UPSC daily subject quiz | History and Culture (Week 158) : Archaelogical sites, ancient play, language, and more

(b) The love story of Dushyanta and Shakuntala

(c) The conflict between the Pandavas and Kauravas in the Mahabharata

(d) The life of King Harsha and his sister Rajyashri

Relevance: UPSC often asks questions on Indian culture that go beyond well-known texts and personalities, testing an aspirant’s awareness of lesser-known literary works, plays, and artistic traditions. Sometimes, not-so-popular plays and authors silently enter the question paper to increase its difficulty level, making it important to study cultural developments comprehensively rather than focusing only on famous works.

Explanation

Kundamala is a 6th-7th century CE Sanskrit play written by Dinnaga. It is based on the banishment of Sita, the birth of her children and her reconciliation with Rama.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 2

The site holds significant geological value because it serves as a record of Earth’s history during the late Quaternary period. The sand formations bear evidence of sea level fluctuations, capturing the rise and fall of sea levels over time. It acts as nature’s tide gauge, etching its story into the sediment layers formed over thousands of years. Additionally, these sites reveal the impact of various climate patterns, such as monsoons, ice age and dry seasons, on the sediments. It is a unique geo-heritage site and only two such sites are present in the world i.e.one in Sri Lanka and the other in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Recently, it was included in UNESCO’s Tentative List of World Heritage Sites.

Which one of the following sites is being referred to in the passage above?

(a) Hire Benkal

(b) Naga Hill Ophiolite 

(c) Erra Matti Dibbalu

(d) Varkala Cliffs

Relevance: UPSC has increasingly asked questions in paragraph form, requiring aspirants to identify a place, person, institution, event, or concept based on clues provided in the passage. Such questions often test conceptual understanding and the ability to connect static knowledge with current affairs. Hence, developing the habit of identifying entities from contextual information is important for both Prelims and Mains preparation.

Explanation

According to culture.gov.in,

“India has achieved another milestone in global heritage conservation with the inclusion of seven natural heritage sites in UNESCO’s Tentative List of World Heritage Sites, raising the country’s tally from 62 to 69. With this, India now has 49 cultural, 17 natural, and 3 mixed heritage properties under consideration, reaffirming its commitment to safeguarding its natural and cultural legacy. The new additions include the Deccan Traps at Panchgani and Mahabaleshwar (Maharashtra), St. Mary’s Island Cluster (Karnataka), Meghalayan Age Caves (Meghalaya), Naga Hill Ophiolite (Nagaland), Erra Matti Dibbalu (Andhra Pradesh), Natural Heritage of Tirumala Hills (Andhra Pradesh), and Varkala Cliffs (Kerala).”

According to whc.unesco.org, 

“Erra Matti Dibbalu also called the Red Sand Hills, a notified National Geo-heritage Monument, is located very near to the Bay of Bengal at the coastal tract of Visakhapatnam. The site is one of the major destinations for the visitors in the city because of its unique and rare red sand formation. These intriguing formations were first documented by William King, the deputy superintendent of the Geological Survey of India, back in 1886, which was initially termed as ‘badlands.’ The red sand hills however represent unique coastal geomorphological and paleo-climatic set up.”

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 3

Consider the following passage:

“In December 1930, the three freedom fighters entered the Writers’ Building of Calcutta, which housed the Secretariat, and shot dead Lt Col N.S. Simpson, the British Inspector General of Prisons, who was known for subjecting Indian prisoners to brutal torture in custody. Following the commotion, one of them consumed potassium cyanide, while other two shot themselves to avoid capture.”

The three freedom fighters refered in the passage above are:

(a) Surya Sen, Ganesh Ghosh, Lokenath Bal 

(b) Barindra Kumar Ghosh, Shyamji Krishna Varma, Pritilata Waddedar

(c) Hemchandra Kanungo, Ullaskar Dutta, Bagha Jatin

(d) Benoy Basu, Badal Gupta and Dinesh Gupta

Relevance: UPSC has frequently asked questions on the revolutionary phase of India’s freedom struggle, including lesser-known revolutionaries, secret organisations, and landmark incidents. Aspirants should focus not only on major national movements but also on important regional revolutionary actions and the individuals associated with them, as such questions often appear in both Prelims and Mains.

Explanation

West Bengal tableau “Swatantrata ka Mantra – Vande Mataram,” celebrated 150 years of the song, honours Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay on Republic Day 2026. It also highlighted many revolutionaries including the trios, Benoy Basu, Badal Gupta and Dinesh Gupta .

