Ancient and Medieval Indian Rulers

Before becoming emperor in 268 BCE, Ashoka served as viceroy of Taxila (and later Ujjain) during his father Bindusara's reign. Taxila was an important northwestern provincial capital and center of learning. This administrative experience in distant regions prepared him for ruling the vast Mauryan Empire after his father's death.

The Sanchi Stupa was commissioned by Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE. It is one of the oldest stone structures in India and an important Buddhist monument containing relics of the Buddha.

Ibn Battuta visited India during the reign of Mohammad Bin Tughlaq (1325-1351 CE). The Moroccan explorer spent several years in India (1333-1341) and even served as a qazi (judge) in the Tughlaq administration.

The Wodeyar dynasty ruled the Kingdom of Mysore from the 14th century until 1947. Mysore was a major princely state in British India, and the Wodeyars were known for their patronage of arts, culture, and administrative reforms under rulers like Tipu Sultan and later under British suzerainty.

Emperor Ashoka (3rd century BCE) ruled the Magadha kingdom, which had its capital at Pataliputra (modern Patna). The Mauryan dynasty, founded by Chandragupta Maurya, was based in Magadha. Ujjayini was an important city but Ashoka was governor there before becoming emperor of the entire Mauryan Empire centered on Magadha.

Hue En Sung (a Chinese traveler) visited India during the reign of Emperor Harshavardhana (Harsha) of Kannauj (7th century CE). Harsha ruled a large empire in northern India from 606-647 CE. Kanishka ruled earlier (2nd century CE), Ashok was much earlier (3rd century BCE), and Samudragupta ruled in the 4th century CE.

Kanishka (2nd century CE) was the most famous ruler of the Kushana Empire (also spelled Shaka or Shakas in some Indian texts). The Kushanas controlled parts of Central Asia and northern India. The Gupta Empire came later (4th-6th century), the Huns were different invaders (6th century), and Kanishka definitively belonged to the Kushana/Shaka dynasty.

Sanghamitra (or Sanghamitta), Emperor Ashoka's daughter and a Buddhist nun, went to Sri Lanka in 247 BCE to spread Buddhism. She carried a sapling of the Bodhi tree and established the Bhikkhuni Sangha (order of nuns) in Sri Lanka. Her brother Mahendra had already introduced Buddhism to Sri Lanka earlier. While Ashoka sent them (making A partially relevant), Sanghamitra personally went and established Buddhism there. Option C is correct. Samudragupta was a later Hindu ruler, and Chitragupta is a mythological figure.

The Brihadishwara Temple (also known as Peruvudaiyar Kovil) in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, was built by the Chola emperor Rajaraja Chola I between 1003 and 1010 AD. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the largest temples in India. Rajendra Chola was his son, and Vengi refers to a territory, not a person.

Dronacharya asked his disciples to defeat and capture King Drupada of Panchala as his Gurudakshina to settle an old grudge. Arjuna successfully defeated and captured Drupada.

To make Karna eligible to challenge Arjuna in the tournament of skills, Duryodhana crowned him the King of Anga. Panchala, Hastinapura, and Ashtanga are incorrect provinces.

In the Mahabharata, Bhishma was the son of King Shantanu and the river goddess Ganga, which is why he is also known as Gangaputra. Yamuna, Gandhari, and Satyavati are incorrect.

This is the correct answer as all these statements are correct.

This is the correct answer. Chandragupta Maurya founded the Mauryan Empire in 321 BCE, which extended control as far as northwest Afghanistan and Baluchistan.

This is the correct answer. Colossal statues of Kushana rulers have been found installed in a shrine near Mathura (Uttar Pradesh). Similar statues have been found in a shrine in Afghanistan as well. Some historians feel this indicates that the Kushanas considered themselves godlike. Many Kushana rulers also adopted the title devaputra or “son of god”.