India Year Book 2009-Selective Readings Part II

• There are 21 High Courts in the country, three having jurisdiction over more than one State
• Among the Union Territories, Delhi alone has a High Court of its own
• The 18th Law Commission was reconstituted on 1 September 2006 for a period of
  three years with Hon’ble Dr. Justice A.R. Lakshmanan as its Chairman. A.R.
  Lakshmanan has been appointed its Chairman w.e.f. 28.5.2007
• The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) was raised on 21 October 1962 after the Chinese
  aggression
• Border Security Force (BSF) raised in 1965, is entrusted with the task of maintaining
  permanent vigilance on India’s international borders.
• The Assam Rifles raised as Catchar Levy in 1835 is the oldest Police Force in the
  country
• Rapid Action Force (RAF) is an integral part of the Central Reserve Police Force. With
  10 battalions it has been conceived in 1992
• The Indian Succession Act was enacted in 1925
• The postal system, established by Lord Clive in the year 1766, was further developed by Warren Hastings by establishing the Calcutta G.P.O. under a Postmaster General in the year 1774
• The country has 1.55 lakhs post offices, of which, 1,39,074 are in rural areas and 16,259 in
  urban areas
• India is a member of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) since 1876 and of the Asian
  Pacific Postal Union (APPU) since 1964.
• Speed Post service was introduced on 1st August 1986.
• The first Telegraph line between Kolkata and Diamond Harbour was opened for traffic in 1851
• On 1 October 2000 a new public Sector Undertaking, viz. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), has been formed to take over all the service providing functions of the erstwhile Department of Telecommunication Services
• The first automatic exchange was commissioned at Shimla in 1913-14 with a capacity of 700 lines.
• In early 1997, the telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) was established
  under the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997 to regulate the
  telecommunications services
• The Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) came into existence on 1 April
  1986.MTNL is entrustd with the Management, Control and Operation of telecom services (excluding public telegraph service) in metropolitan limits of Mumbai & Navi Mumbai (including Kalyan, and Thane, for mobile service) and Delhi (including four towns Noida, Gurgaon, Faridabad & Ghaziabad for mobile service).
• The Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY) was launched on 25 September,
  2001 by merging the on-going schemes of EAS and the JGSY
• Survey of India (SOI), the national survey and mapping organisation under the
  Ministry of Science & Technology was set up in 1767. In its assigned role as the
  National Principal Mapping Agency
• India has the largest constellation of Remote Sensing Satellites
• Antrix, the commercial front of the Department of Space, is a single window agency
  for marketing Indian space capabilities
  

