Question Discussion & Solution

The correct answer is Sarnath.

Key Points

• Buddhism is a  religion based upon the teachings, life experiences of its founder Siddhartha Gautam, born in circa 563 BCE.
• He was born into the royal family of Sakya clan who ruled from Kapilvastu(Lumbini) which is situated near the Indo-Nepal Border.
• At the age of 29, Gautama left home and rejected his life of wealth and adopted a lifestyle of asceticism or extreme self-discipline.
• After 49 continuous days of meditation, Gautama achieved Bodhi (enlightenment) under a pipal tree at Bodhgaya a village in Bihar.
• Buddha gave his first sermon in the village of Sarnath, near the city of Benares in UP. This event is known as Dharma-Chakra-Pravartana (turning of the wheel of law).
• He died at the age of 80 in 483 BCE at a place called Kushinagara a town in UP.

The correct answer is Maharashtra.

• Ajanta is 100 kilometres from the Ellora Caves, which contain Hindu, Jain and Buddhist caves, the last dating from a period similar to Ajanta.
• Ellora is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, India.

Key Points

• These Buddhist and Jain caves are ornately carved, yet seem quiet and meditative and exude divine energy and power.
• These are the rock-cut caves of Ajanta nestled in a panoramic gorge, in the form of a gigantic horseshoe.

Additional Information

• Ajanta Caves constitute ancient monasteries and worship-halls of different Buddhist traditions carved into a 75-meter (246 ft) wall of rock.
  • The caves also present paintings depicting the past lives and rebirths of the Buddha, pictorial tales from Aryasura's Jatakamala, and rock-cut sculptures of Buddhist deities.
  • The caves, cut into the face of a mountain, form a horseshoe shape around the Wangorah River.
    • They are an example of one of Indian's unique artistic traditions known as rock-cut temples. Ajanta consists of thirty caves, each dedicated to the life of the Buddha.
• Ellora (also known as Elura and, in ancient times, as Elapura) is a sacred site in Maharastra, central India.
  • ​The Ellora Caves are listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and are celebrated for their Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain temples and monuments which were carved from the local cliff rock in the 6th to 8th century CE. 
  • Ellora Caves served as lodgings to the travelling Buddhist and Jain monks besides being a site for the trade route.
    • A part of the Hindu and Buddhist Caves were built during the Rashtrakuta dynasty, and the Jain Caves were built by the Yadav dynasty.

The correct answer is Al-Biruni.

Key Points

• Abu Rayhan al-Biruni was an Iranian scholar.
• He has been variously called as the:-
  • Founder of Indology
  • Father of Comparative Religion
  • Father of modern geodesy
  • The first anthropologist
• He wrote the book Kitab-ul-Hind.
• Alberuni (Abu Raynham Beruni) was a Persian scholar who came to India with Mahmud of Ghazni in 1017.
• He commented on Indian sciences, Hindu religious beliefs, customs, and social organization.

Additional Information

• Al-Masudi's Book - The Meadows of Gold
• Sulaiman's Book - Ancient Accounts of India and China
• Firdausi's Book - Shahnameh

The correct answer is Yoga sutra.

• Yoga Sutra of Patanjali is a collection of 195 Sanskrit sutras (aphorisms) on the theory and practice of yoga.
  • Yoga Sutra was compiled sometime between 500 BCE and 400 CE by the sage Patanjali in India who synthesized and organized knowledge about yoga from much older traditions.

Additional Information

• Panchatantra, by Vishnu Sharma, is an ancient Indian collection of interrelated animal fables in Sanskrit verse and prose, arranged within a frame story. 
• Brahma Sutras
  • It is a Sanskrit text, attributed to the sage Badarayana or sage Vyasa, estimated to have been completed in its surviving form in 400-450 CE, while the original version might be ancient and composed between 500 BCE and 200 BCE.
• Ayurveda
  • It is considered by many scholars to be the oldest healing science.
  • In Sanskrit, Ayurveda means “The Science of Life.”
  • Ayurvedic knowledge originated in India more than 5,000 years ago and is often called the “Mother of All Healing.”
  • It stems from the ancient Vedic culture and was taught for many thousands of years in an oral tradition from accomplished masters to their disciples. Some of this knowledge was set to print a few thousand years ago, but much of it is inaccessible. 

The correct answer is 10.

 Key Points

• The Rigveda is divided into 10 mandalas (books).
• The first and tenth Mandalas are the youngest and the longest.
• The Gayatri mantra is in Rig Veda is taken ffrom Mandala 3.
• Mandala 9 is completely devoted to Soma.
• The 10th mandala contains the Purusha Sukta which explains the 4 Varnas that were born from the Mouth, arms, thighs, and feet of the Brahma or Purusha.
• Nasadiya Sukta which talks about the origin of the Universe is in the 10th Mandala. 

Additional Information

• Vedas are supposed to be the first religious text of the Hindu religion. 
• Veda means knowledge.
• There are four Vedas namely,
  • Rig Veda - Oldest and most important Veda, contains the knowledge of chemistry and medical science.
  • Yajur Veda - Only Veda, which is divided into two parts (i.e. Krishna Yajur Veda and Shukla Yajur Veda), contains the knowledge of all sacrificial formula and weapons. 
  • Sam Veda - It is the Origin of Indian classical music.
  • Atharva Veda - It contains the knowledge of Ayurveda, also charms and spells hence it is known as black Veda.