Set up after 1947 on the opposite side of the wide road in front of Writers’ Building in central Calcutta, the statues of Benoy Basu, Badal Gupta and Dinesh Gupta commemorate the sacrifice of the three men for the freedom of India.

In December 1930, the three entered the Writers’ Building, which housed the Secretariat, and shot dead Lt Col N.S. Simpson, the British Inspector General of Prisons, who was known for subjecting Indian prisoners to brutal torture in custody. Following the commotion, Badal Gupta consumed potassium cyanide, while Benoy Basu and Dinesh Gupta shot themselves to avoid capture. Basu was hospitalised but he died days later, while Dinesh Gupta survived the bullet injury, and was arrested, convicted and sentenced to death.

Originally named Dalhousie Square, post Independence, the area was renamed B.B.D. Bagh, after the initials of the revolutionaries’ names and a plaque was set up inside Writers’ Building in remembrance. Local buses in Calcutta often refer to the neighbourhood as B.B.D. Bagh, but both names for this location are frequently interchangeably used.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 4

Who among the following is credited with writing the first comparative grammar of the Dravidian languages?

(a) James Prinsep

(b) Robert Caldwell

(c) Hendrik Kern

(d) U. V. Swaminatha Iyer

Relevance: UPSC occasionally asks questions on language, literature, and cultural history, including the development and classification of Indian language families. Aspirants should pay attention to important scholars, linguistic works, and milestones in the study of Indian languages, as such topics can appear in both Prelims and Mains.

Explanation

In 1856, Robert Caldwell published A Comparative Grammar of the Dravidian or South-Indian Family of Languages. It was the first systematic comparative study of the Dravidian language family. Importantly, the work established Dravidian languages as a distinct linguistic group, separate from the Indo-Aryan family.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 5

With reference to certain archaeological sites of Tamil Nadu, consider the following statements:

1. Nagapattinam is historically associated with a Chola-era port and reflects Buddhist influences, indicating religious and commercial exchanges.

2. Pattinamarudur is known for evidence of an ancient shell-based ornament industry, shedding light on coastal economies and craft production.

3. Manikollai has yielded Indo-Pacific glass beads that point to long-distance trade networks extending to Southeast Asia.

4. Thelunganur is primarily known as a Neolithic site with no evidence of early metallurgy.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) All four

Relevance: Archaeological sites, ancient trade networks, and material culture are important themes in the History and Culture section of the UPSC Prelims syllabus. UPSC has frequently asked questions on archaeological discoveries, Iron Age cultures, and sites that provide insights into India’s socio-economic and technological history.

Explanation

Tamil Nadu’s archaeological sites span a wide geographic and historical range, offering what archaeologists describe as a rare opportunity to stitch together multiple strands of Tamil Nadu’s past in a single excavation season.

At the centre of this effort remains Keeladi, near Madurai. Located along the Vaigai river basin, the site has already yielded evidence of an urban settlement dating back to at least the early historic period, with Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions, brick structures and drainage systems suggesting a literate and organised society. Scientific dating of artefacts has pushed the timeline of such habitation to around the 6th century BCE, challenging earlier assumptions about the chronology of the Sangam era.

Further west, Vellalore in Coimbatore points to a different layer of history, one shaped by trade. Previous findings, including Roman coins and bead-making evidence, suggest the region was part of a wider commercial network linking Tamilakam (the ancient Tamil-speaking region of southern India) with the Mediterranean world.

Along the coast, Nagapattinam and Pattinamarudur offer clues to maritime activity. Nagapattinam, historically associated with a Chola-era port and Buddhist influences, reflects a period of religious and commercial exchange. Pattinamarudur, where a shell-based ornament industry is believed to have existed, could deepen understanding of coastal economies and craft production.

In the northern and central regions, sites like Manikollai and Thelunganur speak to industrial and technological histories. Manikollai has yielded Indo-Pacific glass beads tied to long-distance trade networks extending to Southeast Asia, while Thelunganur, an Iron Age site, is significant for evidence of early metallurgy — a field that has seen renewed attention after recent studies suggested iron usage in Tamil Nadu dates back several millennia.

Further south, Adichanur (also Adichanallur), an Iron Age burial site, and Karivalamvanthanallur in Tenkasi district add to the picture of early settlement patterns, mortuary practices and regional variations in material culture.

Taken together, archaeologists say, the sites form a continuum — from burial landscapes and early metallurgy to urban settlements and maritime trade — offering a narrative, with multiple layers, of Tamil civilisation that is both regionally rooted and globally connected.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 157)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 166)

Daily subject-wise quiz —  Science and Technology (Week 166)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 166)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment and Geography (Week 166)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 165)

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