DAY – 60 (InstaTest-60): Insta 75 Days Revision Plan-2022: Topic – ANCIENT & MEDIEVAL INDIA, PREVIOUS YEAR UPSC PAPER 2008, December 2021 CA

Solution: C

Ancient Indian art was mainly inspired by religion. As in earlier times, Buddhism gave a great impetus to art in Gupta period also. A life size image of Buddha made in copper is found from Sultanganj in Bihar.

Solution: A

The Indo-Aryans were engaged in two types of conflicts. First, they fought with the pre-Aryans, and secondly, they fought amongst themselves. Intra-tribal conflicts rocked the Aryan communities for a long time. According to tradition, the Aryans were divided into five tribes called panchajana, but there might have been other tribes too. The Aryans fought amongst themselves and sometimes enlisted the support of the non-Aryan peoples for the purpose. The Bharatas and the Tritsu were the ruling Aryan clans, and they were supported by priest Vasishtha. The country Bharatavarsha was eventually named after the tribe Bharata, which is first mentioned in the RigVeda. The Bharata ruling clan was opposed by a host of ten chiefs, five of whom were heads of Aryan tribes and the remaining five of the non-Aryan people. The battle that the Bharatas fought with the host of ten chiefs is known as the Battle of Ten Kings. It was fought on the river Parushni, coterminous with the river Ravi, and it gave victory to Sudas and established the supremacy of the Bharatas.

Of the defeated tribes, the most important was that of the Purus. Subsequently, the Bharatas joined hands withthe Purus and formed a new ruling tribe called the Kurus. The Kurus combined with the Panchalas, and they together established their rule in the upper Gangetic basin where they played an important role in later Vedic times.

Solution: A

In about the sixth-seventh centuries started the formation. of sub-national units such as Andhra, Assam, Bengal, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, etc.

The identity of the sub-national groups is recognized by both foreign and Indian sources. The Chinese traveler Hsuan Tsang mentions several nationalities Visakhadatta, an author of about the sixth century AD., speaks of

different regions inhabited by peoples’ different in customs, clothing and language.

The Jaina books of the late eighth century notice the existence of 18 inajoz peoples or nationalities. It describes the physical features of 16, It produces samples of their language and says something about their character.

From the seventh century A.D the Bhakti cult spread throughout the country, and especially in the south Bhakti meant that people made all kinds of offerings to the god in return (or which they received the prasadao the favóur of the gods It meant that the devotees completely  surrendered to their god.

This practice can be compared to the complete, dependence of the tenants on the landowners. Just as the tenants offered and rendered various services to the lord and then received land and protection as a kind of favour from him, a similar relation carne to’ be established between the individual and his god.

Social Crisis and the Origin of Land Grants

The central factor that ultimately transformed the ancient Indian society into medieval society was the practice of land grants. 

Why did this practice originate?

The charters say that the givers, mainly kings, wanted to açquire religious merit, and the receivers, mainly monks and priests, needed means for performing religious rites But the practice really came into being because of a serious crisis fiat affected the ancient social order

Solution: A

Although the volume of trade between India and Rome seems to have been large, it was not conducted in articles of daily use for the common people. There was a brisk commerce in luxury goods, which are sometimes called articles of aristocratic necessities. The Romans first started trade with the southernmost part of India, as their earliest coins are found in the Tamil kingdoms which lay outside the Satavahana dominions. The Romans mainly imported spices for which south India was famous, and also muslin, pearls, jewels, and precious stones from central and south India. Iron goods, especially cutlery, formed an important item of export to the Roman empire. Pearls, ivory, precious stones, and animals were considered luxuries, but plants and plant products served the basic religious, funerary, culinary, and medicinal needs of the people.

Kitchenware may have been included in the items of import, and cutlery may have been important for the higher class of people.

In return for the articles exported by India to the Roman Empire, the Romans exported to India wine, wine-amphorae, and various other types of pottery which were discovered in excavations at Tamluk in West Bengal, Arikamedu near Pondicherry, and at several other sites in south India. Sometimes Roman goods travelled as far as Guwahati. Lead, which was used for making coins by the Satavahanas, seems to have been imported from Rome in the form of coiled strips.

