General Knowledge based on Indian History and Culture

01. The word Bharat comes first from Rig-Veda.1. There are 1028 Vedic texts in Rig-Veda2. Language of Vedas was Sanskrit3. Gayatri Mantra is mentioned in 3rd mandal of Rig-Veda4. Savitri or Sun is worshipped in Gayatri mantra5. The social structure was Patriarchal6. Cow was also used as a medium of exchange7. Satyamev Jayate is taken from Mundakopnishad8. The birth and rebirth is mentioned in Vrihadranyaka9. Animal Theft was the crime mentioned most in Vedas’10. Om has been used for 1028 times in Rigveda11. Mahabharat was the largest epic of Vedic period written by Vedvyas in Sanskrit12. Bronze was referred as Ayas13. Barley was referred as Yava14. Carpenter was called Takshak15. Maker of bows was called dhumvakrit16. Rice was referred as Vrihi17. Goldsmith was called as Hiranyakata.18. Jana word was used for 275 times in Rigveda19. Indra word was used for 200 times20. The potteries used were Black and Red ware, Black Slipped ware, painted Grey ware and Red ware.21. Name of Indus River of Sindhu22. Name of Kabul River was Kumbha23. The name of swat river was Suvastu24. Name of Chenab was Askini25. The name of Jhelam river was Vitasta26. The name of ravi river was Purushni.

Region of Later Vedic Period :

They reveal that the Aryans expanded from Punjab over the whole of western Punjab over the whole of western UP covered by the Ganga-Yamuna doab.

In the beginning, they cleared the land by burning; later with the use of iron tools which became common by 1000 - 800 BC.Political Organization in India :

Tiny tribal settlements were replaced by strong kingdoms.

Powers of the king, who was called Samrat increased. Importance of assemblies declined. Women were no longer permitted to attend assemblies. The term 'rashtra' indicating territory first appeared in this period.

A regular army was maintained for the protection of kingdom.

References of Priest (Purohita), Commander in chief (Senapati), Charioteer (Sura), treasurer (Sangrahita), tax collector (Bhagdugha), chief queen (Mahisi) and the game companion (aksavapa).Later Vedic Period Social Life :

The four fold division of society became clear - initially based on occupation, which later became hereditary: Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (Warriors), Vaishyas (agriculturists, cattle-rearers, traders) and Shudras (servers of the upper three).

Women enjoyed freedom and respect but their status deteriorated compared to earlier time.

The institution of gotra appeared in this age first time. Gotra signified descent from common ancestors.

In this time also, Chariot racing was the main sport and gambling was the main pastime.Types of Marriages in Later Vedic Period :

Brahma : Marriage of a duly dowered girl to a man of the same class.

Daiva : Marriage in which a father gave his daughter to a sacrificial priest as part of his fees.

Arsa : Marriage in which a token bride-price of a cow and a bull was paid to the daughter's father.

Prajapatya : Marriage in which the father gave the girl without dowry and without demanding bride-price.

Gandharva : Marriage, often clandestine, by the consent of the two parties.

Asura : Marriage by purchase.

Rakshasa : Marriage by capture.

Paishacha : Marriage involving the seduction of a girl while sleeping, etc.

Anuloma marriage was the marriage of a higher varno man with a lower varna woman.

Pratiloma marriage was the marriage or a lower varno man with a higher varna woman.Important Vedic Rituals :

Asvamedha : A king performed this sacrifice, which meant control over the area in which the royal horse ran uninterrupted. The ceremony lasted for three days at the end of which the horse sacrifice was performed.

Vajapeya : A chariot race was performed in which the king must win the race (it was fixed). It was meant to re-establish a king's supremacy over his people.

Rajasuya : A sacrifice ceremony which conferred supreme power on the king.

Pottery :

The later Vedic people used four types of pottery - black and red ware, black-slipped ware, painted grey ware and red ware.

Red ware was most popular with them, and has been found almost all over western UP However, the most distinctive pottery of the period is known as Painted Grey Ware, which comprised bowls and dishes, used either for rituals or for eating by the upper classes.Religion :

Rituals and formulae became prominent in the cult of sacrifice.

Indra and Agni lost their importance. Prajapati (the creator) became supreme. Vishnu came to be conceived as the preserver and protector of the people.

Some of the social orders came to have their own deities, e.g., Pushan, responsible for well being of the cattle, became the god of the shudras.

