Question map
Not attempted Correct Incorrect ★ Bookmarked
Loading…
Q17 (IAS/2025) History & Culture › Ancient India › Mahajanapadas and Buddha Answer Verified

With reference to ancient India (600-322 BC), consider the following pairs : I. Asmaka : Godavari II. Kamboja : Vipas III. Avanti : Mahanadi IV. Kosala : Sarayu How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: B
Explanation

Asmaka (or Assaka) was a Mahajanapada located in the Deccan region, on the banks of the Godavari river[1], making the first pair correctly matched. Kamboja was located in the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent, around present-day Afghanistan and Tajikistan. The river Vipas (Beas) flows in the Punjab region, not in Kamboja[2], so the second pair is incorrectly matched. Avanti was a Mahajanapada located in western Madhya Pradesh, with its capital at Ujjain. The main river flowing through Avanti was the Narmada[3], not the Mahanadi (which flows in Chhattisgarh and Odisha)[4], making the third pair incorrect. Kosala was a Mahajanapada in the region of present-day eastern Uttar Pradesh, and the Sarayu river (modern Ghaghara) flowed through it[5], making the fourth pair correctly matched. Therefore, only two pairs (Asmaka-Godavari and Kosala-Sarayu) are correctly matched.

Sources
How others answered
Each bar shows the % of students who chose that option. Green bar = correct answer, blue outline = your choice.
Community Performance
Out of everyone who attempted this question.
74%
got it right
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Guest preview
Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. With reference to ancient India (600-322 BC), consider the following pairs : I. Asmaka : Godavari II. Kamboja : Vipas III. Avanti : Maha…
At a glance
Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 10/10
You're seeing a guest preview. The Verdict and first statement analysis are open. Login with Google to unlock all tabs.

This is a classic 'Map-based History' question that rewards integrating RS Sharma (Ancient History) with basic Indian Geography. It is not a random trivia question; it tests the fundamental geographical setting of the Second Urbanisation. If you memorized the list of 16 Mahajanapadas without visualizing their locations on a physical map, you likely struggled.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
In ancient India (600–322 BC), was the kingdom of Asmaka located on the Godavari River?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"Explanation I. Asmaka : Godavari — Correct Asmaka (or Assaka) was a Mahajanapada located in the Deccan region, on the banks of the Godavari river."
Why this source?
  • Directly states Asmaka (Assaka) was a Mahajanapada located in the Deccan on the banks of the Godavari.
  • Explicitly labels the Asmaka: Godavari pairing as correct, answering the location question.

CONTEMPORARY INDIA-I ,Geography, Class IX . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 3: Drainage > The Godavari Basin > p. 21
Strength: 5/5
“The Godavari is the largest Peninsular river. It rises from the slopes of the Western Ghats in the Nasik district of Maharashtra. Its length is about 1500 km. It drains into the Bay of Bengal. Its drainage basin is also the largest among the peninsular rivers. The basin covers parts of Maharashtra (about 50 per cent of the basin area lies in Maharashtra), Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. The Godavari is joined by a number of tributaries, such as the Purna, the Wardha, the Pranhita, the Manjra, the Wainganga and the Penganga. The last three tributaries are very large.”
Why relevant

Gives the geographic extent and major tributaries of the Godavari basin, defining the physical region a kingdom 'on the Godavari' would occupy.

How to extend

A student could use this basin map plus a historical map of kingdoms to see whether Asmaka's reported territory overlaps the Godavari drainage.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 5: Evolution of Society in South India > 5.2 South India under the Satavahanas > p. 65
Strength: 4/5
“The Satavahanas emerged in the first century BCE in the Deccan region. They ruled over parts of Andhra, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. From recent archaeological evidence it is understood that the Satavahanas started to rule in the Telengana area and then moved to Maharashtra to rule in the Godavari basin with Prathistan (Paithan in Maharashtra) as their capital. Later they moved eastwards to control coastal Andhra also. Gautamiputra Satakarni was the greatest of the Satavahana kings. He defeated the Shaka ruler Nahapana and reissued the coins. Nahapana with his own royal insignia. The inscription of his mother Gautami Balashri at Nashik mentions him as the conqueror of the Shakas, Pahlavas, and Yavanas.”
Why relevant

States that later polities (the Sātavāhanas) ruled the Godavari basin and identifies key locations (Prathistan/Paithan, Telangana) in the Deccan region.

