Test: History - 5 - UPSC MCQ

• Statement 1 is correct: The Ajivikas was one of the heterogeneous sects developed in pre-Mauryan times. The followers of the Ajivikas were described as fatalists: those who believe that everything is predetermined.

• Statement 2 is correct: The Lokayatas were usually described as materialists. They rejected the notion of an afterworld, karma, liberation (moksha), the authority of the sacred scriptures, the Vedas, and the immortality of the self.

• Statement 3 is correct: Makkhali Gosala was an Ajivika teacher and Ajita Kesakambalin was a lokayata teacher.

• Statement 1 is correct: Magadha was one of the most important ahajanapada. Magadha was a monarchy as there was rule of one person. Vajji was under a different form of government, known as gana or sangha. This was different from Magadha as here there were not one but many rulers, sometimes thousands of men ruled together and each one was called as raja. Vajji was a united republic of eight smaller kingdoms including Lichhavis, Janatriks and Videhas.

• Statement 2 is correct: Both the Buddha and Mahavira belonged to ganas or sanghas. The Buddha belonged to the Sakya gana and Mahavira belonged to Jantrica clan which belonged to Vajji Sangha.

1. Village Headman was known as Grama Bhojaka.

This statement is incorrect. During the Pre-Mauryan period, the village headman was known as Gramani or Gramabhojaka. The term Grama Bhojaka is more commonly associated with the Mauryan period and later.

2. Use of Iron began in India from the times of the Indus Valley Civilization.

This statement is also incorrect. The Indus Valley Civilization (also known as the Harappan Civilization) was predominantly a Bronze Age civilization. The use of iron in India began around 1500 BCE, during the later Vedic period, which is after the decline of the Indus Valley Civilization.

Therefore, none of the statements given are correct.

Stone tools have been used for:

• Digging the ground to collect edible roots.

• Stitching clothes made out of animal skin.

• Some of these stone tools were used to cut meat and bone, scrape bark (from trees) and hides (animal skins), chop fruit and roots.

• Some may have been attached to handles of bone or wood, to make spears and arrows for hunting.

• Other tools were used to chop wood, which was used as firewood. Wood was also used to make huts and tools.

List of Neolithic Sites;

• Koldihwa

• Mahagara

• Mehrgarh

• Paiyampalli

• Hallui

• Burzahom

• Chirand

• Daojali Hading

Megalithic Sites;

• Adichamallur

• Brahmagiri

Paleolithic Sites;

• Kurnool caves

• Hunsgi

Explanation:

1. The Brahmo Sabha was indeed formed with the purpose of purifying Hinduism and preaching theism. Raja Ram Mohan Roy, the founder of the Brahmo Sabha, sought to reform Hinduism by removing practices like idolatry, caste system, and sati. He believed in monotheism and wanted to promote a rational understanding of religion.

2. Tarachand Chakravarti was the first secretary of the Brahmo Sabha. He was a close associate of Raja Ram Mohan Roy and played a crucial role in the early development of the organization.

3. The Brahmo Sabha was opposed to idolatry, as Raja Ram Mohan Roy believed that worshiping idols was a corrupt practice that had no basis in the original Hindu scriptures. He advocated for a more spiritual and rational understanding of religion.

4. The statement that the new society was to be based on the Vedas only is incorrect. Raja Ram Mohan Roy believed in the essential unity of all religions and did not want to restrict the Brahmo Sabha to a single religious scripture. He encouraged the study of various religious texts and promoted religious tolerance and understanding. In fact, the Brahmo Samaj, which evolved from the Brahmo Sabha, considered the Upanishads, Vedas, and other religious texts as important sources of spiritual knowledge, but not as infallible authorities.

• The Swadesh Bandhab Samiti set up by Ashwini Kumar Dutt, a school teacher, in Barisal was the most well-known volunteer organization of them all.

• Through the activities of this Samiti, whose 159 branches reached out to the remotest corners of the district, Dutt was able to generate an unparalleled mass following among the predominantly Muslim Peasantry of the region. The samitis took the Swadeshi message to the villages through magic lantern lectures and Swadeshi songs, gave physical and moral training to the members, did social work during famines and epidemics, organized schools training in Swadeshi craft and arbitration courts.

• By August 1906 the Barisal Samiti reportedly settled 523 disputes through eighty-nine arbitration committees.

