Indian History

Kabir Chabutra / Image Credit  Seven km away from Amarkantak (in Madhya Pradesh) is Kabir Chabutra (Kabir's Corridor) which is a place of pilgrimage for the Kabir - panthis (followers of the medieval saint poet Kabir). Kabir had spent a considerable period of time in the place while he was on his way to preach the gospel of love and unity among the different sections of the society.   He is said to have meditated at Kabir Chabutra.   Early Life  Nothing much can be said with certainty about the life of Kabir. Differences still persist among scholars about his date of birth. He lived either towards the close of the fourteenth century or in the first quarter of the fifteenth century.    Kabir's name is from the Koran (sacred book of Islam) and he was born in Banaras. A legend says that he was an illegitimate child of a brahmana widow. From fear of being exposed to odium and ridicule of the society she left him on the side of a tank in Banaras. Here ...

Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh / Image Credit In his poem, Cloud-messenger ( Meghaduta ), Kalidasa ,  the greatest of India’s dramatists and poets,  describes the lands, sights, rivers and cities over which the messenger has to pass. Amarkantak (in the Anuppur district of Madhya Prades) finds mentions as a part of his description of the topography.  Meghdoot which is one of the most popular of Sanskrit poems and whose theme has been imitated in one form or another by several later poets in both Sanskrit and the vernaculars, describes a yaksha (earth -spirit, a sort of  gnome or fairy) who lives in the divine city of Alaka , near Mount Kailasa in the Himalayas. He had been banished for a year to the hill of Ramagiri (in Madhya Pradesh) for offending his master, Kubera ( Dikpala ( guardian) of the northern quarter, lord of the precious metals, minerals jewels and wealth). Separation from his beautiful wife, whom he has left behind in the beautiful jewelled city of Alaka, ...

Dashavatara Temple / Image Credit Q. During which dynasty's rule did the golden age of Indian history occur? (A) Mauryan Period  (B) Gupta Period  (C) Mughal Period  (D) Maratha Period The Gupta age (form early 4th to the late 6th century ) in ancient India has been called the 'Golden Age of India' because of the many achievements in the field of arts, architecture, science, philosophy and literature.

Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar 1910 -  Nobel laureate physicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar was born  on 19 October 1910 in Lahore , then in Undivided India (Now in Pakistan). He had made a groundbreaking discovery: Starts having a mass more than 1.44 times that of the Sun cannot survive, they collapse. This is famously called the Chandrasekhar Limit . He was honoured with the Nobel Prize in the year 1983 . Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar was the nephew of Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman , popularly Known as C V Raman , who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1930. 

1906 - Depressed Classes Mission was established by social and religious reformer  Vitthal Ramji Shinde (23 April 1873 – 2 January 1944) on October 18 in 1906. The mission was established in Bombay .

1542- Mughal emperor Akbar was born on 15th October, 1942,  at Umarkot (now in SIndh Province of Pakistan).    Born to Humayun, son of Babur the Mughal,  Akbar was born while his father was in exile due to his defeat at the hands of Afghan ruler Sher Shah. .   1961 - Death of Hindi poet and writer Suryakant Tripathi Nirala.  

Gaudavaho ((Slaying of the king of Gauda) is a famous work written in Prakrit, a language popular in ancient times. Last year Prakrit alongwith Marathi, Bengali and Assamese  was accorded the status of Classical Languages by the Goverment.  Gaudavaho, ascribed to 8th century poet Vakpati,  details the exploits of Yashovarman who had established an empire at Kanyakubj (Kannuaj) which for a while controlled much of the North India. Vakpati was the court poet of Yasovarman.  In this work the poet has described the slaying of the king of Bengal by Yashovarman.

Q.1. Who called for Direct Action Day on August 16, 1946? [A]  Hasrat Mohani [B]  Maulana Abul Kalam Azad  [C]  Muhammad Ali Jinnah [D]  Shaukat Ali Q.2. What was the main purpose of Direct Action Day? [A]  To demand complete independence from Britain [B]  To protest against the Quit India Movement  [C]  To show support for the British government [D]  To strengthen the demand for the creation of a seperate Muslim homeland Q.3. Which city witnessed large-scale riots on Direct Action Day? [A]  Delhi [B]  Calcutta [C]  Bombay [D]  Lahore Q.4. On which date was Direct Action Day observed? [A] 14 August 1946 [B] 15 August 1947 [C] 16 August 1946 [D] 23 March 1940 Q.5. Who was the Chief Minister of Bengal during Direct Action Day? [A] Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy [B] Khawaja Nazimuddin [C] Liaquat Ali Khan [D] Fazlul Haq Q.6. What was another name for the riots that broke out on Direct Action Day? [A] Bihar Riots  [B] Lah...