Early Medieval India

• Amoghvarsha patronised Jinasena the author of Adipurana
• The gahdwalah ruler Chndradeva imposed a tax on the Muslims called Turushkadana
• Dantidurga performed Hiranyagarbhadana
• Al Masudi wrote the book "Muruj uj jahan"
• Yashovarman the Chandella ruler built the Khajuraho temple
• The chahamans of Shakambri had several other branches in places like Pratapgarh,Lata, Satvapura, Naddula,Dwalapuri and Ranthambore
• The term Afghan means "To Cry"
• Malatimadhava of Bhabavuti was an important work to know about the kapalikas
• The famous uthor Kshemendra lived in Kashmir
• Dhanyaloka was a work on poetics
• The Chandella rulers revived the gold coins during the medieval period
• The capital of the Hindushahis was Udabandha or Undh
• Harikeli nataka written by Chahamana king Vigraharaja, is inscribed on the slabs of Adhai din ka jhopda
• Pratihara kings had the finest cavalry in the contemporary time
• Nannuka was the founder of the Chandella dynasty and Dhanga was the greatest ruler
• Govindachandra's court was adorned by Lolla Lakshmidhara the author of Kritya kalpataru
• Jaydeva wrote Prasanna Raghava
• Prithviraja Vijaya was written by Jayanka whereas Prithviraja Raso by Chand Vardai
• Govardhanacharya wrote"Aryaprasasti", an erotic poem
• Bilhana wrote Karnasundari
• Krishna I, the Rashtrakuta ruler founded Kailasha temple at Ellora
• Amoghavarsha wrote "prasnottarmalika" and "Kavirajamarga", the earliest work on poetics
• Hindushahis were known as Lallyiah Shahi in Rajtarangini
• Great poet Dhananjay, the author of "Dasarup" adorned the court of Vakpai Munja
• Samantasena was known as Brahma Kshatriya
• Dhoyi wrote Pandavadutam
• Devpala transferred the capital to Monghyr
• During the Pala ruler Rampala Sandhakar Nandi wrote "Ramcharita Manasa" and it was during this time kaivarta rebelion took place
• Dharmapala built the Vikramshila university at Patharghata
• Under the ruler Harsha, Kalhana wrote Rajtarangini in the 12th century
• During the Karkota ruler Durlabh Vardhan, Hieu-en-Tsang visited Kashmir
• The Karkota ruler Lalitaditya Muktadipa built the Sun temple at Martand
• Queen Dida who ruled between 958-1003 AD was of the Utpala dynasty and the wife of Kshemagupta
• Chandellas were the first to use Hindi in Devnagari script
• Al Mashahar went to Benaras to study Sanskrit and astronomy for decade
• The famous image of Bagdevi which is the insignia of Jnanpith award is taken from the symbol prevailing during King Bhoja
• Life science was not taught at Nalanda
• Dhara was a great centre of Sanskrit learning
• Somnath temple was dedicated to Vishnu
• Medhatithi wrote commentaries on Manu
• Chandella king Dhanga sacrificed his life at Prayag at old age
• Chalukya kings were great patrons of Jainism
• Mukteshwara temple was built in the 9th century
• Bhabhavuti author of Malatimadhava and Uttaramacharita was patronised by Yahovarman of Kanauj
• The temples within Khajuraho complex-Duladeo,Kaunarya Mahadeva,Lakshmana,Viswanath,Parshanath and Devi Jagadamba
• Bana wrote Harshacharita, Kadambari and Parvatiparinaya
• In Ellora Brahmanism,Buddhism and Jainism works are found
  

