States after the Maurya Empire
Short Questions
1. Who was the last Maurya emperor?
Answer : Brihadratha
2. Who founded the Shunga dynasty?
Answer : Pushyamitra Shunga
3. Which Indo-Greek king is also called Milinda?
Answer : Menander
4. Which Kushana king held the Fourth Buddhist Council?
Answer : Kanishka
5. Who was the founder of the Gupta dynasty?
Answer : Shrigupta
6. Which Gupta king was a veena player?
Answer : Samudragupta
7. Who wrote ‘Harshacharita’?
Answer : Banabhatta
8. Which city was the capital of Harshavardhan’s empire?
Answer : Kanauj
9. Which Chinese traveler visited India during Chandragupta II’s reign?
Answer : Fa Hien
10. What was the ancient name of Kamrup?
Answer : Pragjyotishpur
Long Questions
1. Who were the Indo-Greek kings, and why are their coins important?
Answer : Indo-Greek kings ruled small kingdoms in northwest India. Their coins were unique because they had the king’s image on one side and a deity on the other. This tradition later spread in India.
2. What were the achievements of Emperor Kanishka?
Answer : Kanishka expanded the Kushana empire from Kabul to Varanasi. He held the Fourth Buddhist Council in Kashmir and patronized scholars like Ashvaghosha and Charaka. He also introduced gold coins with images of Buddha and Indian gods.
3. What does Fa Hien’s travel account tell us about Gupta rule?
Answer : Fa Hien described India as a prosperous land with large cities, guest houses, hospitals, and religious freedom. People lived peacefully, and the administration was well-organized with regularly paid officers and soldiers.
4. How did Harshavardhan contribute to trade and culture?
Answer : Harshavardhan encouraged trade and spent his revenue on public welfare. He was a patron of Buddhism and Sanskrit literature. He wrote three Sanskrit plays and established friendly relations with China.
5. What do we learn about Kamrup from ancient texts?
Answer : Kamrup (modern Assam) was mentioned in Mahabharata and Ramayana as Pragjyotishpur. It was an important kingdom in Northeast India, ruled by kings like Pushyavarman and Bhaskarvarman. Chinese traveler Yuan Chwang also visited Kamrup.
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