1.What was Uttarapatha? Ans: Uttarapatha was a land route which
connected northern and eastern parts of India with the northwestern fringes,
i.e., present day Pakistan and further beyond.
2.What was Dakshinapatha? Ans: Dakshinapatha was a land route which
connected peninsular India with western and northern parts of India.
3. What was a stupa? Ans: Stupa was the Buddhist place of worship,
as it has relics of Buddha or some Buddhist monk.
4.Differentiate between a chaitya and
a vihara. Ans: Within the Buddhist architecture both chaitya
and vihara were rock cut structures. Chaitya was used as shrine and vihara, as
residence for monks.
5.Who was Kanishka? Explain his rule
in India. Ans: (1) Kanishka was the most famous ruler of
the Kushanas. He ascended the throne in AD 78. He started a new era known as
the Shaka era. It was under Kanishka that the Kushana empire reacted its
maximum territorial limits.
(2) The empire of Kanishka was extended from
central Asia to north India and included Varanasi, Kaushambi, Sravasti in Uttar
Pradesh.
(3) The political significance of Kanishka’s
rule lies in the fact that he integrated central Asia with north India as part
of a single empire. It resulted in the intermingling of different cultures and
increase in inter regional trading activities.
6. Briefly
explain the polity and administration of Satavahanas.
Ans: (1) Satavahana Kingdom was divided into subdivisions
called aharas or rashtras, which mean districts.
(2) There were officers called amatyas. Amatyas
were perhaps ministers or advisers of the king.
(3) Revenue was collected both in cash and kind.
Satavahana kings were the first in Indian history to make tax free land grants
to Buddhists and Brahmanas to gain religious merit. This practice became more prominent
to succeeding periods.
(4) The Satavahana kings claimed to be Brahmanas
and considered it their primary duty to uphold varna system.
7. Describe the various economics activities
during the post-Mauryan period.
Ans: (1) During the post-Maurya period, people were
engaged in various economic activities such as agriculture, crafts and trade.
(2) Paddy was the most important crop. It formed
the main part of people’s diet and also served as a medium of barter exchange
for inland trade.
(3) The Chola king Karikala of the Sangam age
constructed a dam on the river Kaveri. It is considered to be the earliest dam
in the country.
(4) Among the crafts, the most important was of
spinning and weaving of textiles-cotton as well as silk.
(5) The discovery of monsoons and the use of
direct sea route between Indian coasts and the western world was the main
reason for the growth of this trade. It led to rise of important towns and craft
centres in the Tamil region.
(6) Korkai of Tirunnelveli district of Tamil Nadu
was an important Pandya port. It was famous for its pearl.
(7) Salt manufacture was another important activity.
8. Describe the internal and external trade
routes after the decline of the Mauryan empire.
Ans: (1) The most important feature of the
post-Mauryan period was the growth of trade and commerce, both internally as
well as externally.
(2) Important ports of India on the western coast
were (from north to south direction) Sopara, Kalyana, Muziris, etc. Ships from
these ports sailed to the Roman empire through the Red Sea.
(3) As regards external trade routes, more and
more sea voyages were used for trading purposes after the discovery of monsoons
by Hippatus who was a Greek navigator in 45 AD.
(4) There were two major internal land routs in
ancient India. The first was at Uttarapatha which connected northern and
eastern parts of India with the north-western fringes i.e., present day
Pakistan and further beyond. The second was Dakshinapatha which connected the
peninsular India with the western and northern parts of India.
9. Write a short note on the emergence of
Kalinga.
Ans: (1) The eastern India were parts of Ashoka’s
empire. He had conquered Kalinga through a violent battle in which loss of men
and property was enormous. However, after the decline of the Mauryan empire
kingdoms of Kalinga and the Deccan emerged for the first time in the Indian history.
(2) After Ashoka, Kalinga became prominent
under the kings of Chedi dynasty. Kharavela was one of its efficient ruler.
(3) The achievement of Kharavela are recorded
on Hathigumpha inscription situated in the Udayagiri hills near Bhubaneshwar in
Orissa.
(4) According to this inscription Kharavela was
a follower of Jainism and had fought many successful battles against his
neighbours. He probably lived in the first century BC.
10. Who discovered monsoons?
Ans: Hippatus, a Greek navigator discovered monsoons
in 45 AD.
11. Mention contribution of the Kushanas in
literature and medicine.
Ans: Charaka wrote a book on medicine called
Charaksamhita and Asvaghosha wrote Buddhacharita. Both these scholars were
believed to be the contemporaries of king Kanishka.
12. Who was Charaka?
Ans: Charaka is considered as the father of Ayurveda
who wrote a book on medicine called the Charaksamhita.
