64th Prelims 2018

Explanation:

The earliest evidence of animal domestication and agriculture in India comes from Mehrgarh, located in a fertile plain near the Bolan Pass, an important route into Iran. Discovered in 1974 by the French Archaeological Mission led by Jean Francois Jarrige and Catherine Jarrige, Mehrgarh shows evidence of early barley and wheat cultivation and rearing of sheep and goats. Archaeological finds include animal bones (wild deer, pig, sheep, goat), square or rectangular houses with multiple compartments, and burial sites where the dead were sometimes buried with goats. [64th BPSC Prelims Exam 2018]

Explanation:

Vima Kadphises (Kadphises II), a Kushan ruler and son of Kujula Kadphises, was the first to issue gold coins on a large scale. He was a devotee of Lord Shiva and conquered northwestern India up to Mathura. His gold coins bore high-sounding titles such as 'Lord of the Whole World'. [64th BPSC Prelims Exam 2018]

Explanation:

Aryabhata, born in 476 BCE in Kusumpura (Pataliputra), was the first to explain that the Earth's rotation on its axis causes the daily rising and setting of the Sun. His notable works include 'Aryabhatiya' and 'Arya-siddhanta'. He also explained lunar and solar eclipses, the reflection of light by the moon, Earth's diameter, and the length of the sidereal year. [64th BPSC Prelims Exam 2018]

Explanation:

The 'Periplus of the Erythraean Sea' was written by an anonymous Greek author. 'Periplus' means sailing around, and 'Erythraean' refers to the Red Sea. The work, composed around 80 AD, records ports, harbors, and merchandise along the Indian coast, providing valuable information on trade between the Roman Empire and South India during the Sangam period. Pliny, Ptolemy, and Strabo were contemporaries who wrote separately on India but were not the authors of this Periplus. [64th BPSC Prelims Exam 2018]

Explanation:

Alauddin Khalji (1296-1316 AD) demanded half the crops on land after measurement as revenue. He introduced 'Paimaish' and 'Biswa' as land measurement units. He separated religion from politics by declaring 'Kingship knows no kinship', introduced Dagh (branding horses) and Chehra (descriptive roll of soldiers), created the 'Mustakharaj' post for revenue collection, and built the Alai Darwaza and Hazar Sutun (Palace of a Thousand Sultans). [64th BPSC Prelims Exam 2018]

Explanation:

Shaikh Bahauddin Zakaria belonged to the Suhrawardi Silsilah. He established the first leading 'Khanqah' in India at Multan. Suhrawardi Silsilah was popular in Multan, Lahore, and Sindh. Other Sufi orders include Chisti Silsilah, founded by Khwaja Abdal Chisti in Herat and in India by Khwaja Muinuddin Chisti, and Firdausi Silsilah, founded by Shaikh Badruddin Samarkandi and limited to Bihar. [64th BPSC Prelims Exam 2018]

Explanation:

William Finch, an English merchant who visited India during Jahangir's reign with Captain Hawkins, stated that 5,000 to 20,000 men worked for forty years to build the 'Place of Forty Pillars' at Allahabad during Akbar's time. Mannuci was an Italian traveler at Dara Shikoh's court, and Tavernier was a French gem merchant who visited India six times during Shahjahan and Aurangzeb's reigns. [64th BPSC Prelims Exam 2018]

Explanation:

Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin, also known as Bud Shah (The Great King), was reputed to be the 'Akbar of Kashmir'. He was the 8th Sultan of the Shah Mir dynasty, reconstructed and rehabilitated temples in Kashmir, and asked Jonaraja to continue Kalhana’s Rajtarangini. He was a patron of Sanskrit language and literature. [64th BPSC Prelims Exam 2018]