🏛️ Ancient Indian History — WBCS Main Year-Wise PYQs
Complete year-wise previous year questions on Ancient Indian History — Harappan Civilization, Vedic Age, Mauryas, Guptas, and more — from WBCS Main 2014 to 2023, with detailed answers.
📌 Quick Navigation (Year-Wise)
📅 WBCS Main 2023
- Chandragupta Maurya was a follower of:
✔ Answer: Jainism - Which ancient Indian ruler was the Chief patron of the fourth Buddhist Council?
✔ Answer: Kanishka - Who composed the 'Milinda Panho'?
✔ Answer: Nagasena - During Alexander's invasion, who was the then ruler of Magadha?
✔ Answer: Dhanananda - Which Gupta ruler saved the Gupta Empire from the invasion of the Hunas?
✔ Answer: Skandagupta - The School of Gandhara Art flourished during the reign of the:
✔ Answer: Kushan Dynasty - The capital of the Pallava rulers was:
✔ Answer: Kanchipuram - Which dynasty ruled over Magadha before the Mauryan dynasty?
✔ Answer: Nanda - Who composed the 'Artha Sastra'?
✔ Answer: Kautilya - Which Gupta ruler took the title of 'Vikramaditya'?
✔ Answer: Chandragupta II - The Kailasanath temple in Kanchipuram was built by the:
✔ Answer: Pallavas - Which God was known as 'Purandar' to the Vedic people?
✔ Answer: Indra - Lothal is located at:
✔ Answer: Gujarat - 'Battle of Ten Kings' was described in:
✔ Answer: The Rig Veda - Which was the Capital City of Magadha during the reign of Chandragupta Maurya?
✔ Answer: Pataliputra - Who had Nine Jewels in his royal court?
✔ Answer: Chandragupta II - The Nasik inscription gives us information about:
✔ Answer: The Satavahanas - Who composed the 'Buddhacharita'?
✔ Answer: Ashvaghosa - Which Mahajanapada of the 6th century BCE was an aristocratic-oligarchic republic (a confederacy of eight clans)?
✔ Answer: Vajji - Who composed 'Nagananda' and 'Ratnabali'?
✔ Answer: Harshavardhana - From which inscription do we get important information about the Saka ruler Rudra Damana?
✔ Answer: Junagarh inscription
📅 WBCS Main 2022
- The capital of the Magadhan Empire under Bimbisara was:
✔ Answer: Girivraja - What was the importance of Lothal?
✔ Answer: Port - The first ruler of the Pala Dynasty was:
✔ Answer: Gopal - The Saka Era was started by:
✔ Answer: Kanishka - Karshapana was a type of:
✔ Answer: Currency - The Maurya Emperor who propounded the concept of "Dhamma" was:
✔ Answer: Ashoka - The last Buddhist Council was held at:
✔ Answer: Kundavalan - The twenty-third Tirthankara was:
✔ Answer: Parshvanath - The Vedas were:
✔ Answer: Sacred Book of the Aryans - Bimbisara was from the:
✔ Answer: Haryanka Dynasty - Where was the figure of the dancing girl found?
✔ Answer: Indus Valley - Who was known as the "Indian Napoleon"?
✔ Answer: Samudragupta - The Kushanas were originally from:
✔ Answer: Central Asia - The Allahabad Pillar Inscription dates back to the:
✔ Answer: Gupta period - The Battle of Hydaspes was fought between:
✔ Answer: Porus and Alexander - The first ruler of the Maurya Dynasty was:
✔ Answer: Chandragupta Maurya - The book 'Indica' was written by:
✔ Answer: Megasthenes - Which of the following was a Mahajanapada?
✔ Answer: Magadha - Gautam Buddha was from which clan?
