UPSC 2021: Nexus 31—40

Ancient Chronologies, Epigraphy, Architecture & Legal Lineages. [Set A]

Question 31

Temple Architecture

With reference to Chausath Yogini Temple situated near Morena, consider the following statements:

It is a circular temple built during the reign of Kachchhapaghata Dynasty.
It is the only circular temple built in India.
It was meant to promote the Vaishnava cult in the region.
Its design has given rise to a popular belief that it was the inspiration behind the Indian Parliament building.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

Official Verdict: (c) 1 and 4

The Core Concept: The Mitawali Chausath Yogini Temple near Morena (Madhya Pradesh) was built by King Devapala of the Kachchhapaghata dynasty in the 14th century (Statement 1 is true). It is dedicated to the 64 Yoginis and Lord Shiva—making it a Shaivite/Shakta shrine, not Vaishnavite (3 is false). It is not the "only" circular temple in India (e.g., Ranipur Jharial and Hirapur in Odisha are also circular yogini shrines, so 2 is false). Its hypaethral colonnade and central circular sanctum strongly resemble Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker's circular design of the old Indian Parliament building (4 is true).

Tethered to: REALM 16: Khajuraho & Central

Question 32

Harappan Urban Engineering

Which one of the following ancient towns is well-known for its elaborate system of water harvesting and management by building a series of dams and channelizing water into connected reservoirs?

(a) Dholavira
(b) Kalibangan
(c) Rakhigarhi
(d) Ropar

Official Verdict: (a) Dholavira

The Core Concept: Located on Khadir Bet island in the arid Rann of Kutch, the UNESCO World Heritage site of Dholavira features one of the most sophisticated hydraulic engineering networks in the ancient world. Harappan engineers constructed check-dams across two seasonal monsoon streams (the Mansar and Manhar) to divert water into 16 massive, interconnected, stone-cut reservoirs surrounding the citadel, ensuring year-round survival in an arid ecosystem.

Tethered to: REALM 08: Harappan Urbanism

Question 33

Colonial Commerce

In the first quarter of seventeenth century, in which of the following was/were the factory/factories of the English East India Company located?

Broach
Chicacole
Trichinopoly

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Official Verdict: (a) 1 only

The Core Concept: The "first quarter of the seventeenth century" covers 1601 to 1625. After Thomas Roe secured trading farmans from Jahangir in 1619, the English East India Company set up early branch factories in Western India around Surat—specifically at Broach (Bharuch), Ahmedabad, and Agra. On the east coast, early establishments occurred at Machilipatnam (1611) and Armagon (1626). Chicacole (Srikakulam) and Trichinopoly (Tiruchirappalli) hosted no EIC factories during this nascent era.

Tethered to: REALM 04: Advent of Europeans

Question 34

Post-Gupta Regional Polities

From the decline of Guptas until the rise of Harshavardhana in the early seventh century, which of the following kingdoms were holding power in Northern India?

The Guptas of Magadha
The Paramaras of Malwa
The Pushyabhutis of Thanesar
The Maukharis of Kanauj
The Yadavas of Devagiri
The Maitrakas of Valabhi

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Official Verdict: (b) 1, 3, 4 and 6

The Core Concept: Following the disintegration of the Imperial Guptas (c. 550 CE) and prior to Harsha's hegemony (606 CE), northern India fragmented into several regional powers: the Later Guptas of Magadha/Malwa, the Pushyabhutis of Thanesar (Harsha's lineage), the Maukharis of Kanauj, and the Maitrakas of Valabhi in Saurashtra. The Paramaras of Malwa (10th century CE) and the Yadavas of Devagiri (12th-14th century CE) emerged centuries later during the high medieval era.

Tethered to: REALM 26: Harshavardhana & 7th Century

Question 35

Medieval Social History

According to Portuguese writer Nuniz, the women in Vijayanagara Empire were expert in which of the following areas?

Wrestling
Astrology
Accounting
Soothsaying

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Official Verdict: (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

The Core Concept: Fernao Nuniz, a Portuguese horse trader and chronicler who visited Vijayanagara during Achyuta Deva Raya's reign, recorded remarkable observations of women serving in royal service. He documented that the king maintained female bodyguards, wrestlers (1), astrologers who cast charts (2), palace bookkeepers and accountants tracking imperial expenses (3), and soothsayers predicting court affairs (4). All four disciplines are explicitly verified in his chronicles.

Tethered to: REALM 42: Society, Economy & Culture

Question 36

Cultural Geography

With reference to Madanapalle of Andhra Pradesh, which one of the following statements is correct?

