Indian History

Khajuraho Temple / Image Credit- Unsplash Q. 1.  Badami, once the capital of the Chalukyas, is situated in which Indian state? (A) Andhra Pradesh (B) Tamil Nadu (c) Maharashtra (D) Karnataka Q.2.  Where might one go to see Adhai-din-ka-Jhonpra?  (A) Rajasthan (B) Haryana (C) Madhya Pradesh (D) Uttar Pradesh Q.3.  Where would you find the final resting place of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti? (A) Fatehpur Sikri  (B) Ajmer   (C) Gulbarga   (D) Delhi  Q.4.  In which Indian state would you find the world heritage site of Hampi? (A) Andhra Pradesh (B) Tamil Nadu (C) Karnataka (D) Telangana Q.5. Bidar, the capital of the Bahamani and Barid Shahi dynasties, is located in which state? (A) Maharashtra  (B) Tamil Nadu (C) Karnataka (D) Andhra Pradesh Q.6. Jaunpur, the seat of power of the medieval Muslim kingdom of Sharqi, is located in which state? (A) Uttar Pradesh (B) Bengal (C) Malwa (D) Maharashtra Q.7.  Where is the World Herita...

Cave No.3 Gautamiputra Vihara,  Pandavleni Caves    / Image Credit Pandavleni Caves are located at a distance of 8 km from Nashik in Maharashtra. Chiselled into the hills, Pandavleni is a group of 24 caves dating back to the period between the 2nd century BCE and the 2nd century AD. Of these Cave 18, a chaityagrha , is the most impressive.  These magnificent Buddhist and Jain rock-cut caves are known for profusion of ornate carvings of the highest order. These caves received the patronage of various rulers inducing those belonging to the Satavahana dynasty .  Nasik Prashasti   (eulogy), an inscription found at Cave No.3 of the Pandavleni Caves, contains the achievements of Gautamiputra Satakarni , the greatest Satavahana ruler.  The Nasik Prashasti was commissioned by his mother Gautami Balasri. The Nasik Prasasti describes Gautamiputra Satakarni as the ruler of the Aparanta, Anupa, Saurashtra, Kukura, Akara and Avanti. He had defeated the Saka ruler ...

Lotus Mahal /  Photo by Avin CP on Unsplash Choose the correct one Q.1. Lotus Mahal is an important monument in___ (A) Pattadakal  (B) Hampi (C)  Badami (D)  Aihole  Q.2.  Hazarduari Palace is a famous landmark of which of the following places in West Bengal? (A)   Lakhnauti (B)  Gaud  (C)   Murshidabad  (D)  Pandua Q. 3. Who had designed the calligraphy of Taj Mahal> (A) Afzal Khan Aalmi (B) Abdul Haq Shirazi  (C) Ustad Ahmad Lahori (D) Ustad Isa Afandi Q.1- Answer - B Notes Lotus Mahal or Chitrangini Mahal is an important secular structure in Hampi in Karnataka.  The Lotus Mahal is an example of Vijayanagara style of architecture.  Hampi,  now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is dotted with several monuments built during the Vijayanagara empire including Lotus Mahal.  Q.2- Answer -   C  Notes A famous monument in Murshidabad in West Bengal, Hazarduari Palace was built dur...

Photo Credit - Unsplash Svapnavasavadattam (The Dream of Vasavadatta) is a six-act Sanskrit play by ancient Indian playwright Bhāsa. It is the best among the thirteen plays written by  Bhāsa. Dating back to  2nd BCE, the play tells the story of the love of Kaushambi ruler Udayana for his queen Vasavadatta. Udayana was the most famous ruler of Vatsa kingdom in the 6th century BC.  Kaushambi was a thriving centre of Buddhism in ancient times and was one of the six greatest cities during Buddha’s time besides serving as the capital of the Vatsa kingdom.  Udayana was also the hero of other Sanskrit dramas- Priyadarshika , and Ratnavali written by seventh century AD Indian emperor Harsha . Among other wives of Udayana was  Samavati, daughter of  Ghosita,  the leading Shreshti (banker) of Kaushambi. In Kaushambi Ghosita had built the Ghositarama monastery which was donated to the Bhikshu Sangha.  Bhāsa has been spoken highly of by Kalidas who has mentio...

Photo: Unsplash The Stone Chariot temple is a famous monument within the Vittala Temple complex at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hampi in the Vijayanagar district of Karnataka. The Vitthala temple is dedicated to Vitthala, a form of Vishnu.    In medieval India Hampi served as the capital of the powerful Hindu Kingdom of Vijayanagara ("City of Victory") on the Tungabhadra River.  Dedicated to Garuda, the vehicle of Vishnu, Stone Chariot temple was built by Krishna Deva Raya, the greatest of the Vijayanagar rulers. It is one of the three famous stone chariots in India , the other two  being at Konark ( Odisha ) and Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu)  Hampi,  now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is dotted with several monuments built during the Vijayanagara empire including the Virupaksha temple, Lotus Mahal, the queens’ bathing area, musical pillars, a stone chariot, and an elephant stable, The Tungabhadra river courses around the rocky terrain that characterizes t...

Image Credit  Manyakheta was the capital of the Rashtrakuta dynasty which ruled large parts of southern India from 753 to 973. The capital city was founded by Rashtrakuta ruler Amoghavarsha I (Nrupatunga Amoghavarsha) who transferred regnal capital from Mayurkhandi (in the Bidar district of Karnataka)  to Manyakheta. He had embellished the new capital with beautiful buildings in order to "match the city of Indra's heaven, Amaravati."  Today Manyakheta is modern Malkhed village in Sedam taluk in Gulbarga (modern Kalaburagi) district in Karnataka. In 972-73 Manyakheta was sacked by Harsha Siyaka of the Paramara dynasty. After the downfall of the Rashtrakuta dynasty in 973, it became the capital of the Kalyani Chalukyas who had supplanted the Rashtrakutas. During the rule of Satyasraya belonging to the Chalukyas of Kalyani , Manyakheta was sacked in 1008 by Rajendra Chola I (reigned 1014–1044) during the reign of  Raja Raja Chola  .  Someshvara I Aha...

  The Piprahwa relics of Lord Buddha have returned to India after 127 years. The holy remains were discovered by British civil engineer and landowner William Claxton Peppé in 1898 from Piprahwa, the ancient site of Kapilavastu in the Siddharthnagar district of Uttar Pradesh. Piprahwa is just south of Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha in Nepal.  The Piprahwa site contained a massive sandstone coffer housing the relics, including sacred bones and ashes, precious gemstones and soapstone as well as crystal reliquaries.  Five caskets, including a crystal casket believed to be over 2,300 years old, were unearthed during excavations. Buried 18 feet underground these caskets contained sacred relics associated with Lord Buddha. Inscribed in early Brahmi script, one of the oldest known in any Indian language, an urn identified the depositors as members of the Buddha’s own Shakya clan, who had enshrined here the relics of the Buddha. William Claxton Peppé’s excavation of the Pip...