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According to Fa Hien’s account the people were honest, secure, prosperous and happy during Gupta Period. There was no capital punishment, for very serious crimes like treason and rebellion the right hand was cut off. Criminals were usually fined. Taxes were light.

Kautilya divided the King’s day into eight parts. It was the King’s duty to give close attention to people’s welfare, social order and military action.

Six committees were set up for the adminstration for Patliputra. Sanitation Trade and commerce Public utility were three departments that were looked after by these committees.

He embraced Buddhism and devoted his life to the moral and material welfare of his subjects.

The edicts of Ashoka form the most important source of Mauryan history. They are the oldest, best preserved and precisely dated records of India. These edicts are inscribed on rocks and pillars throughout the country and include 14 Major Rock Edicts, seven pillar edicts and a number of minor rock edicts. The inscriptions on these edicts provide a useful insight into the life and ideals of Ashoka in particular and about the history of the Mauryas in general. Rock Edict-I is one of the important edict which states, about the protection of animals

The advantages of the impact of Dhamma were as follows: 

1. Religious unity and tolerance 

2. Application of moral values in life. 

3. End of crimes 

4. Public welfare through end of wars and development policies.

The basic principles are as follows: 

1. To respect elders and love young ones.

 2. Ahimsa 

3. Good deeds 

4. To respect all religions 5. Discard baseless rituals.

Ashoka was deeply moved by the blood-shed and destruction in Kalinga war e.g. 150 thousand prisoners, 100,000 were slain and many more were injured. He adopted Buddhism and ordered for ban on killing of animals and human beings too.

The sub-continental extent of the Mauryan Empire and the concept of universal empire took its religion (Buddhism), beyond the Hindukush and for away beyond the Bay of Bengal. Under the powerful royal patronage by Ashoka, Buddhism spread in major part of Asia, while various parts of Asia were under aggression. King Ashoka personally worked hard to establish Buddhism along with his son Mahindra and daughter Sanghmitra in Sri Lanka.

Correct option is: (a) Megasthenes

1. False

2. True

3. False

5. True

6. False

1. The Gupta Age is known as the Golden Age of Indian History. 

2. Chandragupta II assumed the title of Shakari. 

3. Samudragupta did not conquer the southern kingdoms; he took only tribute from them. 

4. The two great grammarians of this period were Panini and Patanjali. 

5. The greatest poet of Vikramaditya’s court was Kalidasa. 

6. The masterpiece of art during the Gupta period is the image of seated Buddha in a yogic pose. 

7. The centres of high learning during the Gupta age were Nalanda, Takshshila and Ujjain. 

8. Varahamihira wrote Brihat Samhita, an encyclopaedia on astronomy. 

9. The finest example of metallurgy of this period is Iron Pillar at Mehrauli in Delhi. 

10. Samudragupta was called the Indian Napoleon.

Correct option is: (c) Maurya

Pan-Indian or Subcontinental character of the Mauryan empire. Ashoka ruled over a large part of the Indian subcontinent. There were three main advantages of the Pan-Indian character of Ashokan empire. First, it resulted in the disappearance of small states. Second, it enabled the rulers face foreign invasions successfully. Third, it facilitated trade and commerce with frontier towns as well as the Middle Eastern and Greek cities.

Agriculture was main occupation of the people. Other occupations included mining, forestry and carpentry during the Mauryan Period.

(a) The district or Janapadas were administered by Pradeshika, Rajuka and Yukta. 

(b) The revenue shared one-sixth to one-fourth of the produce. ‘Bhaga’ was levied for agricultural produce and the cattle and ‘Bali’ was a religious tribute. Taxes collected from many shops, professionals, forests and mines, were applied for facilities of roads, irrigation hospitals and other expenses of the state.

The provinces were divided into districts called Janpadas. Their administration was looked after by ‘Pradeshika’, ‘Rajuka’ and Yukta.

Important functionaries in Mauryan administration were called tirthas. The highest functionaries were minister (Mantri), high priest (Purohita), commander- in-chief (Senapati) and crown- prince (Yuvaraja). According to the Arthashastra of Kautilya, the state appointed 27 superintendents (Adhyakshas) mostly to regulate the economic activities of the state.

There were following reasons for decline of Mauryan empire.

