a French visitor to India.
• He kept coming back to Golconda, the kingdom in the Deccan ruled by the Qutb Shahi dynasty.
• Tavernier came to India when Mughal power was at its most magnificent, but also most fragile, in a manner of speaking; the reign of Shahjahan and, later, the troubled times when that Emperor’s sons were battling it out in one of the bloodiest dynastic wars of succession in India’s history.
• Tavernier visited the court of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and during his visit, he wrote in his account that the king was the owner of all land and no private ownership existed in agricultural land.
• Jean-Baptiste Tavernier was one of the first European visitors to the Taj Mahal.
• Jean Baptiste Tavernier came to Varanasi in 1655.
• He wrote extensively about the art and culture of Varanasi.
• He also wrote about the river Ganga and pointed out the concern of the pollution in the river.
• He was a French Gem merchant who bought the Hope diamond.
• He has given detailed account in his book 'Travels of India.'
• This is the only instance of Tavernier supplying drawings of both rough and polished forms of a diamond.

The correct answer is "The chief centres of Tamil Siddhas were Tondinadu and Pandinadu".

Key Points

• The term siddha is generated from the verbal Sanskrit- root sadh/sidh, which means ´to realize, succeed,or ´perfection.
• They are basically anti- Brahmanism in their religious, social thinking.
• Tamils have to follow siddhars tradition in their way of life. Hence, statement 2^nd is correct.
• There are 18 siddhars who are considered as the pillars of siddha medicine according to Tamil tradition.
• There is no consensus on their exact time era.
• Almost all the Siddhas believed in the oneness of all creation i.e monotheism and they preached a philosophy of love and service and condemned idolatry.
• ​Almost all of the 'Siddhas’ songs were composed in the twilight language.
• The mammoth work of the Tamil Siddha yogi Tirumūla whose work Tirumantiram is part of the Shaiva Canon ‘Panniru Tirumurai’ and is at the core of the 12^th-century philosophy of Shaiva Siddhanta in Tamilnadu.
• The Tirumantiram (tiru+mantram) is a collection of about 3000 verses in Tamil written by this Shaiva Saint.
• Tirumular is regarded as one of the 18  siddhas in the mystic Tamil siddha tradition; he also ranks as one of the 63 Shaiva Nāyanmār Saints of the Tamil Shaiva Bhakti movement of the 1^st millennium CE. Hence, statement 1^st  and 3^rd are correct.

Additional Information

The list of 18 siddhars who are considered as the pillars of siddha medicine according to Tamil tradition is listed below-

Agathiyar

• He is considered the Father of Tamil Literature.  He compiled first Tamil grammar called Agathiyam.
• He is believed to be a direct disciple of Lord Siva.

Thirumoolar                       

• He is also called the Prince of Mystics. He is said to be the disciple of Nandhidevar.
• His masterpiece Thirumanthiram, deals with the body and soul.
• Thirumanthiram is considered as a Bible of Thanthrik Yoga.

Bogar

• Bogar is considered as the descendant of Thirumoolar
• It is believed that Bogar travelled up to China and propagated the spiritual philosophy in China.

Konganar

• Konganar is considered the son of Bogar. His period is said to be around 4^th and 5^th centuries B.C.
• He wrote more than 40 books that deal with alchemy and the elixir (muppu) of life.

Therayar

• Therayar is considered to be the master of many fields like astrology, mysticism, alchemy, medicine and language.
• His scholarship and style of the language are considered to be unique.

Korakkar

• He is also called as Korakkanathar
• He used kanja - Korakkar mooli  (Indian hemp) in his preparations like poorna lehyam/choornam and so the herb is named after him.

Karuvurar

• He is also known as Karuvur thevar
• He made a significant contribution to the construction of Tanjore Temple . In his memory aspecial shrine has been created( siddhar sannidhi ) in the Tanjore big temple.

Edaikkadar

• He is also known as Edaikkadu siddhar.
• His contribution towards rasavatham and kayakarpam is remarkable.

Chattamuni               

• He is also known as Kamblichattamuni,Kailasa chattamuni and Sattanadar
• His major works are Sattamuni pini gnanam 100, Sattamuni vadha kaviyam 1000,Sattamuni vatha soothiram 200, Sattamuni gnana vilakkam 51

Sundaranar   

• Sundaranar is also known as Sorupamendra siddhu
• His contributions are Sundaranar siva gnana yogam 32, Sundaranar vakkya sutram 64

Ramadevar

• He is also known as Yakob
• He also contributed to the development of kayakalpa

Pambatti

• Chattamuni is considered to be Pambatti guru
• Eight unique powers (Attama siddhis) of Siddhars are mentioned in his works.

Machamuni

• He is also known as Nondi siddhar
• His place of birth is believed to be Machai desam in Pandya Kingdom

Kudambai

• His place of birth and Samadhi is Mayavaram
• His major contribution is Kudambai siddhar padalgal.

Azhuganni Siddhar

• He is also known as Azhugai siddhar
• His major contribution is Siddhar gnanakovai

Agapai siddhar

• Korakkar is considered to be his guru
• His contribution is mainly about Gnana siddhi

Nandhidevar

• Nandhidevar  is also considered to be the direct disciple of Lord Siva
• His contribution is Nandhi kalai gnanam 1000

Kakapusundar

• He is also known as Pusundar.
• His major contributions are Pusundar mei gnana vilakkam-80 and pusundar gnanam-19.

The correct answer is R. P. Dutt and Ben Bradley.

Key Points

• "The Anti-Imperialist People's Front In India" was written by Rajni Palme Dutt and Ben Bradley, popularly known as the Dutt-Bradley thesis.
• Both of them were leaders of the Communist Party of Great Britain.
• The Communist Party of Great Britain had been playing an important role in the development of the working class movement and the Communist Party in our country since the days of its formation in 1920, vehemently supporting the cause of complete independence from British imperialism.
• It sent many comrades to work in the trade union movement and three of them were also implicated in the Meerut Conspiracy Case, which was aimed at suppressing the communist movement in the country.
• The role of both Rajni Palme Dutt and Ben Bradley was very significant in this context.
• In fact, Rajni Palme Dutt had undertaken a deep study of the economic structure in India prevailing at that time and gave a detailed analysis of the classes that are interested in maintaining British imperialist rule as well as the conditions and role of the overwhelming majority of the Indian population -- working class, peasantry, intelligentsia, other sections of the middle class, which though vacillating plays its role at different stages.
• His book "India Today" has been a classical text not only for the communists but for all progressive forces in India.

Additional Information

• The Communist Party of India was formed in Tashkent in 1920.
• It began addressing appeals to the Indian National Congress emphasising on the objective of complete independence from British rule.
• This was a big contribution the communists had made, as until the Lahore session of the Congress, the Congress had always demanded dominion status.
• However, in the absence of centralised leadership, communist groups in Bombay and Punjab continued to participate in the Congress-led national movement.
• With the rise of fascist tendencies in the background of a developing capitalist crisis, communist parties in various countries had started raising the question of the united front of the working class, making a direct appeal to the workers and social democratic forces.
• "In India, the policy of British imperialism, which used to retard the development of native industry, evoked great dissatisfaction among the Indian bourgeoisie.
• Communist Party of India, in those days, was not able to organise any centre.
• The main leadership was behind bars accused in the Meerut conspiracy case.
• The bold statements made by them before the court popularized the ideas of socialism and communism.
• In fact, until 1933 the communist movement was virtually deprived of an all-India Centre.
• In 1933, a new central committee was elected which took over the leadership of the Party on a national plane.

