UPSC daily subject quiz | History and Culture (Week 156) — Gandhi, Bhojshala, and Inscriptions : Can you tackle these topics for prelims?

(d) Indian entrepreneurs abroad in the colonial period

UPSC Relevance:

UPSC has increasingly focused on lesser-known historical personalities, especially those associated with anti-caste movements, social reform, and regional social justice struggles.

Explanation:

Buddhism rejected the institution of caste that formed the backbone of Vedic society. Dr Ambedkar wrote: “Buddhism was a revolution. It was as great a Revolution as the French Revolution.” (Revolution and Counter-Revolution in Ancient India, an incomplete manuscript published in 2017).

Buddhism eventually declined in India (even as it flourished in East and South-East Asia), and caste society prevailed for another couple of millenia. In the 19th and 20th centuries, however, radical intellectuals from oppressed castes once again started to harken to Buddhism in their bid to challenge the Brahmanical hegemony.

Among them was Iyothee Thasar in the Tamil region, who imagined a Dravidian identity with roots in a Buddhist past. In Malayalam-speaking areas, reformers such as Mitavadi Krishnan and Sahodaran Ayyappan proposed leaving Hinduism as a political tool to negotiate the rights of the lower castes.

In the early decades of the 20th century, as India saw various social reform movements, the threat of conversion played an important role in negotiations for rights such as temple entry, right of way, anti-untouchability legislation, and the promotion of inter-dining and inter-caste marriages.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 2

She co-edited a newspaper called Inquilab with Lohia. Post-independence, she left the Congress for the Communist Party of India. There, she founded the National Federation of Indian Women – the women’s wing of the Communist Party of India.

Who is she referred to in the above lines?

(a) Begum Nishatunnisa Mohani

(b) Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay

(c) Aruna Asaf Ali

(d) Purnima Banerjee 

UPSC Relevance:

UPSC frequently asks questions on freedom fighters, their ideological journeys, and their role in political and social movements after Independence.

Explanation:

Aruna co-edited a newspaper called ‘Inquilab’ with Lohia and continued to struggle till 1946. Gandhi, particularly moved by her determination, wanted her to surrender. He wrote, “I have been filled with admiration for your courage and heroism. You are reduced to a skeleton. Do come out and surrender yourself and win the prize offered for your arrest. Reserve the prize money for the Harijan (untouchables’) cause.”

Aruna, determined towards her socialist training only surrendered after the prize money over her was removed. Even after resurfacing and courting arrest, Aruna continued to voice her political opinions by supporting the Royal Indian Navy mutiny of HMIS (His Majesty’s Indian Ship) Talwar.

Post-independence, Aruna left the Congress for the Communist Party of India. There she created the ‘National Federation of Indian Women’- women’s wing of Communist Party of India. Aruna lost her husband in 1953. Asaf Ali by this time was the first ambassador to the United States from India. Although this role would have taken Aruna close to the Capitalist camp in the Cold War world, she chose to remain close to her ideological moorings.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 3

Recently, a bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court concluded Bhojshala as a temple associated with King Bhoja. King Bhoja belonged to which of the following dynasties?

(a) Kalachuri Dynasty

(b) Chandela Dynasty

(c) Parmara Dynasty

(d) Chalukya Dynasty

UPSC Relevance:

History and culture in current affairs can be effectively framed as a Prelims question that tests your very basic knowledge. Mistakes in such questions are something you simply cannot afford.

Explanation:

The Madhya Pradesh High Court said Friday (May 15) that the religious character of the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex was that of Bhojshala, or a temple of goddess Vagdevi (Saraswati).

The medieval structure in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar has long been the subject of competing claims. While Hindus consider the ASI-protected complex a temple dedicated to the goddess, Muslims regard it as the Kamal Maula mosque.

King Bhoja was one of the most celebrated rulers of the Paramara (Parmar) dynasty, which ruled parts of present-day Madhya Pradesh and surrounding regions during the 11th century. He is associated with Bhojshala at Dhar and is remembered for his contributions to literature, architecture, and scholarship.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 4

UPSC Relevance:

Questions related to Mahatma Gandhi and his ideological influences are important for UPSC Prelims, as the examination frequently tests aspirants on the philosophical foundations of India’s freedom movement. Even seemingly small aspects of Gandhi’s life, writings, and inspirations can be framed into factual or analytical prelims questions.

Explanation:

Henry S. L. Polak gave Mahatma Gandhi a copy of John Ruskin’s Unto This Last in 1904 during a train journey from Johannesburg to Durban. Polak, an English journalist, later became one of Gandhi’s closest associates in South Africa.

The book’s critique of modern economics and emphasis on the dignity of manual labour deeply influenced Gandhi. It inspired him to adopt a life of voluntary simplicity and establish the Phoenix Settlement in 1904.

The book profoundly affected his views on social justice, manual labor, and simple living, prompting him to paraphrase the text into Gujarati under the title Sarvodaya (meaning “the well-being of all”).

(Source: mkgandhi.org)

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 5

Consider the following rulers mentioned in an inscription:

1. Ashoka

2. Rudradaman I

3. Skandagupta

The inscriptions of the above rulers are associated with which one of the following?

(a) Hathigumpha Cave

(b) Nasik Cave complex

(c) Sudarshana Lake

(d) Dhauli Hills

UPSC Relevance: Sources of Indian history is a recurring theme in UPSC Prelims; hence inscriptions become important for preparation. Instead of directly asking the name of an inscription, UPSC often frames indirect questions by linking rulers, administrative activities, repairs of lakes, or important historical events associated with a particular inscription site.

Explanation:

The Junagadh rock inscription is closely linked to the Sudarshana Lake near the Girnar hills in Gujarat. It records history of the construction and restoration of the lake.

Originally built during the reign of Chandragupta Maurya by governor Pushyagupta Vaishya, the reservoir was later improved under Emperor Ashoka. The inscription is most famous for describing how Shaka ruler Rudradaman I rebuilt the dam. It also mentions later repairs during the reign of Gupta emperor Skandagupta.

The inscription is regarded as one of the earliest examples of classical Sanskrit epigraphy and highlights ancient India’s achievements in water management and public administration.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 162)

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 155)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 162)

Daily subject-wise quiz —  Science and Technology (Week 162)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 162)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment and Geography (Week 162)

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