History -Cultural and Scientific Development in Ancient India (Extra Questions)

Cultural and Scientific Development in Ancient India (Extra questions)

1. What is the temple at Bhitargaon made of? 

The temple at Bhitargaon wasmade of terracotta and brick.

2. Describe the Deogarh temple. 

The Deogarh temple is placed on a large terraced platform with four corner shrines and its shikhara or spire is about 12 metres high. The sculptural ornamentation on the main doorway includes different types ofdesigns such as birds, attendants, svastikas and foliated scrolls.

3. Name two temples of Pallava architecture. 

The Shore temple at Mahabalipuram and Kailashnath temple at Kanchi are the fi nest specimens of Pallava architecture.

4. What is a stupa? 

A stupa is a commemorative building usually housing sacred relics associated with important saintly figures.

5. What are Ajanta Caves famous for?

wall paintings

6.  What were the Ajanta caves used by the Buddhist monks? 

They were used as monasteries by the Buddhist monks who took refuge at such isolated places during the rainy season. They also provided the monks with enough time for broadening their spiritual quest through scholarly discussions.

7. What is the central topic of the paintings? 

The central topic of the paintings is the illustration of various Jataka stories, several events connected with the life of the Buddha, as well as contemporary events and social life.

8. What is Sangam literature? 

The earliest literature of South India is a collection called the Sangam literature.

9. What do we know from the Sangam literature? 

Tamil in the form of poems and songs. The Sangam literature gives picture of the conditions that prevailed in
South India during the ancient times.

10. Describe Arthashastra. 

Arthashastra is written by Kautilya. It is a treatise on statecraft, administration and inter-state relations in detail.

11. What is Ashvagosha famous for? 

Ashvagosha was one of the great writers who received patronage of the Kushans. He is known for writing the biography of the Buddha, Buddhcharita as well as composing Saundarananda, a fine example of Sanskrit Kavya.

12. What are Puranas? 

The Puranas were collection of myths, theoretical discourses and description of rituals. They offer valuable source of historical information. There are eighteen Great Puranas and eighteen Lesser Puranas.

13. What are Puranas? 

The Puranas were collection of myths, theoretical discourses and description of rituals. They offer valuable source of historical information. There are eighteen Great Puranas and eighteen Lesser Puranas.

14. What is Sangam literature? 

The earliest literature of South India is a collection called the Sangam literature.

15. What did Aryabhatta prove? 

Aryabhatta proved that Earth revolves around the Sun and rotates on its own axis.

16. What was Aryabhatta’s confirm about the heavenly bodies? 

Aryabhatta confirmed that heavenly bodies such as the Moon are spherical and shine because of the light reflected from the Sun. He also evaluated the time taken by the Earth to complete one revolution around the Sun.

Name the following:
 Temples built during the Gupta period: Deogadh and Bhitargao
 Temple at Mahabalipuram constructed by the Pallavas: The Shore temple
 Stupa situated in Sarnath: Dhamekh
 Caves near Gaya: Barabar Caves
 Wrote the biography of the Buddha: Ashvagosha
 Two great epics: Ramayana and Mahabharata
 book on mathematics by Brahmagupta: Brahmasphutasiddhanta