History

Ancient and Medieval Indian Rulers

3,486 Questions

Ancient and medieval Indian rulers cover dynasties, major empires, administrative reforms, and historical monuments. This is a highly scored area in history sections of competitive exams. Practice these questions to strengthen your history foundation.

Maratha administrationGupta dynastyAncient kingdomsMedieval income sourcesRashtrakuta empire

Ancient and Medieval Indian Rulers Questions

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

a. Prabhavati Gupta was the daughter of the powerful Vakataka king of the Deccan. b. She was married into the powerful Gupta dynasty, to the son of Chandragupta II and Dhruvadevi. c. A copperplate inscription engraved by Chakradasa indicates that she had access to land which she then granted.

  1. Only a

  2. Only b

  3. Only c

  4. All of the above

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

This is the correct answer as this statement is correct.

Multiple choice

Who was this king referred to as Piyadassi in ancient texts?

  1. Bimbisara

  2. Ajatashttu

  3. Mahapadma Nanda

  4. Chandragupta Maurya

  5. Ashoka
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

This is the correct answer. James Prinsep found that most of the inscriptions on coins mentioned a king referred to as Piyadassi – meaning “pleasant to behold”; there were a few inscriptions which also referred to the king as Asoka, one of the most famous rulers known from the Buddhist texts.

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

a. Dharmasutras laid out the social categores in text for the first time. b. Dharmasutras advised rulers to collect taxes and tribute from cultivators, traders and artisans. c. Sending raids on neighbouring states were recognised as a legitimate means of acquiring wealth by the Dharmasutras.

  1. only a

  2. only b

  3. only c

  4. only b and c

  5. a, b and c
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

This is the correct answer as both statements are correct.

Multiple choice

The Prayaga Prashasti, also known as the Allahabad Pillar Inscription, composed in Sanskrit by Harishena has been dedicated to which of the following rulers?

  1. Ashoka

  2. Chandragupta Maurya

  3. Pandya chief Senguttuvan

  4. Samudragupta

  5. Shaka ruler Rudradaman
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

This is the correct answer. The Prayaga Prashasti, also known as the Allahabad Pillar Inscription, composed in Sanskrit by Harishena, the court poet of Samudragupta, has been dedicated to the praises of Samudragupta.

Multiple choice

There were five major political centres in the Mauryan empire. Which of the following was not one of the powerful provincial political centres of the Mauryan Empire?

  1. Taxila

  2. Ujjayani

  3. Tosali

  4. Rajagaha

  5. Suvarnagiri
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

This is the correct answer as Rajagaha was the capital of Magadha in the sixth and fifth centuries. But later in fourth century, Patiliputra became the capital and Rajagaha was not one of the other four provincial political capitals of the Mauryan Empire.

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

a. Many inscriptions that have been found do not call King Ashoka by his name. b. These inscriptions call him pativedaka or "beloved of the gods". c. Ashokan inscriptions that interpret his anguish over war on Kalinga as well as marking a change in his attitude towards warfare have been found in Orissa.

  1. only a

  2. only b

  3. only c

  4. only b and c

  5. a, b and c
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

This statement is correct. 

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

a. Ashoka claimed in his inscriptions that the earlier rulers had no arrangements to receive reports about their people. b. Epigraphists have concluded that everybody throughout the subcontinent understood the Prakrit used in Pataliputra. c. From mid-twentieth century onwards, issues such as economic change and the ways in which different social groups emerged have assumed more importance for the historians.

  1. only a

  2. only b

  3. only c

  4. Both a and c

  5. a, b and c
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

This is the correct answer as both statements are correct.

Multiple choice

Several of the inscriptions of Satavahanas have been recovered, which allow historians to trace family ties. Which of the following statements based on such inscriptions is/are correct?

a. The Satavahana rulers were polygynous. b. The Satavahana rulers were identified through names derived from that of the mother. c. The succession to the throne in Satavahanas was generally matrilineal.

  1. only a

  2. only b

  3. only c

  4. only a and c

  5. a, b and c
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

This is the correct answer as this statement is correct.

Multiple choice

Who is founder of Maratha?

  1. Shivaji

  2. D. S . Deshmukh

  3. Tipu Sulatan

  4. None

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj founded the Maratha Empire in 1674, establishing a sovereign Hindu state in western India during the Mughal period. He built a strong administrative and military system centered on guerrilla warfare tactics. D.S. Deshmukh was a modern Indian economist, and Tipu Sultan ruled Mysore in a different period and region.

Multiple choice

The ruler who introduced the Salivahana Saka era, now being followed by the Indian Government was _________

  1. Kanishka

  2. Salivahana

  3. Ashoka

  4. Sathavahana
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Kanishka, the Kushan ruler (127-150 CE), founded the Saka era which began in 78 CE. The Indian national calendar follows the Saka era. While the era is called Salivahana Saka, Kanishka is historically credited with its introduction. Option B Salivahana is likely the name of the era, not the ruler who introduced it.

Multiple choice

The Nayakas in the Vijaynagara empire were

  1. Central ministers

  2. Military chiefs controlling particular territories

  3. Cavalry soldiers

  4. Priests of large and powerful temples
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The Nayakas in the Vijayanagara Empire were military chiefs granted control over specific territories (nadus) to administer and protect. They maintained military contingents, collected revenue, and owed allegiance to the central authority. They were not central ministers, cavalry soldiers, or priests - they were regional military administrators.

Multiple choice

The South Indian ruler who introduced sericulture as an agro-industry in his kingdom was-

  1. Hyder Ali

  2. Krishnadevaraya

  3. Rajaraja II

  4. Tipu Sultan
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Hyder Ali, the ruler of Mysore (1761-1782), introduced sericulture (silk farming) as an agro-industry in his kingdom. He wanted to reduce dependence on Chinese silk imports. Tipu Sultan continued his father's policies. Krishnadevaraya and Rajaraja II were earlier rulers from different dynasties.

Multiple choice

Satvahans minted their coins predominantly in:

  1. Silver

  2. Gold

  3. Lead

  4. Copper

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The Satavahana dynasty (c. 1st century BCE - 3rd century CE) predominantly used lead and potin (lead-tin alloy) for their coins. While they also issued some copper and silver coins, lead was the most common metal. They did not primarily use gold for coinage.

Multiple choice

Mahayan sect of Budhism emerged during the reign of:

  1. Ashoka

  2. Kanishka

  3. Samudra Gupta

  4. Harsh
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The Mahayana sect of Buddhism emerged during the reign of Kanishka (c. 78-144 CE), who ruled the Kushan Empire. He convened the Fourth Buddhist Council at Kundalvana (Kashmir) where Mahayana Buddhism was formally recognized as a distinct path.