Ujjain was the capital of which mahajanapada?
- A.Vatsa
- B.Kosala
- C.Avanti
- D.Panchala
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, Avanti. Avanti covered the Malwa region and had two capitals: Ujjain in its northern half and Mahishmati on the Narmada in its southern half. Under Pradyota it was one of the four powers that fought for supremacy, and it was finally annexed by Shishunaga of Magadha. Ujjain later became the seat of the Mauryan viceroy and a famous centre of learning.
Option A, Vatsa, had its capital at Kaushambi near modern Prayagraj and was ruled by Udayana, the hero of later Sanskrit plays. Option B, Kosala, had Shravasti as its capital and Ayodhya and Saketa as its other great towns; its king Prasenajit was a contemporary of the Buddha. Option D, Panchala, was divided into a northern half with its capital at Ahichhatra and a southern half with its capital at Kampilya. Papers commonly swap Ujjain with Kaushambi, so keep Ujjain tied to Avanti and Kaushambi to Vatsa.
Read the full article: Mahajanapadas and Rise of Magadha: Capitals and Dynasties
Practice Questions
View allThe list of sixteen mahajanapadas of the sixth century BCE is found in which of the following texts?
- A.Arthashastra
- B.Anguttara Nikaya
- C.Mahabhashya
- D.Ashtadhyayi
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It is a text of the Sutta Pitaka of the Buddhist canon and it names the sixteen great states of the age of the Buddha, from Magadha and Kosala in the east to Gandhara and Kamboja in the north-west.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following mahajanapadas was situated south of the Vindhyas?
- A.Assaka
- B.Chedi
- C.Matsya
- D.Surasena
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Of the sixteen mahajanapadas only Assaka lay in the Deccan, on the banks of the Godavari, with its capital at Potana, also written Potali.
Read the full explanation →Bimbisara, a contemporary of the Buddha, belonged to which dynasty?
- A.Shishunaga dynasty
- B.Nanda dynasty
- C.Maurya dynasty
- D.Haryanka dynasty
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Bimbisara was the first great ruler of the Haryanka line of Magadha, traditionally dated from about 544 BCE, with his capital at Girivraja, also called Rajgriha.
Read the full explanation →The First Buddhist Council was held at Rajgriha under the patronage of which ruler?
- A.Ajatashatru
- B.Kalashoka
- C.Ashoka
- D.Kanishka
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The First Buddhist Council met at Rajgriha soon after the death of the Buddha, with Ajatashatru of the Haryanka dynasty as its patron and Mahakassapa presiding, and it settled the Vinaya Pitaka and the Sutta Pitaka as recited by Upali and Ananda.
Read the full explanation →Which mahajanapada was a gana-sangha with its centre at Vaishali?
- A.Anga
- B.Vajji
- C.Kasi
- D.Kuru
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The Vajji confederacy had its centre at Vaishali in north Bihar and was the best known gana-sangha, a state governed not by a single king but by an assembly of the heads of ruling families.
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