The correct option is 1863.

Key Points

• The pattern of fuel consumption in Calcutta suggests air pollution in the city can be divided into roughly three historical periods, according to researcher M R Anderson.
• In the period prior to 1855, domestic burning of wood, dung and illuminating vegetable oils was the major source of smoke, even though coal burning became more in vogue after 1820.
• After 1855, the use of coal increased dramatically and in the third period, after 1880, coal smoke from boilers and domestic use fundamentally altered Calcutta's ambient air quality.
• Smoke was cited, along with heat, dust, humidity and noisome smells, as one of the health hazards for Europeans in Calcutta in the 18^th century.
• Calcutta was uniquely situated to suffer from air pollution.
• Unlike Bombay, Calcutta could not count on winds to dilute smoke, especially between November and March.
• The city was vulnerable to frequent temperature inversions, which prevented vertical ventilation and trapped smoke in the lower atmosphere.
• And, like London, Calcutta suffered from recurrent fog.
• By the 1870s, major smoke inundations had become a routine feature of Calcutta's life.
• The use of coal increased considerably with the opening 1855 of the country's first proper railway, linking Calcutta to the Raniganj coalfields.
• The smoke problem was worsened by the poor quality of Indian coal, which contains from 14.8 per cent to 47 per cent ash by weight and produces more smoke than British coal.
• With the smoke problem arousing official concern and anxiety, Calcutta became 1863 one of the first cities in the world to enact smoke nuisance legislation.
• A committee formed to investigate the problem in 1879 commissioned Frederick Grover, the Smoke Inspector for Leeds, in 1902 to make recommendations for smoke abatement.
• Grover's report gave rise to the Bengal Smoke Nuisances Act of 1905, and the subsequent establishment of the Bengal Smoke Nuisances Commission, which implemented a systematic but selective smoke abatement programme throughout the colonial period.
• Calcutta was the seat of government until 1911 and the subcontinent's capital until the First World War.

The correct answer is (A) and (D) only.

Key Points

• Ground and polished stone tools- Neolithic Age is also known as the New Stone Age.
• Neolithic people were entirely dependent on tools and weapons made from ground and polished stone.
• The people used microlithic blades in addition to tools made of polished stones.
• They used stone hoes and digging sticks for digging the ground.
• The ring stones of 1-1/2 kg of weight were fixed at the ends of these digging sticks.
• They also used tools and weapons made of bone, found in Burzahom (Kashmir) and Chirand (Bihar).
• Domesticated barley and field pea-  Agriculture triggered such a change in society and the way in which people lived that its development has been called the "Neolithic Revolution."
• The Neolithic people became food producers from food gatherers.
• The people of the Neolithic Age cultivated ragi, horse gram, pea, cotton, rice, wheat, and barley and hence were termed as food producers.

Ploughs -  Since agriculture became an important activity but there is no evidence of ploughs in the Neolithic Age. They used simple tools for agriculture.

Bullock carts- There is no such evidence of bullock carts in the Neolithic Age. Domestication of animals such as cattle, sheep, and goats was prevalent.

The correct answer is (A), (B), (D), (E) only

Key Points

• Megaliths, derived from Latin word meaning ''large stones'', are monuments that give archaeologists a picture of the megalithic culture which lasted from the Neolithic Stone Age to the early Historical Period (2500 BC to AD 200).
• Megaliths in India are dated before 3000 BC, with recent findings dating back to 5000 BC in southern India. Megaliths are found in almost all parts of Southern India.
• The oldest megaliths in India are found in the westernmost part of the country in present-day Afghanistan in the upper Indus Valley.
• Dated to about 3000 BC, they are in the form of stone circles.
• Iron tools and implements - 
• A rich variety of iron tools are found in Megalithic culture.
• Large number of metal tools such as utensils, weapons, and carpentry tools indicate widespread use in everyday life.
• Also, different types of iron tools have been discovered in megalithic monuments.
• They include a sword, spear, knife, hook, lamp, nail and so on.
• Horses-
• Bones of various animals found in Megalithic culture.
• Horses evidence is found.
• Cattle, goats, sheep, dogs, pigs, and horses were domesticated Megalithic people lived on hunting and domestication of animals.
• Dolmens - 
• Dolmens were usually built on barren land, so they couldn’t be damaged by agricultural activity, often at an elevation overlooking their habitation settlement, and Marayoor provides ample evidence for this.
• The dolmens have been disfigured by modern decadence—which pays scant respect to antiquity—a repository of no burial goods, but only broken beer bottles, lays chips packets etc.
• Sacrophagi-
• A sarcophagi is literally a legged coffin made of terracotta.
• Similar to pit burials, skeletal remains and primary deposits of grave remains are found in sarcophagi.

Hence, Iron tools and implements, Horses, Dolmens, and Sarcophagi, belong to the Megalithic Culture.

• Jorwe wares- It does not belong to Megalithic culture.
• It is painted black-on-red and has a matt surface treated with a wash.
• It belongs to Chalcolithic Culture.

The correct answer is (A), (B) and (C) only.

 Key Points

• During the Mughal period, Parvanchas were issued by the king to the officials in his administration.
• It was similar to farmans.
• It was the official term for the rescripts of the ministers, and grandees of the Mughal empire.
• It was a formal document which does not require a royal seal.
• They were issued in accordance with a previous order of the emperor.

Therefore, options (A), (B) and (C) are correct.

• Through the Parvanchas, the king extended his influence to all the departments of the central government and he dealt with them on an equal footing.
• So, the Mughal kings also issued the stipulated salaries of the Begums and Prince.

Hence, the option (D) is not correct.

The correct answer is (A), (B) and (C) only.

Key PointsSchools of Buddhism

Mahayana:

• The term Mahayana is a Sanskrit word that literally means "Great Vehicle".
• It believes in the heavenliness of Buddha and Idol worship of Buddha and Bodhisattvas embodying Buddha Nature.
• Buddhist schools embedded in China, Korea, Tibet and Japan belong to the Mahayana tradition.
• Mahayana Buddhism started in India and spread northwards to many other Asian countries.
• East and South-East Asian countries such as China, Japan, Korea, Tibet, Bhutan, and Singapore.
• The Mahayana considered Buddha to be 'like God' and believed in his 'prayers'.
• The Mahayana follower built Buddha statues and stupas for prayer throughout the world.
• Hinayana believes in the 'historicity' of Buddha while Mahayana believes in 'Bodhisattva'.
• The term 'Bodhisattva' was used to show the former life of Gautama Buddha uniquely.
• In Hinayana, Buddha representation was done through 'symbols'.
• While Buddha is depicted in 'human form' in the Mahayana religion.
• Mahayana uses Sanskrit as its main language, and monastic and lay followers work for the liberation of all sentient beings, making compassion and insight its central doctrines.
• In this modern form of Buddhism, the statues of Buddha were started made in Mathura and Taxila.
• Bodhisattvas were accepted as the persons who had attained enlightenment.
• It was supposed that after attaining enlightenment Bodhisattvas can live in isolation.