Solution: A

These are the names of several generations of Satavahana rulers, recovered from inscriptions. Note the uniform title raja. Also note the following word, which ends with the term puta, a Prakrit word meaning“son”. The term Gotami-puta means “son of Gotami”. Names like Gotami and Vasithi are feminine forms of  Gotama and Vasistha, Vedic seers after whom gotras were named.

Satavahana rulers were identified through metronymics (names derived from that of the mother). Although this may suggest that mothers were important, we need to be cautious before we arrive at any conclusion. In the case of the Satavahanas we know that succession to the throne was generally patrilineal.

Solution: A

Rudrama Devi, also known as Rudramadevi, reigned around 1262–1289 CE (alternative dates: 1261–1295 CE) and is one of the few queens in Indian history. She belongs to Kakatiya dynasty.

About Kakatiya Dynasty

The Kakatiya dynasty was a South Indian dynasty whose capital was Orugallu, now known as Warangal. It was eventually conquered by the Delhi Sultanate. The demise of Kakatiya dynasty resulted in confusion and anarchy under alien rulers for sometime, before the Musunuri Nayaks brought stability to the region

Solution: C

Indians Display a considerable historical sense in biographical writings, a good example of which is the composition of the Harshacharita by Banabhattain the seventh century. It is a semi-biographical work written in an ornate style which became the despair of later imitators. It describes the early career o fHarshavardhana. Although highly exaggerated, it gives an excellent idea of court life under Harsha and the social and religious life in his age. Later, several other charitas or biographies were written. Sandhyakara Nandi’s Ramacharita (twelfth century) narrates the story of the conflict between the Kaivarta peasants and the Pala prince Ramapala, resulting in the latter’s victory. Bilhana’s Vikramankadevacharita recounts the achievements of his patron, VikramadityaVI (1076–1127), the Chalukya king of Kalyan. Even the biographies (charita) of some merchants of Gujarat were written in AD twelfth–thirteenth centuries.

Solution: A

The Neolithic period is followed by Chalcolithic (copper-stone) period when copper and bronze came to be used. The new technology of smelting metal ore and crafting metal artifacts is an important development in human civilization. But the use of stone tools was not given up. Some of the micro-lithic tools continued tobe essential items. People began to travel for a long distance to obtain metal ores. This led to a network of Chalcolithic cultures and the Chalcolithic cultures were found in many parts of India

Solution: B

During the first five years of Akbar’s reign, Bairam Khan acted as his regent. He consolidated the Mughal empire. After five years he was removed by Akbar due to court intrigues and sent to Mecca. But on his way Bairam was killed by an Afghan.

Akbar’s Rajput policy was combined with a broad religious toleration. He abolished the pilgrim tax and later the jiziya. The Rajput policy of Akbar proved to be beneficial to the Mughal state as well as to the Rajputs. The alliance secured to the Mughals the services of the bravest warriors. On the other hand it ensured peace in Rajasthan and a number of Rajputs who joined the Mughal service rose to important positions.

In 1582, Akbar promulgated a new religion called Din Ilahi or Divine Faith. It believes in one God. It contained good points of all religions. Its basis was rational. It upholds no dogma. It was aimed at bridging the gulf that separated different religions. However, his new faith proved to be a failure. It fizzled out after his death. Even during his life time, it had only fifteen followers including Birbal. Akbar did not compel anyone to his new faith.

Solution: B

Sur Das lived at the court of Akbar and was popularly known as the blind bard of Agra. Sur Das is believed to have been a disciple of Vallabacharya who was a Vaishnava preacher in the Sultanate period. ). Sur Das preached religion of love and devotion to a personal God. He wrote inspiring and moving poems, Hindi poems about Lord Krishna.

Pushtimarg is a subtradition of Rudra Sampradaya. It was founded in early 16th-century by Vallabhacharya and is focused on Krishna. A bhakti school, Pushtimarg was expanded by the descendants of Vallabhacharya, particularly Gusainji.

Solution: C

The temple building activity further gained momentum during the Vijayanagar rule. The chief characteristics of the Vijayanagara architecture were the construction of tall Raya Gopurams or gateways and the Kalyana mandapam with carved pillars in the temple premises.

The sculptures on the pillars were carved withdistinctive features. The horse was the most common animal foundin these pillars.

There were a number of seaports on the Malabar coast, the chief being Cannanore. Commercial contacts with Arabia, Persia, South Africa and Portugal on the west and with Burma, Malay peninsula and China on the east flourished. The chief items of exports were cotton and silk clothes, spices, rice, iron, saltpeter and sugar .