(a) Pingali Venkayya designed the tricolour Indian National Flag here.
(b) Pattabhi Sitaramaiah led the Quit India Movement of Andhra region from here.
(c) Rabindranath Tagore translated the National Anthem from Bengali to English here.
(d) Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott set up headquarters of Theosophical Society first here.

Official Verdict: (c) Rabindranath Tagore translated the National Anthem...

The Core Concept: In February 1919, Rabindranath Tagore visited the Besant Theosophical College in Madanapalle (Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh). During this stay, he translated his 1911 Bengali hymn Jana Gana Mana into English, titling it "The Morning Song of India". It was also at Madanapalle that Margaret Cousins (the college vice-principal's wife) scored the melodic swara notations that form the tune of the National Anthem today.

Tethered to: REALM 97: Cultural Personalities

Question 37

Archaeological Stratigraphy

Consider the following pairs:

Burzahom: Rock-cut shrines
Chandraketugarh: Terracotta art
Ganeshwar: Copper artefacts

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

Official Verdict: (d) 2 and 3

The Core Concept: Burzahom in Kashmir is an iconic Neolithic site famous for subterranean pit dwellings, bone tools, and burials of humans with dogs; it features no rock-cut shrines (1 is false). Chandraketugarh (West Bengal) is celebrated for its exquisite Sunga-Kushan molded terracotta plaques (2 is true). Ganeshwar (Rajasthan, near the Khetri copper belt) is a Chalcolithic site renowned for supplying raw copper ingots and artifacts to Harappan urban centers (3 is true).

Tethered to: REALM 04: Neolithic India

Question 38

Medieval Political Chronology

Consider the following statements:

It was during the reign of Iltutmish that Chengiz Khan reached the Indus in pursuit of the fugitive Khwarezm prince.
It was during the reign of Muhammad bin Tughluq that Taimur occupied Multan and crossed the Indus.
It was during the reign of Deva Raya II of Vijayanagara Empire that Vasco da Gama reached the coast of Kerala.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Official Verdict: (a) 1 only

The Core Concept: In 1221, Chengiz Khan chased Jalal-ud-din Mangabarni to the banks of the Indus. Iltutmish politely denied asylum to the prince, brilliantly sparing the fledgling Delhi Sultanate from Mongol devastation (1 is true). Taimur invaded in 1398 during the reign of Nasir-ud-din Mahmud Shah Tughluq, decades after Muhammad bin Tughluq died in 1351 (2 is false). Vasco da Gama arrived at Calicut in 1498 during the Saluva dynasty; Deva Raya II of the Sangama dynasty ruled earlier and died in 1446 (3 is false).

Tethered to: REALM 27: Iltutmish & Consolidation

Question 39

Christian History in India

Consider the following statements:

St. Francis Xavier was one of the founding members of the Jesuit Order.
St. Francis Xavier died in Goa and a church is dedicated to him there.
The Feast of St. Francis Xavier is celebrated in Goa each year.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

Official Verdict: (c) 1 and 3 only

The Core Concept: Francis Xavier co-founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuit Order) alongside Ignatius of Loyola in Paris in 1534 (Statement 1 is true). The annual Feast of St. Francis Xavier is celebrated with major solemnity at Old Goa every December 3rd (Statement 3 is true). Statement 2 contains the trap: St. Francis Xavier did not die in Goa. He died of fever off the coast of mainland China on Shangchuan Island in 1552. His remains were later transported and enshrined at the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa.

Tethered to: REALM 73: Christianity

Question 40

Ancient Legal Treatises

With reference to the history of ancient India, which of the following statements is/are correct?

Mitakshara was the civil law for upper castes and Dayabhaga was the civil law for lower castes.
In the Mitakshara system, the sons can claim right to the property during the lifetime of the father, whereas in the Dayabhaga system, it is only after the death of the father that the sons can claim right to the property.
The Mitakshara system deals with the matters related to the property held by male members only of a family, whereas the Dayabhaga system deals with the matters related to the property held by both male and female members of a family.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Official Verdict: (b) 2 only

The Core Concept: Mitakshara (by Vijnaneshwara) and Dayabhaga (by Jimutavahana) are traditional Hindu legal commentaries separated by geography, not caste (Statement 1 is false; Dayabhaga applied across all castes in Bengal/Assam, while Mitakshara governed the rest of India). In Mitakshara, sons acquire coparcenary rights in ancestral property by birth during the father's life; in Dayabhaga, inheritance ripens only after the father's death (Statement 2 is true). Both systems address female property (Stridhana), meaning Statement 3 is false.

Tethered to: REALM 33: Society & Everyday Life