INDIA YEAR BOOK 2009-SELECTIVE READINGS

• Indian Army is world's second largest in terms of military personnel
• India shares land border with 7 countries( Bangladesh maximum) and martime border with 5 countries
• Hindustan Aeronautical Limited was established in 1964 with its corporate Headquarter in Bangalore
• NCC was established in 1948
• Total production of crops in 1007-08 2273.2 lakh tonnes
• ANNAPURNA SCHEME:Ministry of Rural Development launched this scheme in 2000-2001. Indigent senior bcitizens of 65 years of age or above who though eligible for old age pension under the National Old Age Pension Scheme (NOAPS) but are not getting the pension are covered under the Scheme. 10 kg of foodgrains per person per month are supplied free of cost under the scheme. From 2002-2003, the scheme has been transferred to State Plan along with the National Social Assistance Programme comprising the National Old Age Pension Scheme and the National Family Benefit Scheme.
• TARGETTED PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM:
  In order to ensure availability of minimum quantity of foodgrains to the families
  living below the poverty line, the Government launched the TPDS in June 1997.From 1 April 2002, this allocation has been increased from 25 to 35 kg per family per month. The Central Issue Price (CIP) for BPL families is Rs 4.15 per kg for wheat and Rs 5.65 per kg of rice
• The soft drinks constitute the 3rd largest packaged foods regularly consumed after
  packed tea and packed biscuits. The aerated soft drinks industry in India comprises
  over 100 plants across all states.
• The Mid-Day Meal Scheme was launched by the Ministry of Human Resource
  Development (Department of Education) with effect from 15th August 1995 for the
  benefit of students in primary schools under Employment Assurance Scheme (EAS)/
  earlier Revamped Public Distribution System (RPDS) blocks (2368). The Scheme
  covers students (Class I-V) in the Government Primary Schools/Primary Schools
  aided by Government and in the Primary Schools run by local bodies.
• Indian Grain Storage Management and Research Institute (IGMRI), Hapur, is engaged
  in the training and R&D work relating to grain storage management.
• The State/UT wise forest cover in the country shows that Madhya Pradesh
  with 76.013 km2 has the largest area under forest cover, followed by Arunachal
  Pradesh (67,777 km2), Chhattisgarh (55,863 km2)
• Mangroves in India account for about 5 per cent of the World’s mangrove
  vegetation and are spread over an area of about 4500 km2 along the coastal
  States/UTs of the country. Sunderbans in West Bengal account for a little less
  than half of the total area under mangroves in India
• world forestry Day on 21st March
• The forest cover of the country in terms of percentage to the
  geographic area comes to 21.81%
• Out of the Fifteen Biosphere Reserves designated nationally, four Biosphere
  Reserves namely Sunderbans (West Bengal), Gulf of Mannar (Tamil Nadu).
  Nilgiri (Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka) and Nanda Devi, (Uttarakhand)
  have been included in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves so far
• The Protected Area network in India includes 99 National Parks and 513 Wildlife
  Sanctuaries
• Kachchh Biosphere Reserve in Gujarat has been designated as 15th Biosphere Reserve in the country on 29th January, 2008.
• The Centrally Sponsored Scheme ‘Project Tiger’ was launched in April, 1973 and Project Elephant was launched in February, 1992
• BEFORE 1976, education was the exclusive responsibility of the States. The
  Constitutional Amendment of 1976, which included education in the Concurrent
  List, was a far-reaching step.
• The Scheme of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) a national flagship programme, is being
  implemented in all districts of the country. The aim of SSA is to provide useful and
  relevant elemantry education for all children in the 6-14 age group by 2010. The
  scheme of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) was launched in 2001. The goals of SSA are
  as follows : (i) All 6-14 age children in school/EGS (Education Guarantee Scheme)
  centre/Bridge Course by 2005. (ii) Bridge all gender and social category gaps at
  primary stage by 2007 and at elementary education level by 2010. (iii) Universal
  retention by 2010. (iv) Focus on elementary education of satisfactory quality with
  emphasis on education for life.Here and 50:50 sharing thereafter between the Central Government and the State Government except for 8 NE states
• The literacy rate in 2001 has been recorded at 64.84 per cent as against 52.21 per
  cent in 1991. The 12.63 percentage points increase in the literacy rate during the
  period is the highest increase in any decade.
• Administering the Copyright Act, 1957, one of the several legislations in India in the
  area of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs), is the responsibility of the Union Ministry
  of Human Resource Development, Department of Secondary and Higher Education.
• India is a member of the World Intellectual Property
  Organisation (WIPO), a specialised agency of the United Nations
• National Book Trust-1957
• UGC-1953 and became a statutory organisation by act of Parliament in 1986
• The Himachal Pradesh Assembly passed three Bills seeking to increase
  reservation for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions, Municipal bodies and
  Shimla Municipal Corporation from existing 33 per cent to 50 per cent
• Jigmi Y Thinley has assumed office as Bhutan's Prime Minister after receiving
  the ceremonial scarf from King Jigme Khesar Namgyal.
• China has emerged as our second largest trade partner
• The EU is India’s largest trading partner and bilateral trade crossed Rs.
  270,000 crore in 2006
  

DAILY DOSE

• The 1st world Punjabi Conference was held in Chandigarh in Mrach 2008
• The first weekday after Christmas is known as Boxing Day
• Venezuela means little Venice
• Benazir Bhutto's posthumous memoir"Reconciliation:Islam, Democracy and the west"
• 7th IIM is now functional at Shillong and it is named after Rajiv Gandhi
• Monopsony is the situation when there is just one buyer in the market
• Smallest nation in the world after Vatican City is Monaco
• Arthur C Clark was a citizen of SriLanka
• World's first Youth Olympics will be hosted in Singapore in 2010
• USA gave the women the Right to Vote in 1920
• BHP Billiton is the world's biggest mining company
• Martin Luther King made his famous "Mountaintop" speech on the day before being assassinated
• World's biggest sea bridge on Yangtze River,China
• Recently Virgin Airlines started flights run on biofuel
• Recently Rabbit fever hit Thailand
• Europe's largest IT Farm- Capgemini
• Asteroids are located between Mars and Jupiter
• UK will soon introduce migration tax
• Apart from Tibet Lamaism is practiced in Mongolia as well
• Theodore Roosevelt was the first American to win Nobel Peace Prize
• Urban VII, the Pope held office for just 12 days
• Cheryl Bart and Nykki became the first Mother daughter in the world to climb Mt.Everest
• Martin Cooper invented Mobile phone
  

