UPSC Prelims PYQs – Mauryan and Post-Mauryan Age (Ancient History)

1. In which one of the following regions was Dhanyakataka, which flourished as a prominent Buddhist centre under the Mahasanghikas, located?

[UPSC CSE – 2023 Prelims]

2. With reference to ancient India, consider the following statements:

1. The concept of Stupa is Buddhist in origin.
2. Stupa was generally a repository of relics.
3. Stupa was a votive and commemorative structure in Buddhist tradition.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

[UPSC CSE – 2023 Prelims]

3. “Souls are not only the property of animal and plant life, but also of rocks, running water and many other natural objects not looked on as living by other religious sects.” The above statement reflects one of the core beliefs of which one of the following religious sects of ancient India?

[UPSC CSE – 2023 Prelims]

4. Consider the following pairs:

Site : Well Known for

1. Besnagar : Shaivite cave shrine
2. Bhaja : Buddhist cave shrine
3. Sittanavasal : Jain cave shrine

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

[UPSC CSE – 2023 Prelims]

5. According to Kautilya’s Arthashastra, which of the following are correct?

1. A person could be a slave as a result of a judicial punishment.
2. If a female slave bore her master a son, she was legally free.
3. If a son born to a female slave was fathered by her master, the son was entitled to the legal status of the master’s son.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

[UPSC Civil Services Exam – Prelims 2022]

6. Consider the following pairs:

Site of Ashoka’s major rock edicts: Location in the State of

1. Dhauli —           Odisha
2. Erragudi —           Andhra Pradesh
3. Jaugada —           Madhya Pradesh
4. Kalsi —           Karnataka

How many pairs given above are correctly matched?

[UPSC Civil Services Exam – Prelims 2022]

7. Who among the following rulers advised his subjects through this inscription?

“Whosoever praises his religious sect or blames other sects out of excessive devotion to his own sect, with the view of glorifying his own sect, he rather injures his own sect very severely.”

[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2020 Prelims]

8. With reference to the religious history of India, consider the following statements:

1. Sthaviravadins belong to Mahayana Buddhism.
2. Lokottaravadin sect was an offshoot of Mahasanghika sect of Buddhism.
3. The deification of Buddha by Mahasanghikas fostered Mahayana Buddhism.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2020 Prelims]

9. With reference to the cultural history of India, which one of the following is the correct description of the term ‘paramitas’?

[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2020 Prelims]

10. Consider the following:

1. Deification of the Buddha
2. Treading the path of Bodhisattvas
3. Image worship and rituals

Which of the above is/are the feature/ features of Mahayana Buddhism?

[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2019 Prelims]

11. In which of the following relief sculpture inscriptions is ‘Ranyo Ashoka’ (King Ashoka) mentioned along with the stone portrait of Ashoka?

[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2019 Prelims]

12. With reference to the religious practices in India, the “Sthanakvasi” sect belongs to

[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2018 Prelims]

13. The painting of Bodhisattva Padmapani is one of the most famous and oft-illustrated paintings at:

[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2017 Prelims]

14. With reference to the religious history of India, consider the following statements:

1. Sautrantika and Sammitiya were the sects of Jainism.
2. Sarvastivadin held that the constituents of phenomena were not wholly momentary, but existed forever in a latent form.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2017 Prelims]

15. Who of the following had first deciphered the edicts of Emperor Ashoka?

[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2016 Prelims]

16. With reference to the religious history of India, consider the following statements:

1. The concept of Bodhisattva is central to Hinayana sect of Buddhism.
2. Bodhisattva is a compassionate one on his way to enlightenment.
3. Bodhisattva delays achieving his own salvation to help all sentient beings on their path to it.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2016 Prelims]

17. Which of the following kingdoms were associated with the life of the Buddha?

1. Avanti
2. Gandhara
3. Kosala
4. Magadha

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2015 Prelims]

18. Which one of the following describes best the concept of Nirvana in Buddhism?

[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2013 Prelims]

19. Which of the following statements is/are applicable to Jain doctrine?

1. The surest way of annihilating Karma is to practice penance.
2. Every object, even the smallest particle, has a soul.
3. Karma is the bane of the soul and must be ended.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2013 Prelims]

20. With reference to the history of ancient India, which of the following was/were common to both Buddhism and Jainism?

1. Avoidance of extremities of penance and enjoyment
2. Indifference to the authority of the Vedas
3. Denial of efficacy of rituals

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2012 Prelims]

21. Lord Buddha’s image is sometimes shown with the hand gesture called ‘Bhumisparsha Mudra’. It symbolises:

[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2012 Prelims]

22. With reference to the guilds (Shreni) of ancient India that played a very important role in the country’s economy, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. Every guild was registered with the central authority of the State and the king was the chief administrative authority on them.
2. The wages, rules of work, standards and prices were fixed by the guild.
3. The guild had judicial powers over its own members.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2012 Prelims]

23. The Jain philosophy holds that the world is created and maintained by

[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2011 Prelims]