Towards the end of the period, began a strong reaction against sacrificial cults and rituals with the composition of the Upanishads, which valued right belief and knowledge more than anything else.The Vedic Literature of India

The Vedas

The word 'veda' comes from the root 'vidi', signifying knowledge.

Vedas are also known as 'shruti' (to hear) as they were passed from generation to generation through verbal transmission.

They are four in all - Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda.

The first three vedas are collectively known as 'Trayi' or 'trio'. Each Veda is further divided into Samhitas.(a) Rig Veda :

Oldest religious text in the world.

Must have been composed around 1700 BC.

A collection of hymns. Were recited at the time of sacrificial rites and other rituals with utmost devotion.

Contains 1028 hymns (1017 + 11 valakhilyas) and is divided into 10 mandates.

II to VII are the earliest mandalas, each of which is ascribed to a particular family of seers (rishis) - Gritsamada, Visvamitra, Vamadeva, Atri, Bharadvaj, and Vashistha. VIII mandala is ascribed to the Kanvas and Angiras. IX is the compilation of Soma hymns. I and X are considered the later additions.

The X mandala contains the famous Purushsukta which explains that the 4 varnas (Brahmans, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra) were born from the mouth, arms, thighs and feet of the creator, Brahma.

Words in Rig Veda: Om (1028 times), Jan (275 times), etc. 250 hymns are dedicated to Indra while 200 are dedicated to Agni.

The third mandala contains the Gayatri Mantra (addressed to sun).

Saraswati is the deity river in Rig Veda.(b) Sama Veda :

Derived from the root 'Saman', i.e., 'melody'. It is a collection of melodies.

It has 1603 verses but except 99 all the rest have been borrowed from Rig Veda.

Contains 'Dhrupada Raga'.(c) Yajur Veda :

Deals with the procedure for the performance of sacrifices.

There are two main texts of Yajur Veda: White Yajurveda (or Shukla Yajurveda) and Black Yajurveda (or Krishna Yajurveda). The former contains mantras and the latter has commentary in prose.(d) Atharva Veda :

Entirely different from other 3 vedas.

Divided into 20 kandas (books) and has 711 hymns - mostly dealing with magic (along with personal problems of people).The Brahmanas :

They explain the hymns of the vedas in an orthodox manner.

Each veda has several Brahmanas attached to it.

Rigveda : Kaushetki and Aitreya.

Yajurveda : Taitriya & Shatpatha.

Samveda : Panchvish & Jemineya.

Atharvaveda : Gopath.

The most important is 'Shatapatha Brahmana' attached to Yajurveda, which is most exhaustive and important of all. It recommends 'One hundred Sacred Paths'.The Aranyakas :

Called 'forest books', written mainly by the hermits living in the jungles for their pupils.

These are the concluding portions of the Brahmanas.

Deals with mysticism and philosophy. Opposed to sacrifice and emphasize 'Meditation'.

Form a bridge between 'Way of work' (Karma Marg) which was the sole concern of the Upanishads and the 'Way of knowledge' (Gyan Marg) which the Brahmanas advocated.The Upanishads History :

The word means 'to sit down near someone' and denotes a student sitting near his guru to learn.

Called Vedanta (the end of the vedas) firstly because they denote the last phase of the Vedic Period and secondly, because they reveal the final aim of the vedas.

They are the main source of Indian philosophy.

There are 108 Upanishads.

They also condemn the ceremonies and the sacrifices.

They discuss the various theories of creation of the universe and define the doctrine of action (Karma).Smritis History :

Explains rules and regulations in the Vedic life.

Main are Manusmriti, Naradsmriti, Yagyavalkyasmriti and Parasharsmriti.Vedangas : Six Vedangas are Shiksha, Kalpa, Vyakarana, Nirukta, Chhanda and Jyotisha.

Shiksha deals with pronunciation.

Kalpa with rituals.

Vyakarana with gramMar.

Nirukta with etymology.

Chhanda with meter.

Jyotisha with astronomy.History of Darshans : There are 6 schools of Indian philosophy known as Shad-Darshana. These are given by 6 philosophers of Ancient India:

Nyaya (Analysis) Darshana : Gautama.

Vaishesika Darshana : Kanada Rishi (referred atom as kan/anu).

Sankhaya Darshana : Kapila.

