Buddhism, Jainism & other schools

Answer: (a) Andhra

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)

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 · Report an error

Answer: (b) Only two

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)

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 · Report an error

Answer: (b) Jainism

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)

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 · Report an error

Answer: (b) Only two

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)

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 · Report an error