History of India - 4

The people of the Indus Valley Civilization were aware of copper, bronze, gold, and silver, but iron was not known to them.

The first Buddhist council was held at Rajgriha shortly after the death of Buddha, under the patronage of King Ajatashatru.

There are 18 major Puranas (Mahapuranas) in Hindu literature.

The Rigveda is the oldest Veda and provides significant information about the social, religious, and political conditions of the early Vedic period.

Alexander the Great invaded India in 326 BC, culminating in the Battle of the Hydaspes against King Porus.

Lord Mahavira was the 24th and final Tirthankara of Jainism.

The times of Gautama's birth and death are uncertain. Most historians in the early 20th century dated his lifetime as circa 563 BCE to 483 BCE.

The early Indo-Aryans were primarily pastoralists, and cattle rearing was their main occupation, as reflected in the Rigveda.

Rajatrangini is a historical chronicle of Kashmir written by Kalhana in the 12th century AD, long after the Mauryan Empire.

Ashoka's inscriptions were primarily written in Prakrit, using Brahmi script in India and Kharosthi in the northwest.

Brihadratha was the final ruler of the Mauryan Empire. He was assassinated by his commander-in-chief, Pushyamitra Shunga, who then established the Shunga dynasty.

The Sanchi Stupa was commissioned by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE. It is a famous monument representing Buddhist architecture.

Among the choices provided, the Satvahanas (established around the 1st century BCE) are generally considered to have emerged earlier than the Cholas, Pallavas, or Chalukyas in their imperial forms.

Samudragupta is famously referred to as the Napoleon of India by historians due to his extensive military conquests and expansion of the Gupta Empire.

The Sarnath Lion Capital dates back to the 3rd century BCE (Ashoka's reign), making it significantly older than the Taj Mahal (17th century), the Red Fort (17th century), or the Iron Pillar (4th century CE).

The rock-cut temples of Mahabalipuram, also known as the Rathas, were constructed during the reign of the Pallava dynasty, particularly under Narasimhavarman I.

Emperor Ashoka is credited with the widespread propagation of Buddhism outside India by sending missionaries to various regions, including Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.

The Iron Pillar of Delhi is widely attributed to Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya) of the Gupta dynasty, as evidenced by the inscriptions on the pillar.

The Pala dynasty ruled over the regions of Bengal and Bihar in eastern India from the 8th to the 12th century.

Gautama Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana (death) at Kusinagara, which is located in present-day Uttar Pradesh.

The Sena dynasty was founded by Samantasena, who established the family's power in the Bengal region before his successors expanded it.

Alexander the Great was born in Pella, Macedonia, in July 356 BC.

While Qutub-ud-din Aibak started the construction of the Qutub Minar, it was completed by his successor, Iltutmish.

Toramana was a prominent ruler of the Alchon Huns who invaded northern India during the late 5th and early 6th centuries.