Mahajanapadas & Rise of Magadh MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for Mahajanapadas & Rise of Magadh - Download Free PDF

The correct answer is Assaka.

Key Points

Mahajanapada Assaka was situated on the bank of the river Godavari.

• Assaka, also known as Ashmaka was a kingdom that was located in the south of India.
• During the time of Buddha, this tribe was located on the banks of the river Godavari.
• The capital city of Assaka was known as Potana or Potali which is now present in Maharashtra.

Additional Information

• About Mahajanpada:
  • These massive Indian cities were home to the 16 great kingdoms described in the ancient texts.
  • In the modern era, the term ‘Mahajanapadas’ is often used to refer to the 16 great kingdoms.
  • In the sixth century BC, present-day Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh became centers of political activities as the region was not only fertile but also closer to the iron production centers.
  • Iron production played a crucial role in expanding the territorial states of the region.
  • These expansions helped some of these ‘Janapadas’ turn into large states or ‘Mahajanapadas'.
  • Most of these ‘Mahajanapadas’ were monarchical in nature, while some of them were democratic states.
  • Many prominent ancient Buddhist texts make frequent references to the ‘16 great kingdoms’ (Mahajanapadas) that flourished between the sixth and the fourth centuries BCE.
  • These 16 kingdoms included kingdoms like Anga, Gandhara, Kuru, and Panchala, which are mentioned in the great Indian epic ‘Mahabharata'.​

The correct answer is 16.

Important Points

• Ancient Buddhist Literature, Anguttara Nikaya text gives the list of 16 Mahajanapadas.
• They are -
  • Kashi
  • Kosala
  • Anga
  • Magadha
  • Vajji
  • Malla
  • Chedi
  • Vatsa
  • Kuru
  • Panchala
  • Machcha
  • Surasena
  • Assaka
  • Avanti
  • Gandhara
  • Kamboja.

Additional Information

• These Mahajanpadas are either Monarchy or Republics (Ganasanghas).
• The important Republics of this period were the Shakyas of Kapilavastu and the Licchavis of Vaishali.
• The important monarchical Mahajanpadas of this period were Kaushambi (Vatsa), Magadha, Kosala, and Avanti.

The correct answer is Bimbisara.Key Points

• Haryanaka Dynasty (544 BC-412 BC):
• Bimbisara(544 BC-492 BC):
  • Bimbisara was the founder of the Haryanka Dynasty.
  • He was a contemporary of Buddha.
  • He started the policy of annexation and expansion.
  • He was succeeded by his son Ajatashatru.
• Ajatashatru(492 BC-460 BC):
  • He followed a more serious and aggressive policy of expansion.
  • He won the long war with the Kosala in the form of a marriage alliance with the daughter of the Kosala king.
  • Ajatashatru was succeeded by Udayin. Udayin built the city Patilputra (Patna). 
  • The Last King Nagadashak was killed by his own minister Sisunaga, who started the Sisunaga Dynasty.

Additional Information 

• The founder of the Nanda Dynasty was Mahapadma Nanda.
  • He is referred to as the “first historical emperor of India.”
  • According to the Puranas, he was the son of the last Sisunaga king from a Sudra woman but on the basis of a few Jain texts and Greek writer Curtius, he was the son of a barber and a courtesan. 
  • The reign of Mahapadma Nanda lasted for about twenty-eight years in between the years of 367 BC and 338 BC. 
• Chandragupta Maurya founded the Maurya Empire in 322 BCE when he conquered the kingdom of Magadha and the northwestern Macedonian satrapies.
  • Maurya Empire was founded in 322 BCE by Chandragupta Maurya, who had overthrown the Nanda Dynasty and rapidly expanded his power westward across central and western India in order to take advantage of the disruptions of local powers in the wake of the withdrawal by Alexander the Great‘s armies.

The correct answer is B, D, A, C.

Key Points

Magadha Empire

• The Magadha Empire ruled from 684 B.C - 320 B.C in India.
• The reference of the Magadha Empire is found in the two great epics Ramayana and Mahabharata.
• There were three dynasties who ruled the Magadha empire from 544 BC to 322 BC.
• The first one was the Haryanka dynasty (544 BC to 412 BC), the second was Shisunaga Dynasty (412 BC to 344 BC) and the other one was the Nanda dynasty (344 BC-322 BC).
• Bimbisara came from the Haryanka dynasty, ruled for 52 years from 544 B.C. to 492 B.C.
• Bimbisara was imprisoned by his son Ajatshatru who ruled Magadha empire from 492- 460 B.C. He murdered his father Bimbisara.
• Bindusara was the son of Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of Maurya dynasty and ruled from 298 BC to 272 BC. He is also referred to as Amitraghata (amitra-enemy, ghata-slayer) in Sanskrit Literature. Strabo has named him Amitrochates or Allitrochades which are a greek version of the name Amitraghata. He had two sons Sumana & Ashoka. Ashoka later succeeded him, after his death.
• Ashoka was the son of Bindusara. He was governor of Taxila and Ujjain during his father’s reign. Ashoka sat on the throne around 268 B.C after successfully defeating his brothers. Hence option 3 is correct.

