• Ashokan inscription is found in 2 places in Afghanistan – Kandahar and Lampaka.
• Kandahar inscription is bilingual – written in Greek and Aramaic.
• In Lampaka, written in Aramaic language, Ashoka is addressed as ‘Devanampiya’.
• James Prinsep, an officer in the mint of the East India Company, deciphered Brahmi and Kharosthi, two scripts used in the earliest inscriptions and coins.
• He found that most of these mentioned a king referred to as Piyadassi – meaning “pleasant to behold”

• While most Harappan settlements have a small high western part and a larger lower eastern section, there are variations.
• At sites such as Dholavira and Lothal (Gujarat), the entire settlement was fortified, and sections within the town were also separated by walls.
• The Citadel within Lothal was not walled off, but was built at a height
• Drainage systems were not unique to the larger cities, but were found in smaller settlements as well.
• At Lothal, while houses were built of mud bricks, drains were made of burnt bricks.

• The Dhyana mudra is the gesture of meditation and of the concentration of the Good Law. In this mudra, two hands are placed on the lap, right hand on left hand with fingers fully stretched and palms facing upwards. It is also called samadhi.
• The Abhaya mudra (mudra of no-fear) represents protection, peace, benevolence, and dispelling of fear.
• Dharmachakra Mudra was exhibited by Lord Buddha while preaching the first sermon.

• Indus people were the earliest people to produce cotton. It was probably grown at Mehrgarh from about 7000 years ago.
• The Indus people did not use metal money for the trade relations. In fact, the exchanges were regulated by a precise system of weights.
• Elephants and rhinoceros were very well known in Harappa times.
• Terracotta toy models of bullock carts suggest that this was one important means of transporting goods and people across land routes.

• Hathnora of Madya Pradesh belongs to upper Palaeolithic era.
• The Gudiyam Caves, a prehistoric archaeological site in thiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu.
• The excavated pre-historic site of Kuchai, Odisha is known for yielding Neolithic artifacts.

• Yuktas - Subordinate revenue officer
• Rajjukas - Responsible for assessing land
• Pradesikas  -  Heads of the districts

• During Early Vedic Period, the election of the king happened by the tribal assembly called the samiti.
• During Later Vedic Period, the pastoral and semi-nomadic forms of living were relegated to the background and agriculture became the primary source of livelihood, and life became settled and sedentary.
• Besides ‘nishka’, which was introduced in early Vedic age, ‘satamana’– gold coins and ‘krishnala‘ – silver coins were also used as a media of exchange.

• Upasampada, Buddhist rite of higher ordination, by which a novice becomes a monk, or bhikhu. Ordination is not necessarily permanent and, in some countries, may be repeated in a monk’s lifetime. It is an initial conversion to Buddhism.
• A candidate for ordination must be at least 20 years old, have the permission of his parents, be exempt from military service, be free from debt and from contagious disease, and have received at least some elementary instruction in Buddhism.

• In Vedic age land was classified as Urvara (cultivable land), Khila (barren land), Dhanva (waste land) and Aranya (forest).
• Shalabhoga - Land for the maintenance of a school
• Pallichchandam - A land donated to Jaina institutions

• The Satavahanas are identified with the Andhras of the Puranas
• The Satavahanas claimed Brahmana descent and followed Brahmanical Vedic tradition.
• Satavahanas and Shakas were involved in prolonged conflict.
• All the given statements describe satavahanas.

• The poems belonging to the Sangam literature were composed by Tamil poets, both men and women, from various professions and classes of society.
• These poems were later collected into various anthologies, edited, and with colophons added by anthologists and annotators around 1000 AD.
• Sangam Poems falls into two categories: the 'inner field' (Agam), and the 'outer field'(Puram) as described even in the first available Tamil grammar, the Tolkappiyam.
• The 'inner field' topics refer to personal or human aspects, such as love and sexual relationships, and are dealt with in a metaphorical and abstract manner.
• The 'outer field' topics discuss all other aspects of human experience such as heroism, valour, ethics, benevolence, philanthropy, social life, and customs.

• 'Visti’ in Sanskrit means mandatory or forced labour. This was one among the four kinds of taxes imposed on agriculturists or cultivators by the State.
• The other three were tax on raw produce, special levy on produce during war or famine and occasional contributions to the king’s household by his subjects.

All the given pairs are correctly matched.

• Guptan Era         -  320 AD
• Vikrama Era -   58/56 BC
• Saka Era -   76/78 AD

It represents 5 cardinal principles of Jainism such as Ahimsa, Brahmacharya, Satya, Achaurya or Asteya, Aparigraha 

• Harsha followed decentralised system of administration.

• Nalanda University was built during the period of Kumaragupta.
• The Mehruli Iron Pillar inscription was related to Chandra Gupta II.
• Huein-Tsang visited during Harsha period.

• During Pallava’s period, Traders were referred as Sudesi, Ainurruvar and Nanadesi (foreign merchants).
• They formed guilds and Aihole is their main guild.
• Manigramam – Merchant’s organisation

• During Ancient period, Jaina’s monastic establishments called “Basadi” existed as a source of learning

• Vaisheshika - Material objects are made up of atoms
• Mimamsa - Art of reasoning and interpretation and justification for various Vedic rituals