• Statement 1 is incorrect: Temple premises in Nagara style generally does not have elaborate walls and gateways. In contrast, Dravida style has elaborate walls and gateways around temple premises.

• Statement 2 is correct: Images of river goddess Ganga and Yamuna were placed outside the garbhagriha.

• Statement 3 is correct: In Nagara style, Temple premises do not have water tank or reservoir inside the temple premises. Whereas in Dravida style, water tanks or reservoirs are present in the temple premises.

About Nagara style of Temple Architecture:

• Nagara is the style of temple architecture which became popular in Northern India.

• It is common here to build an entire temple on a stone platform with steps leading up to it.

• Unlike in south India, it doesn’t usually have elaborate boundary walls or gateways.

• Earliest temples had only one shikhara (tower), but in the later periods multiple shikharas came.

• The garbhagriha is always located directly under the tallest tower.

About Tanjore Paintings:

• Tanjore Painting is one of the most popular forms of classical South Indian painting. It is the native art form of Thanjavur (also known as Tanjore) city of Tamil Nadu.

• Tanjore Painting of India originated during the 16th century, under the reign of the Cholas. Maratha princes, Nayakas, Rajus communities of Tanjore and Trichy and Naidus of Madurai also patronized Indian Thanjavur Paintings from 16th to 18th century

• The dense composition, surface richness and vibrant colors of Indian Thanjavur Paintings distinguish them from the other types of paintings. There are embellishments of semi-precious stones, pearls and glass pieces that further add to their appeal.

• The relief work gives them a three dimensional effect.

• Most of these paintings revolve around the theme of Hindu Gods and Goddesses, along with saints.

• The main figure is always painted at the center of the painting:

  • Mysore Painting: Mysore Painting is a form of classical South Indian painting, which evolved in the Mysore city of Karnataka. During that time, Mysore was under the reign of the Wodeyars and it was under their patronage that this school of painting reached its zenith. Quite similar to the Tanjore Paintings, Mysore Paintings of India make use of thinner gold leaves and require much more hard work. The most popular themes of these paintings include Hindu Gods and Goddesses and scenes from Hindu mythology. The grace, beauty and intricacy of Indian Mysore Paintings leave the onlookers mesmerized.

  • Company Painting: Company painting, also called Patna painting, style of miniature painting that developed in India in the second half of the 18th century in response to the tastes of the British serving with the East India Company. The style first emerged in Murshidabad, West Bengal, and then spread to other centres of British trade: Benares (Varanasi), Delhi, Lucknow, and Patna. Basohli painting, school of Pahari miniature painting that flourished in the Indian hill states during the late 17th and 18th centuries, known for its bold vitality of colour and line. Though the school takes its name from the small independent state of Basohli, the principal centre of the style, examples are found throughout the region.

• Statement 1 is correct: Mauryan Empire maintained large standing army of Cavalry, Army, elephants, chariots, navy and transport.

• Statement 2 is correct: Administration of important cities were carried out by six boards, each consist of 5 members.

• Statement 3 is correct: Administration of army was carried by a board of 30 members divided into 6, each having 5 members- Army, Navy, Elephant, cavalry, chariots and transport.

Eco Sensitive area:

The Madhav Gadgil Report:

• The Madhav Gadgil Report had classified the whole of the Western Ghats, spread across six states and covering 44 districts and 142 talukas, as an EcoSensitive Zone (ESZ).

The Kasturirangan Committee:

• The Kasturirangan Committee had reduced the ESZ to 37 per cent of the total area, covering about 60,000 sq km. It had recommended that 123 revenue villages be demarcated as ESA.

Oommen V Oommen Report:

• To solve the conflict, Oommen Chandy, the former Chief Minister of Kerala in 2014 set up an expert committee to study the loopholes of the previous two committees.

• According to the new committee, recommendations were made to the government to implement changes in clauses of the Environmentally Fragile Land (EFL) in the Western Ghats, stating the lapses occurring in determining the EFL areas.

• Oommen V Oommen Report had recommended that plantations and inhabited areas in the Western Ghats be kept out of the ESA.

• Statement 1 is correct: The castes proliferated into numerous sub-castes as a result of two factors. A large number of foreigners had been assimilated into Indian society, and each group of foreigners was considered a kind of caste.

