From Chiefdoms to Empires

1. Many territorial states emerged during

the sixth Century BC (BCE)

2. What led to the transformation of socio – economic and political

life of the people in the Gangetic plains?
Emergence many territorial states

3. A new intellectual awakening began to develop in northern India

during
the sixth Century BC (BCE)

4. The two kinds of government in north India during the sixth

century BC (BCE)
Gana – sanghas and Kingdoms

5. Gana – sanghas means

non monarchical states.
6. Kingdoms mean
Monarchies

7. The term ‘gana’ means

‘people of equal status’.

8. ‘Sangha’ means
‘assembly’.

9. A small geographical area ruled by an elite group covered

The gana - sanghas

10. The gana sanghas practiced

egalitarian traditions.
11. A territory ruled by a king or queen.
A ‘kingdom’

12. In a kingdom (monarchy), a family, which rules for a long

period becomes a
dynasty.

13. Usually the kingdoms adhered to

orthodox Vedic traditions.

14. The earliest gathering places of men.

Janapadas

15. What became republics or smaller kingdoms?

Janapadas
16. What created conditions for the formation of larger territorial
units transforming the janapadas into Mahajanapadas?
The wide- spread use of iron in Gangetic plain

17. How many Mahajanapadas dotted the Indo- Gangetic plain in

the sixth century BC (BCE)?
Sixteen Mahajanapadas

18. 16 Mahajanapadas
Anga, Magadha, Vajji, Malla, Kasi, Kuru, Kosala, Avanti, Chedi,
Vatsa, Panchala, Machcha, Surasena, Assaka, Gandhara and
Kamboja

19. The Mahajanapadas of Magadha in

Bihar

20. The Mahajanapadas of Avanti in

Ujjain
21. The Mahajanapadas of Kosala in
Eastern Uttar Pradesh

22. The Mahajanapadas of Vatsa in

Kausambi, Allahabad.

23. Among the four Mahajanapadas, which emerged as an empire?

Magadha

24. Four dynasties ruled over Magadha Empire.

1. The Haryanka dynasty
2. The Shishunaga dynasty
3. The Nanda dynasty
4. The Maurya dynasty

25. Magadha’s gradual rise to politicalsupremacy began with

Bimbisara of Haryanka dynasty.
26. Bimbisara extended the territory of Magadhan Empire by
conquests and by matrimonial alliances with Lichchhavis,
Madra and Kosala.

27. Bimbisara’s son

Ajatasatru

28. A contemporary of Buddha

Ajatasatru

29. Who convened the first Buddhist Council at Rajagriha?

Ajatasatru

30. Who laid the foundation of the new capital at

Pataliputra?
Udayin, the successor of Ajatasatru
31. Haryanka dynasty was succeeded by the
Shishunaga dynasty.

32. Who shifted the capital from Rajagriha to Pataliputra.

Kalasoka, a king of Shishunaga dynasty

33. Who convened the second Buddhist Council at Vaishali?

Kalasoka, a king of Shishunaga dynasty

34. The first empire builders of India.

Nandas

35. The first Nanda ruler was

Mahapadma.
36. Mahapadma Nanda was succeeded by his eight sons who were known as
Navanandas (nine Nandas).

37. Who was the last Nanda ruler?

Dhana Nanda
38. Dhana Nanda was overthrown by
Chandragupta Maurya.

39. A large Buddhist monastery in ancient kingdom of Magadha.

Nalanda

40. Nalanda became the most renowned seat of learning during the reign of
Guptas.
41. The word Nalanda is a Sanskrit combination of three words Na + alam + daa
meaning
“no stopping of the gift of knowledge”.

42. Archaeological sources to know Mauryan Empire

Punch Marked Coins.

43. Inscriptions sources to know Mauryan Empire

Edicts of Ashoka, Junagath Inscription

44.Secular Literature sources to know Mauryan Empire

Kautilya’s Arthasastra , Visakadatta’s Mudrarakshasa

45. Mamulanar’s poem in

Agananuru
46. Religious Literature to know Mauryan Empire
Jain, Buddhist texts and Puranas

47. Foreign Notices to know Mauryan Empire

Dipavamsa, Mahavamsa and Indica

48. The ambassador of the Greek ruler, Seleucus, in the court of Chandra Gupta.
Megasthenese

49. Whose book is one of the main sources for the study of Mauryan Empire?
Megasthenese’s Indica

50. India’s First largest empire

Mauryan Empire
51. The great capital city Pataliputra in the Mauryan Empire had
64 gates to the city with 570 watch towers.

