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Indian HistoryHardAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2023, GAT

Consider the following statements regarding the royal center in Vijayanagara Empire: 1. The royal center was located in the south-western part of the settlement 2. It included over 60 temples 3. About 30 building complexes at the site have been identified as palaces Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A.1 only
  2. B.2 only
  3. C.1, 2 and 3
  4. D.1 and 2 only

Correct answer

C. 1, 2 and 3

Explanation

The correct answer is C, 1, 2 and 3. All three statements describe the royal centre of Vijayanagara (Hampi) as the archaeological study of the site records it. The royal centre lay in the south-western part of the settlement, away from the sacred centre on the bank of the Tungabhadra. Although it is called the royal centre, it included over 60 temples, because rulers tried to link their authority with the gods by building and supporting shrines. About thirty building complexes there have been identified as palaces; these are large structures that do not seem to have had ritual functions. Famous buildings of this area include the Mahanavami Dibba platform, the Lotus Mahal and the Hazara Rama temple, whose walls show scenes from the Ramayana. Option A is wrong because it leaves out statements 2 and 3, which are also correct. Option B is wrong because statement 2 alone does not cover the location and the palaces. Option D is wrong because statement 3, about the thirty palace complexes, is correct too. Exam tip: Hampi royal centre = south-west, 60+ temples, about 30 palaces, Hazara Rama temple.

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Q2.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2021, GATHard

Which one of the following Harappan sites was a specialised centre for making shell objects?

  1. A.Lothal
  2. B.Balakot
  3. C.Amri
  4. D.Kot Diji
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Correct answer: B. Balakot

Balakot, along with Nageshwar in Gujarat, is described as a specialised centre for making shell objects. Both settlements lay near the coast, where shells were easy to collect, and excavations there have found large amounts of shell waste, unfinished pieces and finished items.

Q4.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2019, GKHard

Which European traveller had observed, "A Hindu woman can go anywhere alone, even in the most crowded places, and she need never fear the impertinent looks and jokes of idle loungers"?

  1. A.Francois Bernier
  2. B.Jean-Baptiste Tavernier
  3. C.Thomas Roe
  4. D.Abbe J. A. Dubois
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Abbe J. A. Dubois

The remark comes from Abbé Jean-Antoine Dubois, a French Catholic missionary who lived in south India, mostly in Mysore, from 1792 to 1823.

Q5.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2021, GKMedium

Which one of the following scholars of Akbar's court translated Bhaskaracharya's Lilavati into Persian?

  1. A.Abul Fazl
  2. B.Faizi
  3. C.Fathullah Shirazi
  4. D.Ataullah Rashidi
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Faizi

Faizi, Akbar's poet laureate and the elder brother of Abul Fazl, translated the Lilavati into Persian in 1587. The Lilavati is the arithmetic part of the Siddhanta Shiromani, written by the mathematician Bhaskaracharya (Bhaskara II) in the twelfth century, and it covers numbers, fractions, progressions and measurement.