Indian History

Elephant herd near Barjora Forest / Image Credit: https://bankuraforest.in Barjora is one of the 12 assembly constituencies located in the Bankura district of West Bengal. The constituency is constituted by areas covered by Barjora block and Gangajalghati, Bhaktabandh, Gobindadham, Nityanandapur, Kapista and Piraboni gram panchayats of Gangajalghati block. One of the seven assembly segments that combine to create the Bishnupur Lok Sabha seat, Barjora  assembly seat is currently held by the TMC MLA Alok Mukherjee  who won it by defeating his nearest BJP rival  Supriti Chatterjee by  3,269  votes in 2021. Sujit Chakraborty, the then incumbent CPI(M) legisltor,  came third. Sujit Chakraborty had emerged victorius in 2016. Asutosh Mukherjee of TMC won it by defeating his nearest CPIM rival and then sitting legislator Susmita Biswas by 8491 votes in 2011.  Susmita Biswas had won the Barjora seat in 1996, 2001 and 2006. While CPM’s Jayas...

An orientation of Mumbai is best begun from the Gateway of India , the most recognisable landmark of the financial capital of India. Though completed in 1924 the yellow basalt monument was supposed to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to India in 1911.   George V is the only British king to travel to India before country's Independence.   This famous colonial landmark of Mumbai was designed by George Wittet. This 25 mtrs. high stone archway has an imposing gateway arch in the Indo-Saracenic style with Gujarati and Islamic elements such as wooden carvings. The foundations were laid on March 31, 1913 and between 1915 and 1919, the land on which this yellow basalt monument was to be built was reclaimed from the sea. The Gateway, however, was formally opened by the then Viceroy, the Earl of Reading, on December 4, 1924.  The constitutional head of any foreign country on an official visit to India was officially received at the Gateway of India,...

  Electoral History Manoranjan Byapari  is the sitting TMC MLA of Balagarh which he won in 2021. Earlier  Ashim Maji of TMC had wrested the seat from the CPM by defeating its candidate and sitting MLA Bhuban Pramink by a margin of 21583 votes in 2011. Ashim Maji went to win the seat in 2016.  Earlier Bhuban Pramink was elected from the Balagarh seat in a by-election held in 2008. The bye-poll was necessitated due to the death of then sitting CPM legislator Dibakanta Routh who had won in 1996, 2001 and 2006. Abimnash Pramanik of the CPM was the winner of the seat in 1969, 1971, 1977, 1982, 1987 and 1991.   Background One of the seven assembly segments that fall under the Hooghly Lok Sabha constituency, Balagarh is formed by the areas covered by Balagarh block as well as Chandrahati I, Digsui, Chandrahati II and Mogra I gram panchayats of Chinsurah-Mogra block. Located in  Hooghly district of West Bengal, Balagarh is an assembly segment in the...

Ajodhya Hill, a poplar tourist place, is located within the Baghmundi Assembly Constituency  Baghmundi is one of the nine assembly constituencies located in the Purulia district of West Bengal. Jhalda municipality is covered by the Baghmundi assembly constituency, which also contains the blocks of Jhalda-1 and Baghmundi as well as Sirkabad and Hetgugui gram panchayats of Arsha block. Baghmundi is one of the seven assembly segments falling under Purulia parliamentary constituency. Balarampur, Joypur, Purulia, Manbazar, Kashipur and Para are other six assembly constituencies.  Baghmundi came into being before 2011 on the recommendations of the Delimitation Commission.  Electoral History Sushanta Mahato is the sitting TMC MLA of Baghmundi which he won by defeating AJSU nominee Asutosh Mahato by a margin of 13,969 votes in the last assembly polls in 2021.  Nepal Mahato had won the seat in 2009 and 2016 as Congress MLA.  

The rural constituency of Baduria covers Baduria municipality, and Aturia, Bajitpur, Bagjola, Chandipur, Chhatra, North Jadurhati, South Jadurhati, Jagannathpur, Jasikati Atghara, Raghunathpur, Nayabastia Milani and Sayesta Nagar II gram panchayats of Baduria block. Located the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, Baduria is one of the seven assembly segments falling under the Basirhat parliamentary constituency. Electoral History  Currently, Baduria is held by Abdur Rahim Quazi who is contesting the 2026 assembly seat on Congress ticket.  He had won the seat in 2021 on the ticket of TMC.  Congress legislator Quazi Abdul Gaffar was elected for the eighth term in 2011 by defeating then sitting CPM MLA Mohammad Shelim.  Apart from 2011, Quazi Abdul Gaffar had won the seat in 1967, 1971, 1972, 1982, 1991, 1996 and 2001. Mohammad Shelim emerged victorious in 1987 and 2006. CPI(M)'s Mustafa Quassem, who committed suicide in 2011 just months after winning the Basirha...

The rock-cut Buddhist viharas and chaityas of Ajanta Caves were built under the patronage of Vakataka king, Harishena  Q.1. What was the capital of the Vakataka dynasty in ancient India? [A] Nandivardhana  [B] Ujjain [C] Pataliputra [D] Thaneswar Q.2. Who was founder of Vakataka dynasty ? [A] Pravarasena I [B] Prithivishena I [C] Vindhyashakti [D] Sarvasena Q.3. Which ruler of the Vakataka dynasty is said to have performed several sacrifices including  Agnishtoma, Aptoryama, Ukthya, Shodasin, Atiratra, Vajapeya, Brihaspatisava, Sadyaskra and four Asvamedhas? [A] Pravarasena I [B] Rudrasena-I [C] Prithvisena-I [D] Narendrasena-I Q.4. Which Vakataka ruler was married to Prabhavatigupta, the daughter of the Gupta emperor Chandragupta II. [A] Vindhyashakti [B] Rudrasena II [C] Pravarasena I [D] Prithivishena I Q.5. Which Vakataka king had written “The Building of the Causeway” (Setubandha or Ravanavaho), a famous work in Prakrit language.  [A] Rudrasena II [B] Pravarasen...

Q.1. How many Prime Ministers were born after India became independent in 1947? [A] 1 [B] 2 [C] 3 [D] 4 Q.2. Which dynasty immediately followed the Lodi dynasty? [A] Khilji Dynasty [B] Sayyid Dynasty [C] Tughlaq Dynasty [D] None of the above Q.3. Who was named Prime Minister of India after Indira Gandhi's assassination? [A] Rajiv Gandhi [B] P.V. Narsimha Rao [C] V.P. Singh [D] Chandra Sekhar Q.4.  Who among the following was one of the leading British general officers in the American War of Independence? [A] Lord Cornwallis [B] Lord William Bentinck  [C] Lord Mountbatten  [D] None of the above Q.5.  In what modern-day Indian state did the Battle of Chausa take place? [A] Haryana [B] Uttar Pradesh [C] Bihar [C] Madhya Pradesh Q.6. When were the  ruins of Mohenjo-daro discovered? [A] 1922 [B] 1932 [C] 1942 [D] 1952   Answers:  Q.1- A  Every other Prime Minister of India (from Jawaharlal Nehru to Manmohan Singh) was born before 19...