Vedic Age and Brahmanical religion

• Saraswati is identified with Ghagghar Hakra and it was the most sacred river and known as Naditarna
• Valkhilya hymns can be found in RigVeda
• Divodasa was the father of Sudas
• Agastya aryanised South India
• Language of Upanishads was classical Sanskrit
• Samitis were most important during the selection of the King
• Gopatha Brahmana was attached to Atharva Veda
• Sautramani was the festival of Soma Drinking
• Aranyakas highligjhted the mysticism prevailing during the Vedic age
• Atharva veda talks about Sati
• Indra, Agni,Varuna,Mitra and Nyasa were the Indo-Iranian gods
• Orgin of universe was in the 10th mandala of Rigveda
• Sulagava meant sacrifice
• Ratnavamsi ceremony was a part of Rajasuya yajna
• In maitryeani upanishad the doctrine of Trimurti discussed
• Dialogue between Nachiketa and Yama in Katha Upanishad
• Yajurveda was the manual of Adhvaryus who prepared fire altars and the ground of sacrifice
• Valkhilya hymns are in the 8th mandala of Rigveda
• Nirukta written by Yaksha is the oldest work on Rigveda
• Chandogya upanishad discusses three ashramas
• First literary evidence of Gotra is Atharvaveda
• Gayatri mantra in the 3rd mandala of Rigveda
• Purush Sukta andNasadiya hymns are in the 10th mandala of RigVeda
• Sankhya was the oldest among the various philosophical schools
• Upanishads in prose form-shatpatha and chandogya
• Aghoris were the successor of the kapalikas.They had two branches -Shuddha and malina
• Namma and Tirumalisay wre the most popular Alvar saint
• Kulashekhara was an Alvar saint
• Pashupata cult was most popular in Kashmir, Gujarat and Nepal
• Of all the Brahmanical offshoots, Shaivism was the earliest
• Agamanta, Aghori, kapalika,Verrasaiva, Suddha, Pashupat,Lingayat were all shaivite offshoots
• Satvata vidhi and pancharatra agama were cults of Bhagvatism
• Manu talked about 6 kinds of slaves
• The Mora inscription talks about Panchaveera.They were Samkarshana, Aniruddha, Pradyumna, Samba and Vasudeva
• Earliest refrence to Vyuha doctrine was Brahma sutra
• Shandilya propounded Pancharatra cult
• The text of the nyanaras was known as Tevaram whereas the text of the Alvaras was known as Prabhandha
• Thirunabhukkarasu was also known as Appar
  
• Gautamiputra satakarni was known as Ekabrahmana
  

Bhaktism and Sufism

• Ramanuja lived in Kanchipuram and he was orthodox in thinking
• Ramanand was the first Bhakti saint of North India to incorporate Hindi in his writings
• Nimbarka believed in Vishistadvaita
• Vallabhacharya propunded Shuddhadvaita and he preached from Srirangam.His philosophy was known as Pushtimarga and his school of thought Rudrasampradaya.He wrote Sahitya Ratna,Sur Sagar, Sur Sarawali.
• Tulsidasa wrote Gitawali, Kavitawali and Vinay Patrika
• In Janam Sakhi Nanak's encounter with Sufism is given
• Ramanand wrote Dasabodha
• Ramanuja wrote Gitabhashya and Srivashya
• Centre of Bhakti in Maharashtra was Pandharpur
• Prapatti was Complete surrender to God
• Tazk-e -duniya was renunciation of the world
• Nizamuddin Ahmad preached yogic breathing exercise and known as Shudh
• Trinity of Bhakti in North India-Nanak, Kabir and Raidasa
• Lyrical poems of Eknatha"Bhanga"
• Namdev was influenced by Islam
• Jalaluddin Bukhari, who teachings inspired Feroz Shah Tughlak was also known as Makhdum-i-Jahan or Jahanghast
• Bahauddin Zakariya founded Shuhrawardi sect in India
• Miyan Mir wrote Das Makhum Rekhta
• Vallabhacharya visited the court of Krishna Deva Raya
• Shaikh Ahmad Sarhindi, a Naqshbandi sufi saint was also known as Mujaddid Alif Sani
• Abdul Haq was the only orthodox saint among all the Qadiriya saints whereas Shah Wali Ullah was the only moderate saint among the Naqshbandi saints
• Rishi movement led by Nuruddin Rishi was popular in Kashmir
• Beshahra- Not bound by Islamic laws
• Qadiriya saints wore green turban
• Khair ul majalis a ufi book written bu Hamid Qalandari was on Hamiduddin Nagauri
• Ibn Arbi first gave the concept of Wahdahat ul Wajud
• Dara and Jahanara were followers of miyan Mir
• Except Nizamuddin all leading sufi saints were married
• Quberiwa sect was popular in Kshmir
• Ramananda took the name "Adbhuta"
• Marifat or wasl was eternal bliss
• Al Hujwiri wrote Kashful i Majhb
• Nizamuddin Auliya saw the rule of seven rulers but visited the court of none
• Vrindavan in the present state was identified by valabhacharya
• 
  

