Test: History - 11 - UPSC MCQ

Recent archaeological excavations at Nagardhan in Ramtek taluka, near Nagpur, have provided concrete evidence on the life, religious affiliations and trade practices of the Vakataka dynasty that ruled parts of Central and South India between the third and fifth centuries.
It is the first-time clay sealings have been excavated from Nagardhan. The oval-shaped sealing belongs to the period when Prabhavati Gupta was the queen of the Vakataka dynasty.
The copperplate issued by Queen Prabhavati Gupta starts with a genealogy of the Guptas, mentioning the Queen’s grandfather Samudragupta and her father Chandragupta II. These are strong indicators of Vaishnava signatures on the royal seals of the Vakatakas, reiterate that Queen Prabhavatigupta was indeed a powerful woman ruler.
Since the Vakataka people traded with Iran and beyond through the Mediterranean Sea, scholars suggest that these sealings could have been used as an official royal permission issued from the capital city.

• Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, (Oct. 18, 1748), treaty negotiated largely by Britain and France, with the other powers following their lead, ending the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–48).
• The treaty was marked by the mutual restitution of conquests, including the fortress of Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, to France; Madras in India, to England; and the barrier towns to the Dutch.
• Battle of Wandiwash: This was the Third Carnatic War fought between the French and the British. Having made substantial gains in Bengal and Hyderabad, the British, after collecting a huge amount of revenue, were fully equipped to face the French in Wandiwash, whom they defeated.

• A statue of Ranjit Singh, who ruled Punjab for almost four decades (1801-39), was recently inaugurated in Lahore.
• He was given the title Lion of Punjab (Sher-e-Punjab) because he stemmed the tide of Afghan invaders in Lahore, which remained his capital until his death.
• During his regime, Punjab was a land of six rivers, the sixth being the Indus.
• The maharaja was known for his just and secular rule; both Hindus and Muslims were given powerful positions in his darbar.
• He turned Harimandir Sahib at Amritsar into the Golden Temple by covering it with gold.

The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) is the oldest trade union federations in India.
It was founded on 31 October 1920 with Lala Lajpat Rai as its first president in Bombay by Lala Lajpat Rai, Joseph Baptista, N. M. Joshi, Diwan Chaman Lall and a few others

Privy Purse in India was abolished by the 26th Amendment to the Constitution of India in 1971. Then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi argued the case for abolition based on equal rights for all citizens and the need to reduce the government’s revenue deficit.

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is a Sanskrit phrase found in Hindu texts such as the Maha Upanishad, which means “the world is one family”.

• Pattachitra style of painting is one of the oldest and most popular art forms of Odisha. The name Pattachitra has evolved from the Sanskrit words patta, meaning canvas, and chitra, meaning picture. Pattachitra is thus a painting done on canvas, and is manifested by rich colourful application, creative motifs and designs, and portrayal of simple themes, mostly mythological in depiction.
• Some of the popular themes represented through this art form are Thia Badhia – depiction of the temple of Jagannath; Krishna Lila – enactment of Jagannath as Lord Krishna displaying his powers as a child; Dasabatara Patti – the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu; Panchamukhi – depiction of Lord Ganesh as a five-headed deity.

• Recently a group of Bhaona artist performed in Abu Dhabi in English language contrary to the traditional language of Brajavali.
• Bhaona is a traditional form of entertainment, always with religious messages, prevalent is Assam, India. The history of Assamese drama begins with the plays of Mahapurusha Srimanta Sankardeva (1449-1568) written in the early sixteenth century. These plays are popularly known as Ankiya Nats and their staging is known as bhaona. Bhaona was created by Sankardeva. The bhaonas are written in the Assamese and Brajavali languages.

• The Hathigumpha Inscription also known as Elephant Cave Inscription from Udayagiri- Khandagiri Caves in Odisha, were inscribed by King Kharavela during 2nd century BCE. The Hathigumpha
• Inscription consists of seventeen lines in Prakrit language and in Brahmi script. Hathigumpha Inscription is the main source of information about Kalinga ruler Kharavela.
• Maski is a village and an archaeological site in Raichur district of Karnataka. It lies on the bank of the Maski river which is a tributary of the Tungabhadra. The site has a minor rock edict of Emperor Ashoka. It was the first edict of Emperor Ashoka that contained the name Ashoka in it instead of ‘Devanampriya’ or ‘Piyadassi’.

