Mauryan Empire Questions and Answers – Page 2

Correct answer: Major Rock Edict XIII. Major Rock Edict XIII narrates the conquest of Kalinga, casualties, deportations, Ashoka's remorse and his preference for conquest through dhamma.

The Jesuit traveller Joseph Tieffenthaler recorded the Delhi-Meerut pillar in the eighteenth century. James Prinsep deciphered Brahmi in 1837, while Cunningham later surveyed many sites. Therefore, the remaining options are incorrect because they refer to a different denomination, court, inscription, office, location, ruler, religious tradition, or historical period.

Correct answer: Brahmi, Kharosthi, Greek and Aramaic. Most Ashokan inscriptions use Brahmi; the northwest uses Kharosthi, and inscriptions in the Afghan region also employ Greek and Aramaic. Devanagari developed much later.

Ashoka was the first Indian ruler to use a large, geographically extensive programme of rock and pillar inscriptions for public communication.

Correct answer: Mahendra and Sanghamitra. Sri Lankan Buddhist chronicles associate Mahendra with the transmission of Buddhism and Sanghamitra with bringing a branch of the Bodhi tree to the island.

Later Buddhist tradition associates the monk Upagupta with Ashoka's initiation and guidance. Moggaliputta Tissa is linked with the Third Buddhist Council, Mahakashyapa with the First Council and Bhadrabahu with Jain tradition.

Correct answer: Eighth regnal year, about 261 BCE. Major Rock Edict XIII states that Kalinga was conquered in Ashoka's eighth regnal year, conventionally dated around 261 BCE. The suffering caused by the war became central to his public commitment to dhamma.

Puranic genealogical tradition refers to Ashoka by the name Ashokavardhana. Devanampiya and Piyadasi are inscriptional epithets, while Dharmashoka is a religious or literary designation; they are not the specific Puranic name requested.

Correct answer: Maski, Gujarra and Nittur. The personal name Ashoka appears explicitly in Minor Rock Edict recensions at sites including Maski, Gujarra and Nittur. Therefore this option matches the accepted historical association and chronology. Sarnath, Dhauli, Girnar and other famous sites preserve important Ashokan records, but the question asks for sites where the personal name 'Ashoka' is explicitly used.

Buddhist narrative tradition names Khallataka as a prominent Mauryan minister and associates him with leadership of a council of five hundred. Chanakya is associated with Chandragupta, Radhagupta with traditions surrounding Ashoka’s accession, and other named officials belong to different offices or contexts.