The Glorious History of India Quiz

Answer: Bindusara

The Mauryas were the first ruling emperors of a large part of India. The Mauryan Empire was founded by Chandragupta Maurya with the help of his main aide and advisor Chanakya (or Kautilya). His equally able son Bindusara continued annexing many territories. Ashoka was known for his contribution to Buddhism.

He was a cruel ruler at first. After conquering Kalinga or modern day Orissa, shocked by the massacre, he decided to shun violence of all kinds. The imperial capital was Pataliputra.

Answer: The Saka Calendar

Kanishka ruled from AD 120 AD to 144. He is known for his contribution to Mahayana Buddhism. During his rule, several statues of Buddha were made. He issued several gold coins that can be found even as far east as Varanasi. He established his capital in Peshawar (modern-day Peshawar).

His only statue is now in Ayodhya. But the head of the statue is missing and has not been discovered. So, no one knows how he actually looked. During his rule, India established interaction with Greece. Due to the intermixing of Greek and Indian culture, the Greco-Roman style of art was established in India.

Answer: Hiuen Tsang

Hiuen Tsang was a Chinese traveller who had travelled to India to study the scriptures of Buddhism. Harshavardhana was the son of Prabhakarvardhana and became the king after his elder brother Rajyavardhana was murdered by Shashanka, his enemy. He was widely known for his generosity.

He also wrote plays like 'Ratnavali'. He made his capital at Kannauj. Kannauj had replaced Pataliputra as the chief city in India. He died around 700 AD and this marks the end of the ancient period of Indian history.

Answer: Kannauj

Prithviraj's life has been immortalized in the poem 'Prithviraj Raso' written by Chand Bardai. Prithviraj strenghtened the fort of Lalkot near Delhi and renamed it as Rai Pithora. Jaichandra was angry with Prithviraj for abducting his daughter. When Mohammad Ghori, the Turkish invader attacked Prithviraj for the second time, in 1192 (after being defeated in 1191), Jaichandra supported Ghori. Prithviraj was defeated in this battle.

This battle was called the Second Battle of Tarain.

Answer: Rajaraja Chola I

The Cholas were the first dynasty in India to build a strong navy. The Cholas were a major ruling dynasty in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. After going into decline for some centuries, they again rose in the middle of the 9th century AD to become a formidable force. Rajaraja Chola I conquered parts of Ceylon (modern day Sri Lanka).

He built he Shiva temple at Thanjavur. The Cholas were Shivaite. His son Rajendra Chola I conquered territories upto Bengal and adopted the title 'Gangaikonda' (Conqueror of the Ganga) and established his new capital at Gangaikondacholapuram.

Answer: Sultana Razia

Sultana Razia was a ruler of the Slave dynasty, founded by Qutbuddin Aibak. She was the daughter of Iltutmish, Qutbuddin's son-in-law. However, she had to face opposition from the Group of Forty, a group of Turkish nobles associated with the administration.

The special liking she had for Yakut, an Abbysinian slave (from modern-day Ethiopia) also caused resentment. Her reign was followed by a period of instability. Her younger brother, Nasiruddin, was declared king but the real power lay in Ghiasuddin Balban's (his guardian's) hands. On Nasiruddin's death in 1266 AD, Balban declared himself king.

Answer: Akbar

Akbar become the ruler at the tender age of 13 in 1556 AD when his father Humayun died in an accident. However, Akbar dismissed Bairam Khan when Akbar became 18 years old and sent on a Bairam to a pilgrimage to Mecca. Akbar's full name was Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar.

He married Jodhabai, the daughter of Raja Bihari Mal of Amber (modern day Jaipur). He founded a system of military administration called the mansabdari system. He had nine exceptionally talented people in his court, who were called the Navaratna or 'the Nine Jewels'.

Answer: Hampi

The Vijayanagara kingdom was founded by the brothers Harihara and Bukka Raya. Their most famous ruler was Krishnadeva Raya. Tenali Raman, a witty and humorous person, was part of his court. They had good relations with the Portuguese. However, after Krishnadeva died, the kingdom began to decline. Later, the kingdoms of Ahmadnagar, Bijapur, Bidar and Golcond formed an alliance and destroyed Hampi.

The Vijayangara kingdom never recovered from this blow.

Answer: Muhammad Shah

Nadir Shah attacked India in 1739 AD. He plundered Delhi and carried off much of its wealth. He even took the fabulous Kohinoor diamond and the Peacock Throne. He gave notice to the people of Persia that they would not have to pay taxes for the next two years. Muhammad Shah ruled from 1719 AD to 1748 AD. Before the Mughals could recover, Nadir's son Ahmad Shah Abdali attacked India in 1748 AD.

He defeated the Marathas in the Third Battle of Panipat. The Mughals did not recover fully from the battle.

Answer: Siraj-ud-daullah

Siraj-ud-daullah was the successor of Alivardi Khan. Alivardi Khan had defeated Sarfaraz Khan, the son of Shuja-ud-daullah. Shuja-ud-daullah was the son-in-law of Murshid Kuli Khan. Murshid Kuli Khan founded the independent state of Bengal. Under these rulers, Bengal became rich and prosperous. So it was the first state targeted by the British.

However, the defeat could have been avoided if Mir Zafar, Siraj's commander-in-chief, ha not betrayed him. After this, the British started gaining more power until they declared themselves as the rulers of India.

After a long struggle by patriotic Indians, India achieved independence on 15th August, 1947. Jawaharlal Nehru became the first Prime Minister and Rajendra Prasad the first President. India is presently a parliamentary republic.