Ancient History of Odisha: Multiple Choice Questions
1. What is the pre-historic name of Odisha?
- (a) Utkala
- (b) Kalinga ✅
- (c) Kosala
- (d) Udra
2. Which literary source mentions Kalinga and Odra along with the sacred river Baitarani and Goddess Viraja?
- (a) Vayu Purana ✅
- (b) Manu Smriti
- (c) The Mahabharata
- (d) None of the above
3. Which literary source mentioned Odisha as Kalinganagara, situated to the west of the Gomti river?
- (a) Brihaspati Smriti
- (b) Arthasastra ✅
- (c) Ramayana
- (d) Avasyaka Niryukti
4. Which among the following is a Buddhist literary source of Odisha’s ancient history?
- (a) Kurudharma Jataka ✅
- (b) Avasyaka Niyukti
- (c) Brihat Samhita
- (d) Harshacharita
5. Greek historian Pliny mentions Odisha by which name?
- (a) Kalinga ✅
- (b) Kosala
- (c) Toshali
- (d) Udra
6. Which of the following excavation sites is not a part of the ‘Diamond Triangle’ of Odishan archaeology?
- (a) Khandagiri ✅
- (b) Udayagiri
- (c) Ratnagiri
- (d) Lalitgiri
7. Which of the following inscriptions sheds light on the administration of Asoka in Kalinga?
- (a) Dhauli
- (b) Jaugada
- (c) Both (a) and (b) ✅
- (d) Sundergarh
8. The earliest coins available in Odisha are:
- (a) Punch-marked coins ✅
- (b) Puri Kushana coins
- (c) Nala coins
- (d) Gupta coins
9. Which of the following coins suggests that trade and commerce existed in Odisha?
- (a) Puri-Kushana coins
- (b) Nala coins
- (c) Punch-marked coins ✅
- (d) Gupta coins
10. Which among the following pre-historic sites in Odisha belong to the Neolithic era?
- (a) Baripada
- (b) Barabati
- (c) Udayagiri
- (d) All of these ✅
11. The capital of Kalinga according to Jain and Buddhist literature in ancient times was:
- (a) Toshali ✅
- (b) Dantapur
- (c) Kalinga Pattnam
- (d) Kosala
12. Who were the rulers of Kalinga before the establishment of the Maurya dynasty?
- (a) Rashtrakutas
- (b) Nandas ✅
- (c) Matharas
- (d) Nalas
13. King Asoka became a Buddhist after being horrified by the tyranny of the Kalinga War. It was in:
- (a) 258 BC
- (b) 261 BC ✅
- (c) 200 BC
- (d) 327 BC
14. What was the capital of Kalinga after its annexation with the Magadha empire?
- (a) Tosali ✅
- (b) Samapa
- (c) Sisupalgarh
- (d) Dantapura
15. The Hathigumpha inscription in Udayagiri near Bhubaneswar provides information about which dynasty of ancient Odisha?
- (a) Chedi dynasty ✅
- (b) Ganga dynasty
- (c) Satavahana dynasty
- (d) None of these
16. Which among these is not a principality of Kalinga during the Gupta period?
- (a) Kottura
- (b) Erandapalla
- (c) Kongoda
- (d) Devarashtra ✅
17. Which Mathara king declared himself as the Lord of Kalinga?
- (a) Visakhavarman ✅
- (b) Shaktivarman
- (c) Prabhanjanavarman
- (d) Umavarman
18. Who among the following transferred his capital from Simhapura to Pishtapura?
- (a) Umavarman
- (b) Vishakavarman
- (c) Shaktivarman ✅
- (d) None of these
19. The Nala dynasty (4th-5th century AD) was centered around which modern districts of Odisha?
- (a) Ganjam and Gajapati
- (b) Cuttack and Khordha
- (c) Malkangiri and Ganjam
- (d) Koraput and Kalahandi ✅
20. The Meghas ruled over which part of Kosala?
- (a) North Kosala
- (b) East Kosala
- (c) South Kosala ✅
- (d) West Kosala
21. After the downfall of the Gupta empire, which of the following was not a regional kingdom that emerged in Odisha from the 6th-9th century AD?
- (a) The Vigrahas
- (b) The Mudgalas
- (c) The Nagas ✅
- (d) The Mandala states
22. The territory of the Sailodbhava dynasty was known as:
- (a) Kalinga Dynasty
- (b) Kalinga Mandala
- (c) Kongoda Desh ✅
- (d) Kangoda Mandala
23. In which royal dynasty of early medieval Odisha do we find the rule of queens?
- (a) Sailodbhava dynasty
- (b) Bhauma-Kara dynasty ✅
- (c) Somavamsi dynasty
- (d) Satavahana dynasty
24. Which queen built the Gauri temple at Bhubaneswar?
- (a) Vakula Mahadevi
- (b) Gauri Mahadevi ✅
- (c) Prithvi Mahadevi
- (d) None of these
25. The Bhauma-Kara dynasty in Odisha had commercial relations with which country?
- (a) Egypt
- (b) Ceylon
- (c) Indonesia ✅
- (d) Rome
26. For the first time, Kalinga, Utkala, Kongodo, and Kosala were unified by:
- (a) Bhauma-Kara dynasty
- (b) Ganga dynasty
- (c) Sailodbhava dynasty
- (d) Somavamsi dynasty ✅
27. Which ruler of the Somavamsi dynasty started the construction of the Lingaraj temple?
- (a) Indraratha
- (b) Yayati II ✅
- (c) Janmejaya I
- (d) Janmejaya II
28. Assertion (A): Kharavela invaded the Satavahana kingdom and captured its territories.
Reason (R): Chandravarman declared himself the Lord of Kalinga.
- (a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
- (b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.
- (c) A is true, but R is false ✅
- (d) A is false, but R is true
29. Match the following kingdoms with their corresponding regions.
| Kingdoms | Regions |
|---|---|
| A. Parvatadvarkas | 1. South Kosala |
| B. Sarbhapuriyas | 2. Ganjam |
| C. Sailodbhava | 3. Kalahandi |
| D. Bhauma-Kara | 4. Jajpur |
Codes:
- A, B, C, C
- (a) 2, 4, 1, 3
- (b) 4, 2, 3, 1
- (c) 1, 3, 2, 4
- (d) 3, 1, 2, 4 ✅
These questions provide an in-depth understanding of Odisha’s ancient history, covering its rulers, inscriptions, coins, and key archaeological sites.