• Statement 2 is correct: As the foreigners largely came as conquerors, they were given the status of kshatriya in society. The Hunas, who came to India towards the close of the fifth century, eventually came to be recognized as one of the thirty-six clans of the Rajput’s. Even now some Rajput’s bear the title Hun. The other reason for the increase in the number of castes was the absorption of many tribal people into Brahmanical society through the process of land grants. The tribal chiefs were assigned a respectable origin, but most of their ordinary kinsmen were assigned a low origin, and every tribe became a kind of caste in its new incarnation. This process continued in some ways up to the present.

• Statement 1 is incorrect: Debendranath Tagore, father of Rabindranath Tagore, revitalised it. Debendranath was a product of the best in the traditional Indian learning and the new thought of the West. In 1839 he founded the Tattvabodhini Sabha to propagate Rammohun Roy‟s ideas.

• Statement 2 is incorrect: The Tattvabodhini Sabha and its organ the Tatvabodhini Patrika promoted a systematic study of India‟s past in the Bengali language. It also helped spread a rational outlook among the intellectuals of Bengal.

• Dayanand Saraswati (12 February 1824 – 30 October 1883) was an Indian philosopher, social leader and founder of the Arya Samaj, a reform movement of the Vedic dharma.

• Denouncing the idolatry and ritualistic worship prevalent in British India at the time, he worked towards reviving Vedic ideologies.

• He focused on problems of man as they lived in this world. He also favored the study of western sciences.

• An outstanding champion of new learning and social reform in Maharashtra was Gopal Hari Deshmukh, who became famous by the pen‟ name of “Lokahilawadi‟. He advocated the reorganization of Indian society on rational principles and modern humanistic and secular values.

• Karsonda Mulji born to a family belonging to the Bhatias, a trading caste of western India, he was repudiated by his family because of his views on widow remarriage. He became a vernacular schoolmaster and started Satyaprakash, a weekly in Gujarati, in which he attacked what he perceived to be the immoralities of the Maharajas or hereditary high priests of the Pushtimarg Vaishnavism, to which the Bhatias belonged.

• After a visit to England on business in connection with the cotton trade, which was not successful and brought on him excommunication from his caste, he was appointed in 1874 to administer a native state in Kathiawar during the minority of the chief.

• WIDOW REMARRIAGE ASSOCIATION was founded by Vishnu Shastri Pandit and Mahadev Govind Ranade in Bombay in 1861. It promoted widow remarriage and campaigned against child marriages, the heavy cost of marriages and customs like the shaving of widow’s head, etc.

• Dadabhai Naoroji was educated at Elphinstone College, Bombay, he was a professor of mathematics and natural philosophy there before turning to politics and a career in commerce that took him to England, where he spent much of his life.

• He stood unsuccessfully for election to Parliament in 1886. In 1892, however, he was elected Liberal member of Parliament for Central Finsbury, London. He became widely known for his unfavourable opinion of the economic consequences of British rule in India and was appointed a member of the royal commission on Indian expenditure in 1895. In 1886, 1893, and 1906 he also presided over the annual sessions of the Indian National Congress, which led the nationalist movement in India. In the session of 1906 his conciliatory tactics helped to postpone the impending split between moderates and extremists in the Congress Party. In his many writings and speeches and especially in Poverty and Un-British Rule in India (1901), Naoroji argued that India was too highly taxed and that its wealth was being drained away to England.

• Statement 1 is correct: The movement has traditionally been considered as an influential social reformation in Hinduism and provided an individual-focused alternative path to spirituality regardless of one’s caste of birth or gender. The bhakti reformers preached the principles of monotheism (oneness of God).

• Statement 2 is not correct: They believed in freedom from the cycle of life and death. Theyadvocated that salvation could be attained only by deep devotion and faith in God. They advocated the principle of Universal brotherhood and criticized idol worship.

• Statement 3 is not correct: They stressed the singing of hymns with deep devotion. Arguing that all living beings, including humans, were god’s children they strongly denounced the caste system which divided people according to their birth. They emphasized the self-surrender for obtaining the bliss and grace of God. Gurus could act as guides and preceptors.

• The great Emperor Ashoka, the third monarch of the Maurya dynasty converted to Buddhism after witnessing the horrific effects of war in Kalinga.

• He became a champion and patron of Buddhism and strove to spread Dhamma throughout his empire and beyond. He erected pillars and edicts all over the subcontinent and even in modern-day Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan to spread the Buddha’s word.