Important Points

Hinayana:

• It believes in the original teaching of Buddha or the Doctrine of elders.
• It does not believe in Idol worship and tries to attain individual salvation through self-discipline and meditation.
• Theravada is a Hinayana sect.

The correct answer is (A), (C) and (D) only.

Key Points

• Sikandar Lodi is regarded as the ablest, the greatest and the most successful Sultan.
• Sikandar Lodi or Nizam Khan the second ruler of the Lodhi dynasty ruled Delhi from 1489 A.D. to 1517 A.D.
• He succeeded his father Bahlul Lodhi.
• He was considered as the best Sultan of the Lodi dynasty.
• Sikandar Lodi died in 1517 and was succeeded by his child, Ibrahim Lodi.

Some of his main achievements are:-

• He started sitting on the throne and compelled his nobles to show formal respect to him in the ‘darbar’ (court) and outside.
• He framed certain rules which were observed by all his nobles and governors.
• The governors were ordered to receive Sultan’s ‘farmans’ (orders) six miles ahead of their capital.
• He asked all his governors and officers to submit their accounts of their income and expenditure.
• The offenders were punished.
• The governor of Jaunpur was punished on this very account and compelled to pay the embezzled money.
• A very efficient espionage system was organised.
• He posted spies and informers at every important place including the houses of his nobles.
• He was so well informed about everything significant in the state through his spy system and his own tours that the people believed the Sultan had supernatural powers to assist him.

So, the options (A), (C), and (D) about Sikandar Lodi are correct.

• Sikandar Lodi has been accepted as the greatest Lodi Sultan.
• He established law and order.
• He was a brave and dauntless general.
• He encouraged agriculture and trade which resulted in economic prosperity.
• He enhanced the glory and power of the king.
• He was known for impartial justice.
• He asked all governors and officers to submit proper accounts of their income.
• He himself was a great scholar and patronised man of learning.
• He extended his support to the educated and translated incredible works of Sanskrit into Persian.
• Sikandar Lodi always conducted himself with great decorum, being formal even in his personal conversation.
• He demanded that all courtiers also observe formal etiquette in his presence at all times.
• His father, Bahlul, had always held informal court and was a self-proclaimed primus inter pares, the first among equals.
• Sikandar’s court stood on the other end of the spectrum of sovereignty was devoid of any semblance or mention of equality between the Sultan and the nobles.
• The Sultan was placed at a far higher place than any courtier could even aspire to reach.

So, he did not believe in " the first among equals".

The correct option is (A), (B) and (D) only.

 Key Points

• Malik Ambar, an African slave turned warrior, is an unusual one.
• Sold and bought several times by slave dealers during his youth, fate brought him miles away from his home in Ethiopia to India.
• In India, not only did Ambar get his freedom back, but he also rose up the social ladder, got an army, and vast estates, and founded a city that today goes by the name ‘Aurangabad’.

Some of his land revenue policies include:- 

• Malik Ambar's system did not provide scope for revenue farmers.
• He tried to establish direct contact, through the hereditary village officials, with the peasants.
• Shivaji also followed Malik Ambar and not only totally did away with the practice of farming out land but he also curtailed greatly the powers of the local hereditary revenue officials (Deshmukh, patils etc).
• During his reign, he introduced a system of glance surveys.
• Besides, he also controlled revenue-free and hereditary lands.
• The revenue demand under Malik Amber ranged between 1/4 to 2/3 of the produce.
• Shivaji, however, abolished all the illegal cesses and increased the revenue demand to 40 per cent.
• The state maintained vast machinery of revenue officials for the assessment and collection of revenue.
• Malik Ambar claimed 2/5^th of the produce as static share in kind which, when converted into cash demand amounted to 1/3 of the total value of the crop.

Therefore, options (A), (B) and (D) are correct.      

Additional Information

• Born in 1548 in southern Ethiopia’s Khambata region, Ambar is believed to have been associated with the Oromo tribe, an ethnic group that now represents over 35 per cent of the country’s population.
• He was known by the name of ‘Chapu’ until he fell into the hands of slave dealers.
• Talking about option (C), we do not find any mention that land was divided into Baghat and Nabut.

Hence, option (C) is not correct.

The correct answer is (B), (C) and (D) only.

 Key Points

• Dagh system was introduced by Alauddin Khilji (1296–1316).
• Dagh which means ''mark'' was made on each cavalry horse identifying it as a royal or approved horse.
• This was the check of the malpractice of changing royal / approved horses with those of low quality.
• Akbar introduced the rank of ‘Zat’ and ‘Sawar’ in the Mansabdari system.
• Every mansabdar had to maintain as many soldiers as were indicated by his rank of 'Zat’ while the rank of ‘sawar’ indicated the number of horsemen among them.
• The king himself appointed the mansabdars.
• He could enhance the mansab, lower it or remove it.
• Shah Jahan reduced the number of soldiers kept by a mansabdar.
• Now each mansabdar was required to keep one-third of the original number.
• Sometimes, it was even reduced to one-fourth or one-fifth.
• So, in Balkh and Badakhshan, they had to bring one-fifth.
• Later it was also applied to Kabul. Also, Khulasat-us Siyaq is a treatise on the science of notation, arithmetic and public accountancy on the working of the administrative system.
• It was written in the later years of Aurangzeb's reign, confirming these laws.

Therefore, options (B), (C) and (D) are correct.     

• A mansabdar could be asked to perform any civil or military service.
• There were 33 categories of the Mansabdars.
• The lowest mansabdar commanded 10 soldiers and the highest 10,000 soldiers.
• Only the princes of the royal family and most important Rajput rulers were given a mansab of 10,000.
• A mansabdar was paid his salary in cash.
• Sometimes for paying the salaries to the soldier, a jagir was given to the mansabdar.
• Abdul Hamid Lahori does not mention that those mansabdars, who had jagirs in any of the provinces of Hindustan and posted anywhere in the Empire, were to bring to the muster horsemen equal in the number of one-third of their sawar rank.

So, option (A) is incorrect.

The correct answer is (A), (B) and (C) only.

Key Points

• Born on 5 January 1666, Guru Gobind Singh became a Guru at the age of 9 on 24 November 1675 after the martyrdom of his father, Guru Teg Bahadur Ji.
• Guru Gobind Singh played an important role in moulding Sikhism to its present shape.
• He founded Khalsa, the Sikh warrior community in 1699.
• He also wrote important texts and introduced the five Ks of Sikhism.
• Guru Gobind Singh turned the Sikhs into a military sect.
• Prince Muazzam, the governor of Kabul reached an understanding with the Sikhs and gave them refuge.
• The military brotherhood of Sikhs, Khalsa, was created by Guru Gobind Singh.
• The love of military life was inherited by Guru Gobind Singh from his grandfather.
• Guru Govind Singh was the son of the 9^th Sikh Guru, Guru Teg Bahadur.
• Guru Gobind Sigh was the author of the Sikh work named 'Dasam Granth' (tenth volume).

The correct answer is (A), (B) and (C) only.

