Questions asked from Medieval Indian History section in IAS Prelims Exam are quite easy but the candidates need to memorise well before appearing in the exam. The candidates should have balanced preparation of overall three sections of the History and its chronology is one of the most important parts of the subject history which enable candidates to memorise well every important aspects of history.
Following Multiple Choice Questions of Medieval Indian History would help students in understanding the nature of questions asked in IAS Prelims Exam.
Q1. Consider the following statements regarding the discovery of Hampi:
I. The ruins at Hampi were brought to light in 1800 by an engineer and antiquarian named Colonel Colin Mackenzie.
II. As early as 1836 epigraphists began collecting several dozen inscriptions found at this and other temples at Hampi.
III. In an effort to reconstruct the history of the city and the empire, historians collated information from these sources with accounts of foreign travellers and other literature written in Telugu, Kannada, Tamil and Sanskrit.
Which of the following statement(s) is/are correct?
A. Only I
B. I and II
C. I and III
D. All of the above
Answer: D
Explanation: The ruins at Hampi were brought to light in 1800 by an engineer and antiquarian named Colonel Colin Mackenzie. An employee of the English East India Company, he prepared the first survey map of the site. Much of the initial information he received was based on the memories of priests of the Virupaksha temple and the shrine of Pampadevi. Subsequently, from 1856, photographers began to record the monuments which enabled scholars to study them. As early as 1836 epigraphists began collecting several dozen inscriptions found at this and other temples at Hampi.
Q2. Who founded the Empire of Vijayanagara?
A. Harihara
B. Bukka
C. Colin Mackenzie
D. Both A and B
Answer: D
Explanation: According to tradition and epigraphic evidence two brothers, Harihara and Bukka, founded the Vijayanagara Empire in 1336. This empire included within its fluctuating frontiers peoples who spoke different languages and followed different religious traditions.
Q3. Consider the following statements regarding the rulers of the vijayanagara:
I. The Vijayanagara kings competed with contemporary rulers on their northern frontier including the sultans of the Deccan and Gajapati rulers of Orrissa for fertile river valleys and resources.
II. The rulers of Vijayanagara borrowed concepts and building techniques which they then developed further.
III. The rulers of Vijayanagara, who called themselves piyadassi, built on these traditions and carried them, as we will see, literally to new heights.
Which of the following statement(s) is/are correct?
A. Only I
B. I and II
C. I and III
D. All of the above
Answer: B
Explanation: The rulers of Vijayanagara, who called themselves rayas, built on these traditions and carried them, as we will see, literally to new heights.
Q4. Consider the following statements regarding the trading practices of the Vijayanagara Period:
I. The warfares during that time depended upon effective cavalry, the import of horses from Arabia and Central Asia was very important for rival kingdoms.
II. Local communities of merchants known as kudirai chettis or horse merchants also participated in these exchanges.
III. British from 1498, who arrived on the west coast of the subcontinent and attempted to establish trading and military stations.
Which of the following statement(s) is/are correct?
A. Only I
B. I and II
C. I and III
D. All of the above
Answer: B
Explanation: As warfare during these times depended upon effective cavalry, the import of horses from Arabia and Central Asia was very important for rival kingdoms. This trade was initially controlled by Arab traders. Local communities of merchants known as kudirai chettis or horse merchants also participated in these exchanges. From 1498 other actors appeared on the scene. These were the Portuguese, who arrived on the west coast of the subcontinent and attempted to establish trading and military stations. Their superior military technology, especially the use of muskets, enabled them to become important players in the tangled politics of the period.
Q5. Consider the following facts about Krishnadeva Raya:
I. Krishnadeva Raya ruled between 1509 and 1529, the most famous ruler of Vijayanagara, composed a work on statecraft in Telugu known as the Amuktamalayada.
II. Krishnadeva Raya’s rule was characterised by expansion and consolidation.
III. This was the time when the land between the Tungabhadra and Krishna rivers (the Raichur doab) was acquired (1512), the rulers of Orissa were subdued (1514) and severe defeats were inflicted on the Sultan of Bijapur (1520).
Which of the following statement(s) is/are correct?