52. Who established the Mauryan Empire in Magadha?

Chandragupta Maurya

53. Name the Jain monk who took Chandragupta Maurya to the southern India?
Bhadrabahu

54. Jaina rituals in which a person fasts unto his death.

Sallekhana

55. Where did Chandragupta perform Sallekhana?

in Sravanbelgola (Karnataka).
56. Real name of Bindusara was
Simhasena.

57. Name the son of Chandragupta Maurya.

Bindusara

58. Greeks called Bindusara as

Amitragatha

59. Amitragatha meaning

‘slayer of enemies’.

60. Whose reign Mauryan Empire spread over large parts of

India.
Bindusara
61. Bindusara appointed his son Ashoka as a governor of
Ujjain.

62. The most famous of the Mauryan kings.

Ashoka

63. Ashoka was known as

‘Devanam Piya’

64. Devanam Piya’ meaning

‘beloved of the Gods’.

65. Ashoka fought the Kalinga war in

261 BC (BCE)
66. The horror of THE Kalinga war was described by the king himself
in the
Rock Edict XIII.

67. “Ashoka shines and shines brightly like a bright star, even unto
this day”

- H. G. Wells , Historian

68. The Emblem of the Indian Republic has been adopted from the
Lion Capital of one of Ashokas pillars located at
Sarnath.

69. The wheel from the circular base, the Ashoka Chakra is a part of
the National Flag.

70. After the battle of Kalinga, Ashoka became a

Buddhist.
71. Name the tours Asoka undertook to different parts of the
country.
Dharma yatras

72. Asoka undertook Dharma yatras to different parts of the

country
instructing people on policy of
Dhamma.

73. The meaning of Dhamma is explained in Ashoka’s

Pillar Edict II

74. The noblest ideas of humanism, forming the essence of all

religions contained in Ashoka’s
Pillar Edict II

75. Ashoka sent his son Mahinda and Sanghamitta to Srilanka to

propagate
76. Aoka sent missionaries to spread the message of
Dhamma to
West Asia, Egypt, and Eastern Europe to.

77. A new cadre of officials created by Ashoka.

The Dhamma-mahamattas

78. Whose job was to spread dhamma all over the empire?
The Dhamma-mahamattas

79. Ashoka held the third Buddhist Council at his capital

Pataliputra.

80. The 33 Edicts on the pillars as well as boulders and cave

walls made by
the Emperor Ashoka
81. The 33 Edicts on the pillars as well as boulders and cave walls
made by the Emperor Ashoka, describe in detail
Ashoka’s belief in peace, righteousness, justice and his concern for
the welfare of his people.

82. An official order or proclamation issued by a person in authority

or a king.
An Edict

83. The script of the inscriptions at Sanchi

Brahmi

84. The script of the inscriptions at Kandahar

Greek and Aramaic

85. The script of the inscriptions at North Western part

Kharoshthi
86. The Mauryan Council of ministers assisted the King were
known as.
mantriparishad

87. Assembly of ministers included

a Purohit, a Senapathi, a Maha mantri and the Yuvaraja.

88. Which was the most important source of revenue for the
state?
The land

89. Name the inscription of Asoka that mentions bali and

bagha as taxes collected from people.
Ashokan inscription at Lumbini

90. The land tax (bhaga) collected was

1/6 of the total produce.
91. Town administration was under
Nagarika.

92. Nagarika was assisted by

Sthanika and Gopa.

93. The construction of a water reservoir known as Sudarshana

Lake was begun during the time of Chandragupta Maurya and
completed during Ashoka’s reign.
The Junagarh / Girnar Inscription of Rudradaman

94. The punch marked silver coins which carry the symbols of the
peacock were known as
panas

95. The hill and crescent copper coins called

Mashakas
96. Trade flourished particularly with
Greece (Hellenic) Malaya, Ceylon and Burma.

97. The Arthasastra refers to the regions producing specialized

textiles
Kasi (Benares), Vanga(Bengal), Kamarupa (Assam) and Madurai in
Tamilnadu.

98. Indigenous Art of the Mauryan

Statues of Yakshas and Yakshis

99. Royal Art of the Mauryan

Palaces and Public buildings, Monolithic Pillars, Rock cut
Architecture, Stupas

100. Deities connected with water, fertility, trees, the forest and
wilderness.
Yakshas (Yakshis -female counterpart)
101. A semi – spherical dome like structure constructed on brick or stone.
A Stupa

102. The Buddha’s relics were placed in the centre of

the dome.