Key Points

• The Edicts of Ashoka are 33 inscriptions engraved on pillars, large stones, and cave walls by Ashoka the Great (r. 268-232 BCE), the third king of the Mauryan Empire.
• One set, the so-called Major Rock Edicts, are consistent in their message that the people should adhere to the concept of Dhamma, defined as “right behaviour”, “good conduct” and “decency toward others”.
• The edicts were inscribed throughout Ashoka’s realm which included the areas of modern-day Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan and most were written in Brahmi Script (though one, in Afghanistan, is also given in Aramaic and Greek). The edicts are comprised of:
• Minor Rock Edicts
• Minor Pillar Edicts
• Major Rock Edicts
• Major Pillar Edicts
• The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has geared up for protecting the Ashoka rock edict site near Erragudi on the Gooty-Pathikonda road in the Kurnool district.
• Sannati(Gulbarga District) has four major rock edicts and more than 75 contemporary inscriptions, all scattered across a compact area of about ten square kilometres.

Both Erragudi (A.P.) and Sannati (Karnataka) sites contain fourteen proclamations.

Additional Information 

Maski inscription was the first inscription to give both Priyadarshan and Ashoka, thus identifying Ashoka with Priyadarshini found in other edicts.

The correct answer is (A) and (B) only.

Key Points

Chandragupta II

• Also known as Chandragupta Vikramaditya, he was born in 380 CE and died in 415 CE.
• He was the son of Samudragupta and grandson of Chandragupta I.
• He was deeply interested in art and culture.
• Chandragupta II, also known by his title Vikramaditya, was one of the most powerful emperors of the Gupta Empire in northern India.
• Chandragupta continued the expansionist policy of his father Samudragupta: historical evidence suggests that he defeated the Western Kshatrapas, and extended the Gupta empire from the Indus River in the west to the Bengal region in the east, and from the Himalayan foothills in the north to the Narmada River in the south.

The correct answer is (B) and (C) only.

 Key Points

• Manusmriti is usually translated as "code of Manu", but it literally means "reflections of Manu".
• It was written in Sanskrit.
• It presents itself as a document that compiles and organizes the code of conduct for human society.
• Manu-smriti is the popular name of the work, which is officially known as Manava-dharma-shastra.

Important Points

• Kulluka and Medhatithi are famous for their commentary on Manusmriti.
• Medhatithi is one of the oldest and most famous commentators on the Manusmriti, more commonly known as the Laws of Manu.
• Over fifty manuscripts of the Manusmriti are now known, but the earliest discovered, most translated and presumed authentic version since the 18^th century has been the "Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) manuscript with Kulluka Bhatta commentary"

The correct answer is (A) and (D) only.

Key Points

Bhitargaon temple, Kanpur:

• The Bhitargaon Temple is a terraced brick building fronted with a terracotta panel.
• Built in the 6^th century during the Gupta Empire, it is the oldest remaining terracotta Hindu shrine with a roof and a high Sikhara, though its upper chamber did sustain some damage in the 18^th century.
• The temple is built on a square plan with double-recessed corners and faces east.
• There tall pyramidal spire over the garbhagriha.
• The walls are decorated with terracotta panels depicting aquatic monsters, Shiva and Vishnu, etc.
• The entrance into the sacred place shows one of the first uses of a semi-circular doorway.
• Alexander Cunningham who was the first Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India, 1871 called this the ‘Hindu arch’ which was peculiar to India.

 

Laxmana temple, Sirpur:

• When Cunningham first visited the site, the remains of the porch and of the ardhamandapa were still visible, which later collapsed.
• Dating back to 625-650 AD, the Laxman Temple in Sirpur is one of the most famous structures in the city.
• It is believed to be one of the best examples of brick temples in India and is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.
• The intricate carvings on the exterior of the temple make it special.
• These designs include Lord Vishnu, Krishna Leela symbols, Vaishnava Dwarpal, and pictures bearing a resemblance to the famous erotic work in the Khajuraho Temple.
• The mandapa which originally bore stone pillars is now in ruins

 

Laxmana temple, Khajuraho:

• Lakshmana temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu, was built from 930-950 AD during the reign of King Yasovarman of the Chandella kingdom.
• It houses a sacred image of Vaikuntha-Vishnu brought from Tibet. Though the temple is one of the oldest in the Khajuraho fields, it is also one of the most exquisitely decorated, covered almost completely with images of over 600 gods in the Hindu Pantheon.
• The main shrine of the temple, which faces east, is flanked by four freestanding subsidiary shrines at the corners of the temple platform.
• The temple is famous for the explicitly sexual carvings on the southern side of the temple, though this makeup only a small fraction of the total.

Parsurameswara temple, Bhubaneshwar:

• It is also spelt Parashurameshvara, located in the East Indian city of Bhubaneshwar, the capital of Odisha, is considered the best-preserved specimen of an early Odia Hindu temple dated to the Shailodbhava period between the 7^th and 8^th centuries CE.
• The temple is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva and is one of the oldest existing temples in the state.
• It is believed to have been built around 650 CE in Nagara style and has all the main features of the pre-10^th century Kalinga Architecture style temples.
• Parashurameshvara represents Shiva as the lord of Parashurama, one of the avatars of Vishnu.
• According to Hindu legend, the temple derives its name from the penance of Parashurama and the resultant grace of Shiva.
• Parashuramashtami is the major festival celebrated in the temple on the 8^th day of Ashadha (June–July) when the festival image of Lingaraja is taken to Parashurameshvara Temple and feasted.

The correct answer is (A), (B) and (D) only

 Key Points

• Abu Rayhan al-Biruni was a scholar from Iran.
• He was a polymath well versed in physics, mathematics, astronomy, and natural sciences, and also distinguished himself as a historian, chronologist, and linguist.
• Al-Beruni came to India during the period of Sultan Muhammad of Ghazni. He was exiled and ordered to spend ten years in India
• Alberuni spent 10 years in India, from 1017 to 1027, during which time he studied and wrote extensively about Indian culture, religion, and science.
• He accompanied the Afghan ruler Mahmud on his invasion of India in the early eleventh century, and remained there for thirteen years, making a detailed study of Indian life and culture, and in particular studying the Hindu religion.
• He authored a study of Indian culture Tārīkh al-Hind (History of India) after exploring the Hindu faith practised in India in which he portrays the social, political, religious, and economic condition of then India.
• The untouchability in India was found by Al Beruni in the early 11^th century.
• According to him, “The Brahmins teach the Veda to the Kshatriyas. The latter learn it but are not allowed to teach it, not even to a Brahmin, the Vaisya and Sudra are not allowed to hear it, much less to pronounce and recite it. If such a thing can be proved against one of them, the Brahmins drag him before the magistrate, and he is punished by having his tongue cut off.”
• He then goes on to talk about the untouchables.
• He says: “The people called Hadi, Doma (Domba), Candala, and Badhatau (sic) are not reckoned amongst any caste or guild. They are occupied with dirty work, like cleaning the villages and other services. They are considered as one sole class, and distinguished only by their occupations.”
• According to him, the Hindus think that there is no country like theirs and no religion like theirs.
• "The Hindus believe that there is no country but theirs, no nation like theirs, no kings like theirs, no religion like theirs, no science like theirs. They are haughty, foolishly vain, self-conceited, and stolid. They are by nature niggardly in communicating that which they know, and they take the greatest possible care to withhold it from men of another caste among their own people, still much more, of course, from any foreigner ... Their haughtiness is such that, if you tell them of any science or scholar in Khorasan and Persis, they will think you to be both an ignoramus and a liar. If they travelled and mixed with other nations, they would soon change their mind, for their ancestors were not as narrow-minded as the present generation is."

