Ujjain was the capital of which mahajanapada?
- A.Chedi
- B.Avanti
- C.Vatsa
- D.Matsya
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Avanti. Avanti was one of the sixteen mahajanapadas of the sixth century before Christ, and it was divided into two parts: the north, ruled from Ujjayini or Ujjain, and the south, ruled from Mahishmati, which is identified with Maheshwar on the Narmada. Its best-known king was Chanda Pradyota Mahasena, a contemporary and rival of Bimbisara of Magadha, and Avanti was finally absorbed into Magadha. Ashoka served here as viceroy while his father Bindusara ruled.
Option A, Chedi, lay in the Bundelkhand region with its capital at Suktimati, and the later Kalachuris of Tripuri near Jabalpur are called the Chedi line. Option C, Vatsa, had its capital at Kaushambi near Prayagraj and is remembered for king Udayana. Option D, Matsya, lay around Viratnagar in the Jaipur region of Rajasthan. Of the sixteen mahajanapadas, Avanti and Chedi are the two that touch the territory of Madhya Pradesh.
Read the full article: Ancient Madhya Pradesh: Bhimbetka, Sanchi and Ujjain
Practice Questions
View allThe rock shelters of Bhimbetka are located in which district of Madhya Pradesh?
- A.Sehore
- B.Raisen
- C.Dhar
- D.Rewa
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The Bhimbetka rock shelters lie in Raisen district, in the foothills of the Vindhyan range south of Bhopal, within the forest now protected as Ratapani.
Read the full explanation →Who brought the Bhimbetka rock shelters to the notice of scholars in 1957?
- A.H. D. Sankalia
- B.V. S. Wakankar
- C.R. D. Banerji
- D.Daya Ram Sahni
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Vishnu Shridhar Wakankar, an archaeologist from Ujjain, noticed the rocky outcrops from a train in 1957 and went on to explore and record the shelters and their paintings.
Read the full explanation →The Great Stupa at Sanchi was originally built during the reign of which ruler?
- A.Chandragupta Maurya
- B.Ashoka
- C.Pushyamitra Shunga
- D.Kanishka
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The Great Stupa, Stupa 1 at Sanchi, was raised in brick in the third century before Christ in the reign of Ashoka, who also set up a pillar at the site bearing the schism edict and crowned by a lion capital.
Read the full explanation →The four carved gateways or toranas of the Great Stupa at Sanchi were added under which dynasty?
- A.Mauryas
- B.Shungas
- C.Satavahanas
- D.Guptas
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The four toranas that stand at the cardinal points of the Great Stupa were carved in the first century before Christ in the Satavahana period, and an inscription on one of them records the gift of ivory carvers of Vidisha.
Read the full explanation →Relics of Sariputta and Mahamoggallana, two chief disciples of the Buddha, were recovered from which structure at Sanchi?
- A.Stupa 1
- B.Stupa 2
- C.Stupa 3
- D.Temple 17
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The relic caskets of Sariputta and Mahamoggallana, the two chief disciples of the Buddha, were found in Stupa 3 at Sanchi, which stands a short distance north-east of the Great Stupa and has a single gateway.
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