Q130. The famous Dashavatara Temple at Deogarh is situated in which present-day state?
[UPSC CDS – 2023]
A. Uttar Pradesh
B. Rajasthan
C. Karnataka
D. Tamil Nadu
Answer: A. Uttar Pradesh
Explanation: The Gupta-period Vishnu temple at Deogarh is located in Uttar Pradesh and contains celebrated sculptural panels including Vishnu Anantashayana and Gajendramoksha.
Q129. Who composed the Prayaga Prashasti praising Samudragupta?
[UPSC NDA – 2023]
A. Banabhatta
B. Harisena
C. Kalidasa
D. Vishakhadatta
Answer: B. Harisena
Explanation: Harisena served Samudragupta as a poet and high official. His inscription is fundamental for studying the ruler’s military campaigns and political diplomacy.
Q128. Which expression has NOT generally been used by historians to characterize the Gupta period?
[MPPSC Assistant Professor History – 2022]
A. Classical Age
B. Golden Age
C. Age of Empire
D. Age of cultural flowering
Answer: C. Age of Empire
Explanation: Historical writing commonly describes the Gupta centuries as a classical or “golden” age, particularly culturally, while “Age of Empire” is not the standard characterization intended here.
Q127. Which of the following is NOT a literary work attributed to Harshavardhana?
[MPPSC Assistant Professor History – 2022]
A. Ratnavali
B. Priyadarshika
C. Nagananda
D. Navanitaka
Answer: D. Navanitaka
Explanation: Harsha is traditionally credited with three Sanskrit dramas. Navanitaka is a medical work and is unrelated to his dramatic compositions.
Q126. Shashanka was the ruler of:
[WBCS Mains – 2022]
A. Gauda
B. Kamarupa
C. Valabhi
D. Thanesar
Answer: A. Gauda
Explanation: Shashanka established an important kingdom in Gauda or Bengal, with Karnasuvarna as his capital, and was a major contemporary rival of Harshavardhana.
Q125. The Allahabad Pillar inscription of Samudragupta belongs to which period?
[WBCS Mains – 2022]
A. Maurya
B. Gupta
C. Kushana
D. Satavahana
Answer: B. Gupta
Explanation: Although the physical pillar itself bears earlier Ashokan inscriptions, Harisena’s celebrated Prayaga Prashasti engraved on it belongs to Samudragupta’s Gupta reign.
Q124. Faxian visited India during the reign of:
[WBCS Mains – 2022]
A. Chandragupta II
B. Harsha
C. Ashoka
D. Kanishka
Answer: A. Chandragupta II
Explanation: Faxian travelled in India around 399–414 CE while Chandragupta II ruled much of northern India, seeking Buddhist scriptures and visiting sacred sites.
Q123. The beginning of the Gupta Era is generally associated with:
[WBCS Mains – 2022]
A. Chandragupta I
B. Samudragupta
C. Skandagupta
D. Budhagupta
Answer: A. Chandragupta I
Explanation: The Gupta Era commenced around 319–320 CE and is conventionally linked with Chandragupta I’s accession and the dynasty’s emergence as an imperial power.
Q122. Who authored Harshacharita?
[WBCS Mains – 2022]
A. Banabhatta
B. Bharavi
C. Kalidasa
D. Harisena
Answer: A. Banabhatta
Explanation: Harshacharita is Bana’s Sanskrit prose biography of Harsha and contains significant, though courtly and embellished, evidence for seventh-century political and social history.
Q121. Samudragupta’s mother belonged to which clan?
[SSC CGL – 2022]
A. Lichchhavi
B. Naga
C. Saka
D. Yaudheya
Answer: A. Lichchhavi
Explanation: His mother Kumaradevi was a Lichchhavi princess. Samudragupta consequently emphasized the prestigious designation “Lichchhavi-dauhitra” in Gupta genealogical tradition.