The correct answer is (A) and (D) only.

Key Points

• The only Arab attempt upon India came from a different quarter.
• Arab merchants sailed from Siraf and Hurmuz in the Persian Gulf, coasting along till they came to the mouth of the Indus, and thence on to Sapera and Cambay; or they even struck boldly across from their harbours at Kalhat and Kurayyat in Oman to Calicut and other ports on the Malabar coast.
• These men brought back tidings of the wealth and luxury of India, of gold and diamonds, jewelled idols, gorgeous religious rites, and wonderful civilization, these were however mere raids.
• The first and only Arab invasion coincided in date with two other signal successes in distant parts of the globe.
• Gothic Spain was shattered at the battle of the Guadalete in 710; the standards of Islam were carried from Samarkand to Kashghar in 711-714; and the valley of the Indus was invaded in 712.
• These three steps mark the apogee of the power of the Omayyad caliphate and coincide with the administration of one of the ablest and most relentless of all Muslim statesmen.
• There in the spring of 712 Mohammad Kasim set up his catapults and dug his trench.
• The enemy, unable to oppose the landing, fell back upon Rawar, where the Arabs beheld for the first time the imposing array of Hindu chiefs, mounted on armoured war elephants, and led by their king Dahir.
• Naphtha arrows, however, threw the elephants into confusion and set fire to the howdahs; the king was slain, the Hindus fled, and “the Moslems were glutted with slaughter.”
• The Indian women showed the desperate courage for which they were famous.
• The king’s sister called them together, on seeing the defeat of their men; and, refusing to owe their lives to the “vile cow-eaters” at the price of dishonour, they set their houses ablaze and perished in the flames.
• Another victory at Brahmanabad opened the way to Multan, the chief city of the upper Indus, which surrendered at discretion, but not without an exhausting siege.
• The fighting men were massacred, and the priests, workmen, women, and children were made captives.

The correct answer is (A), (B) and (D) only.

Key Points

• Nasiruddin was the eldest son of Iltutmish.

• But unfortunately, in 1229, Nasiruddin died quite unexpectedly in Bengal much before Iltutmish.

• So, Iltutmish built a Nasiriya Madrassa in memory of him.

• Razia was the daughter of the Delhi Sultan, Iltutmish,

• Razia administered Delhi during 1236-1240

• She is notable for being the first female Muslim ruler of the Subcontinent, and the only female Muslim ruler of Delhi.

• She remains the only Muslim woman to have sat upon the throne of Delhi.

• According to historian Minhaj-us-Siraj, the Sultan considered Razia equal to 20 of his son's inability.

• From childhood, Iltutmish and his trusted slave Malik Yaqut, the Abyssinian, had trained Razia in the art of warfare, horsemanship, diplomacy, and administration.

• Therefore, male and female teachers were appointed as tutors for education.

• The famous and recently renovated Hauz Khas Complex has a water tank, a Mosque, a Tomb of Feroz Shah Tughlaq, six domed Pavilions, Madrasa which is an Islamic School of Learning College and an Islamic Cemetery; all built during the reign of the Delhi Sultanate in 13^th Century AD.

• The Madarsa was built by Firoz Shah, known as Madrasa-e Firoz Shahi or the ‘College of Firoz Shah’.

• This was an institution of higher education, endowed by the emperor himself.

• Established in 1352, the Madrasa was also considered the largest and best-equipped Islamic seminary anywhere in the world.

• There were three main Madrasas in Delhi during Firuz Shah's time.

• One of them was the Firuz Shahi madrasa at Hauz Khas.

• After the sacking of Baghdad, Delhi became the most important place in the world for Islamic education.

• The village surrounding the Madarsa was also called Tarababad (city of joy).

• The madrasa structure has an innovative design.

• It was built in L-Shape as one contiguous structure on the south and east edges of the reservoir complex.

The correct answer is (A), (B) and (C) only.

Key Points

• Muhammad Bin Tughlaq is known for his active interest in experimenting with coinage.
• According to Barani, the Sultan introduced token currency because the treasury was empty while he needed money to fulfil his schemes of conquest.
• According to Barani, the Sultan issued copper coins while Ferishta says that these were of brass or bronze.
• Probably, the Sultan issued coins of both metals. So statement A and B is correct.
• Also, the token coin also had inscriptions of its legends in Persian also. Hence statement C is also correct.
• Muhammad Tughluq introduced beautiful and various types of coins during his reign and fixed up their relative values.
• However, the notable feature of his coinage system was the introduction of token currency and the issue of copper and brass coins.
• The Sultan made these token coins legal tenders and kept their value at par with gold and silver coins
• Previously, the copper coin was Jital (Paisa).
• Now, the Sultan issued Tanka (rupee), a silver coin, also that of copper.

Therefore, we see options (A), (B), and (C) are correct.

• The Sultan for the failure of the scheme.
• They say that it was a blunder on the part of the Sultan that he did not take proper precautions to check imitation of coins issued by royal mints.
• Those coins, therefore, could be imitated by moderately skilled artisans.
• Therefore, the citizens began to mint token coins in their houses.
• In fact, both the Sultan and his subjects were responsible for the failure of this scheme.
• According to Barani, “The house of every Hindu became a mint.”

The correct answer is (A), (B), (C), (D).

Key Points

• The Indian National Congress (INC) was founded in 1885 and played a crucial role in India's struggle for independence from British rule.
• The INC aimed to unite Indians from various backgrounds and regions under the common goal of achieving self-rule.
• It incorporated different political trends, ideologies, and social groups as long as they were committed to the principles of democratic and secular nationalism.
• This inclusiveness allowed the INC to become a broad-based movement representing diverse interests. So statement A is correct.
• In the early years of the Indian National Congress, the focus was primarily on building a platform for political discussions, raising awareness, and advocating for Indian rights within the framework of British rule.
• The early nationalist leaders, such as A.O. Hume, Dadabhai Naoroji, and Gopal Krishna Gokhale, played a significant role in carrying out an ideological struggle against the British colonial oppressors.
• They formulated demands, presented them to the British authorities, and engaged in intellectual debates to challenge the legitimacy of colonial rule. Hence statement B is also correct.
• The early nationalist leaders of the Indian National Congress strongly believed in the principles of freedom of the press and speech as essential components of a democratic society.
• They actively opposed any attempts by the British authorities to curtail these freedoms and fought against every infringement on the freedom of the press and speech.
• They recognized that the free flow of information and the ability to express dissent was crucial for political mobilization and the dissemination of nationalist ideas. Thus statement C is also correct.
• The early leaders of the Indian National Congress advocated for the separation of judicial and executive powers.
• They believed that an independent and impartial judiciary was necessary for ensuring justice and upholding the rule of law.
• The INC leaders also fought against racial discrimination, both within India and in the wider context of British colonial policies.
• They protested against discriminatory laws, policies, and practices that undermined the rights and dignity of Indians and pushed for equal treatment for all citizens. Therefore statement D is also correct.

Hence based on the above discussion, we can say the correct answer is (A), (B), (C), (D).