MAURYAN AGE-facts you must know

• Diodorus's account was the earliest foreign account on India and it was written in Latin whereas Arrian's account was the latest and it was written in Greek
• Dasaratha also adopted the title piyadassi
• Radhagupta helped Asoka in his battle against his brothers
• Selukos Samvat-312 BC
• Asoka's wife Tissarakha killed the Bodhi tree as she was jealous and felt his husband was spending more time with the tree
• Arthashastra was the first written evidence of census in the world
• Adeva matraka meant the land which needed no irrigation
• Asoka's mother was Subhadrangi
• Justin stated that Chandragupta met Alexander whereas Strabo tells that Chandragupta developed marital relation with CelukosMashaka was copper coin
• During Asoka the name of Barabara hills was Khalantika
• In the edict of Lauriya nandangirh there was a single lion in the capital whereas Lauriya araraj had Garuda as the capital
• I'Tsing saw Asoka's statue in monk's garb
• Asoka's daughter Charumati was married to Nepala king Devpala
• Yona meant Greek
• Nanda army in the war against the Mauryas was led by Bhaddassala
• Vishnu Purana talks about the Mauryans
• According to Parishista Parvana the Parvataka sect made an alliance with Chandragupta to depose the Nandas
• Bivita was cattle tax whereas Set was irrigation tax
• Pingalvatsa an Ajivika fortune teller first told Bindusara that one day Asoka will be the king
• The Sohugara edict talks about famine during Asoka
• Kautilya talks about 15 mixed classes or Antyavasinas
• Megasthenes calls Shiva as Dionysus and Krishna as Heracles
• The name Asoka can be found in Maski, Gujjara and Nettur edicts
• The philosophers were exempted from taxation
• In the Bhabru edict Asoka declares his faith for Buddhism
• Errgundi was the only place where both major and minor edicts of Asoka can be found
• 
  

SUNDAY SPECIAL DOSE

1. Colony Collapse Disorder was recently in news.It is the disappearance of honeybees and the collapse of their communities due to environmental change
2. In Rome a meeting between the finance ministers of the G7 countries held in February 2009 in regard to the economical crisis
3. Recently China's first lunar probe Change 1 impacted moon
4. There are total 22 telecom circles in India
5. Kepler is NASA's telescope to search for life in th corner of Galaxy
6. Recently bush fire killed 200 people in Victoria of Australia
7. Residex defines the land prices index
8. Recently R.K.Raghavan Committee was appointed to probe into ragging related problems
9. Dell recently shifted its European base of operation from Ireland to Polland
10. JP Morgan has recently taken over major stakes of Washington Mutual Inc
11. Centurion Bank of Punjab has been taken over by HDFC
12. Bangladesh Rifles(BDR) was created by the British in 1775.Then its name was Ramgarh Local Battalion
    
13. Haruhiko Kuroda is the President of Asian Development Bank
14. Project 17 A was recently in news .It is India's biggest ever naval purchase, Rs 17,000 cr purchase to build 7 Stealth frigates
15. King Abdul Khalid International Airport, Riyadh is the largest airport in the world
16. Hudson bay , Northern Canada is the largest bay in the world
17. Masjid al-Haram, Mecca, 356,800 m2 is the largest mosque in the world
18. On march 30, 2009, Arab League Summit was held atDoha, Qatar
19. China is the world’s top greenhouse gas polluter
20. India’s Hetul shah (age 9 years) became the youngest in the world to beat a Grandmaster. He defeated Kazhakhastan’s Nurlan Ibrayev.

