The Mauryan and post-Mauryan centuries are among the most frequently tested parts of ancient Indian history in UPSC Prelims and state PCS exams. This set covers the sources for Mauryan history, Ashoka's edicts and dhamma, the decline of the empire, and the Shungas, Indo-Greeks, Kushanas, Satavahanas and Kharavela, along with the Gandhara and Mathura schools of art.
How to practise: read each question and tap the option you think is correct. You will see right away whether you got it, along with a short explanation, and your score is tracked at the bottom of the screen. This set has 15 questions.
Topics covered in this set
- Sources: Indica and the Arthashastra
- Chandragupta Maurya and Jainism
- Ashoka's edicts, scripts and dhamma
- Decline of the Mauryas and the Shungas
- Indo-Greeks, Kushanas, Satavahanas and Kharavela
- Gandhara and Mathura schools of art
UPSC MCQs with answers and explanations
Q1. Who wrote Indica, an account of India during the reign of Chandragupta Maurya?
a) Fa-Hien
b) Megasthenes
c) Ptolemy
d) Pliny
Q2. The Arthashastra, a treatise on statecraft and administration, is traditionally attributed to:
a) Kautilya
b) Kalidasa
c) Banabhatta
d) Vishakhadatta
Q3. According to Jain tradition, Chandragupta Maurya spent his last years at:
a) Pawapuri
b) Rajgir
c) Shravanabelagola
d) Mount Abu
Q4. Which of Ashoka's Major Rock Edicts describes the Kalinga war and his remorse after it?
a) Rock Edict I
b) Rock Edict XII
c) Rock Edict II
d) Rock Edict XIII
Q5. Who first deciphered the Brahmi script of Ashoka's inscriptions, in 1837?
a) Alexander Cunningham
b) William Jones
c) James Prinsep
d) John Marshall
Q6. In which Ashokan inscription does the name "Ashoka" itself first appear?
a) Maski
b) Girnar
c) Kalsi
d) Dhauli
Q7. Ashoka's Major Rock Edicts at Shahbazgarhi and Mansehra are written in which script?
a) Brahmi
b) Kharosthi
c) Greek
d) Aramaic
Q8. Ashoka appointed Dhamma Mahamattas mainly to:
a) Collect land revenue
b) Command the army
c) Supervise foreign trade
d) Spread dhamma and look after the welfare of people of all sects
Q9. The last Mauryan ruler, Brihadratha, was killed by:
a) Pushyamitra Shunga
b) Kharavela
c) Vasudeva Kanva
d) Simuka
Q10. Milindapanho is a dialogue between the Buddhist monk Nagasena and which ruler?
a) Demetrius
b) Kanishka
c) Menander
d) Rudradaman
Q11. The Saka era, used in the national calendar of India, began in 78 CE. Which ruler is commonly associated with it?
a) Rudradaman
b) Kanishka
c) Gautamiputra Satakarni
d) Chandragupta II
Q12. The Junagadh (Girnar) rock inscription of Rudradaman I is notable because it:
a) Is the earliest inscription in Tamil
b) Records Ashoka's conversion
c) Was written in Kharosthi
d) Is an early long inscription in classical Sanskrit and records repairs to the Sudarshana lake
Q13. The Nasik inscription describing the achievements of Gautamiputra Satakarni was issued by:
a) His mother, Gautami Balashri
b) Kharavela
c) Nahapana
d) Vasishthiputra Pulumavi's minister
Q14. The Hathigumpha inscription near Bhubaneswar gives details of which ruler?
a) Ashoka
b) Pushyamitra Shunga
c) Kharavela of Kalinga
d) Menander
Q15. Which school of art mainly used spotted red sandstone and developed largely indigenous forms of the Buddha image?
a) Gandhara
b) Amaravati
c) Mathura
d) Pala
Quick revision notes
- Sources: Indica (Megasthenes), Arthashastra (Kautilya), Mudrarakshasa (Vishakhadatta), and Ashoka's inscriptions.
- Ashoka's inscriptions use Brahmi mostly, Kharosthi in the north-west (Shahbazgarhi, Mansehra), and Greek and Aramaic at Kandahar.
- Rock Edict XIII: Kalinga war. The name Ashoka appears in the Maski edict. Brahmi was deciphered by James Prinsep in 1837.
- Brihadratha, the last Mauryan, was killed by Pushyamitra Shunga (c. 185 BCE).
- Kanishka: Saka era (78 CE) and the Fourth Buddhist Council in Kashmir. Menander: Milindapanho. Kharavela: Hathigumpha.
- Gandhara: grey schist, Greco-Roman. Mathura: red sandstone, indigenous. Amaravati: white marble.
Frequently asked questions
How are Ashoka's inscriptions classified for UPSC?
They are usually grouped into Major Rock Edicts (14), Minor Rock Edicts, Pillar Edicts (7 major) and Minor Pillar Edicts, plus cave inscriptions such as those in the Barabar hills. Questions often ask which edict mentions a topic or which script is used at a site.
Why is the Junagadh inscription important?
It is one of the earliest long inscriptions in classical Sanskrit and it links three dynasties: the Sudarshana lake was built under Chandragupta Maurya, improved under Ashoka and repaired by Rudradaman.
What is the difference between the Gandhara and Mathura schools of art?
Gandhara art, in the north-west, used grey schist and shows Greco-Roman features such as wavy hair and draped robes. Mathura art used red sandstone and developed from local traditions, with fuller figures and a smiling expression.
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