प्राचीन भारत के संदर्भ में, निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार कीजिए : 1. स्तूप की संकल्पना मूलतः बौद्ध संकल्पना है। 2. स्तूप आमतौर पर अवशेषों का निक्षेपागार होता था। 3. बौद्ध परंपरा में स्तूप एक संकल्प-अर्पित या स्मारक संरचना होती थी। उपर्युक्त में से कितने कथन सही हैं?

(d) कोई भी नहीं

निम्नलिखित युग्मों पर विचार कीजिए : 1. बेसनगर — शैव गुफा मंदिर 2. भाजा — बौद्ध गुफा मंदिर 3. सित्तनवासल — जैन गुफा मंदिर उपर्युक्त में से कितने युग्म सही सुमेलित हैं?

(d) कोई भी नहीं

प्रश्न यूपीएससी के हिंदी प्रश्नपत्र से · व्याख्या अभी अंग्रेज़ी में

Prelims · Ancient India · 20 questions

Buddhism, Jainism & other schools

Every UPSC Prelims question on this topic, 2016–2026, newest first. Tap an option to check yourself; the answer and explanation open below it.

Asked in 9 of 11 years · most in 2023 (3)

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UPSC syllabus: “History of India and Indian National Movement.” Sub-topics in the detailed syllabus →

Prelims 2023 · Q41

X-Ray · Core #48 Medium

धान्यकटक, जो महासांघिकों के अधीन एक प्रमुख बौद्ध केन्द्र के रूप में समृद्ध हुआ, निम्नलिखित में से किस एक क्षेत्र में अवस्थित था?

Read this question in English

In which one of the following regions was Dhanyakataka, which flourished as a prominent Buddhist centre under the Mahasanghikas, located?

(a) Andhra · (b) Gandhara · (c) Kalinga · (d) Magadha

उत्तर और व्याख्या · explanation in English

Answer: (a) आंध्र

Dhanyakataka is the old name of Amaravati, in the Andhra region (present-day Andhra Pradesh). It was the site of the great Amaravati stupa and served as a capital of the Satavahanas.

✓ (a) The Andhra Pradesh government's own history of Amaravati says Dhanyakataka–Amaravati was the capital city of the Satavahanas, and NCERT shows Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) as a major Buddhist site with a famous sculpted stupa.
✗ (b) Gandhara lay in the north-west, around Taxila and Peshawar (NCERT), far from Amaravati; it is known for Buddha images based on Greek models.
✗ (c) Kalinga is modern-day Odisha (NCERT); it is linked with Ashoka's war, not with Dhanyakataka.
✗ (d) Magadha, in present-day Bihar (NCERT), had Rajgir as its early capital; it is not the region of Dhanyakataka.

Remember · Dhanyakataka = Amaravati (Andhra): great Buddhist stupa and Satavahana capital.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part I, Ch 4 (practise this chapter) · Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part I, Ch 4 (practise this chapter) · Class 7 Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 1), Ch 5 (practise this chapter) · Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part I, Ch 2 (practise this chapter)

Sources

Historical timeline of Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority) ↗ “It is a fact that Dhanyakataka – Amaravati served as the Capital City of the Satyavahanas.”
NCERT Class 12 · Themes in Indian History, Part I, Chapter 4 “Fig. 4.7 A sculpture (c. 200 CE) from Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh), depicting the departure of the Buddha from his palace”
NCERT Class 12 · Themes in Indian History, Part I, Chapter 4 “These were, more often than not, found in the northwest, in cities such as Taxila and Peshawar, where Indo-Greek rulers had established kingdoms in the second century BCE.”
NCERT Class 7 · Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 1), Chapter 5 “According to one of his edicts he once marched on Kalinga (modern-day Odisha), where he waged a ferocious war.”
NCERT Class 12 · Themes in Indian History, Part I, Chapter 2 “Magadha (in present-day Bihar) became the most powerful mahajanapada.”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2023, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2023 · Q42

Medium

प्राचीन भारत के संदर्भ में, निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार कीजिए :

1.स्तूप की संकल्पना मूलतः बौद्ध संकल्पना है।
2.स्तूप आमतौर पर अवशेषों का निक्षेपागार होता था।
3.बौद्ध परंपरा में स्तूप एक संकल्प-अर्पित या स्मारक संरचना होती थी।

उपर्युक्त में से कितने कथन सही हैं?