Yoga Darshana : Patanjali.

Purva Mimansa : Jaimini.

Uttara Mimansa : Badaryana or Vyasa (wrote Mahabharata, classified vedas, composed the puranas and also gave vedantic philosophy).Upavedas : There are four upavedas:

Dhanurveda (deals with art of warfare) (Upaveda of Yajur Veda).

Gandharvaveda (deals with art & music) (Upaveda of Sama Veda).

Shilpaveda (deals with architecture) (Upaveda of Atharva Veda).

Ayurveda (deals with medicine) (Upaveda of Rig Veda).Epics : Though the two epics - the Mahabharata and the Ramayana - were compiled later, they reflect the state of affairs of die Later Vedic Period.

The Mahabharata, attributed to Vyasa, is considered older than the Ramayana and describes the period from the tenth century BC to the fourth century AD. It is also called Jaisamhita and Satasahasri Samhita and has one lakh verses.

The Ramayana, attributed to Valmiki, has 24,000 verses. Its composition started in the fifth century BC and passes through five stages; the fifth stage ended in the twelfth century AD.Rise of Brahmanism :

Value of Brahmins increased as they only could perform religious ceremonies.

Led to religious monopoly.

Puranas or old stories (18 in no.) contain the popular myths of these times.

People revolted against this.

In the sixth century BC onwards, the widespread use of iron in eastern UP and western Bihar created conditions for the formation of large territorial States.

The new agricultural tools and implements enabled the peasants to produce more; and i the extra product was collected by Princes to meet military and administrative needs.

With this, 'Janapadas' started making 'Mahajanpadas'. The land between Himalayas & Narmada was divided into 16 independent states (Mahajanpadas).

HISTORY - MAURYA EMPIRE

Chandragupta Maurya was the founder of the empire. His family is identified by some with the tribe of Moriya mentioned by Greeks. According to one tradition, the designation is derived from Mura, the mother or grandmother of Chandragupta, who was wife of a Nanda king. 

Buddhist writers represent Chandragupta as member of Kshatriya caste, belonging to the ruling clan of little republic of Pipphalivana, lying probably between Rummindei in the Nepalese Tarai and Kasai in the Gorakhpur district. 

Chandragupta is referred to as Sandrocottos in the Greek accounts. 

Chandragupta was the protege of the Brahman, Kautilya or Chanakya, who was his guide and mentor, both in acquirnig a throne and in keeping it. 

Chandragupta met Chanakya in the forests of Vindhya. Chandragupta had been forced to flee to the forest after having offended Alexander, who had ordered for him to be killed. 

The Seleucid provinces of the trans-Indus, which today would cover part of Afghanistan, were ceded to Chandragupta by Seleucus Nikator, a prefect of Alexander, in 303 B.C. 

According to Jain scriptures, Chandragupta was converted to Jainism towards the end of his life and he abdicted in favour of his son and became an ascetic and passed his last days at Sravana Belgola in Mysore. 

Chandragupta was succeeded by his son Bindusara in 297 B.C. To Greeks Bindusara was known as Amitrochates. 

Tradition credits Bindusara with the suppression of a revolt in Taxila. 

The kingdom of Kalinga (modern day Orissa), is known to have been independent during the reign of Bindusara. 

A Greek named Deimachos was received as Ambassador of Greece in Bindusara’s court. Bindusara extended Mauryan control in Deccan as far south as Mysore. 

After Bindusara’s death in 272 B.C., Ashoka, one of his many sons, seized power after putting his eldest brother to death. 

During Bindusara’s reign, Ashoka successively held the important viceroyalties of Taxila and Ujjain. 

Ashoka is referred to as Devanampiya (the beloved of gods) Piyadassi (of amiable appearance) in inscriptions. 

It was during Ashoka’s reign that Kalinga was captured and made part of the Maurya empire. The conquest of Kalinga resulted in the Maurya empire embracing the whole of non-Tamil India and a considerable portion of Afghanistan. The Mauryan empire under Ashoka stretched from the land of Yonas, Kambojas and Gandharas in the Kabul valley and some adjoining territory, to the country of the Andhras in the Godavari-Krishna basin and the district of Isila in the north of Mysore, and from Sopara and Girnar in the west to Dhauli and Jaugada in the east. 