Chola Dynasty

• Cholas were the feaudatories of Pallavas of Kanchi
• Chola kings took high sounding titles likes Chakrobortygal
• Idols of kings and queens were installed in the temples
• The great Chola army was known as Nam Rukai Mahasenai or the army with three wings-elephantry,Infantry and cavalry
• Kadagam was thr army training and Kaikkolar was army
• Kudavolai was the pot ticket system for selection of members
• Even people belonging to the lower castes were allowed to be the members of the assemblies
• Rajadhiraja was killed by Someswara of wester chalukya in the battlefield and his son Rajendra II was declared to be the king on the battlefield whereas Adhirajadhiraja was killed by a mob
• Rajaraja I started survey of land
• Salabhoga was educational grant
• Adiperukku was the most important festival.It marked floods in Kaveri
• Kulotunga I conquered Andhra
• Rajaraja Chola conquered nothern Ceylon and made Polonnaruva the capital of that part
• Slavery existed during the period
• Sanskrit was a language of the Brahmins
• Suryavarman II, a contemporary of Rajaraja Chola built the Ankot Bhat temple in Cambodia
• Rajaraja Chola defeated Cera, Pandya and Kerala and adopted the title Mummudi Chola
• Apastamba was known as South Indian Manu

Mahajanapadas

1. River Gandak was known as Sadaneera
2. Gandhara king Pukkusati exchanged gifts with Bimbisara and went on foot to meet Buddha
3. Bimbisara was known as Srenika and Ajashatru as Kunika
4. Shishunaga transferred the capital to Vaishali but Kalashoka transferred it permanently to Patliputra
5. Nagadassaka was the last Haryanka ruler
6. Mahapadmananda was known as Sarvakshatrantaka and also Ekrat and Ekachhatra.He was also known as Ugrasena
   
7. Vatsa king Udayin fell in love with Basabdutta, wife of Chandro Prodotya Mahadaya.This has been the subject matter of Bhasa'a Swapnobasabdutta
8. Vassakara was the wicked minister of Ajatshatru
9. In Shatpatha Brahmana king was called as Viswamatta or eater of the peopleIn
10. Bimbisara defeated Brahmadatta, the ruler of Anga
11. Capital of Magadha initially was Kusumpura
12. Anguttara Nikaya gives an account of the 16 mahajanapadas
13. In Ramayana Magadha was known as Vasumati
14. Devdatta a cousin of Buddha instigated Ajatshatru to kill Bimbisara
15. Bhahrut inscription talks about Buddha's meeting with Ajatshatru
16. Panini hailed from Gandhara
17. The function of Tudiyas and Akasiyas was tax collection
18. Kalashoka was known as Kakavarna
19. Malla was a non monarchial state
20. In the Battle of Aspasioi, Alexander was injured by the Malavas
    

Post Mauryan Period

• Kushanas issued largest variety of coins
  
• Artisans and craftsmen were drawn mainly from the Shudras
• Royal writs of land grants were known as Sasanpatra whereas private writs were caled Lankikalekha or Karyalekha
• Guilds were not involved in sale or distribution of commodities
• Kushanas wre the first to issue gold coins on Roman pattern
• Sind Sauvira was famous for horses and asses
• Tamil and Chera kingdoms were the first to start trading relation with Rome
• Cotton clothes of fine quality was known as Monakhe whereas that of coarse quality was known as sagmatogene
• There was no guild for the carpenters
• Mercantile cooperation was known as Sreni
• Conventions of the guilds were knwon as Sthitipatra or Sambhitpatra
• Mathura inscription states that guilds provided loans against mortgage
• Jataka tells that there were 18 guilds
• Wima cadphises converted to saivism and called himself maheswar
• The official language of the satvahanas was Prakrit with Brahmi as the script
• Mathura inscription tells us that the guilds provided loans against mortgage
• Indo-Greeks were the first to issue gold coins
• Kushanas issued largest number of copper coins
• Vashisthiputra Pulamayee set up the capital at Pratisthana
• Begram wa sthe summer capital of the Kushanas
• Rabatak inscription talks a great deal about the Kushanas
• Aiteraya Brahmana first talked about the Satvahanas
• Arikamedu was the first Roman station to be discovered in India
• Earliest example of Amravati art from Jaggyapeta
• Oldest Buddha idol from Katra
• The earliest use of the word "Jati" in Nirukta
• Stupa at Bahrut was the oldest one
• Kanishka adopted the title "Kaiser"
• According to some sources the 3rd Buddhist Council was held in Jalandhar
• Sarnath Buddhist image inscription of Kanishka talks about dual governorship and two governors of Kanishka-Vanspara and Kharapallana
• Patanjali was the Chief priest of Pushyamitra Shunga
• Kharvela, best remembered for the Hatigumpha inscription was the ruler of the Cheta dynasty founded by Mahameghavahana
• Greeko Bactrian king Antiklidas sent Heliodorous to King Bhagvata, a shunga ruler
• Different names of different regions-

