This Bihar quiz on Buddhism and Jainism in Bihar (Bodh Gaya, Vaishali, Pawapuri) puts 10 multiple-choice questions to you, the verified MCQs published with GK24's note on the topic, 1 of them asked in real previous-year papers. Every question carries a full explanation of why the correct option is right and why the other options are wrong, so you learn the fact behind the answer rather than the letter. Attempt it right after reading the note, keep to the timer, and use the explanations at the end to mark what needs another look. Sit it again before the exam as a quick revision of the topic.
10 questions with answers and explanations
The Buddha attained enlightenment at which place in present day Bihar?
Gautama attained enlightenment at Uruvela, the Bodh Gaya of today, under a peepal tree on the bank of the Niranjana river, which is called the Phalgu now.
Read the full explanation →The term Tripitakas in Buddhism means three
Tripitaka is a Pali and Sanskrit word in which pitaka means a basket, so the whole means three baskets, a name that came from the practice of keeping the palm leaf manuscripts of each collection in a separate basket.
Read the full explanation →The first Buddhist council was held at which place?
The first Buddhist council met at Rajgriha, the Rajgir of today, in the Saptaparni cave soon after the Buddha's death, under the patronage of king Ajatashatru and the presidency of Mahakassapa.
Read the full explanation →Mahavira, the twenty fourth Jain tirthankara, attained nirvana at
Mahavira attained nirvana at Pavapuri in the present Nalanda district of Bihar at the age of seventy two, traditionally in 527 BCE, and the Jal Mandir, a marble temple standing in the middle of a tank, marks the place of his cremation.
Read the full explanation →The third Buddhist council was held at Pataliputra under the patronage of
The third council met at Pataliputra in the reign of Ashoka, with Moggaliputta Tissa presiding.
Read the full explanation →At which place was the second Buddhist council held, a hundred years after the Buddha's death?
The second council met at Vaishali about a century after the Buddha's death, under king Kalashoka of the Shishunaga dynasty, with Sabakami presiding.
Read the full explanation →Nalanda Mahavihara, the great Buddhist centre of learning, was founded by
Nalanda was founded by Kumaragupta I of the Gupta dynasty in the fifth century and grew into the most famous monastic university in Asia, with students from China, Tibet, Korea and South East Asia.
Read the full explanation →Vikramashila university, in the Bhagalpur region of Bihar, was founded by which ruler?
Vikramashila was founded by Dharmapala, the second and most powerful king of the Pala dynasty, in the Bhagalpur region on the Ganga, and it became second only to Nalanda as a seat of Buddhist learning, with Atisha Dipankara among its heads.
Read the full explanation →The Barabar caves near Gaya, the oldest rock cut caves in India, were made for which sect?
The Barabar group, which includes the Lomas Rishi and Sudama caves, was cut in granite in the Mauryan age for the monks of the Ajivika sect founded by Makkhali Gosala, and the inscriptions of Ashoka's grandson Dasharatha in the nearby Nagarjuni caves record further gifts to them.
Read the full explanation →In which year was the Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
The Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2002, recognised as the place of the Buddha's enlightenment, with the Bodhi tree, the Vajrasana set by Ashoka and the brick temple of the Gupta centuries standing together at one site.
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