Q.1. India was playing ODI Cricket match against which country on the day (31st October, 1984) when the then Indian Prime Minister was assassinated? (A) England (B) Pakistan (C) West Indies  (D) Australia Answer- B   Notes: India was playing an ODI Cricket match against Pakistan on October 31, 1984 , in Pakistan's Sialkot . The match was called off midway following the assassination of then Indian PM Indira Gandhi on that day. India had played its innings with 210 runs on board.  The rest of the Indian cricket tour was also called off.   

Agra Fort  Q.1. Who was the Mughal emperor when the Battle of Buxar happen in 1764?  (A) Alamgir II (B) Shah Alam II (C) Ahmad Shah Bahadur (D) Muhammad Shah Q.2. Where was English diplomat Thomas Roe was given an audience with  Mughal Emperor Jehangir at—.  (A) Agra (B) Ajmer (C) Delhi  (D) Fatehpur Sikri Q.3. In the Third battle of Panipat in 1761, the Marathas were defeated by_______. (A) Rajputs (B) Mughals (c) Afghans (d) Sikhs Q.4. Which of the following Mughal emperors wrote a will and instructed his sons, that they continue Asad Khan as the vazir ? (A) Akbar (B) Jahangir (C) Shahjahan (D) Aurangzeb Q.5. Where was the world famous Peacock Throne (Takht-i-Taoos) kept at? (A) Diwan- I- Khas (B) Agra Fort (C) Rang Mahal (D) Buland Darwaza Q.6. Who among the following was the last Mughal emperor to sit on the peacock throne?  (A) Muhammad Shah  (B) Alamgir-II  (C) Shah Alam  (D) Bahadur Shah II Q.7. In whose reign was the ‘Treaty of Chitto...

Satavahana architecture in Pandavleni Caves Nashik, Cave No. 3  Q.1. Which Satavahana ruler had authored  Gathasaptashati ? [A]  Gautamiputra Satkarni  [B] Simuka  [C] Pulumayi  [D] Hala Q.2. The famous book ‘ Brihatkatha ’ written in  Paishachi  language was composed by __? [A] Subandhu [B] Guṇāḍhya  [C] Somadeva  [D] Kshemendra  Q.3. With whom is  Nashik  Inscription associated? [A] Samudragupta [B] Rudradaman  [C] Gautamiputra Satakarni [D] Ashoka Q.4. Who was the founder of the Satavahana Dynasty? [A] Simuka [B] Vasishthiputra Pulumavi [C] Hala [D] Gautamiputra Satakarni  Q.5 Which Satavahana ruler assumed the title of Kavi Vatsal? [A] Yajna Sri Satkarni [B] Vasishthiputra Pulumavi [C] Hala [D] Gautamiputra Satakarni  Q.6. Which of the following Puranas provides the list of 30 Satavahana kings detailing their reigns and chronological order spanning a total of 460 years?  [A] Vishnu Purana [B] Vayu P...

Vasantsena by artist Raja Ravi Varm / Image Credit Q.1. Whose drama Mṛcchakatika  did film personality Shashi Kapoor adapt for the Hindi film Utsav? (A) Sudraka (B) Bhavabhuti (C) Vishakhadatta  (D) Mahendravarman I Q.2. The writer of the Brihatkatha was (A) Dattamitra (B) Gudadhya (C) Bhadrabahu (D) Sarvavarman Q.3. Which Prakrit work by Vakpati centres on exploits of Kannauj ruler Yashovarman? (A) Gaudavaho (B) Setubandha or Ravanavaho (C) Harivijaya  (D) Gathasaptashati Q.4. Who wrote Kalpasutra?  (A) Simuka (B) Panini (C) Bhadrabahu (D) Patanjali Q.5. Which of these books was not written by Bhavabhuti? (A) Mahaviracharita (Deeds of a Great Hero) (B) Malatimadhava (C) Kiratarjuniya (Arjuna and the Kirata ) (D) Uttararamacarita (The Later Deeds of Rama) Q. 6. From which Upanishad are the words 'Satyameva Jayate', adopted by Indian Republic as its National Emblem, taken? (A) Aitareya Upanishad (B) Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (C) Chandogya Upanishad (D) Mandukya Up...