1. Ashoka’s successors were weak and in efficient

2. The empire was too vast and it was not easy to control the far-flung territories.

3. In the absence of a strong central authority, the provincial viceroys declared themselves independent

1. The Mauyran empire was divided into provinces which were placed under the control of kumaras. 

2. The king had supreme power. He was advised by the mantri parished. 

3. The provinces were divided into a number of districts which were further subdivided into nagaras and gramas. 

4. The capital city of Pataliputra was looked after by six committees. Each committee consisted of fivemembers. 

5. Mauryan art was greatly influenced by Buddhism. 

6. The most famous Ashoka Pillar is at Sarnath. 

7. The lion capital was adopted as the emblem of India in the year 1950. 

8. The chief occupation of the people during the Mauryan period was agriculture. 

9. Two Western European countries with whom the Mauryans had trade relation were Egypt and Greece 

10. The last Mauryan emperor was killed by Pushyamitra Sunga the founder of the Sunga dynasty

Ashoka’s empire stretched from the Himalayas in the north to Mysore in the south and from the Hindu Kush in the north-west to Brahmaputra in the east, It also included Kabul, Kandahar, Herat and the parts of Nepal and Kashmir.

• Chandragupta Maurya defeated the Nanda dynasty and established his rule in Magadha. 
• He won Avanti and Saurashtra and began to extend the boundaries of his empire. 
• On defeating Seleucus Nicator he included the north west region of Kabul, Kandahar and Herat in the Mauryan Empire.

Chandragupta’s empire was the first great empire in Indian history. By the end of his reign, the Maurya empire stretched from the Hindu Kush in the north-west to Bengal in the east, from the Himalayas in the north to the Narmada in the south.

Chanakya helped Chandragupta against the Nandas. Chanakya was insulted and humiliated by the Nanda king Dhanananda. Chanakya, better known as Kaufilya, trained Chandragupta, a young man of the Maurya family, in statecraft and warfare to avenge his humiliation.

Chanakya‘s Arlhashastra tells us about how to govern an empire and describes the administration of the Mauryas. Megasthenes’s Irtdika tells us about the political, social and economic condition of people during this period, The highest functionaries were minister (Mantri), chief priest (Purohita), military commander (Senapati) and crownprince (Yuvaraja). The king appointed 27 superintendents.

The above headings are described as follows:

(a) Mauryan District Administration: Provinces were divided into districts for purposes of administration. Ashokan inscriptions refer to three classes of high officials, namely the Rajukas, Yuktas and the Mahamatras. The Rajukas were probably incharge of district and corresponded to the District Magistrates of the present day. They managed the state property and kept law and order in the districts. The Yuktas were probably the District Treasury Officer who collected revenues and kept accounts. The Mahamatras were heads of special departments. Ashoka created a new class of Mahamatras which included the Dhamma Mahamatras who promoted Dhamma (Dharma) and looked after the general interests of women were protected by a separate Department, headed by Stri Adhyaksha Mahamatra. 

(b) Mauryan City Administration: In the Arthashastra ’s there is a mention of the Nagarka who functioned as a City- Superintendent or a City-Magistrate, with a number of officers assisting him. Nagarka was entrusted with the duties such as providing water facility to the city dwellers, the maintenance of public roads and public buildings, the inspection of city walls and city towers and taking precautions against fire. He was often required to meet difficult situations like—floods, epidemics.According to Megasthenes, the city administration was divided into six boards of five persons each. Each board dealt with a specific function, such as supervision of trade and commerce or census of population or care of foreigners. The six Boards acted together in general matters like—the maintenance of public buildings, fire-protection and care of wells and temples, etc.

Ashoka explained Dhamma in the edicts, which were mainly written in Brahmi script, He used Prakrit, the language of the common people in these edicts. Thus, the common people could easily understand his teachings of Dhamma,

Chandragupta Maurya annexed entire Punjab and areas across the Indus river. Seleucus had also to sign a peace treaty in which he gave away Kabul, Kandahar and Heart to Chandragupta. Chandragupta also conquered parts of central India and united the whole of Northern India under Mauryan rule,

(a) Chandragupta and Chanakya both together became successful to uproot Nandas from Magadha and thus took revenge for their dishonour by Nandas. Under the perfect guidance of Chanakya, Chandragupta was successful to defeat Alexander and Seleucus and conquered N. W. part of India. Apart from the vast realm along Ganga basin up to Bengal, he also spread the empire up to South. 

