Day: August 26, 2024

Q. Kalhana’s Rajatarangini is the best example of history writing tradition in early India. Discuss. [UPSC- 2022] Ans: A common colonial-era view held that ancient Indians lacked a sense of history. Al-Biruni, writing in the 11th century, remarked that Indians did not pay much attention to the historical order of events, and many 19th-century European […]

Q. Is it correct to say that the post-Gupta period was remarkable for the expansion of religious cults in India? [UPSC- 2023] Ans: The post-Gupta or early medieval period (c. 550–1200 CE) saw a remarkable growth and spread of religious cults. Vaishnava, Shaiva and Shakta worship, Tantra, and the cults of Surya and Ganapati all […]

Q. Analyze the contours of imperial ideology as exhibited during the Mauryan period. [UPSC- 2023] Ans: The Mauryan Empire (c. 321–185 BCE) was the first state to rule most of the Indian subcontinent. Holding together regions with different peoples, languages, economies and faiths required not only force and administration but an ideology that justified imperial […]

Q. Trade and commerce in the Mughal Empire brought about the integration of the Indian subcontinent into a single market. Comment. [UPSC- 2022] Ans: The Mughal period, especially from Akbar to Aurangzeb, saw a marked growth of trade, towns, money use and merchant networks. A common currency, cash revenue, roads and credit instruments connected many […]