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Indian HistoryMediumAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2021, GAT

Who among the following was considered to be the preceptor of Mirabai ?

  1. A.Dadu
  2. B.Raidas
  3. C.Ramanand
  4. D.Surdas

Correct answer

B. Raidas

Explanation

The correct answer is B, Raidas. Tradition holds that the saint Raidas, also called Ravidas, was the guru of Mirabai, the Rajput princess-poet devoted to Krishna.

Mirabai lived in the early sixteenth century and was married into the royal family of Mewar. She rejected the customs of the court and caste, and her bhajans, composed in Rajasthani and Braj, address Krishna as her beloved. Raidas was a leather worker by caste from Varanasi, and his acceptance as a guru by a royal woman shows how the Bhakti movement crossed lines of caste and rank. Some of his hymns are included in the Guru Granth Sahib.

A is wrong because Dadu Dayal was a later saint of Rajasthan who founded the Dadu Panth. C is wrong because Ramananda was the teacher of Kabir and, by tradition, of Raidas himself, not of Mirabai. D is wrong because Surdas was a blind poet of Krishna bhakti, a disciple of Vallabhacharya.

Exam tip: Ramananda taught Kabir and Raidas; Raidas is remembered as Mirabai's guru; Vallabhacharya taught Surdas.

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Q1.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2018, GATHard

Who gifted the Badshah Nama to King George in 1799?

  1. A.Abul Fazl
  2. B.Abdul Hamid Lahori
  3. C.Nawab of Awadh
  4. D.William Jones
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Nawab of Awadh

In 1799 the Nawab of Awadh presented an illustrated manuscript of the Badshah Nama to King George III of Britain, and it is now kept in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle.

Q3.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2024, GATHard

Consider the following Women’s Associations and their important associates in early twentieth century India :

1. Women’s Indian Association of 1917 : Margaret Cousins

2. National Council of Women in India of 1925 : Sarala Devi Chaudhurani

3. Bharat Stree Mahamandal of 1910 : Lady Meherbai Tata

Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched ?

  1. A.1, 2 and 3
  2. B.2 and 3 only
  3. C.1 and 2 only
  4. D.1 only
Show answer
Correct answer: D. 1 only

Margaret Cousins was a founder of the Women’s Indian Association, but pairs 2 and 3 have their associates swapped. The Women’s Indian Association was founded at Adyar, Madras, in 1917 by Annie Besant, Margaret Cousins, Dorothy Jinarajadasa and others; it campaigned for women’s franchise and education.

Q4.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2026, GATHard

Which one of the following inscriptions records the history of a guild of silk weavers?

  1. A.The Hathigumpha inscription
  2. B.The Mandasor inscription
  3. C.The Kudumiyamalai inscription
  4. D.The Udayagiri Cave inscription
Show answer
Correct answer: B. The Mandasor inscription

This fifth-century Sanskrit inscription from Mandasor in western Madhya Pradesh tells how a guild of silk weavers migrated from Lata (south Gujarat) to Dashapura and built a temple of the Sun.

Q5.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2018, GATHard

Which one of the following statements about Renaissance Humanist culture is NOT true ?

  1. A.It slackened the control of religion over human life
  2. B.It believed that human nature was many-sided
  3. C.It was concerned with good manners
  4. D.It criticized material wealth, power and glory
Show answer
Correct answer: D. It criticized material wealth, power and glory

Renaissance humanists did not condemn wealth, power and glory; they saw them as worthy human aims, so this statement is the one that is not true.