✔ Answer: Sakya - The Garuda Pillar at Besnagar was endowed by:
✔ Answer: Heliodorus - 'Arthashastra' was written by:
✔ Answer: Kautilya - The Buddha gave his first sermon at:
✔ Answer: Sarnath - Tamralipta was a:
✔ Answer: Port - The Gupta Era starts from the reign of:
✔ Answer: Chandragupta I - The term "Sakari" was used for:
✔ Answer: Chandragupta II Vikramaditya - The 'Milinda Panho' was a:
✔ Answer: Book on Philosophical discussion - The last ruler of the Maurya Dynasty was:
✔ Answer: Brihadratha - Sasanka was the ruler of:
✔ Answer: Gaur - The Central Asian theory of the home of the Aryans was propounded by:
✔ Answer: Friedrich Max Muller - The Chinese pilgrim Fa Hien visited India during the reign of:
✔ Answer: Chandragupta II Vikramaditya - The Eight-Fold path in Buddhism is known as:
✔ Answer: Ashtangik Marg - The author of 'Harshacharita' was:
✔ Answer: Banabhatta - Mohenjodaro and Harappa belong to:
✔ Answer: Indus Valley civilization - Menander was a:
✔ Answer: Indo-Greek - The oldest Veda was:
✔ Answer: Rig Veda - The capital of Kanishka was:
✔ Answer: Purushpura - The greatest Kushan ruler was:
✔ Answer: Kanishka - Who was known as "Beloved of the Gods"?
✔ Answer: Ashoka
📅 WBCS Main 2021
- The river mentioned most frequently in the Rig Vedic hymns was:
✔ Answer: Saraswati - Which Indian geographer gave information about Solar and Lunar eclipses?
✔ Answer: Aryabhatta - Which ruler of Magadha was called 'Amitrochates' in Greek records?
✔ Answer: Bindusara - The main sources of ancient Indian geographical concepts are:
✔ Answer: All of the above (Hindu Mythology, Travellers' Account, Sacred Laws) - Ancient Indian Geography hinges on:
✔ Answer: Observation - Which statements are true of the Harappan civilisation?
✔ Answer: (i), (ii), (iii), (v) - Which is our earliest source for the existence of untouchables in India?
✔ Answer: Panini's Ashtadhyayi - What were villages granted to and inhabited by Brahmins known as?
✔ Answer: Brahmadeya
📅 WBCS Main 2020
- What is the meaning of the word 'Sangam' in the Sangam Age?
✔ Answer: Assembly of Poets - Who composed the Sanskrit kavya 'Saundarananda'?
✔ Answer: Asvaghosa - Rulers of which dynasty patronised Jainism (6th–12th century)?
✔ Answer: Chalukya - The learned lady who debated with Yajnavalkya was:
✔ Answer: Gargi - The river Chenab was known in the Vedic period as:
✔ Answer: Asikni - What was the 'Araghatta'?
✔ Answer: A device to lift water - Which statement is incorrect about the position of women during the age of Buddha?
✔ Answer: Education was denied to women - The basic unit of Vedic society was:
✔ Answer: Jana - The most important God in the Rigveda was:
✔ Answer: Indra - Who declared that the 'Saptsindhava' region was the homeland of the Aryans?
✔ Answer: Prof. Max Muller - The Nayanar group of saints in North India were devotees of:
✔ Answer: Lord Shiva - Which is the biggest Harappan civilization site?
✔ Answer: Rakhigarhi - The river most mentioned in the Rigveda is:
✔ Answer: Sindhu - Which site's most unique feature is its dockyard, the world's first tidal port?
✔ Answer: Lothal - The word 'Veda', derived from 'Vid', refers to:
✔ Answer: Knowledge - Which dynasty ruled over Magadha after the Mauryan dynasty?
✔ Answer: Sunga - Which city became the nodal point for trade routes in the pre-Gupta and Gupta periods?
✔ Answer: Ujjain - Vedic literature is also known as:
✔ Answer: Shruti - The Indian involved in the excavations of Harappa and Mohenjodaro (1922) was:
✔ Answer: R.D. Banerjee - Kalibangan is located at:
✔ Answer: Rajasthan - When and by whom were the Ashokan Inscriptions first deciphered?
✔ Answer: 1837 – James Prinsep
📅 WBCS Main 2019
- Which is NOT a feature of Lothal?
✔ Answer: Evidence of the use of the plough (this is a Kalibangan feature) - Who was the propounder of the Ajivika Sect (5th century BCE)?
✔ Answer: Makkali Gosala - The spies during the Sangam age were known as:
✔ Answer: Orrars - Lands, during the post-Gupta period, were classified on the basis of:
✔ Answer: All of the above - The Pallava-Chola style of architecture is commonly known as:
✔ Answer: Dravida
📅 WBCS Main 2018
- Alvar was a ______ hymnodist of the Tamil devotional cult.