Mathura- Arjunanya
Beas and Sutlej-Kunindya
Jalandhar-Trigarta
Ludhiana, Ambala,Karnal,Hissar,Rohtak- Yaudheya(belonged to the warrior class)

• Maues was the first saka king
• St Thomas was killed in Mylapur
• In the coins of Kanishka, we find the name Boddo for Buddha
• When the members of higher varna were mortgaged they were known as Ahitaka
• Malavas started Vikram era in 57 AD
• Asvaghosha was the first to write play in Sanskrit and Buddhacharita holds the distinction of being the first complete play in Sanskrit.He also wrote Sariputta Prakarana and Ganeshastotra
• Aziles, a shaka ruler started the Abhishekha Lakshmi coins
• Arrian's book was also titled Indica
• In Nanaghat we find the earliest portrait sculptor
• Bhasha wrote Pratimanataka
• Nagarjuna was a contemporary of Gautamiputra
• Gondophernes took the itle Devavrata
• Patanjali called sakas as anirvasita shudra
• Kushanas started Devkula or temples holding the names of the kings
• Greeks started military governorship and such governors were known as Strategors
• The post Amatya was created by the Satavahanas
• Cosmos wrote Indicopleustis and Christian Topography
  

Facts at fingertips

• John Attma Mills is the newly elected president of Ghana
• O' Sullivan is the present world champion in snooker
• Himachal Pradesh recently received best e-governance award
• A.B.Vajpayee first mooted the idea of Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas
• A.B.Vajpayee was the first Indian leader to deliver a speech in Hindi in UN
• National games 2009- Jharkhand
• Sourav Ghoshal is national champion in snooker
• India Forex reserve as on 2nd January- $255.4 Bn
• Priject Sankalp in India on AIDS
• Therneste Bagosora was recently convicted by a UN tribunal for genocide in Rwanda in 1994
• Recently 2 elephant reserves were created in Chattishgarh
• Hardeep Singh Puri will become India's permanent representative to UN
• Israel is presently India's largest defense supplier
• Robert Mueller is the present director of FBI
• Charles Simoyee became the first person to travel space twice
• African Union recently suspended Madagascar
• First ever DNA bank of Asia in Lucknow
  

Crossing the preliminary barrier- some FAQs

Hi guys, hope you all are doing well and good to go for the coming Civil Services Preliminary Examination.As you prepare,most of you must be searching tons of books and websites to get various data related to different subjects ,be it GK, Current affairs or optional subjects.I am trying my level best to share with you the materials which I have prepared for myself.The history materials that I am providing here have been prepared after ransacking books of authors like Satish Chandra, JL Mehta, DN Jha, Bipan Chandra, Romila Thapar, Sumit Sarkar and helped me to fectch more than 90 in my optional.Don't forget to read the guide book of Agnihotri as well.Some of the chapters in the book truly deserve praise.Another question that comes up on mind is what is the cut off marks in preliminary examination.There are various rumors about it and be sure most of it are untrue and intended to divert your attention.I have myself cleared PT twice and in the first case I score 90+ in optional and 85 in GS.However the parameters have changed drastically since the introduction of negative marking.Believe me guys I scored just 66 in GS last time and 78 in optional(History) last year and it was enough to sail me through.I have friends who scored even less and they also made it(I am talking about the unreserved category, mind it).So dont think that you have to score 90+ in both GS and Optional subjects to clear the preliminary examination.That is an age old concept completely outdated in the era of negative marking.Below I am providing links for some useful websites.Hope you like it.