The Prayaga Prashasti (also known as the Allahabad Pillar Inscription) was composed by Harisena. Harisena was the court poet of Samudragupta while Banabhatta was the court poet of Harshavardhana. The Prayaga Prashasti was composed in praise of SamudraGupta in Sanskrit.

The word Araghatta has been used in the ancient texts to describe the Persian Wheel. The ‘ara-ghatta’ comes from the combination of the words ‘ara’ meaning spoke and ‘ghatta’ meaning pot. It is used to lift water from water sources typically open wells.

• The first volume dealt with Akbar’s ancestors and the second volume recorded the events of Akbar’s reign. The third volume is the Ain-I Akbari. It deals with Akbar’s administration, household, army, the revenues and geography of his empire.
• It also provides rich details about the traditions and culture of the people living in India. The most interesting aspect about the Ain-i Akbari is its rich statistical details about things as diverse as crops, yields, prices, wages and revenues.

• The Portuguese, the first Europeans to come to India, were also the last to leave this land. It was 1961 before the Government of India recaptured Goa, Daman and Diu from them.
• The Portuguese discovery of the sea route to India was the first recorded trip made directly from Europe to India via the Cape of Good Hope, in the Atlantic Ocean. It was undertaken under the command of Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama during the reign of King Manuel I in 1495–1499.
• The Portuguese brought with them the same zeal to promote Christianity and the wish to persecute all Muslims. Intolerant towards the Muslims, the Portuguese were initially quite tolerant towards the Hindus. However, over time, after the introduction of the Inquisition in Goa, there was a change and Hindus were also persecuted.

Bahishkrit Hitakarini Sabha is a central institution formed by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar for removing difficulties of the untouchables and placing their grievances before government. In order to bring about a new socio-political awareness among the untouchables, Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar established “Bahishkrit Hitkarini Sabaha” on 20 July 1924 at Bombay.
Babu Jagjivan Ram played a role in the founding (1935) of the All-India Depressed Classes League, an organization dedicated to attaining equality for Dalits.
Harijan Sevak Sangh is a non-profit organisation founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1932 to eradicate untouchability in India, working for Harijan or Dalit people and upliftment of scheduled castes of India.

• Savitribai Phule, the social reformer who is considered to be one of India’s first modern feminists, was born on January 3, 1831. Among her accomplishments, she is especially remembered for being India’s first female teacher who worked for the upliftment of women and untouchables in the field of education and literacy.
• Phule was born in Naigaon, Maharashtra in 1831 and married activist and social-reformer Jyotirao Phule when she was nine years old. After marriage, with her husband’s support, Phule learned to read and write and both of them eventually went on to found India’s first school for girls called Bhide Wada in Pune in 1948. Before this, she started a school with Jyotirao’s cousin Saganbai in Maharwada in 1847.
• Essentially, both Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule recognised that education was one of the central planks through which women and the depressed classes could become empowered and hope to stand on an equal footing with the rest of the society.
• The Phules also started the Literacy Mission in India between 1854-55. The Phules started the Satyashodhak Samaj (Society for Truth-Seeking), through which they wanted to initiate the practice of Satyashodhak marriage, in which no dowry was taken.

• Tabo Monastery is located in the Tabo village of Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh. It was founded in 996 CE in the Tibetan year of the Fire Ape.
• Tabo is noted for being the oldest continuously operating Buddhist enclave in both India and the Himalayas. A large number of frescoes displayed on its walls depict tales from the Buddhist pantheon.
• Kardang Monastery or Gompa is a famous Drukpa Lineage monastery, and is the most important monastery in the Lahaul valley, India. The monastery is a huge white building bedecked with prayer flags.
• The Rumtek Monastery is currently the largest in Sikkim. It is home to the community of monks and where they perform the rituals and practices of the Karma Kagyu lineage.