The imports consisted of horses, pearls, copper, coral, mercury, China silk and velvet clothes. The art of shipbuilding had developed. Different languages such as Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada and Tamil flourished in the regions. There was a great development in Sanskrit and Telugu literature.

The peak of literary achievement was reached during the reign of Krishna Deva Raya. He himself was a scholar in Sanskrit and Telugu.

Solution: D

Thevaram consists of the hymns by the three Nayanmars: Appar (Thirunavukkarasar), Sambandar (Thirugnanasambandar) and Sundarar.
Together these constitute the seven of the twelve Saiva Thirumurais.

Periyapuranam by Sekkizhar which narrates the stories of the sixty three Nayanmars is an important source for the study of the Bhakti movement

Solution: D

The Panchalas or Vishwakarma community, consisting of goldsmiths, bronze smiths, blacksmiths, masons and carpenters, were essential to the building of temples. They also played an important role in the construction of palaces, big buildings, tanks and reservoirs.

Similarly, weavers such as the Saliyar or Kaikkolars emerged as prosperous communities, making donations to temples. Some aspects of cloth making like cotton cleaning, spinning and dyeing became specialised and independent crafts.

The architecture of Hampi was distinctive. The buildings in the royal complex had splendid arches, domes and pillared halls with niches for holding sculptures. They also had well-planned orchards and pleasure gardens with sculptural motifs such as the lotus and corbels.

In its heyday in the fifteenth sixteenth centuries, Hampi bustled with commercial and cultural activities. Muslim merchants, Chettis and agents of European traders such as the Portuguese, thronged the markets of Hampi.

Temples were the hub of cultural activities and devadasis(temple dancers) performed before the deity, royalty and masses in the many-pillared halls in the Virupaksha (a form of Shiva) temple. The Mahanavami festival, known today as Navaratri in the south, was one of the most important
festivals celebrated at Hampi.

Surat in Gujarat was the emporium of western trade during the Mughal period along with Cambay (present day Khambat) and somewhat later, Ahmedabad.

Surat was the gateway for trade with West Asia via the Gulf of Ormuz. Surat has also been called the gate to Mecca because many pilgrim ships set sail from here.

The city was cosmopolitan and people of all castes and creeds lived there. In the seventeenth century the Portuguese, Dutch and English had their factories and warehouses at Surat. According to the English chronicler Ovington who wrote an account of the port in 1689, on average a hundred ships of different countries could be found anchored at the port at any given time.

Solution: C

Rajendra I (1012-1044 A.D.)

Rajendra had demonstrated his military ability by participating in his father’s campaigns. He continued his father’s policy of aggressive conquests and expansion. His important wars were:

1. Mahinda V, the king of Sri Lanka attempted to recover from the Cholas the northern part of Ceylon. Rajendra defeated him and seized the southern Sri Lanka. Thus the whole of Sri Lanka was made part of the Chola Empire.
2. He reasserted the Chola authority over the Chera and Pandya countries.
3. He defeated Jayasimha II, the Western Chalukya king and the river Tungabadhra was recognized as the boundary between the Cholas and Chalukyas.
4. His most famous military enterprise was his expedition to north
   India. The Chola army crossed the Ganges by defeating a number of rulers on its way. Rajendra defeated Mahipala I of Bengal.

To commemorate this successful north-Indian campaign Rajendra founded the city of Gangaikondacholapuram and constructed the famous Rajesvaram temple in that city. He also excavated a large irrigation tank called Cholagangam on the western side of the city.

Solution: A

The founder of the Sunga dynasty was Pushyamitra Sunga, who was the commander-in-chief under the Mauryas. He assassinated the last Mauryan ruler and usurped the throne. The most important challenge to the Sunga rule was to protect north India against the invasions of the Bactrian Greeks from the northwest.

The Greeks advanced up to Pataliputra and occupied it for some time. However, Pushyamitra succeeded in regaining the lost territory. He also fought a campaign against Kharavela of Kalinga who invaded north India.

Pushyamitra was a staunch follower of Brahmanism. He performed two asvamedha sacrifices. Buddhist sources refer himas a persecutor of Buddhism. But there is enough evidence to show that Pushyamitra patronised Buddhist art. During his reign the Buddhist monuments at Bharhut and Sanchi were renovated and further improved.