​The correct answer is (A) and (D) only.

 Key Points

• (A) By establishing a linguistic connection between Sanskrit, Greek, and Latin, William Jones privileged India with an antiquity equal to that of the classical West. This statement is correct.
• William Jones, a British scholar and judge in India, made significant contributions to the field of Orientalism.
• He recognized the linguistic similarities between Sanskrit, Greek, and Latin, which suggested a common origin and antiquity for these languages.
• This realization helped to establish India's rich cultural and intellectual heritage, equal to that of the classical West.
• (D) The beginning of the Orientalist tradition led to the founding of Calcutta Madrassa, the Asiatic Society of Bengal. This statement is also correct.
• The Orientalist tradition in British India led to the establishment of various institutions for the study of Indian languages, literature, and culture.
• The Calcutta Madrassa and the Asiatic Society of Bengal were two such institutions that played significant roles in promoting Orientalist scholarship and research in India.

​However, the other statements (B) and (C) are incorrect.

• (B) The fundamental principle of the early Orientalist tradition was not to rule the conquered people by British legal traditions.
• Orientalism was primarily a scholarly and intellectual movement focused on the study of Eastern cultures, languages, and traditions.
• While British rule in India did impact the social, political, and legal systems, it was not the fundamental principle of the Orientalist tradition.
• (C) The early Orientalists' study of Indian customs and laws was not aimed at showing the barbaric state of Indian society.
• Orientalist scholars in India sought to understand and document various aspects of Indian culture, including customs and laws.
• Their objective was to gain knowledge and insights into Indian society, not to portray it as barbaric.
• Orientalist scholars made significant contributions to the fields of linguistics, archaeology, history, and religious studies, among others.

The period between 1500 B.C and 600 B.C is divided into the Early Vedic Period and the Later Vedic Period.

The Early Vedic period or the Rigvedic period is the period in the history of north India at the end of the urban Indus Valley Civilisation between 1500 B.C -1000 B.C.

The correct matching is (A) - (III), (B) - (IV), (C) - (I), (D) - (II).

Key Points

• These massive Indian cities were home to the 16 great kingdoms described in the ancient texts.
• In the modern era, the term ‘mahajanapadas’ is often used to refer to the 16 great kingdoms.
• In the sixth century BC, present-day Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh became centres of political activities as the region was not only fertile but also closer to the iron production centres.
• Iron production played a crucial role in expanding the territorial states of the region.
• These expansions helped some of these ‘janapadas’ turn into large states or ‘mahajanapadas.’
• Most of these ‘mahajanapadas’ were monarchical in nature, while some of them were democratic states.
• Many prominent ancient Buddhist texts make frequent references to the ‘16 great kingdoms’ (mahajanapadas) that flourished between the sixth and the fourth centuries BCE.
• These 16 kingdoms included kingdoms like Anga, Gandhara, Kuru, and Panchala, which are mentioned in the great Indian epic ‘Mahabharata.’
• All of them Magadh Janapada was the Most Important in ancient history.
• | Mahajanapada | Capital | | --- | --- | | Asmaka | - Asmaka was a Mahajanapada according to Buddhist texts or Janapada according to Puranas of ancient India. - Asmaka Mahajanapadas is situated in the southern part of India between the rivers Narmada and Godavari. - The capital of  Ashmaka Mahajanapada was located at Pratisthan or Paithan. - The processes of the emergence of Mahajanpadas were initiated by certain important economic changes and the consequent socio-political developments witnessed during the period. | | Chedi | - Shuktimata was the capital of the Chedi Mahajanapada. - The kingdom was located in the Bundelkhand area of Madhya Pradesh, along the river Betwa. - King Abhichandra is believed to have established the kingdom. - Chedi is considered to be one of the ancient tribes who came to the subcontinent and settled at two places – one group settled in the region of Nepal, while the other group came to Uttar Pradesh. - The two distinct settlements of Chedis were one was in the mountains of Nepal and the other in Bundelkhand near Kausambi. - The Chedis were mentioned in the Rigveda as the ancient people of India. | | Dakshina Panchala | - The Panchala kingdom was located east of the Kuru kingdom, between the river Ganges and the mountain ranges of the Himalayas. - Panchala was divided into two parts, namely Dakshina-Panchala and Uttara-Panchala. | | Surasena | - The location of the Surasena was around the west side of the river Yamuna and had its capital city at Mathura. - The king of Surasena, Avantiputra played a vital role in promoting Buddhism in his kingdom. |

The correct answer is (A), (B) and (C) only.

 Key Points

• Calcutta Municipal Amendment Act:
• Lord Curzon introduced the Calcutta Municipal Amendment Act in 1903.
• This act aimed to restructure the administration of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation, giving more powers to government-appointed officials rather than elected representatives.
• It was met with strong opposition and criticism from Indian nationalists.
• Indian Universities Act:
• Lord Curzon enacted the Indian Universities Act in 1904.
• This act aimed to reform and modernize the higher education system in India by introducing a centralized structure and granting more control to the government.
• It led to the establishment of university commissions and sparked protests from students and academics.
• Indian Official Secrets Amendment Act:
• Lord Curzon introduced the Indian Official Secrets Amendment Act in 1904.
• This act aimed to strengthen the existing laws regarding official secrets and expand the government's control over the dissemination of information.
• It faced resistance from the press and freedom of speech advocates.

The correct answer is (A), (B) and (C) only.

The correct answer is (A) and (B) only.

 Key Points

• Kunvarji Mehta:
• Kunvarji Mehta was a leading figure in the Bardoli Satyagraha, a nonviolent movement against oppressive land revenue policies implemented by the British in Bardoli, Gujarat, in 1928.
• Mehta, along with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, led the peasants in a successful resistance against the increased tax burden imposed by the British government.
• Through his organizational skills and effective communication, Mehta was instrumental in uniting the peasants and conveying their grievances to the British authorities.
• Ishan Chandra Roy:
• ​Ishan Chandra Roy was a prominent peasant leader from Bengal.
• He played a vital role in organizing peasants and agricultural labourers in Bengal during the 1920s and 1930s.
• Roy advocated for the rights of peasants and fought against the exploitative practices of the colonial administration and zamindars (landlords).
• He worked towards empowering the peasants by raising awareness about their rights, facilitating collective action, and mobilizing them to demand fair treatment from the British government.
• ​Both Kunvarji Mehta and Ishan Chandra Roy were instrumental in initiating the organizational work among the peasants in different parts of India.
• They worked tirelessly to address the grievances of the peasants and represented their concerns to the British government, highlighting the issues faced by the rural population and advocating for their rights.

The correct answer is (A), (B) and (C) only.