As per some traditional records, the dominions of Ashoka included the secluded hill-regions of Kashmir and Nepal, as well as plains of Pundravardhana (North Bengal) and Samatata (East Bengal). The discovery of inscriptions at Mansehra in the Hazra district, at Kalsi in the Dehradun district, at Nigali Sagar and

Rummindei in the Nepalese Tarai and at Rampurva in the Champaran district of North Bengal are proofs to this. 

According to the Kashmir chronicle of Kalhana, Ashoka’s favourite deity was Shiva. The Kalinga war proved to be a turning point in Ashoka’s career. The sight of misery and bloodshed awakened in him sincere feelings of repentance and sorrow, and made him evolve a policy of dharamvijaya (conquest by piety). He also got deeply influenced by Buddhist teaching and became a zealous devotee of Buddhism. 

Ashoka claimed of spiritual conquest of the realms of his Hellenistic, Tamil and Ceylonese neighbours. 

Hellenistic neighbours of Ashoka were: Antiochos II (Theos of Syria), Ptolemy II (Philadelphos of Egypt), Antigonos (Gonatas of Macedonia), Magas (of Cyrene) and Alexander (of Epirus) After making deep study of Buddhist scriptures Ashoka started undertaking dharam-yatras (tours of morality) in course of which he visited the people of his country and instructed them on Dharma (morality and piety). 

It was during the second royal tour that Ashoka visited the birthplace of Sakya-muni and that of a previous Buddha, and worshipped at these holy spots. 

During Ashoka’s reign the Buddhist church underwent reorganization, with the meeting of the third Buddhist Council at Patliputra in 250 B.C. 

The third Council of Buddhists was the final attempt of the more secretarian Buddhists, the Theravada school, to exclude both dissidents and innovators from the Buddhist Order. Also, it was at this Council that it was decided to send missionaries to various parts of the sub-continent and to make Buddhism an actively proselytizing religion— which in later centuries led to the propagation of Buddhism in south and east Asia. 

Ashoka does not refer to the third Council of Buddhism in any of his inscriptions, indicating that he was careful to make a distinction between his personal belief in and support for Buddhism, and his duty as an emperor to remain unattached and unbiased in favour of any religion. 

Within two years of his first tours, Ashoka requisitioned the services of important officials like Rajukas (district judges), Pradesikas (revenue officials) and Yuktas (clerks) to publish rescripts on morality and set out on tours every five years to give instruction in morality, as well as on ordinary business. Later, Ashoka appointed exclusive officials, styled Dharma-Mahamatras or high officers in-charge of religion, to do the work. Ashoka himself undertook the tours after a gap of 10 years. 

The capitals of the Ashokan pillars bear a remarkable similarity to those of Persepolis and it is believed that these might have been sculpted by craftsmen from the north-western province. The idea of making rock-inscriptions seems to have come to Ashoka after hearing about those of Darius. 

The Ashokan inscriptions were in local script. Those found in northwest, in the region of Peshawar, are in the Kharoshthi script (derived from Aramaic script used in Iran), near modern Kandhar, the extreme west of empire, these are in Greek and Aramaic, and elsewhere in India these are in the Brahmi script. 

The inscriptions of Ashoka are of two kinds. The smaller group consists of declarations of the king as a lay Buddhist, to his chirch, the Buddhist Sanga. These describe his own acceptance and relationship with the Sangha. The larger group of inscriptions are known as the Major and minor Rock Edicts inscribed in rock sur-faces, and the Pillar Edicts inscribed on specially erected pillars, all of which were located in places where crowds were likely to gather. These were proclamations to the public at large, explaining the idea of Dharma. 

Dharma was aimed at building up an attitude of mind in which social responsibility, the behaviour of one person towards another, was considered of great relevance. It was a plea for the recognition of the dignity of

man, and for humanistic spirit in the activities of society. 

Ashoka’s son Prince Mahendra visited Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka) as a Buddhist missionary and convinced the ruler of the island kingdom, Devanampiya Tissa to convert to Buddhism. Ashoka ruled for 37 years and died in 232 B.C. 

With his death a political decline set in, and soon after the empire broke up. The Ganga valley remained under Mauryas for another 50 years. The north-western areas were lost to Bactrian Greeks by about 180 B.C. 

As per the Puranic texts, the immediate successor of Ashoka was his son Kunala. The Chronicals of Kashmir, however, mention Jalauka as the son and successor. 

