Who among the following was Buddha's foster mother?
- A.Purna
- B.Gajalakshmi
- C.Maya
- D.Mahapajapati Gotami
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is D, Mahapajapati Gotami. Siddhartha's mother, Queen Maya, died a few days after his birth, and her younger sister Mahapajapati Gotami brought him up as her own son.
Mahapajapati Gotami was also married to King Suddhodana of the Shakyas of Kapilavastu. After the king's death she asked the Buddha to let women join the Sangha. With the help of Ananda, his disciple, she was allowed in and became the first bhikkhuni, or ordained nun, which began the order of nuns. Many verses of the Therigatha, the poems of early Buddhist nuns, praise her.
A is wrong because Purna was a slave woman who became a nun; she is remembered in the Therigatha, not as the Buddha's foster mother. B is wrong because Gajalakshmi is the goddess Lakshmi shown with elephants pouring water over her, a motif carved at Sanchi. C is wrong because Maya, or Mahamaya, was the Buddha's birth mother, not his foster mother.
Exam tip: birth mother Maya, foster mother Mahapajapati Gotami, the first Buddhist nun.
Practice Questions
View allWhich of the following statements about the Law Commission headed by Lord Macaulay is/are correct? 1. It attempted to codify the laws. 2. It was opposed to uniform system of Courts. Select the correct answer using the code given below :
- A.1 only
- B.2 only
- C.Both 1 and 2
- D.Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
The Law Commission under Macaulay set out to codify Indian law, and it was not opposed to a uniform system of courts.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following statements about the Unionist Party is/are correct? 1. It was a political party representing the interests of landholders in Punjab. 2. It was opposed to the idea of the partition of India as India and Pakistan. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
- A.1 only
- B.2 only
- C.Both 1 and 2
- D.Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
The Unionist Party spoke for the landholders of Punjab and was against the partition of India. Founded in 1923 by Sir Fazl-i-Husain and Sir Chhotu Ram, the Unionist Party brought together Muslim, Hindu and Sikh landowners and peasants of Punjab on a platform of rural interests rather than religion.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following statements are correct? 1. British 'trade surplus' with India in the nineteenth century meant that the value of British exports to India was much higher than the value of British imports from India. 2. India played a crucial role in the late-nineteenth-century world economy by helping Britain balance its deficits. 3. Britain grew opium in India and exported it to China and, therefore, for a while after the 1820s, opium became India's single largest export. 4. The nineteenth century saw export of Indian raw materials decline, and that of manufactured goods increase. Select the answer using the code given below :
- A.1 and 2 only
- B.3 and 4 only
- C.1, 2, 3 and 4
- D.1,2 and 3 only
Show answer
Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct; statement 4 reverses what actually happened. In the nineteenth century Britain sold far more to India, above all machine-made cotton cloth, than it bought from it, so it had a trade surplus with India.
Read the full explanation →Who among the following Sikh Gurus laid the foundation of the Khalsa Panth ?
- A.Guru Nanak
- B.Guru Arjan
- C.Guru Hargobind
- D.Guru Gobind Singh
Show answer
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Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements pertaining to the Satavahanas : 1. Satavahana rulers were identified through metronymics 2. Satavahana succession to the throne was generally patrilineal Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
- A.1 only
- B.2 only
- C.Both 1 and 2
- D.Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
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Read the full explanation →