Photo Credit: Canva Today is the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Here is a quiz to t est your knowledge of Gandhi.  Q.1. At which place was Gandhiji born? (A) Ahmedabad (B) Delhi (C) Porbandar (D) Bombay Q.2. What was the name of Gandhi's father? (A) Karsandas Gandhi (B) Uttamchand Gandhi  (C) Karamchand Gandhi (D) Laxmidas Gandhi Q.3. What was Gandhi's wife's name? (A) Putlibai (B) Kasturbai (C) Indira (D) None of these  Q.4. At what age was Gandhi married? (A) Ten (B) Thirteen (C) Fifteen (D) Eighteen Q.5. After his father's death Mahatma Gandhi went to England to pursue a career in ______? (A) Medicine (B) Engineering (C) Law (D) Philosophy Q. 6. How old was Gandhi when he went to England? (A) 19 (B) 25 (C) 17 (D) 21 Q. 7. Which institution did Gandhi attend for his legal studies in London? (A) Inner Temple (B) King's College (C) Lincoln's Inn (D) Gray's Inn Q. 8. What did Gandhi do after completing his studies in England? (A) He returned home to Ind...

Khusrau Khan  was an Indian  Sultan of Delhi  Sultanate for around two months in 1320.   Alauddin Khilji the second Sultan of Khilji dynasty of Delhi Sultanate, died in 1316. His general Malik Kafur, who unleashed a reign of terror by  persecuting the sons and family members of the late Sultan , was in turn killed by another son of Alauddin Khilji, Mubarak Shah, who became the next Khilji sultan under the title of  Qutb ud din Mubarak Shah . Like his father, who was under the influence of Malik Kafur, Mubarak Shah was infatuated with Khusrav Khan, a low-caste (Hindu) Baradu convert from Gujarat who was made the wazir, malik naib   and Commander in Chief of the Khilji dynasty by the Sultan against the advice of his nobles. In April 1320, Mubarak Shah was murdered by Khusrav Khan bringing the Khilji dynasty to an end. Khusrav Khan ascended the throne of Delhi under the title of Nasir-ud-din Khusrav Shah and tried to strike a veritable reign of terro...

Adina Mosque Maldah / Image Credit Adina Mosque at Pandua (presently in Maldah district of West Bengal) was built by Sikandar Shah, the second ruler of the Ilyas Shahi dynasty, an independent Muslim kingdom of Bengal founded by his father Shamsuddin Iliyas Shah in about AD 1345.  Sikandar Shah ruled from 1357 to 1390 .  The long rule of Sikandar Shah provided him ample opportunity to build some magnificent mosques and buildings. Chief among them is Adina Mosque which was built in A.D. 1368.   Consisting of four hundred domes, this imposing mosque houses the tomb of Sikandar Shah. The pillars of the mosque were taken from Hindu temples and palaces in Lakhnauti in Maldah. 

Q.1. Which was the last dynasty that ruled the Vijayanagara Empire ? (A) Sangama dynasty (B) Aravidu dynasty (C) Saluva dynasty (D) Tuluva dynasty Q.2. What was the capital of Aravidu dynasty?  (A) Hampi (B) Penagonda (C) Talikota (D) Vijayapura Q.3. Who was the ruler of Vijayanagar at the time of the Battle of Talikota in 1565?  (A) Tirumala Deva Raya (B) Achyuta Deva Raya (C) Sadasiva Raya (D) Venkata I Q.4. Who assumed the title of 'Yavanarajya Sthapanacharya' or restorer of the Yavana kingdom? (A) Devaraya II (B) Achyuta Deva Raya (C) Narasimha Raya II (D) Krishnadeva Raya   Q.5. Who among the following was the ruler of Delhi Sultanate when the Vijayanagar empire was founded? (A) Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq (B) Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq (C) Firuz Shah Tughlaq (D) Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq Shah II  Q.6. Which among the following Vijayanagar rulers earned the title of Purvapaschima Samudradhishavara (“master of the eastern and western seas”)? (A) Bukka Raya I (B) Bukka Raya II (C...

Q.1. Which of the following was the much talked about river in the Rig Veda? (A) Sindhu (B) Ganga (C) Yamuna (D) Godavari Q.2. The early Vedic god Indra was the god of  (A) Fire  (B) Wind (C) Rain and Thunder (D) None of the above Q.3. Gayatri Mantra has been taken from which Veda? (A) Samveda (B) Rigveda (C) Atharva Veda (D) Yajur Veda Q.4. Mundaka Upanishad and Prashna Upanishad are part of which Veda? (A) Yajurveda (B) Samveda (C) Atharva Veda (D) Rig Veda Q.5. The term Gotra was first used  in_?  (A) Rig Veda (B) Sam Veda (C) Yajur Veda (D) Atharva Veda Q.6. Which was the oldest Veda?  (A) Rig Veda (B) Sam Veda (C) Yajur Veda (D) Atharva Veda Q.7. Who was the most important god during the later Vedic Period? (A) Agni (B) Prajapati (C) Varuna (D) Prithvi 8. Which of the following Rig Vedic gods acted as an intermediary between the gods and the humans? (A) Soma (B) Indra (C) Varuna (D) Agni Answers 1- A Sindhu river or Indus River has been mentioned in the...