• In addition to the Sangam literature, the Greek authors like Megasthenes, Strabo, Pliny and Ptolemy mention the commercial contacts between the West and South India.
• The Asokan inscriptions mention the Chera, Chola and Pandya rulers on the south of the Mauryan Empire.
• The Hathikumbha inscription of Kharavela of Kalinga also mentions about Tamil kingdoms.
• The excavations at Arikamedu, Poompuhar, Kodumanal and other places reveal the overseas commercial activities of the Tamils.

• Gatka is the name of an Indian martial art associated with the Sikhs of the Punjab and the Tanoli and Gujjar communities of the mountainous regions of northern Pakistan who practice an early variant of the martial art. The Punjabi name gatka properly refers to the wooden stick used.
• Kalaripayattu also known simply as Kalari, is an Indian martial art and fighting style that originated in modern-day Kerala.
• Yakshagana is a traditional Indian theatre form, developed in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Shimoga and western parts of Chikmagalur districts, in the state of Karnataka and in Kasaragod district in Kerala that combines dance, music, dialogue, costume, make-up, and stage techniques with a unique style and form.
• Mallakhamb is a traditional sport, originating from the Indian subcontinent, in which a gymnast performs aerial yoga postures and wrestling grips in concert with a vertical stationary or hanging wooden pole, cane, or rope. On April 9, 2013, the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh declared Mallakhamba the state sport.

• The chariot is actually a shrine dedicated to Garuda, built inside the Vittala Temple Complex. The massive sculpture of Garuda, Lord Vishnu’s escort once was seated atop the chariot but it is empty at the present date. The Hampi Chariot has earned its name among the other three famous stone chariots in India- One in Konark, Odissa, and the other in Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu).
• The chariot was built by King Krishnadevaraya of the Vijayanagara Empire during the 16th century, who got fascinated with the Konark Sun temple chariot while fighting a battle in Odisha. The chariot is meant to represent the beauty and artistic perfection of the Empire.
• It has come to have a sacrosanct presence and is internationally recognized as a world heritage site even by the UNESCO.

Nandikeshvara (5th century-4th century BC) was the great theorist on stage-craft of ancient India. He was the author of the Abhinaya Darpana (“The Mirror of Gesture”), a famous treatise on dance.

Silsila is an Arabic word meaning chain, link, connection often used in various senses of lineage. In particular, it may be translated as “(religious) order” or “spiritual genealogy” where one Sufi Master transfers his khilafat to his spiritual descendant.

The Satnami movement in central India was founded by Ghasidas who worked among the leatherworkers and organised a movement to improve their social status.

• The Royal Indian Navy revolt (also called the Royal Indian Navy mutiny or Bombay mutiny) encompasses a total strike and subsequent revolt by Indian sailors of the Royal Indian Navy on board ship and shore establishments at Bombay harbour on 18 February 1946.
• While the immediate trigger was the demand for better food and working conditions, the agitation soon turned into a wider demand for independence from British rule.

• The Ministry of Culture recently set up a seven-member panel of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to locate the grave of the Mughal prince Dara Shikoh (1615-59).
• The eldest son of Shah Jahan, Dara Shikoh was killed after losing the war of succession against his brother Aurangzeb. Dara Shikoh is described as a “liberal Muslim” who tried to find commonalities between Hindu and Islamic traditions. He translated into Persian the Bhagavad Gita as well as 52 Upanishads.

• Lal Bahadur Shastri became a life member of the Servants of the People Society (Lok Sevak Mandal), founded by Lala Lajpat Rai. There he started to work for the upliftment of backward classes, and later he became the President of that Society.
• He participated in the non-cooperation movement and the Salt Satyagraha.
• He promoted the White Revolution, a national campaign to increase milk production. He also promoted the Green Revolution, to increase the food production in India.
• In 1964, he signed an agreement with the Sri Lankan Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike, in concern with the status of Indian Tamils in Ceylon. This agreement is known as Srimavo-Shastri Pact.
• He signed Tashkent Declaration on 10 January, 1966 with the Pakistan President, Muhammad Ayub Khan to end the 1965 war.