Day-584 | Daily MCQs | UPSC Prelims | HISTORY

Answer: A
Explanation:
Statement 1 is correct: Ashoka’s private beliefs and the socio-political needs of the contemporary situation were responsible for the formulation of the policy of Dhamma.
Statement 2 is incorrect: The policy of Dhamma was not the policy of a heretic but a system of beliefs created out of different religious faiths. Ashoka’s dhamma was not anti Brahamanical in nature. Ashoka’s creation of the institution of the Dhammamahamattas convincingly proves that Ashoka’s Dhamma did not favour any particular religious doctrine. Had that been the case, then there would have been no need for such an office, as Ashoka could have utilized the organisation of Samgha to propagate Dhamma.
Statement 3 is incorrect: Ashoka’s Dhamma was not a new religion and he did not insist that his subjects convert to it. It was not a new form of political philosophy either. Dharma is the Sanskrit word for “dhamma.” Dhamma was a way of life enshrined in a code of behaviour and a set of ideals that he advised his subjects to follow to live in peace and prosperity.
Additional information:
• The practice of Dhamma, which became the foundation of his generous and tolerant administration. Ashoka’s Dhamma was based on the ten principles espoused by Lord Buddha.
• These ten principles are:
1) To be liberal while avoiding egoism.
2) To uphold a high moral standard.
3) To be willing to put one’s own pleasure aside for the sake of the subjects’ well-being.
4) To be truthful and uphold total integrity.
5) To be gentle and kind.
6) To live a humble life to inspire the subjects.
7) To be free of all forms of hatred.
8) To practise non-violence.
9) To develop patience.
10) Respect for the public’s viewpoint to create peace and concord.
• He propagated these Ashoka’s Dhamma ideals through the issuance of 14 edicts. He disseminated all of these edicts throughout his realm during his reign.
• Ashoka entrusted Dhamma Mahamatras with the task of teaching the Dhamma to the masses. They were even deployed to spread it in other countries.

Answer: A
Explanation:
According to the Tamil legends, there were three Sangams (Academy of Tamil poets) held in the ancient South India popularly called Muchchangam.
Given below are the correctly matched pairs:
Tamil Sangam – Associated Places
1) First Sangam – Madurai
2) Second Sangam – Kapadapuram
3) Third Sangam – Madurai
Additional information:
• Sangam Age is the period from the 3rd century BC to the 3rd century AD in south India.
• There were 3 Sangams conducted in ancient South India called Muchchangam, Tamil legends say.
• These Sangams prospered under the royal patronage of the Pandya kings of Madurai.
• Three dynasties ruled during the Sangam Age – the Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas.
• The key source of evidence about these kingdoms is outlined from the literary references of the Sangam Period.
The following are the sources of Sangam Age:
• Sangam Literature – It is a major source that mentions about Sangam Age
• The Greek Authors including Megasthenes, Pliny etc. mentioned the trade contacts between South India and the West.
• Tamil kingdoms are mentioned in Ashokan edicts.
• Adhichanallur excavations brought to surface articles depicting the life of the Sangam Period.

Answer: B
Explanation:
Law of primogeniture is not among one of the reasons for the decline of Delhi Sultanate. No clear and well-defined law of succession developed in the Sultanate. Hereditary principle was accepted ‘but not adhered to invariably. There was no rule of law of primogeniture in Delhi Sultanate that only the eldest son would succeed.
Reasons for decline of Delhi sultanate:
• Autocratic nature of Delhi Sultanate: The Delhi Sultanate was a theocratic state with an administration based on Islamic principles.
• Emergence of independent political centre: There was emergence of autonomous and independent political centres in different regions which lead to decline of Delhi Sultanate.
• Change of nature of iqta from Non-permanent to Permanent: Initially, the iqta system served the central authority and its elements of transfer and non-permanence ensured the Sultan’s power. But gradual disappearance of these principles, especially during Feroz Tughluq’s rule, paved the way for the steady dissipation of the state’s authority. The Iqta system was a unique type of land distribution and administrative system introduced during the reign of Iltutmish. In the Iqta system the lands of the Delhi Sultanate were divided into several large and small tracts called Iqta and assigned these Iqtas to the Sultan’s soldiers, officers and nobles.
Additional information:
• The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526). Five dynasties ruled over the Delhi Sultanate sequentially: the Mamluk dynasty (1206–1290), the Khalji dynasty (1290–1320), the Tughlaq dynasty (1320–1414), the Sayyid dynasty (1414–1451), and the Lodi dynasty (1451–1526). It covered large swathes of territory in modern-day India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh as well as some parts of southern Nepal.
• The effective administrative system under the Delhi Sultanate made a great impact on the Indian provincial kingdoms and later on the Mughal administrative system. At its peak, the Delhi Sultanate controlled regions as far south as Madurai.
• There were many departments and officials who helped the Sultan in administration. The Naib was the most influential post and virtually enjoyed all the powers of the Sultan. He had control over all the other departments.
• The post of Wazir was next to the Naib and he headed the finance department known as the Diwan-i-Wizarat. An Auditor-General for examining expenditure and an Accountant General for checking income worked under the Wazir. The period of wazir-ship of Feroz Shah Tughlaq Khan-i-Jahan is generally considered as the high watermark period of the Wazir’s influences.

