Spread of Civilization in Eastern India — UPSC Prelims Practice
Answer all questions carefully.
Beyond the Gangetic Heartland: How Culture and Statehood Spread Eastward•hard•10 questions•~10 min
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Question 01
hard
Excavations at Sisupalgarh, the site of Kalinganagari (capital of Kharavela), have yielded Roman objects. This site is located approximately how far from Bhubaneswar, and what do the finds signify?
Question 02
medium
The Matharas, who dominated the area between the Mahanadi and the Krishna at the peak of their power, are also known by which other name?
Question 03
hard
Consider the following statements about the spread of Sanskrit in Orissa:
1. Coastal Orissa had a tradition of writing from the third century BC.
2. Inscriptions in Orissa appeared in Prakrit up to the middle of the fourth century AD.
3. Sanskrit began to be used in Orissa from about AD 350, initially confined to the coastal belt.
4. Sanskrit served as the vehicle of brahmanical religion, property laws, and social regulations in new areas.
Which of the above statements are correct?
Question 04
hard
The land sale documents recorded on copper-plates in Pundravardhanabhukti from AD 432–33 are historically important for which of the following reasons?
1. They record land purchased with gold coins called dinara.
2. They reveal the existence of different social groups and local functionaries in Bengal.
3. They show that most land described therein was fallow and uncultivated, indicating that grants were intended to bring land under cultivation.
4. They establish that the Gupta emperors directly administered north Bengal through appointed officials throughout the fifth century.
Question 05
hard
The administrative unit called 'Dandabhukti' was formed in the border areas between Bengal and Orissa. Which of the following best explains the significance of this name?
Question 06
hard
With reference to the role of the community in land transactions in Bengal during the early medieval period, which of the following statements is most accurate?
Question 07
hard
Which of the following pairs regarding early states in Bengal is correctly matched?
Question 08
hard
Consider the following about Kamarupa (Assam) in the context of civilizational spread:
1. Samudragupta received tributes from both Davaka and Kamarupa in the fourth century.
2. Kamarupa kings adopted the title 'varman', which was unique to north-eastern India.
3. Bhaskaravarman emerged as a major ruler of Kamarupa in the seventh century.
4. The Chinese traveller Hsuan Tsang (Hieun Tsang) visited Kamarupa.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Question 09
hard
The observation that 'the decline and fall of the Gupta Empire coincided with considerable progress in the outlying regions' best illustrates which of the following historical phenomena?
Question 10
medium
Which of the following best describes an 'agrahara' as a feudal institution in eastern India during the 4th–7th centuries AD?
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