103. The crowning element of Monolithic Pillar at Sarnath

Dharma chakra.

104. Three caves in Barabar hills have dedicative inscription of

Ashoka.

105. Three caves in Nagarjuna hills have inscriptions of

Dasharatha Maurya (grand son of Ashoka).
106. Last Maurya ruler Brihadratha was killed by his commander

Pushyamitra Sungha who established Sungha dynasty.

107. Modern name Rajagriha

Rajgir

108. Modern name Pataliputra

Patna

109. Modern name Kalinga

Odisha
Choose the correct answer:
1. The Kingdom which was most powerful among
the four Mahajanapadas
a) Anga b) Magadha c) Kosala d) Vajji
2. Among the following who was the contemporary
of Gautama Buddha?
a) Ajatasatru b) Bindusara c) Padmanabha Nanda
d) Brihadratha
3. Which of the following are the sources of
Mauryan period?
a) Artha Sastra b) Indica c) Mudrarakshasa d) All
4. Chandra Gupta Maurya abdicated the thrown
and went to Sravanbelgola along with Jaina Saint
______________.
a) Badrabahu b) Stulabahu c) Parswanatha d)
Rushabhanatha
5. _______ was the ambassador of Seleucus Nicator.
a) Ptolemy b) Kautilya c) Xerxes d) Megasthenese
6. Who was the last emperor of Mauryan Dynasty?
a) Chandragupta Maurya b) Ashoka
c) Brihadratha d) Bindusara
II Match the statement with the reason/Tick the appropriate answer:
1. Statement (A) Ashoka is considered as one of India’s greatest rulers.
Reason (R) He ruled according to the principle of Dhamma.
a. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
b. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
c. A is true but R is false.
d. A is false but R is true.

2. Which of the statements given below is/are correct?

Statement 1 Chandragupta Maurya was the first ruler who unified entire India under one political
unit.
Statement 2 The Arthashastra provides information about the Mauryan administration
a. only 1 b. only 2 c. both 1 and 2 d neither 1 nor 2
3. Consider the following statements and find out which of the following statement(s) is/are correct.
1) Chandragupta Maurya was the first king of Magadha.
2) Rajagriha was the capital of Magadha.
a. only 1 b. only 2 c. both 1 and 2 d. neither 1 nor 2

4. Arrange the following dynasties in chronological order.

a. Nanda – Sishunaga – Haryanka – Maurya
b. Nanda – Sishunaga –Maurya – Haryanka
c. Haryanka - Sishunaga – Nanda - Maurya
d. Sishunaga – Maurya – Nanda – Haryanka
5. Which of the following factors contributed to the rise of Magadhan Empire?
1) Strategic location
2) Thick forest supplied timber and elephant
3) Control over sea
4) Availability of rich deposits of iron ores
a. 1, 2 and 3 only
b. 3 and 4 only
c. 1, 2 and 4 only
d. All of these

III Fill in the blanks:

1. ____________________ was the earliest capital of Magadha.
2. Mudrarakshasa was written by ____________________.
3. ____________________ was the son of Bindusara.
4. The founder of the Maurya Empire was ____________________.
5. ____________________ were appointed to spread Dhamma all over the empire.
IV State True or False:
1. The title Devanam Piya was given to Chandragupta Maurya.
2. Ashoka gave up war after his defeat in Kalinga.
3. Ashoka’s Dhamma was based on the principle of Buddhism.
4. The lions on the currency notes is taken from the Rampurwa bull capital.
5. Buddha's relics were placed in the centre of the Stupas.

V Match the following:

a. Gana 1. Arthasastra
b. Megasthenese 2. religious tours
c. Chanakya 3. people
d. Dharmayatras 4. Indica
a. 3 4 1 2
b. 2 4 3 1
c. 3 1 2 4
d. 2 1 4 3
VI Answer in one or two sentences:
1. Mention any two literary sources of Mauryan period.
2. What is a stupa?
3. Name the dynasties of Magadha.
4. What were the sources of revenue during Mauryan period?
5. Who assisted Nagarika in the administration of towns?
6. What do you know from the Rock Edicts II and XIII of Ashoka?
7. Which classical Tamil poetic works have the reference of Mauryans?