(b) Kalinga War in 261 BC, resulted in the death of 100,000 warriors, 150,000 prisoners and many more injured. All this changed Ashoka’s personal life. He stopped hunting and eating meat and abandoned luxurious life. He declared Buddhism as state religion. Prisoners of war were made cultivators who added economic prosperity to the empire, but mil itary efficiency was decreased.

The empire of Chandragupta Maurya had been extended up to Mysore in the South and Kabul, in the north-west. It stretched from Saurashtra in the West up to Bengal in the East.

After Alexander’s death, fighting broke out between his generals for the control of his vast empire, Seleucus, one of Alexander’s generals, became the ruler of the territory stretching from Asia Minor to the Indus,

In context of the intricated raised problems by the administration of a vast imperial state and talking them Wisely by Chandragupta Maurya and Ashoka, 

The given heads are explained below: 

(a) Position of the king: The king was the supreme Head of the State and had military, judicial and executive powers. He also had the power to enact laws. 

(b) Role of Council of Ministers: They were small in number, but were very influential. At times, the Council of Ministers (.Mantriparishad) could act as a check on the King’s powers. The ministers also advised the King in the task of choosing governors. General of the Army, Treasurer of the State, chief magistrates and other high officials. 

(c) Provincial Administraction: Next to the Emperor, tanked the Governors incharge of provinces of the empire. The Ashok an inscriptions mention four such Governors posted at Taxila (Northern Province), Ujjain (Western Province), Tosali (Eastern Province) and Suvarnagiri (Southern Province). The Governors had their ministers and also had the power to appoint a few officials. The smaller provinces were under officials called Pradesikas in the Ashokan Edicts.

Chandragupta ruled over a vast empire in this context, the given heading are explained below: 

(a) His main conquests: He conquered West Punjab and Sindh. Next, he attacked Magadha and uprooted the Nanda dynasty and took control of their rich and powerful kingdom, Magadha. 

(b) Details of his victory over Seleucos Nicator: The territories west of the Indus were ruled by the Greek king Seleucos. He crossed the Indus in 305 BC and hoped to march victoriously through the Punjab.The Mauryan armies rushed to the north-west and inflicted a crushing defeat on the invader. Seleucos was forced to retire and had to purchase peace by ceding to Chandragupta the territories of Herat, Kandahar and Kabul (Afghanistan). Chandragupta presented him with 500 war-elephants. It is said that Chandragupta married princess Helen, the daughter of Seleucus. The Greek King maintained friendly relations with the Mauryan Court and sent Megasthenes as his ambassador who lived in Pataliputra and wrote a book on India.

An edict is a decree issued by a Sovereign. The edicts of Ashoka form the most important source of Mauiyan history. These edicts are inscribed on rocks and pillars throughout the country and include 14 major Rock Edicts, seven pillar edicts and a number of minor rock edicts.

Ashokan Edicts: An edict means “an official order or proclamation. According to the Rock Edict XIII, in Kalinga war about a hundred thousand people were killed and as many as one hundred and fifty thousand were taken as prisoners. The horrors of the War awakened in Ashoka’s heart the feelings of profound sorrow. The XHIth Rock Edict says “The Beloved of the Gods, the King considers victory by dhamma to be the foremost victory.” The inscription on the Rummindei Pillar, for instance says “King, the beloved of the Gods, visited this spot in person and offered worship at this palace, because the Lord Buddha was born here.”

(c) Central Asia

Aryans first settled in Punjab region

1. In Rig Vedic society, women relatively enjoyed some freedom.

2. The wife was respected as the mistress of the household.

3. She could perform rituals in her house.

4. In Rig Vedic period widows could remarry.

5. But they were denied to inherit parental property.

6. They played no role in public affairs.

7. In the later Vedic period women’s position declined, demand to perform rituals and marriage rules became more rigid.

8. Polygamy became common, and women were denied education

1. Kodumanal is in Erode district.

2. Kodumanal is identified with the Kodumanam of Pathitrupathu.

3. More than 300 pottery inscriptions in Tamil Brahmi have been discovered.

4. Spindles, whorls, piece of cloth, tools, weapons, ornaments and beads have been discovered.

5. A Menhir was found at the burial site.

1. 1

2. 2 

3. 3 

4. 4

(c) Both the statements are correct

(d) Upanishad

Sapta Sindhu was the land of Seven

(a) Indus civilization

(a) Both A and R are true and R is correct explanation of A.

(d) A is false but R is true