✔ Answer: Vaishnavite - Which Harappan site was probably a trading outpost for procuring lapis lazuli?
✔ Answer: Shortugai - The Kandahar Edict of Asoka was written in:
✔ Answer: Both Aramaic and Greek - The centre of Sangam literature and patrons of Sangam poets were:
✔ Answer: All of the above (Cheras, Cholas, Pandyas) - The theory of the emergence of feudalism in the post-Gupta period is disputed on the ground that:
✔ Answer: All of the three above
📅 WBCS Main 2017
- Who is the author of "Asoka and the Decline of the Mauryas" (1961)?
✔ Answer: Romila Thapar - Who composed the Aihole Inscription (634)?
✔ Answer: Ravikirti - King "Chandra" of the Mehrauli Iron Pillar inscription has been identified with:
✔ Answer: Chandragupta II (Gupta) - The ruins of Harappa were first noticed by (1826):
✔ Answer: Charles Mason - Both Lord Buddha and Mahavira died in the reign of:
✔ Answer: Ajatasatru - Who was the founder of the 'Ajivika' sect (5th century BCE)?
✔ Answer: Makkali Gosala - Which is NOT a representative of Buddhist art?
✔ Answer: Gopuram (Dravidian architecture) - Which period did Gordon Childe consider a period of "revolution" (~10,000 BCE)?
✔ Answer: Neolithic - Among the Bronze Age civilizations, which was undoubtedly the largest in extent?
✔ Answer: Harappan - The urban centers of the Harappan Civilisation faded out around:
✔ Answer: 2000-1900 BC (varies by option set) - The most prominent deity in the Rigveda was:
✔ Answer: Indra - Which areas were viewed as impure by the later Vedic authors?
✔ Answer: All of the above (Anga, Magadha, Vanga) - The most celebrated river in the Rigveda was:
✔ Answer: Sindhu (Indus) - Which region saw the maximum concentration of Mahajanapadas in the 6th century BC?
✔ Answer: North India - Which event of Buddha's life did NOT take place on a full moon day?
✔ Answer: Renunciation - According to Wenke, which was the earliest animal to be domesticated?
✔ Answer: Dog - Microliths (35,000 to 3,000 years ago) are typical of:
✔ Answer: Mesolithic Age - The earliest evidence of settled agriculture in the subcontinent comes from (7000 BCE):
✔ Answer: Mehargarh - In which state is Ataranji Kheda situated?
✔ Answer: Uttar Pradesh - The first Indian rulers to issue gold coins on the Roman pattern were:
✔ Answer: Kushanas - Which 7th century Chinese traveler lived for ten years at Nalanda?
✔ Answer: Hiuen Tsang - Which is considered the earliest Indian text on music?
✔ Answer: Sama Veda - The earliest known stone tools in the Indian subcontinent were discovered from:
✔ Answer: Bori, Maharashtra region set — per this list: Didwana (Rajasthan) - The oldest deciphered script of the Indian subcontinent:
✔ Answer: Brahmi - In the Buddhist context, which refers to texts containing what the Buddha himself said?
✔ Answer: Sutta - Each of the Four Vedas has _____ parts.
✔ Answer: Four - The Rummindei pillar of Ashoka marks Buddha's:
✔ Answer: Birth - Name the author of 'Pancharatra' and 'Svapna-Vasavadatta':
✔ Answer: Bhasa - Which style of architecture was developed by the Chalukyas of Badami?
✔ Answer: Vesara - Which dynasty described itself as 'Brahma-Kshatriya' (1097–1230)?
✔ Answer: Senas - The dynasty which Harshavardhan belonged to was:
✔ Answer: Pushyabhutis - By whom was kulinism started in Bengal?
✔ Answer: Ballalasena - By whom and when was the Gupta era started?
✔ Answer: Chandragupta I in 319–320 CE - Who first described Sudras as a class of agriculturists?
✔ Answer: Fa Hien - Which Gupta ruler embraced Buddhism late in life and founded Nalanda University?
✔ Answer: Kumaragupta I - Which Chalukya ruler repelled the Arab invasion of South Gujarat?
✔ Answer: Vikramaditya II - Which was NOT situated in the Ganga plain?
✔ Answer: Asmaka Kingdom
📅 WBCS Main 2016
- Who was the ruler of Taxila when Alexander's army crossed the Indus in 326 BC?
