General Awareness · History

Indian Literature and Texts

2,973 Questions

Indian literature features rich ancient texts, epics like the Mahabharata, and philosophical Upanishads. This topic covers seminal works of Indian mythology and Sanskrit tradition. It is a highly scoring area in UPSC, state PSC, and other competitive examinations.

Ancient Indian epicsSacred Hindu textsSanskrit traditionIndian mythologyJain literary texts

Indian Literature and Texts Questions

Multiple choice general knowledge

The oldest printed work in the world, which dates back to AD 868 is

  1. The Bible

  2. The Hirake Sutra

  3. The Ramayana

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

The Diamond Sutra, discovered in the Dunhuang caves, dates precisely to AD 868 and is widely recognized as the oldest complete printed book in existence. Created using woodblock printing in China, this Buddhist text is an invaluable artifact of printing history.

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

a. Rigveda was composed by people living along the Indus and its tributaries. b. Rigveda was composed during the 1,500 years that followed the end of the Harappan Civilisation. c. New modes of disposal of the dead emerged in Central and South India from the first millennium BCE.

  1. a, b and c

  2. only a and b

  3. only b and c

  4. only a and c

  5. only b
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

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

Multiple choice

Whih of the following statements is/are correct?

a. The Jatakas were written in Prakrit around the middle of the first millennium CE. b. The stories in Jatakas probably originated as popular oral tales that were later committed to writing. c. The stories in Jatakas demonstrate the feelings of the subjects about their rulers.

  1. only a

  2. only b

  3. c only

  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 these statements are correct.