Answer: B
Explanation:
Statement 1 is incorrect: Excessive austerities and self-mortification was one of the elements of the way of life of Chishti Silsila.
Statement 2 is correct: They preferred to remain aloof from state politics and shunned the company of rulers and nobles.
Additional information:
• Sufism is a mystical form of Islam, a school of practice that focuses on the spiritual search for God and shuns materialism.
• It is a form of Islamic mysticism which stresses on asceticism. There is a lot of emphasis on devotion towards God.
• In Sufism, self-discipline is considered an essential condition to gain knowledge of God by sense of perception.
• The Chishti Silsilah is an order or school, within Sunni Islam’s mystic Sufi tradition.
• The Chishti Order is noted for emphasising love, tolerance, and openness in its teachings. It originated about 930 AD.
• The Chishti order was founded by Khwaja Muinuddin Chisht and takes its name from the Afghan hamlet of Chisht, which lies thirty miles from the current city of Herat.
• The Chishtis led a simple, austere life and conversed with people in Hindawi, their local dialect.
• They were hardly interested in effecting conversions, though later on, many families and groups attributed their conversions to the “good wishes” of these saints.
• These Sufi saints made themselves popular by adopting musical recitations called sama, to create a mood of nearness to God.

Answer: B
Explanation:
Statement 1 is correct: Portuguese captured Goa from the ruler of Bijapur during the reign of Sikander Lodhi and thereafter, Goa became the capital of the Portuguese settlements in India.
Statement 2 is correct: Portuguese established the first printing press at Goa in c. 1556 CE.
Statement 3 is incorrect: Portuguese power declined in India by the end of the 16th century, and they lost all their acquired territories in India except Daman, Diu and Goa.
The First Carnatic war was concluded with the Peace treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, signed in 1748. Under this treaty, France agreed to leave the Austrian Netherlands and give back Madras to Britain in return for Louisbourg.
Additional information:
• Portuguese colonialism began in earnest when Vasco da Gama reached Calicut on the Malabar Coast on 20 May 1498. He met the Zamorin ruler of Calicut and despite objections from the Arab raiders, obtained permission from the Zamorin to trade in Calicut. But Vasco da Gama was unable to pay the custom duties and price of his goods.
• When the duties were not paid, the Zamorin’s officials detained some of Vasco da Gama’s men. This angered him enough to kidnap some natives and fishermen by force.
• But as far as the Portuguese government in Lisbon was concerned, the expedition was successful. A sea route bypassing the Ottoman Empire was found and the expedition had yielded a profit far beyond the initial investment.
• Further conflict with the Zamorin Kingdom and expeditions of Vasco da Gama established a base of operations on the Malabar coast. The first viceroy Francisco de Almeida established his headquarters in what would become modern day Cochin.
• In 1509 Alfonso de Albuquerque became the second governor of the Portuguese possessions in the East. A Portuguese fleet under Marshal Fernão Coutinho arrives off the coast of Calicut. Their instructions were clear: Destruction of the Zamorin.
• The city was reduced to rubble and the Zamorins palace captured, but the local forces rallied and fell upon the invading Portuguese, causing them to retreat and wounding Albuquerque
• Albuquerque relented and entered into a treaty with the Zamorin in 1513 to protect Portuguese interests in Malabar.
• With the aid of the Vijaynagar Empire Afonso de Albuquerque defeated the Bijapur sultanate in 1510, establishing the permanent settlement of Goa. It would go on to become the headquarters of the Portuguese colonial possessions in India and seat of the viceroy.