✔ Answer: Ambhi - Who tells us that 'India' was the 20th and most prosperous satrapy of the Persian empire?
✔ Answer: Herodotus - Urbanization in Tamil Nadu (per Kodumanal evidence) goes back to:
✔ Answer: 500-400 BCE - Which ruler is associated with the first known international treaty in Indian history (303 BCE)?
✔ Answer: Chandragupta Maurya - Who rejected the idea of a marriage alliance between Chandragupta Maurya and Seleucus?
✔ Answer: B.N. Mukherjee and Romila Thapar - Which pair is NOT correctly matched (302-298 BCE)?
✔ Answer: Claudius Aelianus – Naturalis Historica (wrong pairing) - Which major rock edicts of Asoka are in Prakrit language and Kharosthi script?
✔ Answer: Both Manshera and Shabbazgarhi - Haribhadra, the famous Buddhist author, was at the court of:
✔ Answer: Dharmapala - Who was the founder of the Chalukyas of Badami (543 CE)?
✔ Answer: Pulkesin I - Which kingdom was referred to as 'Ruhma' by the Arab merchant Sulaiman (9th century)?
✔ Answer: Pala - Which are well-known ancient geographical epithets of India?
✔ Answer: Both Saptadvipa and Bharatvarsha - The earliest use of the term 'Hindustan' appears in which inscription of Shahpur I?
✔ Answer: Naqsh-e-Rustam - Which period has Romila Thapar designated as 'Threshold Times'?
✔ Answer: CE 300 – CE 600 - Which civilization was the largest in extent among Bronze Age civilizations (1,250,000 km²)?
✔ Answer: The Harappan civilization - Which archaeologist contested identifying the brick structure at Harappa as a 'Granary'?
✔ Answer: J.M. Kenoyer - Which was NOT a regional headquarters in the Maurya empire?
✔ Answer: Tambaparini - To whom was the Lomas Rishi cave in the Barabar hills donated by Asoka?
✔ Answer: Ajivika monks - The history of ancient Indian trade rightly begins from the ______ period.
✔ Answer: Harappan - At which port was a sizable Roman settlement and Roman factory discovered?
✔ Answer: Arikamedu - Seaborne trade between India and Rome received great impetus during the reign of:
✔ Answer: Augustus - Who considered Harappan crafts "technically the peer of the rest" among Bronze Age products?
✔ Answer: Gordon Childe - Who composed the most significant medieval commentary on the Rigveda in the Vijayanagar realm?
✔ Answer: Sayana - Name the chief of the Rigvedic Bharata tribe who fought in the Battle of Ten Kings:
✔ Answer: Sudas - Which Rigvedic river is known as Ravi and also as Iravati?
✔ Answer: Parushni - The earliest reference to the division of society into four strata occurs in:
✔ Answer: The Purusha-sukta of the Rig Veda Samhita - Which were the most prominent monarchical mahajanapadas during the age of the Buddha?
✔ Answer: Kosal, Vatsa, Avanti, and Magadha - During post-Maurya times, elaborate Vedic sacrifices were regularly performed by rulers of:
✔ Answer: Both North India and the Deccan - Which school of Art flourished between the lower Krishna and Godavari valleys (2nd BCE–3rd CE)?
✔ Answer: Amaravati School - Navanityakam of the Gupta period was a book on:
✔ Answer: Medicine - Which dynasty was first to transfer all sources of revenue to the Brahmins?
✔ Answer: Vakatakas - The Mandasor pillar inscription of the early 6th century CE belongs to:
✔ Answer: Yasodharman - Which statement about the Rigveda (1500-1000 BCE) is NOT correct?
✔ Answer: The Rigveda is a monolithic text - Which areas were viewed by later Vedic authors as impure and far from the Vedic heartland?
✔ Answer: All of the above (Anga, Magadha, Vanga) - Which Magadhan ruler used rathamushala and mahasilakantaka against the Kasi-Kosal ganarajyas?
✔ Answer: Ajatasatru
📅 WBCS Main 2015
- Which Rig Vedic God is said to be the upholder of the Rita or Cosmic Order?
✔ Answer: Varuna - Which tribal assembly was normally involved in electing the tribal chief?
✔ Answer: Samiti - 'House burials' are reported from:
✔ Answer: Balathal in Rajasthan - Which were the main items of export of the Indus people?