Q. 1. Who among the following foreigners was not impressed with the state of public security in Mughal Empire during the reign of Shah Jahan? (a) Nicholas Withington (b) Peter Mundy (c) William Hawkins (d) William Finch Q. 2. Babur–namah or Tuzuk –i-Baburi is the Wakai or Memoirs (autobiography) of the first Mughal emperor Babur. In which language was it written? (a) Arabic (b) Persian (c) Turkish or Turki (d) Pushto Q. 3. Sir Thomas Roe was sent as accredited ambassador of the King of England, James I to the Mughal court of (a) Akbar (b) Jahangir (c) Shah Jahan (d) Aurangzeb Q. 4. Who among the following foreign traveler was eyewitness to the Dara Sikhoh’s public humiliation in Delhi by his brother Aurangzeb after war of succession? (a) Travernier (b) Munucci (c) Francois Bernier (d) Dr. Gemelli-Carreri Q. 5. Which of the following is not a historical work of the reign of Mughal emperor Akbar? (a) Akbarnamaha of Abul Fazal (b) Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh of Badauni (c) Padshahnama of Amin K...

Q.1. On the banks of which river was the battle between Harshavardhan and Chalukya king Pulakeshin II fought in 618 AD? (A) Krishna (B) Tungabhadra (C) Godavari (D) Narmada Q.2. What was the battle fought in 1565 between the Vijayanagar Empire and the Muslim Sultanates of Deccan resulting in the destruction of Hampi, the capital of Vijayanagar Empire? (A) Battle of Talikota (B) Battle of Pullalur (C) Battle of Raichur (D) Battle of Adoni Q.3. Which of these is another name for Battle of Talikota? (A) Battle of Rakkasa Tangadi (or Rakkasagi-Tangadagi), (B) Battle of Tungabhadra (C) Battle of Punnaikayal (D) Battle of Erode  Q.4. In what year was the Third Battle of Panipat fought? (A) 1526 (B) 1556 (C) 1739 (D) 1761 Q.5. Which battle marked the end of Delhi Sultanate? (A) Battle of Khanwa (B) First Battle of Panipat  (C) Battle of Ghaghra (D) Second Battle of Panipat Q.6. In which city the was the Battle of Tughlaqabad fought? (A) Delhi (B) Agra (C) Lahore (D) Ajmer Q.7. Which ...

Q.1. How were Chalukyan ruler Pulakeshin II and celebrated ancient Sanskrit poetess Shilabhattarika    related? (A) Pulakeshin II was Shilabhattarika's father (B) Pulakeshin II was Shilabhattarika's son (C) Pulakeshin II was Shilabhattarika's brother (D) Pulakeshin II was Shilabhattarika's uncle Q.2. Where was Akbar proclaimed king of the Mughal empire? (A) Agra (B) Kalanaur (C) Delhi (D) Panipat Q.1.   Answer: A Researchers at the Pune-based Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI)claim that Shilabhattarika— the celebrated Sanskrit poetess of Ancient India was a daughter of the famed Chalukyan Emperor, Pulakeshin II of Badami (in modern Karnataka). Pulakeshin II, who ruled from 610-642 CE , had famously defeated Harshavardhan of Kanauj in a battle near the banks of the Narmada River in 618 CE. Shilabhattarika was a famous poetess in the ancient Indian world in the male-dominated field of classical Sanskrit literature. Shilabhattarika  has been prised...

Ramappa Temple, Mulugu , Near Warangal in Telangana Q.1. Telangana's Ramappa Temple , a UNESCO World Heritage Site , is named after (A) A ruler of Kakatiya Kingdom (B) A general of Kakatiya Kingdom  (C) An architect of Kakatiya Kingdom (D) None of the above Answer: C Telangana's 13th-century Rudreswara temple, more famously known as Ramappa Temple, is named after its architect Ramappa who worked on the project for 40 years. The temple was built in 1213 AD during the reign of the greatest Kakatiya ruler Ganapati Deva (ruled 1199–1262) by his general Recharla Rudra . Located in a valley at the village of Palampet , approximately 77 km away from Warangal and 200km north-east of Hyderabad ,  Ramappa Temple has became a world heritage site in 2021.