How to extend

Use the fact that the Deccan had continuous political activity around the Godavari to judge plausibility that an earlier kingdom (Asmaka) could have been located there.

Exploring Society:India and Beyond ,Social Science-Class VII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 6: The Age of Reorganisation > The Sātavāhanas > p. 125
Strength: 4/5
“Coins issued by the Sātavāhana rulers have been found in various regions of India, from Gujarat to Andhra Pradesh — India's western and eastern coasts. Indeed, many coins depicted ships, suggesting that maritime trade was an important part of economic life. The type of ship depicted on the coin above suggests advanced shipbuilding and navigation technologies. Agriculture flourished in the Krishna-Godavari river system, which provided economic stability to the kingdom. The Sātavāhanas had active trade networks that reached as far as the Roman Empire and included an exchange of goods like spices, textiles, sandalwood, and luxury items like gold-plated pearls, ivory, etc.”
Why relevant

Notes the economic importance of the Krishna–Godavari river system for agriculture and trade, implying major kingdoms often centered on such river systems.

How to extend

Apply the general pattern that ancient kingdoms commonly occupied fertile river basins to assess whether Asmaka, if described as a regional kingdom, might plausibly have been based on the Godavari.

Exploring Society:India and Beyond ,Social Science-Class VII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 5: The Rise of Empires > The Arrival of the Greeks > p. 96
Strength: 3/5
“While events unfolded in Magadha, located in the eastern part of the subcontinent, what was happening in the northwestern region? This area was home to smaller kingdoms along an ancient route connecting to the Mediterranean. Among them, according to Greek accounts, were the Pauravas, led by their king, Porus.”
Why relevant

Shows that classical/ancient accounts (Greek in this example) identify and place named kingdoms/kingdoms’ rulers in specific geographic zones.

How to extend

A student could look for comparable ancient textual references that place Asmaka in a named region or alongside other geographically located polities to infer its river-basin affiliation.

Statement analysis

This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.

Login with Google to unlock all statements.

Statement analysis

This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.

Login with Google to unlock all statements.

Statement analysis

This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.

Login with Google to unlock all statements.

How to study

This tab shows concrete study steps: what to underline in books, how to map current affairs, and how to prepare for similar questions.

Login with Google to unlock study guidance.

Micro-concepts

Discover the small, exam-centric ideas hidden in this question and where they appear in your books and notes.

Login with Google to unlock micro-concepts.

The Vault

Access hidden traps, elimination shortcuts, and Mains connections that give you an edge on every question.

Login with Google to unlock The Vault.

✓ Thank you! We'll review this.

SIMILAR QUESTIONS

IAS · 2023 · Q46 Relevance score: 2.90

With reference to ancient Indian History, consider the following pairs : Literary work Author 1. · Devichandragupta : Bilhana 2. Hammira-Mahakavya : Nayachandra Suri 3. Milinda-panha : Nagarjuna 4. Nitivakyamrita : Somadeva Suri How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

IAS · 2022 · Q46 Relevance score: 1.27

With reference to Indian history, consider the following pairs: 1. Aryadeva - Jaina scholar 2. Dignaga - Buddhist scholar 3. Nathamuni - Vaishnava scholar How many pairs given above are correctly matched?

IAS · 2020 · Q7 Relevance score: 0.86

With reference to the history of India, consider the following pairs : Famous Place Present State 1. Bhilsa - Madhya Pradesh 2. Dwarasamudra - Maharashtra 3. Girinagar - Gujarat 4. Sthanesvara - Uttar Pradesh Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched ?

IAS · 2022 · Q2 Relevance score: -0.35

Consider the following pairs : King Dynasty 1. Nannuka - Chandela 2. Jayashakti - Paramara 3. Nagabhata II - Gurjara-Pratihara 4. Bhoja - Rashtrakuta How many pairs given above are correctly matched ?