Prehistory & Major Dynasties of Madhya Pradesh — Practice

Question 1

Name the site in the Narmada valley where an archaic hominin skull-cap was found in 1982, and the popular name given to it.

Accepted Answer

Hathnora, in Sehore district on the Narmada, where the Geological Survey's Arun Sonakia found the skull-cap. It is popularly called "Narmada Man".

Question 2

Which UNESCO World Heritage Site in Raisen district is known for Stone Age rock paintings, and when was it inscribed?

Accepted Answer

Bhimbetka, a complex of hundreds of rock shelters whose paintings run from the Mesolithic into historic times. UNESCO inscribed it in 2003.

Question 3

What does the Heliodorus pillar at Besnagar (Vidisha) record, and why is it significant?

Accepted Answer

It records a Greek envoy, Heliodorus, who called himself a devotee of Vasudeva and set up a Garuda pillar. It is standard evidence that Vaishnavism spread to foreigners in the second century BCE.

Question 4

List the Gupta-age sites and inscriptions in Madhya Pradesh and say what each is known for.

Accepted Answer

Eran (Sagar) has an inscription of Samudragupta and Bhanugupta's pillar inscription of 510 CE, the earliest generally cited record of sati. The Udayagiri caves at Vidisha hold Chandragupta II's Vaishnava sculpture, including the Varaha panel. Gupta temples survive at Bhumara (Satna), Nachna-Kuthara (Panna) and Tigawa (Jabalpur/Katni). Together they show MP as a core Gupta region for early temple architecture.

Question 5

Distinguish the roles of Yashovarman, Dhanga and Vidyadhara in the making of Khajuraho.

Accepted Answer

Yashovarman built the Lakshmana temple around 950, the earliest of the great group. Dhanga added the Vishvanatha temple at the end of the tenth century. Vidyadhara is credited with the Kandariya Mahadeva, and is remembered for withstanding Mahmud of Ghazni. Each temple therefore marks a different reign, and none should be assigned to "the Chandelas" without a named king.

Question 6

Assess the contribution of the Paramara king Bhoja to learning and architecture.

Accepted Answer

Bhoja (c. 1010-1055) was a patron and author, credited with works including the Samarangana Sutradhara on architecture. He is associated with the unfinished Bhojeshwar temple at Bhojpur and with Dhar as a centre of Sanskrit learning. His reign is the cultural high point of Paramara Malwa, before Alauddin Khalji's forces conquered Malwa in 1305.

Question 7

Why is Mandu important in the history of the Malwa Sultanate?

Accepted Answer

Hoshang Shah moved the capital from Dhar to Mandu, a fortified plateau. His marble tomb is an early Indo-Islamic marble mausoleum, and the Jahaz Mahal, Hindola Mahal and Jama Masjid belong to the same complex. The Baz Bahadur-Rupmati story is the best-known legend. Akbar's forces ended the sultanate in 1561.

Question 8

"The early medieval centuries in Madhya Pradesh were an age of regional dynasties, each leaving a distinct architectural and political legacy." Discuss with reference to the Pratiharas, Kalachuris, Chandelas, Paramaras and Tomars. (~200 words)

Accepted Answer

Five dynasties divided MP's early medieval landscape. The Gurjara-Pratiharas, under Nagabhata I and Mihira Bhoja, held Ujjain and Gwalior on the way to Kannauj and fought the tripartite struggle. The Kalachuris of Tripuri near Jabalpur, from Kokalla I to Gangeyadeva and Karna, left the Chausath Yogini temple at Bhedaghat. The Chandelas of Bundelkhand built Khajuraho and resisted Ghazni until Prithviraj and Aibak ended them. The Paramaras, from Siyaka II and Munja to Bhoja, ruled Ujjain and Dhar and produced the Bhojpur temple and Bhoja's writings before Malwa fell in 1305. The Tomars of Gwalior peaked under Man Singh Tomar, builder of Man Mandir and patron of Dhrupad. The common thread is a capital-fort-temple pattern: each dynasty pairs political strength with a distinctive monument style, which is why exam answers must link a ruler to a place.

Question 9

Describe the Gond kingdom of Garha-Mandla and evaluate Rani Durgavati's resistance to the Mughals. (~200 words)

Accepted Answer

Garha-Mandla, centred near Jabalpur, was the most important Gond kingdom of central India. Under Sangram Shah it grew to a reported fifty-two garhs, or fort-districts, and became a rich, well-organised realm. After Dalpat Shah's death, his widow Rani Durgavati ruled as regent for their son Vir Narayan. When Akbar's governor Asaf Khan invaded in 1564, she fought at Narrai and, seeing defeat, took her own life rather than be captured. Militarily the resistance failed, since the kingdom was overrun and Vir Narayan died at Chauragarh. Politically and symbolically it was lasting: Durgavati is remembered as a defender of regional sovereignty and a model of women's leadership, and the state commemorates her through the Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve and the Rani Durgavati University at Jabalpur.

Practice — Prehistory & Major Dynasties of Madhya Pradesh

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