Kunala was succeeded by his sons, one of whom, Bandhupalita, is known only in Puranas, and another, Sampadi, is mentioned by all traditional authorities. Then there was Dasratha who ruled Magadha shortly after Ashoka and has left three epigraphs in the Nagarjuni Hills in Bihar, recording the gift of caves to the Ajivikas. 

The last king of the Maurya dynasty was Brihadratha, who was overthrown by his commander-in-chief, Pushyamitra, who laid the foundation of the Sunga dynasty. 

The secession of Kashmir and possibly Berar from the Maurya empire is hinted at by Kalhana, the historian of Kashmir, and Kalidas, the author of the Sanskrit play, the Malavikagnimitram, respectively. 

The Maurya period was the first time in Indian history that an empire extended from the Hindukush to the valleys of Godavari and Krishna. 

A remarkable feature of the period was association of a prince of the blood or an allied chieftain with the titu-lar or real head of the government, as a co-ordinate ruler. Such a prince was called yuvaraj (crown prince). This type of rule is known as dvairajya or diarchy. 

The early Maurya rulers had no contact with China. Infact, China was unknown to Indian epigraphy before the Nagarjunikonda inscriptions. 

The king during the Maurya period was assisted by a council of advisers styled the Parishad or the Mantri Parishad. There were also bodies of trained officials (nikaya) who looked after the ordinary affairs of the realm. 

In the inscriptions of Ashoka there are references to Rajukas and Pradesikas, charged with the welfare of Janapadas or country parts and Pradesas or districts. Mahamatras were charged with the administration of cities (Nagala Viyohalaka) and sundry other matters, and a host of minor officials, including clerks (Yuta), scribes (Lipikar) and reporters (Pativedaka). 

The Arthshastra refers to the highest officers as the eighteen tirthas, the chief among them were the Mantrin (chief minister), Purohit (high priest), Yuvraja (heir-apparent) and Senapati (commander-in-chief). 

The head of the judiciary was the king himself, but there were special tribunals of justice, headed by Mahamatras and Rajukas. 

The protection of Chandragupta Maurya was entrusted to an amazonian bodyguard of women. The fighting forces during Chandragupta’s time were under the supervision of a governning body of thirty divided into six boards of five members each. 

The chief sources of revenue were the bhaga and the bali. The bhaga was the king’s share of the produce of

the soil, which was normally fixed at one-sixth, though in special cases it was raised to one-fourth or reduced to one-eighth. Bali was an extra impost levied on special tracts for the subsistence of certain officials. 

Taxes on the land were collected by the Agronomoi who measured the land and superintended the irrigation works. 

In urban areas the main sources of revenue were birth and death taxes, fines and tithes on sales. Arthshastra refers to certain high revenue functionaries styled the samaharti and the sannidharti. The most famous of the irrigation works of the early Maurya period is the Sudarshan lake of Kathiawar, constructed by Pushyagupta the Vaisya, an officer of Chandragupta Maurya, and provided with supplemental channels by the Yavanaraja Tushaspha in the days of Ashoka. 

The Mauryas divided their dominions into provinces subdivided into districts called ahara, vishya and pardesh. 

The secret emissaries who enquired into and superintended all that went in the empire were called pativedakas. 

Varna (caste) and ashram (periods of stages of religious discipline), the two characteristic institutions of the Hindu social polity, reached a definite stage in the Maurya period. The philosophers, the husbandmen, the herdsmen and hunters, the traders and artisans, the soldiers, the overseers and the councillors constituted the seven castes into which the population of India was divided in the days of Megasthenes. 

Slavery was an established institution during the Maurya period. 

Broach was a major port during the Mauryan period. 

The copper coin of eighty ratis (146.4 grs) was known as Karshapana. The name was also applied to silver and gold coins, particularly in south. 

Three works, the Kautiliya Arthshastra, the Kalpasutra of Bhadrabahu and the Buddhist Katha vatthu, are attributed to personages who are said to have flourished in the Maurya period. With the fall of the Mauryas, Indian history lost its unity for sometime. Hordes of foreign barbarians poured through the northwestern gates of the country and established powerful kingdoms in Gandhara (north-west Frontier), Sakala (north-central Punjab) and other places. In the south, the Satavahanas came to power. The founder of the family was Simuka, but the man who raised it to eminence was his son Satakarni-I. 

