Ans: D

Exp:

The last king of the Mauryas, Brihadratha, was assassinated by Pushyamitra Sunga in 180 BCE. This is corroborated by Bana, the court poet of Harshavardhana of Kannauj. Harshacharita also refers to Pushyamitra as a brahmana who was an ignoble person. The usurpation of the Mauryan throne by Pushyamitra is referred to in the Puranas and Banabhatta’s Harshacharita. According to the Puranas, Pushyamitra ruled for 36 years and died in 151 BCE. His son and successor was Agnimitra and he was succeeded by his son Vasumitra. The Puranas refer to ten Sunga rulers. Except for Pushyamitra, Agnimitra, Vasumitra and Dhanadeva, the historicity of other rulers is not supplemented by sources.Hence, Option 1 and 2 are correct.

According to Patanjali’s Mahabhasya (III.2.111), there were Greek incursions during the rule of the Sungas. This information is also corroborated by Yugapurana. The Greeks besieged Saketa (near Ayodhya in the Faizabad District of Uttar Pradesh) and Madhyamika (Nagari near Chittor in Rajasthan). Hence, Option 3 is correct.

Kalidasa’s Malavikagnimitra describes Agnimitra, son of Pushyamitra, as belonging to the Baimbika kula and the Baudhayana Srauta Sutra represents the Baimbikayah as Kashyapas.   Hence, Option 4 is correct.

Ans: A

Exp: 

Yajna Sri Satakarni (AD 165–94) was the last great king of the Satavahana dynasty, and recovered north Konkan and Malwa from the Shaka rulers. He was a patron of trade and navigation, and his coins appear not only in Andhra but also in Maharashtra, MP, and Gujarat. His enthusiasm for navigation and overseas trade is demonstrated by the representation of a ship on his coins.

Ans: C

Exp:

Statement 1 is correct: One of the practices started by Satavahana rulers in the 1st century BCE was that of donating revenue of a village to either a brahmana or the Buddhist sangha. This practice became much more widespread under the Gupta rulers. The cultivated fields and villages granted to them were declared free from intrusion by royal policemen, soldiers, and other royal officers. These areas therefore became small independent islands within the Satavahana kingdom.

Statement 2 is correct: The Satavahanas however show traces of a matrilineal social structure. It was customary for their king to be named after his mother. Such names as Gautamiputra and Vashishthiputra indicate that in their society the mother enjoyed a great deal of importance. However, the Satavahana ruling family was basically patriarchal because succession to the throne passed to the male member.

Statement 3 is correct: Gautamiputra Satakarni, described himself as a brahmana and claimed to have established the four fold varna system which had fallen into disorder. As the Andhras are identified with the early Satavahanas, they were probably a local tribe that was brahmanized. The orthodox brahmanas of the north viewed the Andhras as a mixed caste which would appear to indicate that the Andhras were a tribal people brought within the fold of brahmanical society as a mixed caste.

Ans: D

Exp: 

The military character of the Satavahanas is evident with the use of terms like kataka and skandhavaras in their inscriptions, which denote military camps and settlements attached to a particular king and also served as administrative centres. 

Ans: D

Exp:

Karle is one of the most famous centres of early rock-cut architecture. The grand Chaitya griha of Karle is the grandest and the largest of all the chaitya-grihas of India. The group at Karle consists of 16 rock cut excavations of which cave 8 is the chaitya griha which was caused during Satavahanas. It is on the ancient highway connecting seaports of Kalyan and Sopara to the cities located inland. The monasteries at Karle could be dated between circa 60-40 B.C. and 4th century A.D. Except for three excavations of Mahayana phase the remaining belong to the Hinayana phase. The chaityagriha at Karle is also unique as it is one among the two chaitya grihas in western Deccan which has huge lion pillars in front, the other being Kanheri.