After the death of Pushyamitra, his son Agnimitra became the ruler. The last Sunga ruler was Devabhuti, who was murdered by his minister Vasudeva Kanva, the founder of the Kanva dynasty.

The Kanva dynasty ruled for 45 years. After the fall of the Kanvas, the history of Magatha was a blank until the establishment of the Gupta dynasty.

Solution: D

Solution:

Figure 5 in the below image compares Rabi crops and Kharif crops.

Figure 6 compares Area under paddy and Wheat.

Solution: A

Solution:

• It is a faceless assessment programme by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) aimed to facilitate ease of doing business. Under Turant Customs, importers will now get their goods cleared from Customs after a faceless assessment is done remotely by the Customs officers located outside the port of import.

Solution: B

Solution:

• In October 2020, a Chinese state-sponsored group known as ‘Red Echo’ allegedly orchestrated a malware attack that caused a two-hour long power outage in Mumbai, India.
• India is likely to see a rise in attacks throughout 2021 on its infrastructure and organizations by Chinese state-sponsored threat actor groups like Red Echo, US-based cybersecurity company Recorded Future.

Solution: C

Solution:

Solution: C

Solution:

• Water is a critical input for agriculture which accounts for about 80 percent of the current water use in the country.
• The share of net irrigated area accounts for about 49 per cent of the total net sown area in the country
• Out of the net irrigated area, about 40 per cent is irrigated through canal systems and 60 per cent through groundwater.

Answer A

The Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits gives Turkey control over the water route between the Black Sea.

In the event of a war, the pact gives Turkey the right to regulate the transit of naval warships and to block the straits to warships belonging to the countries involved in the conflict.

Answer B

Answer B

Blue Dot is a US-led collaboration with Australia and Japan that supports private-sector-led infrastructure financing opportunities in response to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The Network will not itself directly invest in projects.

Answer D

The first Global Cybersecurity Outlook flagship report identifies the trends and analyzes the near-term future cybersecurity challenges. The accelerated shift to remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic coupled with recent high-profile cyberattacks have resulted in bringing cybersecurity top of mind among key decision-makers in organizations and nations.

ANswer D

The DSA, which EU members agreed to on 23 April, seeks to regulate how Google, Facebook, and Amazon target advertisements towards users, based on parameters such as religion or race, and adopt stricter ways to cut down on hate speech or child abuse material on platforms.

In December 2021, recommendations on India’s upcoming Data Protection Bill made by a joint parliamentary committee stated that online platforms would be required to ensure transparency and ‘fairness’ of algorithms that are used to process personal user data.

(not yet passed)

Instead of letting platforms decide how to deal with abusive or illegal content, the DSA will lay down specific rules and obligations for these companies to follow.

(not self regulating)

Answer : D

A describes the current situation as per the passage, is not a corollary. B is not the most exact

and essential corollary as the focus is not on the health of children but overall state of pollutionin Delhi from a macro perspective. C is an exaggerated statement to describe the situation in

Answer : C

Solution:

Milk = (7/10)*60 = 42 liters.

Water = (3/10)*60 = 18 liters.

So water must be added = 42 – 18 = 24

Answer : A

Answer : A

Explanation:

4 men’s work for 8 days is equivalent to 12 women’s work for 2 days. 12 women’s work for 2 days is equal to 6 women’s work for 4 days or 3 women’s work for 8 days

4 men’s work for 8 days is equivalent to 3 women’s work for 8 days. Therefore, 4 men’s work is equal to 3 women’s work. 1 man can do 1/4th of the work whereas a woman can do 1/3rd of the work.

Man’s relative efficiency = (1/4)/(1/3) = ¾ Thus, a man is ¼ or 25% less efficient as a woman

Answer : A

Explanation:

The fraction of the tank that is filled in one minute by pipes M and N is (1/12) and (1/16) respectively.

As per the given data, M is closed early but N is kept open for 12 minutes.

The fraction of the tank that is filled by pipe N alone in 12 minutes = 12 × (1/16) = ¾ Other ¼ of the tank is filled by pipe M alone.

The time for which the pipe M is kept open = (1/4)/(1/12) = 3 minutes.

So, after 3 minutes the pipe M is closed.