• James Prinsep, a British antiquary and colonial administrator was the first person to decipher Ashoka’s edicts. These inscriptions are the first tangible evidence of Buddhism. They were kept in public places and along trade routes so that maximum number of people would read them.

• More than religious discourses, they talk about the moral duties of the people, how to conduct life, Ashoka’s desire to be a good and benevolent ruler, and about Ashoka’s work towards this end.

• These inscriptions can be classified into three: Pillar edicts, Major rock edicts and Minor rock edicts.

• Statement 1 is incorrect: Asokan edicts are written mainly in Prakrit language and Brahmi script. In eastern part of the empire, Magadhi language in Brahmi script is used. (Magadhi is the dialect of Prakrit found in Magadha). In western parts of the Mauryan Empire, Prakrit in kharosthi script is used. Major Rock Edict XIII contains an extract in Greek and Aramaic as well.

• Statement 2 is incorrect: 13th Major Rock edict mentions victory over Kalinga. Mentions Ashoka’s Dhamma victory over Greek Kings Antiochus of Syria (Amtiyoko), Ptolemy of Egypt (Turamaye), Magas of Cyrene (Maka), Antigonus of Macedon (Amtikini), Alexander of Epirus (Alikasudaro). Also mentions Pandyas, Cholas, etc.

• Bhasa was an important poet in the early phase of the Gupta period and wrote thirteen plays. He wrote in Sanskrit, but his dramas also contain a substantial amount of Prakrit. He was the author of a drama called Daridra Charudatta, which was later refashioned as Mrichchhakatika or the Little Clay Cart.

• Bhasa is one of the earliest and most celebrated Indian playwrights in Sanskrit, predating Kalidasa. The plays of Bhāsa had been lost for centuries, until the manuscripts were rediscovered in the early 20th century.

• He was known only from the mentions in other works like the text Kavyamimamsa on poetics written during 880–920 AD. In the Kavyamimamsa, Rajashekhara attributes the play Swapnavasavadattam to Bhāsa.

• Statement 1 is correct: Asoka tried to teach compassion by way of live and let live. He tried to preserve social order and weed put unwanted rituals and cruelty.

• Statement 2 is incorrect: Asoka disapproved rituals especially by women. He was against killing of certain birds and animals.

• Statement 3 is incorrect: He appointed officer named ‘‘dharma mahamatras' for propagating his idea of dhamma.

• Statement 1 is correct: Thoda is originated in the State of Himachal Pradesh, Thoda is a mixture of martial arts, sport and culture. It takes place during Baisakhi (13th and 14th April) every year. A number of community prayers are done so as to invoke the blessings of Goddesses Mashoo and Durga, the principal deities. The game is quite popular in various parts of the State including Narkanda block, Theong division (Shimla district), Chopal division, Solan and Sirmaur district. The martial art relies on a player’s skill of archery. Thoda can be dated back to the Mahabharata, the times when bows and arrows were used in the epic battle, in the valleys of Kullu and Manali. Hence, Thoda finds its genesis in Kullu. Its name is derived from the round wooden piece attached to the head of an arrow to minimise its lethal potential. The equipment required for this game, i.e. wooden bows and arrows, are prepared by traditional skilled artisans. The bow’s range is from 1.5 to 2 meters, depending.

• Statement 2 is incorrect: The earliest coins were casted coins and were die-struck only on one side. One to five marks or symbols incused on single side and termed as ‘Punch Marked’ coins. Panini’s Ashtadhyayi cites that in punch marked coins, the metallic pieces were stamped with symbols. Each unit was called ‘Ratti’ weighing 0.11 gram. The first trace of this coin was available in the period between sixth and second century BC. Following two of its classifications are available: Punch marked coins issued by various Mahajanapadas (around 6th century BC): The first Indian punch marked coins called Puranas, Karshapanas or Pana were minted in the 6th century BC by the various Janapadas and Mahajanapadas of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. These coins had irregular shapes, standard weight and were made up of silver with different markings like Saurashtra had a humped bull, Dakshin Panchala had a Swastika and Magadha had generally five symbols. Magadhan punch-marked coins became.

• Statement 3 is correct: Bharuch, formerly known as Broach, is a city at the mouth of the river Narmada in Gujarat in western India. In 3rd century BC it was a major trade route, through which Spice and silk was traded to Arab countries.