The correct answer is Jalore. 

Important Points

• The ancient name of Jalore was Jabalipur, or Swarnagiri.
• This city was also known as “Suvarngiri or Songir”, the Golden Mount, on which the fortification is placed. Hence, option 3 is the correct answer.
• In accordance with several past sources, a division of the “Gurjara Pratiharas” was ruling at Jablipur (Jalore) between 8th & 9th centuries.
• Jalore was a thriving city during 8th century.
• In 10th century, Jalore was under the control of the Paramaras.

Additional Information

• Jalore is located at the foothills of SWARNAGIRI mountain just 140 Km from jodhpur and 340 Km from Ahmedabad.
• In recent times the industrial growth in the district particularly in Jalore has been remarkable due to the world-famous granite tiles and slabs.
• Presently there are 500 units producing high-quality granite products..

The correct answer is Vajji.

Important Points

• Vaishali was the capital of Vajji Mahajanapada.
• The kingdom was situated in Bihar to the north of the river Ganga.
• It covered the districts of Vaishali and Muzaffarpur in Bihar.

Additional Information

The correct answer is Anga.

• The ancient city of Champa is believed to be the capital of Anga Mahajanapada.

Key Points

• Anga was an ancient Indian kingdom that flourished on the eastern Indian subcontinent and was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas.
• Present-day Bhagalpur and Munger districts jointly constituted the Anga Mahajanpada.
• The State of Anga is earliest mentioned in Atharvaveda.
• The capital of Anga was Champa/Champawati was earlier called Malini. 
• The first king of Anga was Bali and the last king was Brahmadatta.

Additional Information

The correct answer is Vaishali.

• Vajji was a republican mahajanapada in modern Bihar. Its capital was Vaishali and it was run by ganas or sanghas (assemblies).
• Vajji or Vrijji was a confederacy of neighboring clans including the Licchavis and one of the principal mahajanapadas of ancient India.
• Kingdoms that rose to fame from the 6th Century BC onward were called Mahajanapdas.
• The Mahajanapadas signify the tribes that came together to form different groups and later gave rise to a permanent area of settlements called ‘states’ or ‘Janapadas.’

Important Points

The correct answer is Silver.

Punch marked coins

• It is a type of early coinage in India, dating to between about the 6th and 2nd centuries BC.
• The first coins in India may have been minted around the 6th century BC by the Mahajanpadas of the Indo-Gangetic plain.
• The coins of this period were punch-marked coins called Puranas, Karshapanas, or Pana.
• Several of these coins had a similar symbol. For example, Saurashtra had a humped bull Dakshin Panchala had a Swastika, others like Magadha had several symbols.
• Punched Marked coins were made of silver, had a standard weight but were irregular in shape.
• The irregular shape was made by cutting up silver bars and then making the correct weight by cutting the edges of the coin.
• These coins lack any inscriptions written in contemporary languages and were always struck in silver.
• These unique characters make early Indian coins very different from their contemporaries in Greece.
• Many historians believe that the concept of coinage was introduced by the Greeks in India. But unlike Indian punch-marked coins, Greek coins had inscriptions that were round in shape, were stamped on both sides, and were minted using silver, electrum, and gold too.
• Now historians are certain that the concept of coinage was invented in India independent of foreign influence which imparted unique characteristics to these coins.
• These coins are mentioned in Manu, Panini, and Buddhist Jataka stories and lasted three centuries longer in the south than in the north.
• After the fall of the Maurya Empire and the increased influence of the Indo-Greeks,punch-marked coins were replaced by cast die struck coins as visible in the Post-Mauryan period.
• 

The Correct Answer is Mathura.

• The Kingdom of Surasena was an ancient Indian region corresponding to the present-day Braj region in Uttar Pradesh.
• The Capital of Surasena was Mathura.
• Buddhist text Anguttara Nikaya, Surasena states that it was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas.

Important Points

The sixteen Mahajanapadas are as follows:

The correct answer is Udayin.

The correct answer is Vajji.

Key Points

• Vajji Mahajanapada was related to both Mahavir Swami and Gautama Buddha.
• Mahavir Swami was born in Kundagram near Vaishali in 540 BC.
• Vaishali was the capital of "Vajji Mahajanapada".
• Gautama Buddha was born in Lumbini near Kapilavastu around 563 BC.
• Gautama Buddha's father was the head of Shakyagan and the Shakya republic was one of the 8 republics of Vajji republic.
• Vajji Mahajanapada was one of the 16 Mahajanapadas of ancient India, whose capital was "Vaishali".
• The Vajji was a union of 8 republics. In which the capital of Lichhavi was Vaishali, Mithila of Videha, and Kundagram.
• Magadha was one of the most powerful Mahajanapados whose capital was "Giribraj".

