UPSC Prelims 2023 · GS Paper I
Question 41: History and Culture
In which one of the following regions was Dhanyakataka, which flourished as a prominent Buddhist centre under the Mahasanghikas, located?
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (a).
Dhanyakataka, near modern Amaravati and Dharanikota in the Guntur region on the Krishna river, lay in the Andhra region. It was a prominent Buddhist centre where the Mahasanghika school flourished, and the great Amaravati stupa grew there under the Satavahanas and Ikshvakus. Gandhara is linked with Kushana-era Buddhism and Greco-Buddhist art, Kalinga with Ashoka's war, and Magadha with the Buddha's life and the early councils.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Correct: Dhanyakataka (Amaravati) was in Andhra.
- (b) Gandhara is linked with Taxila and Greco-Buddhist art in the north-west.
- (c) Kalinga is known for Ashoka's conquest in coastal Odisha.
- (d) Magadha is the heartland of early Buddhism around Bodh Gaya and Rajgir.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2023, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.