• Statement 1 is incorrect: There is scope for improvisations and variations in Hindustani music. Whereas in Carnatic music, it is not present.

• Statement 2 is correct: Hindustani music is influenced by Arab, Persian and Afghan music. Carnatic music is indigenous.

• Statement 3 is incorrect: Vocal music and instruments are equally important in Hindustani music. In Carnatic music, more emphasis is given on vocal music in comparison to instruments. Hindustani classical music is an Indian classical music tradition. It originated in North India around the 13th and 14th centuries. In contrast to Carnatic music, the other main Indian classical music tradition from South India, Hindustani classical music was not only influenced by ancient Hindu musical traditions and Vedic philosophy but also by the Persian elements. Hindustani classical music is the most popular stream of Indian music. Hindustani music is based on the raga system.

• The Raga is a melodic scale, comprising of notes from the basic seven- Sa, Re, Ga, Ma Pa, Dha and Ni. On the basis of notes included in it, each raga attains a different character. The form of the raga is also determined by the particular pattern of ascent and descent of the notes, which may not be strictly linear. Hindustani classical music is primarily vocal-centric. The major vocal forms associated with Hindustani classical music are the khayal, Ghazal, dhrupad, dhammar, tarana and thumri. Dhrupad style of singing is traditionally performed by men with a tanpura and pakhawaj. The lyrics sung in Dhrupad are in a medieval form of Hindi and typically heroic in theme, or in praise of a particular deity.

• A more adorned form is called dhamar. The place of dhrupad has been taken by somewhat less austere and more free-form khayal. Khayal consists of about 4-8 lines of lyrics set to a tune. The performer uses these few lines as the base for improvisation. The Khayal form of Hindustani classical music is ascribed to Hussain Shah Sharqui, the 15th century ruler of the Sharqi dynasty. It was made popular by the 18th century rule of Mohammed Shah. Some of the modern day vocalists are Bhimsen Joshi, Nagraj Havaldar, Kishori Amonkar, Ulhas Kashalkar, Ajoy Chakraborty, Prabakar Karekar, Pandit Jasraj, Rashid Khan, Aslam Khan, Shruti Sadolikar, Chandrasekhar Swami and Mashkoor Ali Khan. Another vocal form of Hindustani music is Tarana.

• Tarana are songs that are used to convey a feeling of joy and are usually performed towards the end of a concert. Thumri is an informal vocal form of Hindustani classical music and is said to have begun with the court of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, the Nawab of Oudh. Originally, a Persian form of vocal music, Ghazal is an important part of Hindustani Classical music. Ghazal exists in multiple variations, including folk and pop forms. Some notable Ghazal performers include Ghulam Ali, Jagjit Singh, Mehndi Hassan and Pankaj Udhas. The themes of Ghazals range from love, joy and piety.

• Statement 1 is correct: Chandragupta II adopted the title of Vikramaditya, which had been first used by an Ujjain ruler in 58–57 BC as a mark of victory over the Shaka Kshatrapas of western India. This Ujjain ruler is traditionally called Shakari or the enemy of the Shakas. Vikrama samvat or era was started in 58– 57 BC by Shakari. However, Chandragupta II proved to be a greater Shakari and Vikramaditya.

• Statement 2 is correct: The court of Chandragupta II at Ujjain was adorned by numerous scholars including Kalidasa and Amarasimha.

• Statement 3 is correct: It was during Chandragupta’s reign that the Chinese pilgrim Fa-hsien (AD 399–414) visited India and wrote an elaborate account of the life of its people.

• Statement 1 is incorrect: A local ruler expelled Sakas from Ujjain and called himself ‘Vikramaditya'. He also stated Vikrama era in 57 BC.

• Statement 2 is incorrect: Saka ruler Rudradaman l undertook repairs of Sudarshan lake in Kathiawar region. He didn’t constructed Sudarshan lake.

• Statement 1 is incorrect: Gandhara art was influenced by Graeco-Roman style while Mathura Art was indigenous art. But Mathura art was influenced by Gandhara School.

• Statement 2 is correct: Mathura school produces images of both Buddha and Mahavira.

Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO):

About:

• It is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation of Eurasian Nations with a secretariat in Beijing.

Origin: Journey from Shanghai Five to SCO

• Shanghai Five emerged in 1996 from a series of border demarcation and demilitarization talks between 4 former USSR republics and China.

• Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan were members of the Shanghai Five.

