UPHESC Assistant Professor Ancient History 2025 PYQs

Concept: The Meguti temple at Aihole (Karnataka) is a Jain temple built by Ravikirti in AD 634–35.

1. It bears the Aihole prashasti of Ravikirti in praise of Pulakeshin II.
2. The inscription records Pulakeshin's victory over Harsha.

Short trick: Meguti = Jain temple + Aihole inscription (Ravikirti).

Concept: The Nasik cave inscription of Gautami Balashri (19th year of Vasishthiputra Pulumavi) eulogises her son Gautamiputra Satakarni.

1. It calls him "Rama-Keshavarjuna-Bhimasena-tulya-parakrama" – equal in valour to Rama, Keshava, Arjuna and Bhimasena.
2. It also calls him "eka-brahmana" and destroyer of Shakas, Yavanas and Pahlavas.

Short trick: Nasik prashasti: Gautamiputra = Rama + Keshava + Arjuna + Bhima.

Concept: Mangalesha (c. 597–610) was a Badami Chalukya king.

1. He was a devout Vaishnava ("parama-bhagavata"); his Badami cave 3 (AD 578) is dedicated to Vishnu – Statement I false.
2. He was the son of Pulakeshin I and younger brother (not son) of Kirtivarman I; he ruled as regent for his nephew Pulakeshin II – Statement II false.

Short trick: Mangalesha = Vaishnava uncle of Pulakeshin II.

Concept: Bhoja I of the Gurjara-Pratiharas bore several names: Mihira (Gwalior prashasti), Adivaraha (coins) and Prabhasa.

1. The Daulatpura (Dausa, Rajasthan) copper plate of AD 843 calls him Prabhasa.
2. The Gwalior prashasti calls him Mihira; Sanjan plates are a Rashtrakuta (Amoghavarsha I) record; the Badal pillar belongs to the Pala minister Guravamishra.

Short trick: Mihira (Gwalior) – Adivaraha (coins) – Prabhasa (Daulatpur).

Concept: The Chandellas ruled Jejakabhukti (Bundelkhand), the northern Vindhyan region, from Khajuraho, Kalinjar and Mahoba.

1. Statement I true – their kingdom lay in the Vindhya hills between the Yamuna and the Narmada.
2. Nannuka and his successors began as feudatories of the Gurjara-Pratiharas; Yashovarman and Dhanga became independent in the 10th century – Statement II true.

Short trick: Chandellas: Pratihara feudatories → independent under Yashovarman/Dhanga.

Concept: The twelve links (nidanas) of dependent origination are spread over three lives.

1. Past life: 1 avidya (ignorance), 2 samskara (karmic formations).
2. Present life: 3 vijnana to 10 bhava (8 links).
3. Future life: 11 jati (birth), 12 jara-marana (old age and death).

Short trick: 2 – 8 – 2: past, present, future.

Concept: Ballalasena (c. 1160–1179) of Bengal was a scholar-king.

1. He wrote the Danasagara (on gifts) and began the Adbhutasagara (on omens), completed by his son Lakshmanasena.
2. Dasharupaka is by Dhananjaya and its commentary Dasharupavaloka by Dhanika – both at the Paramara court of Munja.

Short trick: Ballala's two "Sagaras": Dana-sagara and Adbhuta-sagara.

Concept: Ibn Khurdadbeh (9th century Arab geographer) described seven castes of India.

1. Among them are two kinds of Kshatriyas: the Sabkufria (Sat-Kshatriyas, the highest, from whom kings came) and the Kataria (ordinary Kshatriyas).
2. The others are Brahma, Sudaria, Baisura, Sandalia and Lahud.

Short trick: Sat-kshatriya (Sabkufria) + Kshatriya (Kataria) = 2.

Concept: A Nagara temple rises from base to finial in fixed parts.

1. Adhishthana/pitha (plinth, base) → Jangha (wall with sculptures) → Shikhara → Amalaka (ribbed stone disc) → Kalasha (pot-finial).
2. So the order is III, I, IV, II.

Short trick: Base–Body–Spire–Amalaka–Kalasha: "A J S A K".

Concept: Kuvalayamala, a Prakrit champu by the Jain monk Udyotana Suri (AD 779), gives a lively picture of trade.

1. It describes a gathering of merchants at Sopara where traders from many regions of north and south India meet and talk in their own dialects about their voyages.
2. It also lists the 18 regional languages (desha-bhasha) of the merchants.

Short trick: Kuvalayamala = merchants' meeting at Sopara + 18 dialects.

