[Topic wise IAS Ancient Indian History Question Bank (1979-2015)]: (8) Post – Mauryan Period (Indo-Greeks, Sakas, Kushanas, Western Kshatrapas)
Post – Mauryan Period (Indo-Greeks, Sakas, Kushanas, Western Kshatrapas): Contact with outside world; growth of urban centres, economy, coinage, development of religions, Mahayana, social conditions, art, architecture, culture, literature and science.
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1. Brief out the salient features of the religious development in the Post-Maurya period. How was contemporary art influenced by it? [1988, 60m]
2. Write a short essay on “Indian participation in the silk trade through Central Asia.” [1990, 20m]
3. Write a short essay on: “Origins, chronology, characteristics and geographical spread of Gandhara art.” [1991, 20m]
4. Write a brief essay on: “Buddhist writing in Sanskrit in the post-Maurya period.” [1993, 20m]
5. “The centuries between c. 200 B.C. and c. A.D. 300 constitute a landmark in the socio-religious history of India.” Analyses the proposition. [1995, 60m]
6. Furnish a critical and comparative account of various schools of art in the Post -Mauryan period (c. 200 B.C. – c. 300 A.D.) [1998, 60m]
7. How justified are we in characterizing the post-Mauryan five centuries as the ‘Dark Period’ of Indian History? Give reasons in support of your answer. [2008, 60m]
8. Examine the significance of the deities depicted on coins of the Kushanas. [2010, 30m]
9. Explain as to how the early Buddhist Stupa art, while using folk motifs and narratives and common cultural symbols, succeeded in transforming these themes for expounding the Buddhist ideals. [2013, 20m]
10. Review critically the evolution of different schools of art in the Indian subcontinent between the second century BCE and the third century CE, and evaluate the socio-religious factors responsible for it. [2014, 20m]