With reference to the cultural history of India, the memorizing of chronicles, dynastic histories and epic tales was the profession of who of the following?
- A.Shramana
- B.Parivraajaka
- C.Agrahaarika
- D.Maagadha
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is D, Maagadha. In ancient India the Magadhas were professional bards. Along with the Sutas, they memorised and recited genealogies of kings, dynastic histories and heroic tales, and sang the praises of rulers at court and on ceremonial occasions. Since much of this knowledge passed down orally, such bards kept alive the traditions that later found their way into the epics and the Puranas. Option A is wrong because a Shramana was an ascetic who renounced worldly life; the term is used especially for Buddhist and Jain monks and other non-Vedic seekers. Option B is wrong because a Parivrajaka was a wandering ascetic who moved from place to place without a fixed home, devoted to religious life rather than recitation of history. Option C is wrong because an Agraharika was connected with an agrahara, a village or land granted to Brahmins, usually tax-free; the term refers to the holder or manager of such a grant. Exam tip: Sutas and Magadhas were the bards of ancient India; Shramanas and Parivrajakas were ascetics.
Practice Questions
View allWhich of the following is/are the correct components of the "Lion Capital" at Sarnath ? 1. The shaft (stambha-yashti) or the tall tapering column 2. An elliptical top part - the abacus, devoid of any carvings 3. Overflowing inverted petals below the abacus Select the answer using the code given below :
- A.1 only
- B.1 and 3 only
- C.2 and 3 only
- D.1, 2 and 3
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Statements 1 and 3 describe real parts of the Sarnath pillar, while the abacus is neither elliptical nor plain. The Mauryan pillar at Sarnath, set up by Ashoka, had a tall, smooth, tapering shaft of polished Chunar sandstone.
Read the full explanation →With reference to India, the terms 'Halbi, Ho and Kui' pertain to
- A.dance forms of Northwest India
- B.musical instruments
- C.pre-historic cave paintings
- D.tribal languages
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Halbi, Ho and Kui are languages spoken by tribal communities of central and eastern India. Halbi is an Indo-Aryan language used by the Halba tribe and as a link language among many tribes of the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh and nearby parts of Odisha and Maharashtra.
Read the full explanation →Who designed the Bombay Secretariat in the 1870s?
- A.H. St. Clair Wilkins
- B.Sir Cowasjee Jehangir Readymoney
- C.Purushottamdas Thakurdas
- D.Nusserwanji Tata
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Henry St. Clair Wilkins, an officer of the Royal Engineers, designed the Bombay Secretariat, completed in 1874 as part of the grand row of public buildings that rose along the Oval in Bombay after the old fort walls were pulled down in the 1860s. The building is in the Venetian…
Read the full explanation →Manav is planning to visit all UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Delhi. He will be visiting
- A.Red Fort, Qutab Minar, Jama Masjid
- B.Red Fort, India Gate, Qutab Minar
- C.Red Fort, Qutab Minar, Humayun Tomb
- D.Red Fort, Humayun Tomb, India Gate
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Delhi has three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and they are exactly these three. Humayun's Tomb was inscribed in 1993; built in the 1560s at the wish of his widow Bega Begum, it was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent and a model for the Taj Mahal.
Read the full explanation →Which one among the following is a temple of the Vaishnavite tradition ?
- A.Srirangam
- B.Chidambaram
- C.Gangaikonda Cholapuram
- D.Thanjavur
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The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam, on an island between the Kaveri and Kollidam rivers near Tiruchirappalli, is dedicated to Vishnu as Ranganatha reclining on the serpent Adishesha.
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