UPSC STATIC QUIZ – Ancient & Medieval India : 3 January 2024

Solution: d)

• Exchanges were facilitated by the introduction of coinage. Punch-marked coins made of silver and copper (c. sixth century BCE onwards) were amongst the earliest to be minted and used by many dynasties including the Mauryas.
• The first coins to bear the names and images of rulers were issued by the Indo-Greeks, who established control over the north-western part of the subcontinent c. second century BCE.
• The first gold coins were issued in the first century CE by the Kushanas (some sources dispute this fact). These were virtually identical in weight with those issued by Roman emperors and the Parthian rulers of Iran.
• Coins were also issued by tribal republics of Punjab and Haryana called the Yaudheyas. Archaeologists have unearthed several thousand copper coins issued by the Yaudheyas.
• Some of the most spectacular gold coins were issued by the Gupta rulers. The earliest coins issued by Guptas were remarkable for their purity. These coins facilitated long-distance transactions from which kings also benefited.

Solution: b)

The Malavikagnimitra is a Sanskrit play by Kālidāsa. Based on some events of the reign of Pushyamitra Shunga, it is his first play. Malavikagnimitra tells the story of the love of Agnimitra, the Shunga Emperor at Vidisha, for the beautiful handmaiden of his chief queen.

Solution: d)

In Sanskrit sources, the usage of the words “Yona”, “Yauna”, “Yonaka”, “Yavana” or “Javana” appears repeatedly, and particularly in relation to the Greek kingdoms which neighboured or sometimes occupied the Punjab region over a period of several centuries from the 4th century BCE to the first century CE.

Examples are the Seleucid Empire, the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom and the Indo-Greek Kingdom.

The Yavanas are mentioned in detail in Sangam literature epics such as Pattinappalai, describing their brisk trade with the Early Cholas in the Sangam period.

Solution: c)

Vashishtaputra Pulamayi extended the Satavahana power up to the mouth of the Krishna river. He issued coins on which the image of ships was inscribed. They reveal the naval power and maritime trade of the Satavahanas. Their greatest port was Kalyani on the west Deccan. Gandakasela and Ganjam on the east coast were the other important seaports.

Solution: a)

Statement 1:  The Satavahanas started the practice of granting tax-free villages to brahmanas and Buddhist monks.

The cultivated fields and villages granted to them were declared free from molestation by royal policemen and soldiers, and all kinds of royal officers.

These areas therefore became small independent islands within the Satavahana kingdom.

Possibly the Buddhist monks also preached peace and rules of good conduct among the people they lived with, and taught them to respect political authority and social order.

Statement 2:  The military character of the Satavahana rule is evident from the common use of such terms as kataka and skandhavaras in their inscriptions. These were military camps and settlements which served as administrative centres so long as the king was there. Thus, coercion played an important part in the Satavahana administration.