Read this question in English

With reference to ancient India, consider the following statements:

1. The concept of Stupa is Buddhist in origin.

2. Stupa was generally a repository of relics.

3. Stupa was a votive and commemorative structure in Buddhist tradition.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one · (b) Only two · (c) All three · (d) None

उत्तर और व्याख्या · explanation in English

Answer: (b) केवल दो

Statements 2 and 3 are correct, and statement 1 is not. Stupas were mounds that held sacred relics and were built as commemorative and votive structures in Buddhism, but NCERT notes the tradition of raising stupas may be older than Buddhism.

✗ 1. NCERT says the tradition of erecting stupas may have been pre-Buddhist; it later came to be associated with Buddhism. So the idea is not purely Buddhist in origin.
✓ 2. Places were held sacred because relics of the Buddha, such as his bodily remains or objects he used, were buried there, and these mounds were called stupas.
✓ 3. In Buddhist tradition stupas were built to honour sacred sites and as offerings. NCERT's art book describes many votive stupas, for example the small rock-cut ones around the hillock at Anakapalli.

Remember · Stupa: a mound holding relics, tied to Buddhism but with possibly pre-Buddhist roots; built as commemorative and votive monuments.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part I, Ch 4 (practise this chapter) · Class 11 An Introduction to Indian Art, Part I, Ch 4 (practise this chapter)

Sources

NCERT Class 12 · Themes in Indian History, Part I, Chapter 4 “This was because relics of the Buddha such as his bodily remains or objects used by him were buried there. These were mounds known as stupas. The tradition of erecting stupas may have been pre-Buddhist, but they came to be associated with Buddhism.”
NCERT Class 11 · An Introduction to Indian Art, Part I, Chapter 4 “Many votive rock-cut stupas all around the hillock have also been excavated.”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2023, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2023 · Q47

Easy

“आत्मा केवल जंतु और पादप जीवन की संपदा नहीं है, बल्कि शिलाओं, प्रवाहित जलधाराओं और अन्य अनेक प्राकृतिक वस्तुओं की भी है, जिन्हें अन्य धार्मिक संप्रदाय जीवित नहीं मानते।”

उपर्युक्त कथन प्राचीन भारत के निम्नलिखित में से किस एक धार्मिक संप्रदाय के एक मूलभूत विश्वास को प्रतिबिंबित करता है?

Read this question in English

"Souls are not only the property of animal and plant life, but also of rocks, running water and many other natural objects not looked on as living by other religious sects."

The above statement reflects one of the core beliefs of which one of the following religious sects of ancient India?

(a) Buddhism · (b) Jainism · (c) Shaivism · (d) Vaishnavism

उत्तर और व्याख्या · explanation in English

Answer: (b) जैन परंपरा

The belief that the whole world is animated, so that even stones, rocks and water possess life (jiva), is the central idea of Jainism. It is this idea that makes ahimsa, non-injury to every living thing, the heart of Jaina practice.

✓ (b) Jaina teaching holds that souls reside not only in humans, animals and plants but also in earth, water, fire and air bodies; hence the extreme care Jaina monks and nuns take not to harm any form of life.
✗ (a) Buddhism also preaches non-violence, but it does not attribute souls to rocks or water; the Buddha in fact denied a permanent soul (anatta) altogether.
✗ (c) Shaivism and Vaishnavism are theistic traditions of devotion to Shiva and Vishnu; they do not treat inanimate natural objects as ensouled beings.

Remember · Jainism: the entire world is animated, even stones, rocks and water have life; ahimsa towards all beings follows. Buddhism: no permanent self (anatta).