The correct answer is Bimbisara.

Key Points

• Under Bimbisara, who was a contemporary of the Buddha and who, like the Buddha, lived in the 6th - 5th century BCE, Magadha emerged as a controller of the middle Ganga plains.
• According to Ashvaghosha’s Buddhacharita, Bimbisara belonged to the Haryanka dynasty.
• According to Buddhist chronicles, Bimbisara ruled for 48 years (544 BCE – 492 BCE).
• He is considered to be the first important ruler of Magadha.
• He had his capital at Girivraja/Rajagriha (Rajgir).
• With political foresight, he realized the importance of establishing dynastic relations through marriage with the royal house of Kosala.
• Through this alliance, he acquired a village in Kashi as a dowry.
• Bimbisara annexed Anga into his Empire.
• With Anga, Bimbisara did not have a friendly relationship.
• At present, Anga is the partial area of Bihar and West Bengal.
• The capital of Anga was Champa and was among 16 Mahajanapadas.
• Brahmadatta was the last king of Anga when it was captured by Bimbisara.

• He had cordial relations with the king of Gandhara.

• Ajatashatru
  • He was the son of Bimbisara.
  • Ajatashatru, the ruler of Magadha, was sitting on the throne after killing his father. That is why in history it is known as Kunik (Pitruhanta).
  • He embraced Buddhism.
  • He convented the first Buddhist council at Rajagriha in 483 BC.
  • He won wars agaist Kosala and Vaishali.
• Udayin
  • Udayin (c. 460-444 BCE) was a monarch of Magadha in ancient India, also known as Udayabhadra. He was the son and heir of Haryanka king Ajatashatru, according to Buddhist and Jain sources.
  • Udayin was Ajatashatru's favorite son, according to Buddhist tradition, and lived during the reign of his grandfather Bimbisara.
  • The city of Pataliputra was founded by Udayin at the confluence of two rivers, the Son and the Ganges.
  • Because of Patliputra's pivotal location in the empire, he moved his capital from Rajgriha to Patliputra. It was named Rajagaha in the Pali language.
• Mahapadma Nanda
  • Mahapadma Nanda was a powerful ruler of the Nanda dynasty.
  • Mahapadma Nanda, also known as Ugrasena owner of a huge army, defeated many kingdoms such as Kurus, Kalingas, and Kasis.
  • He has also been described as the “Destroyer of all the Kshatriyas” in the Puranas.
  • The Puranas call Mahapadma Ekrat the sole Monarch.
  • He is often described as the 'First Empire Builder of Indian History'.
  • Mahapadma Nanda was titled the "second Parshuram".

The correct answer is Haryanka .

Key Points

• Ajatashatru was one of the most important kings of the Haryanka dynasty of Magadha in East India.
• He was the son of King Bimbisara and was a contemporary of both Mahavira and Gautama Buddha.
• He forcefully took over the kingdom of Magadha from his father and imprisoned him.
• Pataliputra was founded by Udayin, the son of the Haryanka king Ajatashatru in 490 BCE.
• Ajatashatru followed policies of conquest and expansion. 

Additional Information

• Mauryan Dynasty
  • ​The Maurya Empire was founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE.
  • The three great rulers of the Mauryan Empire were Chandragupta Maurya, Bindusara and Ashoka.
• ​Shishunaga Dynasty​
  • ​Shishunaga (413 – 395 BCE) was the founder of the Shishunaga dynasty of the Magadha Empire in present-day northern India.
  • Initially, he was an amatya (official) of the Magadha Empire under the Haryanka dynasty. 
  • Important rulers were Shishunaga, Kalashoka, and Nandivardhana.
• Nanda Dynasty
  • The most powerful ruler of the Nanda Dynasty is Mahapadma Nanda.
  • He was also the founder of the Nanda Dynasty.
  • At the time of Alexander's invasion, Dhana Nand was the ruler of Magadha.
  • Nanda Dynasty ruled in Magadha at the time of Alexander's invasion.
  • The ruler was Dhana Nand, the last ruler of the Nanda dynasty.

The correct answer is Vaishali.

Key Points

• Vajji, also known as Vrijji or Vriji, was an important and powerful confederacy in ancient India. It was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas (great kingdoms) mentioned in ancient Buddhist and Jain texts.
• Location: 
  • The exact geographical contours of the Vajji confederacy are not recorded in history.
  • However, it is believed to be located north of the Ganges in Bihar and likely extended to the Madhesh region of Nepal.
  • The capital city of this confederation was Vaishali, which is identified with the present village of Basarh in the Vaishali district of Bihar, India.
• Government: 
  • The governance of Vajji was unique compared to the other kingdoms of the era.
  • Instead of a monarchy, it was a republic with an oligarchic assembly of princes (Mahajanapada Sabha) from various associated clans (known as Kshatriya republics).
  • This republic was led by an elected president or king, referred to as a "raja."

Additional Information