 Key Points

• The area of uprising was called Daman-i-Koh:
• The Santhal uprising of 1855 took place in the region known as Daman-i-koh, which was located in present-day Jharkhand and parts of West Bengal, India.
• The Santhal tribes, who were the primary participants in the uprising, concentrated their resistance efforts in this specific area.
• Tribals made a determined attempt to expel the outsiders:
• The Santhals, who were an indigenous tribal group in the region, made a concerted and determined effort to expel the outsiders.
• These outsiders primarily consisted of British colonizers, landlords, and moneylenders who were encroaching upon their lands, exploiting their resources, and subjecting them to oppressive and unfair practices.
• The Santhals sought to reclaim their autonomy and protect their way of life by resisting and driving out these external forces.
• Rebels proclaimed the complete 'annihilation' of the alien regime:
• The rebels involved in the Santhal uprising declared their objective as the complete 'annihilation' of the alien regime.
• By using the term 'alien regime,' they referred to the oppressive rule of the British colonizers and the local intermediaries who collaborated with them.
• The Santhals aimed to overthrow this regime and establish their own independent governance system that would ensure their rights, land, and resources were protected.
• Tribals possessed the latest weapons:
• Contrary to the given statement, the Santhals did not possess the latest weapons during the uprising.
• They were primarily an agrarian community with limited access to modern firearms or advanced weaponry.
• Their resistance relied more on their determination, local knowledge of the terrain, and traditional methods of warfare rather than advanced weaponry.
• They used traditional weapons such as bows, arrows, spears, and other simple tools available to them.
• Tribals were opposed by gwalas and lohars (milkmen and blacksmiths):
• Again, contrary to the given statement, gwalas (milkmen) and lohars (blacksmiths) were not actively opposed to the Santhal uprising.
• The uprising was primarily a movement led by the Santhals themselves against the oppressive British and local landlords.
• The gwalas and lohars were not significant actors in the conflict, and there is no historical evidence to suggest that they were opposed to the Santhal rebellion.

Thus based on the above discussion the correct answer is (A), (B) and (C) only.

The correct answer is (A) and (C) only.

 Key Points

• The imperial and provincial legislative councils were entirely nominated bodies until 1892:
• ​Until 1892, the legislative councils in India, both at the imperial (central) and provincial levels, were composed of members who were nominated by the British government.
• The members were not elected by the Indian population.
• This system of nomination meant that the British government had complete control over the composition of these councils and the decision-making process.
• ​The Ilbert Bill storm was the most extreme but by no means isolated expression of white racism:
• ​The Ilbert Bill was introduced in 1883 by a British Indian official named Frederick William Henry Paulson Ilbert.
• The bill aimed to give Indian magistrates the power to try European offenders in criminal cases.
• Previously, Indian magistrates did not have jurisdiction over European offenders, leading to unequal treatment under the law.
• ​The introduction of the Ilbert Bill caused a significant uproar among the European communities in India.
• They vehemently opposed the bill and organized protests and demonstrations against it.
• The opposition to the bill highlighted the prevalent white racism and the sense of superiority among the European population in India at that time.
• This incident exposed the deep-seated racial prejudices within the colonial society.
• It is worth noting that the Ilbert Bill was eventually watered down due to the pressure from the European community, and it did not fully achieve its intended objectives.
• The incident surrounding the Ilbert Bill is often cited as an example of the racial tensions and discriminatory practices that existed during the British colonial rule in India.

The correct answer is (A) and (C) only.

The correct answer is (B) and (D) only.

 Key Points

• Vallabhbhai Patel, who served as India's first Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs, supported Nehru's reluctance to reorganize states on a linguistic basis.
• Patel was known for his efforts in the integration of princely states into the newly independent India, and he believed that linguistic reorganization could lead to fragmentation and hinder the process of national unity.
• Rajagopalachari, also known as Rajaji, was a prominent Indian politician and a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi.
• He was the last Governor-General of India and the first Indian Governor-General of the Dominion of India.
• Rajagopalachari also supported Nehru's stance against linguistic reorganization, as he believed that it could potentially lead to linguistic conflicts and divisions within the country.

​Therefore, the most appropriate answer is (B) and (D) only.

Key Points

Swadeshi movement:

• It was launched in 1905 as a protest against the partition of Bengal, which had spread across the country.
• Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal, Lala Lajpat Rai are the key people in the Swadeshi movement.
• When Lord Curzon, then Viceroy of India, announced the partition of Bengal in July 1905, Indian National Congress, initiated the Swadeshi movement in Bengal.
• Swadeshi textile mills, soap, tobacco and match factories, tanneries, banks, etc were established to emphasize the positive aspect of the Swadeshi movement.
• Therefore, it contributed to the revival of the indigenous artisan crafts and industries.
• During this movement, creative use of traditional popular festivals, such as Ganapati and Shivaji festivals (by Tilak), and traditional folk theatre forms such as Jatras, were extensively started. Hence, the 2^nd statement is correct.
• National Council of Education was established in Bengal in 1906 to promote technical education in India as part of a Swadeshi industrialisation movement.
• The formal proclamation of the movement was made with the passage of the Boycott resolution on 7 August 1905 in Calcutta town hall. Hence, the 1^st statement is not correct.
• The technique of 'boycott' included the boycott of foreign goods, government schools, courts, titles, and government services. Hence, the 4^th statement is correct.

Following steps were taken under the movement:

• On 15 August 1906, The National Council of Education was set up to formulate a system of education.
• The emphasis was to impart education in a vernacular language be it literary, scientific, or technical.
• It encouraged the establishment of Swadeshi textiles mills, soap and match factories, tanneries, banks, shops, etc.
• It gave emphasis to self-reliance or “Atma shakti”.

Important Points

Indian National Congress and Swadeshi movement:

• The Indian National Congress, meeting in 1905 under the presidentship of Gokhale, resolved to condemn the partition of Bengal and the reactionary policies of Curzon and support the anti-partition and Swadeshi Movement of Bengal.  Hence Statement 3 is not correct.
• The militant nationalists led by Tilak, Lajpat Rai, Bipin Chandra Pal, and Aurobindo Ghosh wanted the movement to be taken outside Bengal to other parts of the country and go beyond a boycott of foreign goods to becoming a full-fledged political mass struggle with the goal of attaining swaraj.
• But the Moderates, dominating the Congress at that time, were not willing to go that far.
• Bengal National College, inspired by Tagore’s Shanti Niketan, was set up with Aurobindo Ghosh as its principal.
• Soon national schools and colleges sprang up in various parts of the country.
• On August 15, 1906, the National Council of Education was set up to organize a system of education— literary, scientific and technical—on national lines and under national control.
• Education was to be imparted through the Vernacular medium.
• Students came out in large numbers to propagate and practice swadeshi, and to take a lead in organizing picketing of shops selling foreign goods.
• Student participation was visible in Bengal, Maharashtra, especially in Poona, and in many parts of the South—Guntur, Madras, Salem.
• Women, who were traditionally home-centred, especially those of the urban middle classes, took an active part in processions and picketing.
• From the Swadeshi movement onwards, women played a significant role in the national movement.
• Despite its gradual decline into inactivity, the movement was a turning point in modern Indian history.
• The richness of the movement was not confined to the political sphere but encompassed art, literature, science, and industry also.
• People were aroused from slumber and now they learned to take bold political positions and participate in new forms of political work.
• The Swadeshi campaign undermined the hegemony of colonial ideas and institutions.

The correct answer is (A), (B), (C), (D) only.

