Post-Mauryan and Gupta Age — Practice Questions
UPSC Prelims-pattern practice questions on the post-Mauryan, Sangam and Gupta periods with full explanations — inscriptions, Kushanas, ports and Gupta rulers.
Questions
These are original UPSC-pattern practice questions. Attempt each one before revealing the answer.
Which one of the following is regarded as the first long inscription in chaste Sanskrit?
Solution
The Junagadh (Girnar) inscription of Rudradaman I (150 CE) is the first long inscription in chaste Sanskrit; it also records the repair of the Sudarshana lake.
- Hathigumpha (Kharavela) and Nashik (Gautami Balashri) are in Prakrit.
- The Allahabad pillar inscription is in Sanskrit but is about two centuries later.
Answer: C
Consider the following statements about the Kushanas:
- Kanishka had his capital at Purushapura.
- The Fourth Buddhist Council was held in Kashmir under Kanishka.
- The Rabatak inscription giving Kanishka’s genealogy is written in Greek.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Solution
Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Statement 3 is wrong: the Rabatak inscription, found in Afghanistan in 1993, is in Bactrian, an Iranian language written in a Greek-derived script — which is why “Greek” is a tempting but wrong option.
Answer: B
The earliest epigraphic evidence of the practice of sati in India comes from an inscription found at
Solution
The Eran inscription (510 CE, Madhya Pradesh), from the reign of Bhanugupta, records that the wife of Goparaja followed him onto the funeral pyre.
- Bhitari — Skandagupta’s struggle with the Hunas.
- Mehrauli — the iron pillar of “Chandra”.
- Mandasor — Yashodharman of Malwa.
Answer: A
Consider the following pairs:
| Sangam-age port | Kingdom |
|---|---|
| 1. Muziris | Chera |
| 2. Puhar | Pandya |
| 3. Korkai | Pandya |
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
Solution
Pairs 1 and 3 are correct. Muziris was the Chera port of the pepper trade; Korkai was the Pandya port of the pearl fisheries. Puhar (Kaveripattinam) was the Chola port.
Answer: D
Consider the following statements about Chandragupta II:
- He defeated the Western Kshatrapas.
- The Chinese pilgrim Fa-Hien visited India during his reign.
- His daughter Prabhavatigupta was married into the Vakataka dynasty.
- He founded the monastery of Nalanda.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
Solution
Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. Statement 4 is wrong: Nalanda is associated with Kumaragupta I, whom Hiuen Tsang calls Shakraditya. Three statements are correct.
Answer: C
Trace the evolution of the Hindu temple during the Gupta period.
Solution
Introduction: Before the Guptas, religious architecture was mainly Buddhist and Jain — stupas and rock-cut caves. The Gupta age saw the first free-standing structural temples for Brahmanical deities.
Body:
- Stage 1 — flat-roofed shrines: square sanctum (garbhagriha) with a pillared porch; Temple 17 at Sanchi, Kankali Devi at Tigawa.
- Stage 2 — added features: covered ambulatory (pradakshina-patha) and raised platform; Parvati temple at Nachna-Kuthara.
- Stage 3 — the shikhara appears: the Dashavatara temple at Deogarh (stone, panchayatana plan, Vishnu reliefs) and the brick temple at Bhitargaon with terracotta panels.
- Sculptural programme: doorways with river goddesses Ganga and Yamuna; narrative reliefs; the Udayagiri Varaha shows rock-cut shrines continuing alongside.
- Context: growth of Puranic religion and image worship; royal and local patronage.
Conclusion: The Gupta experiments — sanctum, porch, platform and an early tower — became the basic grammar of the later Nagara temple style.