• With the accession of Uzbekistan to the group in 2001, the Shanghai Five was renamed the SCO.

• The SCO Charter was signed in 2002 and entered into force in 2003.

Inclusion of India & Pakistan:

• India and Pakistan both were initially observer states.

• Both were given full membership in 2017.

Members:

• Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, and Pakistan.

• Milinda Panho is a book dedicated to questions asked by Menander to Nagasena who converted him to Buddhism. Questions asked by him is recorded in book Milinda Panho.

• Statement 1 is incorrect: Satavahanas called themselves only Brahmana who defeated Sakas and Kshatriya rulers. Gautamiputra Satakarni crushed down the pride and conceit of the Kshatriyas; who destroyed the Sakas, Yavanas and Palhavas; who never levied nor employed taxes but in conformity to justice; alien to hurting life even towards an offending enemy; the furtherer of the homesteads of the low as well as of the twice-born; who rooted out the Khakharata race; who restored the glory of the Satavahana family; whose feet were saluted by all provinces; who stopped the contamination of the four varnas; who conquered multitudes of enemies in many battles; whose victorious banner was unvanquished; whose capital was unassailable to his foes.

• Statement 2 is correct: Satavahanas promoted Buddhism by granting them land. Nagarjunakonda and Amaravati become important Mahayana sites during Satavahana and their successors Ikshvakus.

Option (a) is the correct answer.

• Statement 1 is correct: Asokan inscriptions mention States of Chola, Chera and Pandya but their Kingdoms lay outside the territories of Mauryan Empire.

• Statement 2 is correct: Wealth of these states was mainly from overseas trade of cotton and spices. Ports like Kaveripattnam facilitated such trade.

• Statement 3 is incorrect: Only Pandyan rulers patronized Sangam literature.

• On the history of Cholas there is very little authentic written evidence available. Historians during the past 150 years have gleaned a lot of knowledge on the subject from a variety of sources such as ancient Tamil Sangam literature, oral traditions, religious texts, temple and copperplate inscriptions. The main source for the available information of the early Cholas is the early Tamil literature of the Sangam Period. There are also brief notices on the Chola country and its towns, ports and commerce furnished by the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (Periplus Maris Erythraei). Periplus is a work by an anonymous Alexandrian merchant and contains very little information of the Chola country. Writing half a century later, the geographer Ptolemy gives more detail about the Chola country, its port and its inland cities. Mahavamsa, a Buddhist text, recounts a number of conflicts between the inhabitants of Ceylon and the Tamil immigrants. Cholas are mentioned in the Pillars of Ashoka (inscribed 273 BC – 232 BC) inscriptions, where they are mentioned among the kingdoms which, though not subject to Ashoka, were on friendly terms with him.

• Rajaraja and Rajendra I marked their victories by erecting a number of Shiva and Vishnu temples at various places. The Chola rulers adopted the practice of having long inscriptions written on the walls of the temples they built, giving a historical narrative of their victories. That is why we know a great deal more about the Cholas than their predecessors.

• During the imperial Chola period the Prabhanda became the dominant form of poetry. The religious canons of Saiva and Vaishnava sects were beginning to be systematically collected and categorised.

• While there is little reliable information on the Cholas during the period between the early Cholas and Vijayalaya dynasties, there is an abundance of materials from diverse sources on the Vijayalaya and the Chalukya Chola dynasties. A large number of stone inscriptions by the Cholas themselves and by their rival kings, Pandyas and Chalukyas, and copper-plate grants, have been instrumental in constructing the history of Cholas of that period.

• Statement 1 is incorrect: Madhubani painting (Mithila painting) was traditionally created by the women of various communities in the Mithila region of the Indian subcontinent. Traditionally, painting was one of the skills that were passed down from generation to generation in the families of the Mithila Region, mainly by women.

• Statement 2 is correct: The paintings were traditionally done on freshly plastered mud walls and floors of huts, but now they are also done on cloth, handmade paper and canvas. Madhubani paintings are made from the paste of powdered rice.

• Statement 3 is correct: These paintings are 2 dimensional.

About Madhubani Paintings

• Madhubani art (or Mithila painting) is practiced in the Mithila region of the Indian subcontinent. This painting is done with a variety of tools, including fingers, twigs, brushes, nib-pens, and matchsticks and using natural dyes and pigments. It is characterized by its eye-catching geometrical patterns.