Q100. Kharavela was an important ruler of which dynasty?
[SSC MTS – 2024]
A. Shunga
B. Vardhana
C. Gupta
D. Chedi
Answer: D. Chedi
Explanation: Kharavela was associated with the Chedi-Mahameghavahana dynasty of Kalinga. His Hathigumpha inscription supplies valuable evidence concerning ancient Odisha, military campaigns and Jain patronage.
Q99. The teachings of Mahavira and his followers were finally written down in their present canonical form at:
[SSC MTS – 2024]
A. Taxila
B. Vallabhi
C. Ujjain
D. Sanchi
Answer: B. Vallabhi
Explanation: Vallabhi in Gujarat became a major Jain scholarly centre. Śvetāmbara tradition holds that its council committed the surviving canonical teachings to a definitive written form.
Q98. Who was a contemporary of Gautama Buddha but was not regarded as the first founder of his religious tradition?
[SSC MTS – 2024]
A. Rishabhanatha
B. Bhadrabahu
C. Arishtanemi
D. Mahavira
Answer: D. Mahavira
Explanation: Mahavira was broadly contemporary with the Buddha but was the twenty-fourth, not first, Jain Tirthankara. Jain tradition traces its lineage back to Rishabhanatha.
Q97. The famous Dilwara Jain Temples are located at:
[SSC MTS – 2024]
A. Mount Abu
B. Udaipur
C. Jaisalmer
D. Jaipur
Answer: A. Mount Abu
Explanation: The Dilwara temples stand near Mount Abu in Rajasthan and are renowned for elaborate marble workmanship. Their construction extended from the eleventh to sixteenth centuries.
Q96. The Hathigumpha inscription of Kharavela is associated with which ancient region?
[SSC MTS – 2024]
A. Gandhara
B. Kalinga
C. Magadha
D. Avanti
Answer: B. Kalinga
Explanation: Hathigumpha lies at Udayagiri in Odisha, the core region of ancient Kalinga. Its inscription records events from the reign of the Jain-patron ruler Kharavela.
Q95. Paryushana is an important festival of which religion?
[SSC CGL – 2024]
A. Buddhism
B. Jainism
C. Sikhism
D. Zoroastrianism
Answer: B. Jainism
Explanation: Paryushana is one of Jainism’s most important periods of spiritual discipline, emphasizing fasting, study, repentance and forgiveness, especially among followers of the Śvetāmbara tradition.
Q94. What was the capital of King Kharavela?
[OSSC CGLRE Mains – 2024]
A. Toshali
B. Kalinga Nagar
C. Katak Nagari
D. Jaipur
Answer: B. Kalinga Nagar
Explanation: Kalinga Nagar served as Kharavela’s capital. The Hathigumpha inscription refers to his works and achievements connected with the kingdom of Kalinga in present-day Odisha.
Q93. Mahavir Jayanti commemorates the birth anniversary of which Jain Tirthankara?
[SSC CHSL – 2024]
A. First
B. Twelfth
C. Twenty-third
D. Twenty-fourth
Answer: D. Twenty-fourth
Explanation: Mahavir Jayanti marks the birth of Vardhamana Mahavira, Jainism’s twenty-fourth Tirthankara, whose teachings strongly emphasized ahimsa, self-discipline, non-attachment and liberation from karma.
Q92. Shravanabelagola is most closely associated with which religion?
[OSSSC LSI/Forester/Forest Guard – 2024]
A. Buddhism
B. Jainism
C. Sikhism
D. Judaism
Answer: B. Jainism
Explanation: Shravanabelagola in Karnataka is a major Jain centre, famous for the colossal monolithic image of Bahubali or Gommateshwara commissioned during the Western Ganga period.
Q91. In Jainism, the term “Tirthankara” literally conveys the idea of a:
[WBPSC Food SI – 2024]
A. Fire worshipper
B. Ford-maker
C. Temple architect
D. Royal priest
Answer: B. Ford-maker
Explanation: A Tirthankara is metaphorically a “ford-maker”: an enlightened teacher who reveals a crossing or spiritual path by which souls can transcend samsara and attain liberation.
