Ancient and Medieval Indian Rulers

In the twelfth century, one of the most important rulers of the Ganga dynasty, Anatavarman, decided to erect a temple for Purushottama Jagannatha at Puri.

In 1230, king Anangabhima III dedicated his kingdom to the deity and proclaimed himself as the "deputy" of the god.

The Abbasid Caliphate overthrew the Umayyads and moved the capital from Damascus to the newly founded city of Baghdad.

During the age of Mahajanapadas hereditary monarchy was practiced and the king enjoyed the highest official status and special protection of his person and property. The kings ruled with the help of officials, both high and low.   

The Sakya state was a well-known autonomous republic (Gana-Sangha) in ancient India, unlike the monarchical states of Magadh, Kosala, and Anga.

Anga and Magadha were located in the eastern and northern part, or the lower Gangetic valley, which was conducive to paddy cultivation for its wet climate. The upper areas of the Gangetic valley, namely north India, is drier and is conducive to wheat cultivation. Thus, Anga and Magadha were located in the rice-growing area of the Gangetic Valley. Another name for a wheat crop is winter crop and winter crops or spring harvest while another name for rice crop is monsoon crops or autumn harvest. Since India has a predominantly monsoon climate, it is more favorable for rice production than wheat.

Magadh  was the most powerful city state of India in the 6th century, it was nucleus for many big kingdoms like Mauryas and Guptas between 6th and 8th century.

The Haryanka, Saisunaga, and Nanda dynasties all ruled over the Magadha empire at different periods in history.

The Chera, Chola and Pandya kings encouraged shipbuilding and overseas exploration. This promoted trade and established colonies in Sri Lanka and South-East Asia. The Indian settlers interacted with the local people. As a result, the influence of Indian language, literature and art spread in this region. 

A raja is a term for a monarch or princely ruler in South Asia. Options B, C, and D are identical in meaning, but B is the intended correct choice.

Nalanda University is located in Rajgir, near Nalanda, Bihar, India.  It stands for a university which attracted students and scholars from across Asia and even farther away. It was developed under the patronage of the Gupta dynasty and was the first international residential university in the world.

The Sailendra dynasty of the Srivijaya Empire (based in modern-day Indonesia) maintained close relations with the Pala rulers of India and sought permission to build a monastery at Nalanda.

Historical records attribute the establishment of the first monastery at Nalanda to the Gupta emperor Kumaragupta I in the 5th century CE.

Nalanda University is located in Rajgir, near Nalanda, Bihar, India. It attracted students and scholars from across Asia and even farther away. It was developed under the patronage of the Gupta dynasty but reached the pinnacle of its glory during the time of King Harsha. He patronized the University by remitting a huge amount of money, gifts, etc to it.

Bakhtiyar Khilji, a general of the Ghurid dynasty, is historically credited with the destruction of the Buddhist monastic universities of Nalanda and Vikramshila in the late 12th century.