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part I, Ch 4 (practise this chapter)

Sources

NCERT Class 12 · Themes in Indian History, Part I, Chapter 4 “The most important idea in Jainism is that the entire world is animated: even stones, rocks and water have life.”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2023, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2023 · Q82

Medium

निम्नलिखित युग्मों पर विचार कीजिए :

	स्थल	जिसके लिए जाना जाता है
1.	बेसनगर	शैव गुफा मंदिर
2.	भाजा	बौद्ध गुफा मंदिर
3.	सित्तनवासल	जैन गुफा मंदिर

उपर्युक्त में से कितने युग्म सही सुमेलित हैं?

Read this question in English

Consider the following pairs:

1. Besnagar — Shaivite cave shrine

2. Bhaja — Buddhist cave shrine

3. Sittanavasal — Jain cave shrine

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

(a) Only one · (b) Only two · (c) All three · (d) None

उत्तर और व्याख्या · explanation in English

Answer: (b) केवल दो

Pairs 2 and 3 are correct; pair 1 is not. Besnagar is known for the Heliodorus pillar set up in honour of Vasudeva (a Vaishnava monument), not for a Shaivite cave shrine.

✗ 1. Besnagar, near Vidisha, is famed for the Khamb Baba (Heliodorus) pillar, raised as a Garuda pillar in honour of Vasudeva. It is a Vaishnava monument, not a Shaivite cave shrine.
✓ 2. Bhaja, in Maharashtra, is one of the Buddhist rock-cut cave sites of western India dating from the second century BCE onwards, with a chaitya hall.
✓ 3. Sittanavasal in Pudukkottai district, Tamil Nadu, has a Jain cave monastery of the seventh century with painted walls and ceilings.

Remember · Besnagar: Heliodorus (Garuda) pillar for Vasudeva. Bhaja: Buddhist caves and chaitya hall, Maharashtra. Sittanavasal: Jain cave shrine with paintings, Tamil Nadu.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 Knowledge Traditions and Practices of India, Part I, Ch 4 (practise this chapter) · Class 11 Knowledge Traditions and Practices of India, Part I, Ch 4 (practise this chapter)

Sources

Archaeological Survey of India, Bhopal Circle: Besnagar, Khamb Baba (Heliodoras Pillar) ↗ “This pillar was setup as a Garuda dhwaja in honour of God Vasudeva. This pillar is known as Khambaba, the pillar erected by Heliodorous, a Greek Ambassador.”
NCERT Class 11 · Knowledge Traditions and Practices of India, Part I, Chapter 4 “In western India, many Buddhist caves dating back to the second century B.C.E. onward have been excavated. These include Bhaja, Kanheri, Karla, Ajanta, Ellora, Bedasa, Nashik, Junnar, Pitalkhora, etc.”
NCERT Class 11 · Knowledge Traditions and Practices of India, Part I, Chapter 4 “Sittanavasal in Pudukottai district is the location of a Jain monastery of the seventh century.”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2023, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

The Syllabus X-Ray of this topic

1 of its 5 sub-topics is Core

1 Core · 2 High · 2 Steady · 0 Rare

Core #48Buddhist sects, councils & texts · 6 questions
HighJainism: doctrines, sects & texts · 4 questions
HighBuddhist centres, monks & spread abroad · 3 questions

The X-Ray ranks all 928 sub-topics of the UPSC syllabus by what UPSC has asked since 2016. The 60 Prelims Core sub-topics are behind 51% of Prelims questions.

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The same topic in Mains

Indian art, literature & architectureGS 1 syllabus

Read it in NCERT

Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part I, Chapter 4cited in 4 explanations
Class 11 Knowledge Traditions and Practices of India, Part I, Chapter 4cited in 2 explanations
Class 7 Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 1), Chapter 5cited in 1 explanation
Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part I, Chapter 2cited in 1 explanation
Class 11 An Introduction to Indian Art, Part I, Chapter 4cited in 1 explanation

Buddhism, Jainism & other schools

Prelims 2023 · Q41

Prelims 2023 · Q42

Prelims 2023 · Q47

Prelims 2023 · Q82

The same topic in Mains

Read it in NCERT

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