A. Only I
B. I and II
C. I and III
D. All of the above
Answer: D
Explanation: Krishnadeva Raya’s rule was characterised by expansion and consolidation. This was the time when the land between the Tungabhadra and Krishna rivers (the Raichur doab) was acquired (1512), the rulers of Orissa were subdued (1514) and severe defeats were inflicted on the Sultan of Bijapur (1520). Although the kingdom remained in a constant state of military preparedness, it flourished under conditions of unparalleled peace and prosperity. Krishnadeva Raya is credited with building some fine temples and adding impressive gopurams to many important south Indian temples.
Q6. Who founded a sub-urban township near Vijayanagara called Nagalapuram?
A. Harihara
B. Bukka
C. Krishnadeva Raya
D. Colin Mackenzie
Answer: C
Explanation: Krishnadeva Raya is credited with building some fine temples and adding impressive gopurams to many important south Indian temples. He also founded a suburban township near Vijayanagara called Nagalapuram after his mother. Some of the most detailed descriptions of Vijayanagara come from his time or just after.
Q7. Which of the following statement is correct regarding Mahnavami Dibba?
A. Mahnavami Dibba was an “audience hall” in which the entire complex is surrounded by high double walls with a street running between them.
B. Mahnavami Dibba was a “prayer hall” in which the entire complex is surrounded by high double walls with a street running between them.
C. Mahnavami Dibba was a hall for performing special rituals in which the entire complex is surrounded by high double walls with a street running between them.
D. Mahnavami Dibba was a “bathing hall” in which the entire complex is surrounded by high double walls with a street running between them.
Answer: A
Explanation: Mahnavami Dibba was an “audience hall” in which the entire complex is surrounded by high double walls with a street running between them. Located on one of the highest points in the city, the “mahanavami dibba” is a massive platform rising from a base of about 11,000 sq. ft to a height of 40 ft. There is evidence that it supported a wooden structure. The base of the platform is covered with relief carvings.
Q8. Consider the following statements regarding the Lotus Mahal:
I. Lotus Mahal of the most beautiful buildings in the royal centre is the Lotus Mahal, so named by British travellers in the nineteenth century.
II. One suggestion, found in a map drawn by Mackenzie, is that Lotus mahal may have been a council chamber, a place where the king met his advisers.
III. Lotus Mahal had nine towers – a high central one, and eight along the sides.
Which of the following statement(s) is/are correct?
A. Only I
B. I and II
C. I and III
D. All of the above
Answer: D
Explanation: One of the most beautiful buildings in the royal centre is the Lotus Mahal, so named by British travellers in the nineteenth century. While the name is certainly romantic, historians are not quite sure what the building was used for. One suggestion, found in a map drawn by Mackenzie, is that it may have been a council chamber, a place where the king met his advisers.
Q9. Consider the following statements regarding the temple architecture of the Vijayanagara Period:
I. In terms of temple architecture, by this period certain new features were in evidence which included structures of immense scale that must have been a mark of imperial authority, best exemplified by the raya-gopurams.
II. Temples were also probably meant as reminders of the power of kings, able to command the resources, techniques and skills needed to construct these towering gateways.
III. Other distinctive features include mandapas or pavilions and long, pillared corridors that often ran around the shrines within the temple complex.
Which of the following statement(s) is/are correct?
A. Only I
B. I and II
C. I and III
D. All of the above
Answer: C
Explanation: Raya-gopurams or Royal Gateways were also probably meant as reminders of the power of kings, able to command the resources, techniques and skills needed to construct these towering gateways.
Q10. Consider the following statements regarding the Virupaksha temple:
I. The Virupaksha temple was built over centuries while inscriptions suggest that the earliest shrine dated to the ninth-tenth centuries, it was substantially enlarged with the establishment of the Vijayanagara Empire.
II. The hall in front of the main shrine was built by Krishnadeva Raya to mark his accession which was decorated with delicately carved pillars.
III. The halls in the temple were used for a variety of purposes like some were spaces in which the images of gods were placed to witness special programmes of music, dance, drama, etc.
Which of the following statement(s) is/are correct?
A. Only I
B. I and II
C. I and III
D. All of the above
Answer: D
Explanation: The Virupaksha temple was built over centuries. While inscriptions suggest that the earliest shrine dated to the ninth-tenth centuries, it was substantially enlarged with the establishment of the Vijayanagara Empire. The hall in front of the main shrine was built by Krishnadeva Raya to mark his accession. This was decorated with delicately carved pillars. He is also credited with the construction of the eastern gopuram. These additions meant that the central shrine came to occupy a relatively small part of the complex.
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