Concept: The Aparajitaprichchha of Bhuvanadeva (12th century, Gujarat) is a vastu text that also grades the feudal hierarchy.

1. Below the emperor it lists categories such as mahamandaleshvara, mandalika, mahasamanta, samanta, laghu-samanta, chaturamshika etc., with their territories and retinues.
2. R. S. Sharma uses it as evidence of the developed samanta hierarchy.

Short trick: Aparajita-prichchha = graded list of samantas.

Concept: Katyayana is the most liberal smriti writer on stridhana.

1. He declares women independent (svatantrya) over saudayika stridhana – gifts from parents and kin – which they may sell, give away or pledge as they wish, "even immovables".
2. So a woman could alienate (sell or mortgage) her property, immovable included, along with her stridhana; options B–D wrongly restrict this right.

Short trick: Katyayana: "saudayika – full svatantrya, even over sthavara (immovables)".

Concept: Later smritis glorified pre-puberty marriage; medieval commentators differed on sati.

1. Samvarta/Parashara: "ashtavarsha bhaved Gauri, navavarsha tu Rohini, dashavarsha bhavet Kanya" – Statement I true.
2. Aparārka (12th-century commentator on Yajnavalkya) cites the texts that praise anumarana and supports sati, adding only restrictions; it was Medhatithi who condemned it as suicide – Statement II false.

Short trick: 8 Gauri, 9 Rohini, 10 Kanya; Medhatithi (not Aparārka) opposed sati.

Concept: The debate on moral (value) judgement in history involves Acton, Butterfield, Berlin and Carr.

1. Herbert Butterfield (History and Human Relations, Christianity and History) treated historical justice as resting on values, ultimately a moral and providential order, while warning historians against becoming "hanging judges".
2. Mandelbaum wrote on historical knowledge and relativism; Karl Pearson on scientific method; Oakeshott saw history as a self-contained mode of experience.

Short trick: Butterfield – Whig interpretation critic, Christian moral view of history.

Concept: Positivist history insists on facts drawn from critically examined primary sources, free of the historian's own judgement.

1. Leopold von Ranke (1795–1886) asked historians to show the past "wie es eigentlich gewesen" (as it actually was) and founded archive-based, seminar-taught scientific history.
2. Hence he is called the father of historical positivism / scientific history.

Short trick: Ranke = "as it actually was".

Concept: David Hume, besides being a philosopher, wrote the History of England and the essay "Of the Study of History".

1. In that essay he urges readers (especially women) to prefer history to romances and novels, since it is both more entertaining and instructive.
2. Hence the remark that history is more interesting than a novel is attributed to Hume.

Short trick: Hume: history > novels ("Of the Study of History").

Concept: Match each book with its author.

1. The Oxford History of India – Vincent A. Smith (4).
2. A History of Historical Writing – James Westfall Thompson (1).
3. Principles of Literary Criticism – I. A. Richards (2).
4. The Economic Interpretation of History – Edwin Robert A. Seligman (3). Code: 4, 1, 2, 3.

Short trick: Smith–Oxford; Thompson–Historical Writing; Richards–Criticism; Seligman–Economic interpretation.

Concept: Link each statement to the thinker's central idea.

1. Collingwood's "question and answer" logic – the facts examined are the answers to the historian's questions/problems (a–1).
2. Butterfield discussed the historian as the voice of posterity passing judgement (b–3).
3. W. H. Walsh stressed that historical facts are selected and interpreted (c–4).
4. Toynbee's unit of study is civilisations, so only facts relating to civilised societies count (d–2). Code: 1, 3, 4, 2.

Short trick: Toynbee = civilisations; Collingwood = questions; Walsh = selection.

Concept: Each research method has its typical data-collection tool.

1. Experimental – measures effects with standardised tests (3).
2. Ex-post-facto – studies existing characteristics after the event, using trait/characteristic tests (4).
3. Descriptive survey – questionnaire (2).
4. Historical – primary and secondary sources (1). Code: 3, 4, 2, 1.

Short trick: Only option (B) gives Historical → sources and Survey → questionnaire together.

Concept: E. H. Carr (What is History?, 1961) devotes a chapter to "Causation in History".

1. He holds that "the study of history is a study of causes" – the historian does not merely collect facts but asks "why?" and arranges causes in a hierarchy.
2. Hegel saw history as the march of Spirit; Collingwood as re-enactment of past thought; Croce as contemporary history.

Short trick: Carr: "The study of history is a study of causes."