✔ Answer: i, iii and iv (Gold/Silver, Terracottas, Seals) - Which archaeologist claims to have deciphered the Indus script (unaccepted by others)?
✔ Answer: S.R. Rao - According to latest excavations, Manda is the ______ site of the Indus civilization.
✔ Answer: Northernmost - Which type of Harappan pottery is the earliest example of its kind in the world?
✔ Answer: Polychrome - Harappan bricks were mainly:
✔ Answer: Made in an open mould - Where do we find Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic cultures in sequence?
✔ Answer: Bolan Valley - Which is NOT a principal tool of the Early Stone Age?
✔ Answer: Scraper - When were silkworms introduced into the Byzantine empire from China?
✔ Answer: 551 AD - Kalidasa's works include:
✔ Answer: All of them - Which was the meeting ground for Brahmanical and devotional religious levels?
✔ Answer: Temples - What is the main reason for the development of towns in the Harappan period?
✔ Answer: Growth of Trade and commerce - Which is NOT mentioned as 'asineva' in Ashokan inscriptions?
✔ Answer: Envy and revenge - Who was the Bactrian King who invaded India around 182 BC?
✔ Answer: Demetrius - Who started the general use of stone for monuments?
✔ Answer: Asoka - "Just as for my children..." is stated in (Major Rock Edict 13):
✔ Answer: Kallinga Inscriptions - According to 'Rajtarangini', Ashoka's favorite deity was:
✔ Answer: Siva - Which statement about Chandragupta Maurya is incorrect?
✔ Answer: Chandragupta was known to the Greeks as 'Amitrochates' (this title actually applied to Bindusara) - Which sources describe the Mauryas as belonging to the Sudra Varna?
✔ Answer: Puranas - Which source states that Srinagar was built by Ashoka?
✔ Answer: Kalahana's Rajtarangini - Who was NOT a Greek Ambassador at the Mauryan Court?
✔ Answer: Diodorus - Kontakasodhanas of the Mauryan period were:
✔ Answer: Criminal courts - The hereditary soldiers of the Mauryan period were known as:
✔ Answer: Maula
📅 WBCS Main 2014
- At which place has the largest belt of painted rock shelters of the pre-historic period been found?
✔ Answer: Bhimbetka - Official stamping of weights and measures and their periodical inspection are prescribed by:
✔ Answer: Manu - The Kharosthi script derived from:
✔ Answer: Aramaic - Which class is conspicuously absent from Megasthenes's list of seven classes?
✔ Answer: Traders (verify against exact option set used) - The Gold coins of the Gupta dynasty were known as:
✔ Answer: Dinara - The language of the Jain religious text was:
✔ Answer: Prakrit - Which source states that Srinagar was built by Asoka?
✔ Answer: Rajatarangini - The Rummindei pillar of Asoka marks Buddha's:
✔ Answer: Birth - The name of our motherland 'Bharata' was first mentioned in:
✔ Answer: Vishnu Purana - We know about the Bactrian Greeks only from:
✔ Answer: Coins - Who introduced Gold Coins in India?
✔ Answer: The Greeks - Who was Minandar (Menander)?
✔ Answer: A Bactrian Greek King - Who wrote Milindapanha?
✔ Answer: Nagasena
📋 Quick Revision Table — Key Facts
| Fact | Answer |
|---|---|
| First ruler of the Maurya Dynasty | Chandragupta Maurya |
| Author of Arthashastra | Kautilya |
| Capital of Kanishka | Purushpura |
| Founder of Gupta Era | Chandragupta I (319-320 CE) |
| Who deciphered Ashokan Inscriptions first | James Prinsep (1837) |
| Most mentioned river in the Rigveda | Saraswati / Sindhu (varies by paper) |
| Biggest Harappan site | Rakhigarhi |
| World's first tidal dockyard | Lothal |
| Buddha's first sermon location | Sarnath |
❓ FAQ
Q. Which Ancient History topics are most repeated in WBCS Main?
Harappan civilization sites and features, Mauryan and Gupta administration, Vedic literature and deities, and Buddhist/Jain philosophy are the most frequently repeated topics across 2014-2023.
Q. How should I prepare Ancient History for WBCS Main?
Focus on dynasty-wise timelines, ruler-title matching, source-inscription pairs, and site-feature matching, since these form the bulk of repeated MCQs.
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