Day: August 23, 2017

Bring out the regional variations in the early South Indian Temple’s architectural styles. ©selfstudyhistory.com Ans: Early South Indian temple architecture styles had regional variations which can be seen in the Pallava, Chola and Pallava temple architectures. Pallava temple architecture Pallava kings specially Mahendravarman I, Narsimhavarman I and Rajasimha were great patrons of the arts. The […]

General Studies- I: Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society (250 marks) Strategy For GS Paper-I By Shweta Chauhan, IAS (Rank 8, CSE-2017) Sources to be followed Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times: CCRT website, RS Sharma old NCERT […]

The decline of Harappan civilization was caused by ecological degradation rather than external invasion. Discuss. ©selfstudyhistory.com Ans: Aryan Invasion Theory The idea that the civilization was destroyed by the Aryan invaders was put forward by Ramprasad Chanda in 1926.It was later elaborated by Mortimer Wheeler in 1947. This idea was supported by the references in the Rig […]

Discuss the extent, settlement patterns and subsistence economy of the megalithic cultures. Ans: The word “megalith” comes from two Greek words, megas meaning great or big and lithos meaning stone. Megaliths include different kinds of monuments that have one thing in common- they are made of large, roughly dressed slabs of stone.  ©selfstudyhistory.com Extent of […]

In what ways can the Megalithic culture be considered a foundational phase of the history of peninsular India? ©selfstudyhistory.com Ans: The word “megalith” comes from two Greek words, megas meaning great or big and lithos meaning stone. Megaliths include different kinds of monuments that have one thing in common- they are made of large, roughly dressed slabs […]

Write a short essay on: “Vedic rituals” ©selfstudyhistory.com Ans: Rig Veda reflects the beliefs and practices of a religious aristocracy and its patrons. The Rig Veda indicates a diversity of religious practices. The Vedic hymns divide the universe into the sky (dyu), earth (prthivi) and the middle realm (antariksha). Deities were worshipped through prayer and sacrificial […]

Describe the social life of the later Vedic people. How was it different from the Rig Vedic life?  OR Write a short essay on: “The formulation of social system in the later Vedic period.”  OR Give a brief account of the social and economic conditions of the Later Vedic Aryans. ©selfstudyhistory.com Ans: Economic life Agriculture –  […]

Evaluate the various approaches to the understanding of Vedic religion. ©selfstudyhistory.com Ans: The Rig Veda reflects a naturalistic polytheism It is a belief in many gods who personified natural phenomena. The connection is clear in some cases from the very name of the deities, as in the case of Agni (Fire), Surya (the Sun), and Ushas […]

Do you think the Harappan civilization had a diversity of subsistence base? ©selfstudyhistory.com Ans: The Harappan civilisation covered an enormous area and the diversity of the subsistence base was an important sustaining factor- if one food resource failed, people could turn to others. Diversity of the subsistence base (1) Agriculture It was the mainstay of the subsistence base. […]

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. ©selfstudyhistory.com Ans: From pre-historical times, burial mounds containing the remains of the dead were a common funerary practice in some Indian societies: in these mounds, the living […]