Question Discussion & Solution

The correct answer is Sushruta.

Confusion Points

• Charaka was known to be a physician in the court of King Kanishka during the 2nd century AD.

Important Points

• The Gupta Era (320 AD- 550 AD) considered to be the golden era of India in terms of Art, Literature, Astronomy, Medical science etc.
• Sushruta is known for his work on medicine during the Gupta period.
• About Sushruta:
  • Sushruta is known for his work on medicine during the Gupta period. Sushruta was the first Indian surgeon.
  • The Sushruta Samhita is a Sanskrit text on surgery.
    • The work is attributed to Sushruta, a historical physician of 6th century BCE, although the text as preserved dates to the 3rd or 4th century CE. It is one of the three foundational texts of Ayurveda (Indian traditional medicine).
  • The Sushruta Samhita, in its extant form, is divided into 186 chapters and contains descriptions of 1,120 illnesses, 700 medicinal plants, 64 preparations from mineral sources and 57 preparations based on animal sources.

Additional Information

• About the Gupta Era (320-550 AD):
  • The Gupta age in ancient India has been called the ‘Golden Age of India’ because of the many accomplishments  in the field of arts, science, and literature that Indians made under the Guptas.
  • The affluence under the Guptas initiated a period of distinguished accomplishments in arts and sciences.
    • The Gupta Empire lasted from 320 AD to 550 AD.
  • Sanskrit literature thrived under the Guptas. Kalidasa, the great poet, and playwright were in the court of Chandragupta Vikramaditya.
    • He composed great epics such as Abhijnanashaakuntalam, Kumarasambhavam, Malavikagnimitram, Ritusamharam, Meghadootam, Vikramorvashiyam, and Raghuvamsham.
  • Vishnu Sharma of Panchatantra fame lived during this era.
  • Vishakhadatta composed Mudrarakshasa. Other philologists who contributed to the Sanskrit language include Vararuchi and Bhartrihari.
  • Aryabhatta, the great Indian mathematician and astronomer wrote Surya Siddhanta and Aryabhattiya. 
    • He also gave the value of Pi.
    • He also gave the distance between earth and sun which is remarkably close to the actual value.
    1. He wrote on geometry, astronomy, mathematics and trigonometry.
  • These are some of the achievments during the Gupta Era.

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 Megasthenese.

Key Points

• Megasthenes was a Greek traveller and geographer to whom the subsequent Greek writers were chiefly indebted for their accounts of India.
• The Hellenistic king Seleucus I sent him as an ambassador to the court of King Chandragupta Maurya in India.
• His report about the culture, history and religion of India was the basis of western knowledge about India. 

Additional Information

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 Silver, gold, copper but not iron.

• Harappan civilization existed during the Bronze age.
• Hence copper, bronze, gold, silver, lead-related objects can be seen.
• The Harappan people were aware of almost all the metals except iron.
• They manufactured gold and silver objects.
  • Gold might have been obtained from the Himalayan river-beds and South India, and silver from Mesopotamia.
  • The gold objects include beads, armlets, needles, and other ornaments.
  • But the use of silver was more common than gold.
• A large number of silver ornaments, dishes, etc. have been discovered.
• A number of copper tools and weapons have also been discovered.
• The common tools included an axe, saws, chisels, knives, spearheads, and arrowheads. It is important to note that the weapons produced by the Harappans were mostly defensive in nature as there are no evidence weapons like swords, etc.
• Stone tools were also commonly used.
• Copper was brought mainly from Khetri in Rajasthan.
• We also have evidence of the use of the bronze though in a limited manner.
• The most famous specimen in this regard is the bronze ‘dancing girl’ figurine discovered at Mohenjodaro.