 Key Points

• Objective interpretations in history writing are those which best meet rational criteria of accuracy, comprehensiveness, consistency, and openness:
• ​This statement is correct.
• Objectivity in history writing refers to interpretations that strive to adhere to rational criteria such as accuracy, comprehensiveness, consistency, and openness. Objective interpretations aim to present information without personal bias or subjective influence.
• If historical explanation occurs accidentally by mistake, through an oversight, one cannot call them bias but just wrong:
• This statement is correct.
• While accidental mistakes or oversights can result in an inaccurate historical explanation, it does not necessarily mean they are not biased.
• Bias can arise from intentional or unintentional factors, and even accidental mistakes can contribute to a biased interpretation if they consistently favour one perspective or omit relevant information.
• Mistakes in biased history are motivated, not accidental:
• This statement is correct.
• Mistakes in biased history are often driven by motivation rather than accidental.
• Bias in historical accounts can be purposeful, stemming from a deliberate intent to present a distorted or one-sided view of events.
• Biased descriptions are often unjust, presenting a one-sided impression of their subject:
• ​This statement is correct.
• Biased descriptions tend to be unfair or unjust as they often present a one-sided impression, favouring a particular viewpoint while disregarding alternative perspectives or contradictory evidence.
• Bias can distort the true complexity of historical events and may lead to an incomplete or misleading understanding.

Hence we conclude that the correct answer is (A), (B), (C), (D) only.

Key Points

Pietro della Valle,

• He was an Italian traveller to Persia and India whose letters detailing his wanderings are valuable for their full descriptions.
• He was born in 1586, in Rome and died in 1652.
• He reached Surat in northwestern India in 1623 and, for about a year, continued southward along the coast to Calicut (Kozhikode).
• He recorded his travels in a series of letters published in three volumes: Turkey (1650), Persia (1658), and India (1663).

Manrique, Sebastien

• He was a Portuguese missionary and traveller.
• Fray Sebastien Manrique travelled around various countries of the East for about sixteen years from 1628 to 1643.
• His travel accounts were first published from Rome in 1653 under the title Itinerate Rio Dila Missionary Del India Oriental in Spanish.
• During the course of his travel to India, he came to Bengal and reached Dhaka in September 1640 to inspect the Portuguese Catholic Church.
• He left India in 1641 and reached home in July 1643.

Abbe Barthelemy Carre

• In 1672 a French expeditionary fleet reached a town called St.Thome on The East Coromandel Coast of India.
• At about the same time Colbert send a priest, Abbe Barthelemy Carre from France via the Middle East to India, with letters and orders to support the Viceroy and the director in their mission to expand the French empire.
• France had been a latecomer in the “race” to acquire new trading posts and territories abroad.
• He travelled undercover through the Sultanates of Bijapur and Golconda, sometimes dressed as a Persian merchant to avoid detection by agents of the Golcondan government or by Dutch spies, for the Dutch in India had chosen to hinder any French plan.

Gemelli Careri

• He was a seventeen-century Italian adventurer and traveller.
• He was born in a middle-class family in Italy and died in Naples.
• He financed his own round-the-world trip with merchant ventures and bought valuable goods at each stage of the trip.
• He started his trip from Egypt then the Middle East, Persia to India and then China.
• He visited India during the time of Aurangzeb in 1695.

Key Points

Khizr Khan (1414- 1421 A.D.):

• He was the founder of Sayyid Dynasty and the Governor of Multan.
• He took advantage of the disordered situation in India after Timur’s invasion.
• In 1414 A.D. he occupied the throne of Delhi.
• He brought parts of Surat, Dimapur, and Punjab under his control.
• But he lost Bengal, Deccan, Gujarat, Jaunpur, Khandesh and Malwa.
• In 1421 he died.

Muizzuddin Mubarak Shah II (1421-1434 A.D.):

• Mubarak Shah, son of Khizr Khan succeeded him.
• Mubarak Shah crushed the local chiefs of the Doab region and the Khokhars.
• He is first Sultan ruler to appoint Hindu nobles in the court of Delhi.
• He constructed “Mubarakbad” City on the banks of the river Yamuna.

.

Muhammad Shah IV (1434-1445 A.D.):

• Muhammad Shah was the nephew of Mubarak Shah and succeeded him
• He defeated the ruler of Malwa with the help of Bahlul Lodi the Governor of Lahore.
• He conferred Bahlul Lodi with the title Khan-i-Khanan for help in defeating the ruler of Malwa.
• Later Ala-ud-din Shah succeeded him. 

Ala-ud-din Alam Shah (1445-1457 A.D.):

• He was not a strong ruler.
• Ala-ud-din Shah was removed from the throne by Bahlul Lodi in 1457 A.D. who was the Governor of Lahore.
• Delhi was captured by him and he was sent to Badaun.
• Ala-ud-din Shah died in Badaun in 1478 A.D.

The correct answer is (A) is correct but (R) is not correct.

Key Points

First, we will consider the statement of Assertion (A),

• Tigris-Euphrates river system, great river system of southwestern Asia.
• It comprises the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which follow roughly parallel courses through the heart of the Middle East.
• The lower portion of the region that they define, known as Mesopotamia was one of the cradles of civilization.
• Trading network, both internal (within the country) and external (foreign), was a significant feature of the urban economy of the Harappans.
• Various kinds of metals and precious stones were needed by craftsmen to make goods, but as these were not available locally they had to be brought from outside.
• It is believed that it must have also come from Mesopotamia in exchange for the Harappan goods.
• The Harappan or the Indus Valley Civilisation, occurring in the Bronze Age, had a geographic spread greater than any contemporaneous civilisation.
• The Mesopotamian Civilisation in present-day Iraq, which began in 5,000 BCE and flourished between 3,500 BCE and 2,500 BCE, and with which the Indus Valley inhabitants had trade links, was located between two rivers — the Tigris and the Euphrates.
• Hence, the statement is given in Assertion (A) is true.

 

In the next step, we will consider Reason (R).

• The Indus people had trade connections with the people of Mesopotamian Civilisation.
• The inscriptional evidence from Mesopotamia also provides us with valuable information on Harappan contact with Mesopotamia.
• These inscriptions refer to trade with Dilmun, Magan and Meluhha.
• The findings at Rakhigarhi suggest it may have played an important role in the contacts with Mesopotamia.
• The site could provide clues about the relations of the Harappan people with their contemporaries, and the nature of these interactions.
• Therefore, the statement of Reason is not true.

Conclusion- We can say that the statement of Assertion (A) is correct but the Reason (R) is not correct.

The correct matching is (A) - (I), (B) - (II), (C) - (III), (D) - (IV).

Key Points

• (A) Khat - (I) Margin:
• In the context of painting techniques, "khat" refers to the margin or border that is typically added to a painting to frame or separate the main artwork from the surrounding space.
• (B) Tarh - (II) Sketch, Outline, Drawing:
• "Tarh" is a painting technique that involves creating a preliminary sketch, outline, or drawing as a base for the final artwork.
• It helps in planning and laying out the composition before adding colours or details.
• (C) Rangamezi - (III) Mixing of colour, colouring:
• "Rangamezi" refers to the process of mixing colours and colouring in a painting.
• It involves selecting and combining different pigments to achieve desired hues, shades, and tones.
• (D) Shamsa - (IV) Illuminated heading:
• "Shamsa" is a painting technique commonly used in Islamic art, particularly in the creation of illuminated manuscripts.
• It involves painting an ornate and decorative heading or title at the beginning of a manuscript or chapter, often embellished with gold or silver leaf.

So the correct matching is-