Sometimes after the death of Satakarni-I, the Satavahana power submerged beneath a wave of Scythian invasion. But, the lost glory was restored by Gautamiputra Satkarni, who built an empire that extended from Malwa in the north to the Kanarese country in south. 

Two cities of Vaijayanti (in north Kanara) and Amaravati (in the Guntur district) attained eminence in the Satavahana period. 

Sri Yajana Satkarni was the last great prince of the line and after him the empire fell to pieces. The earlier Satavahana empire had a formidable rival in the kingdom of Kalinga, which became independent after the death of Ashoka and rose to greatness under Kharavela. 

In the far south of India, beyond the Venkata Hills, known as Dravida or Tamil country, three important States that came into being were Chola, Pandya and Kerala. 

The Cholas occupied the present Tanjore and Trichinopoly districts and showed great military activity. 

The Pandyas occupied the districts of Madura and Tinnevelly with portions of South Travancore. They excelled in trade and learning. 

A Pandya king is said to have sent an embassy to the Roman empire in the first century B.C. The Kerala country embraced Malabar, Cochin and North Travancore. 

The political disintegration of India after the fall of Maurya empire renewed warlike activities on the part of the Greeks of Syria and Bactria. 

The last known Greek king to rule any part of India was Hermaicos. 

The foreign conquerors who supplanted the Greeks in north-west India belong to three main groups, namely, Saka, Pahlava or Parthian and Yue-chi or Kushan. 

The Sakas were displaced from their home in Central Asia by the Yue-chi and were forced to migrate south. The territory they occupied came to be known as Sakasthana, modern Sistan. 

Kanishka is attributed by many scholars to have founded the Saka era in A.D. 78. He is the only Scythian king known to have established an era. Strictly speaking, though, he was a Kushan and not a Saka. 

According to Hiuen Tsang, the great empire over which Kanishka exercised his sway had its capital at Purushapura or Peshawar. His territory extended from Gandhara to Oudh and Benaras. Kanishka is known for his patronage to the religion of Sakya-muni and his monuments. 

In Buddhist history, Kanishka’s name is honoured as that of a prince who summoned a great council (fourth Buddhist Council in Srinagar) to examine the Buddhist scriptures and prepare commentaries on them. 

Among the celebrities who graced Kanishka’s court was Asvaghosha, a philosopher, poet and dramatist, who wrote the Buddha Charita. 

Kanishka’s rule lasted 23 years. His immediate successor was Vasishka, followed by Huvishka.  Mathura became the great centre of Kushan power under Huvishka. 

Huvishka’s empire was spread further west, till Wardak to the west of Kabul. 

The last great Kushan king was Vasudeva-I. 

The decline of Kushan power in the northwest was hastened by the rise of the Sassanian dynasty in Persia.

5: Quiz on Vedas

1)Upanishads are books ona)Yogab)Philosophyc)Medicined)Religious rituals

2)The aryans came to India Froma)Asiab)Europec)Central Asia

d)Africa

3)The heartland of the Rigvedic culture wasa)Rajasthanb)Central Asiac)Sapta Sindud)Punjab

4)Atharva Veda contains one of the followinga)Medicinesb)Science formulaec)magical spells and &charmsd)Music

5)Upavedas containsa)Religious literatureb)Secular topicsc)Vedangasd)Mythology

6)The largest number of Rigvedic hymns are dedicatde toa)Varunab)Agnic)Indrad)Siva

7)Panini’s Ashtadhayayi relates toa)Mathematicsb)Grammarc)Scienced)Law

8)Samaveda is an important source ofa)Paintingd)Dancec)Musicd)Architecture

9)Purandara or the breaker of the forts wasa)Indrab)Varunac)Agnid)None of the above

10)The collection of vedic hymns were known asa)Upanishadsb)Samhitasc)Brahmanasd)None of the above

11)Ayas is the Rigvedic term ofa)Goldb)Silverc)Irond)Copper

12)Which animal is known as ‘Aghanya’in Rigvedaa)Sheepb)Cowd)Goatd)None of the above

13)How many Puranas are there at presenta)16b)18c)20d)14

14)What was Yava in Vedic agea)Paddyb)wheatc)Barleyd)Maize

15)The Gayatri Mantra of Rigveda is addressed toa)The Sunb)The Moonc)Agnid)None of the above