Question map
Which one of the following is the correct chronological order of the invasions of north-west India after the fall of the Mauryas ?
Explanation
Following the decline of the Mauryan Empire, north-west India witnessed a series of foreign invasions. The first to establish power were the Bactrian Greeks (Indo-Greeks) around 200 BCE, led by rulers like Demetrius [t2][t4][t6]. They were followed by the Sakas (Scythians) and subsequently the Parthians (Pahlavas) in the 1st century CE, with Gondophares being a prominent ruler [c1][t5]. The Kushans (Yuezhi) then displaced the Parthians and Greeks, establishing a vast empire by the 1st century CE [c1][t5][t9]. Finally, much later during the Gupta period (5th-6th century CE), the Hunas (Hephthalites) invaded, marking the end of this chronological sequence [t8]. Thus, the correct order is Bactrian Greeks, Parthians, Kushans, and Hunas. While the Sakas are often placed between Greeks and Parthians, the provided options necessitate selecting the sequence that correctly orders the four mentioned groups.
Sources
- [1] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 6: Polity and Society in Post-Mauryan Period > 6.2Sakas, Parthians and Kushanas > p. 79
- [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Greek_Kingdom