http://www.indianofficer.com/forums/current-issues/6511-current-affairs-2008-09-a.html

http://www.frontlineonnet.com/ (Click on the Digital Frontline Free Download box)

http://www.scribd.com/doc/13234551/India-Yearbook-2009

http://upscportal.com/civilservices/Study-Notes

http://www.csgsindia.com/

http://indiancurrentaffairs.blogspot.com/2007/01/resources-for-preparation.html

http://www.civilserviceindia.com/

http://www.indiastat.com/labourandworkforce/380987/civilservices/28927/stats.aspx

http://www.gktoday.in/2009/04/current-affairs-update-april-10-2009.html

Hats off to the generosity of the people who developed such wonderful sites for CSE aspirants.Now kust about 3 weeks left for the Big day.Give it the best shot of your life.Cheers.

Daily Dose

• Jet Airways recently became the first private airlines in India to launch flights to China
• 15 memeber CARICOM'S (Caribbean Community) annual summit was recently held at Mexico
• The rules and regulations of future trading are laid down by the Forward Market Commission
• Green Corridor will enable Indian farmers to move their agro products smoothly from rural to urban areas
• Recently Ireland rejected Lisbon Treaty
• Iraq acceded to CTBT in 2008
• Kerala recently became the first state in India to reserve government jobs for the HIV+ candidates and also started free insurance for HIV+ people
• India recently revised the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement with Syria
• Belgium is the only country to have signed a social security treaty with India
• Denmark recently passes Climate Change Accountability Act
• "Imaging India"- a book written by Nandan Nilekani
• Juno is NASA's mission to Jupiter
• Victor Fung has been appointed as the Chairman of International Chamber of Commerce
• US will pull out troops from Iraq by 2011
  

Daily Dose-GK & CA

1. Talent Management Company Iconix owned by Saatchi& Saatchi group manages Sachin Tendulkar
2. Retd IAS R.S.Pandey receieved United Nations Public Service Award in 2008
3. Pranab Mukherjee was the first Rajya Sabha Member to hold a finance portfolio
4. Energy Summit 2008 was held in Jeddah
5. "Jyoti Punj", a book by Narendra Modi
6. Amartya Sen was recently invited by the Speaker Somnath Chatterjee to deliver a lecture on social Justice in the Lok Sabha
7. Narayan Murthi gave the"Superspike" theory on oil price hike
8. Sujatha Rangarajan headed the team that designed and manufactured Electronic Voting Machine
9. 2014 Commonwealth Games will be held in Scotland
10. Rwanada recently abandoned French as the official language and adopted English
11. Babli dam is a controversial project on river Godavari between Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra
12. China recently established a hotline with USA for security matters
13. Eka, developed by CDAC, India is the 4th fatsest supercomputer in the world
14. First ever stem cel research in govt sector in India will come up in Tamil Nadu
15. Green Plastic-Ecofriendly biodegradable plastic made up of cereals
16. Khuda Ke Liye was the first Pakistani film to be released in India after a span of 40 years
17. Sikkim recently passed a woman empowerment bill
18. Wrestling will be included in Commonwealth Games from 2010 for the first time
19. Boxing is the only sport in olympic which has age limit
20. Equador will purchase Dhruv helicopters from India
21. India's first defense university will be set up in Rewari(Haryana)
22. T.S.Narayanswami is the Chairman of Indian Banks' Association
23. Kerala has started Radio English for the primary school students as a part of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
24. Shivshankar Menon is India's foreign secretary
25. "The shape of the beast" written by Arundhati Roy
    

Histoy-Sangam period and the concluding part of Gupta Period

• Karaikal , the greatest Chola ruler transferred the capital to Kaveripattinam and he converted the Oliyar community from nomadic to settled life.He also fought a battle at Reuni
• Perunarkilli,the Chola ruler was the only Chola king to perform Rajsuya yajna
  
• Nedunjelian, the Pandya ruler was the hero of Silpapadikaram and he defeated Chola and Chera rulers in the battle of Talaiyangam
• Ahom was the story of love whereas Puram was the story of battles
• Thirunavukkarasu coined the term Sangam
• Thirukural, written by Thiruvaluvar is known as the Bible of the Tamil land and also the 5th Veda
• Senguttuvan, the Red Chera started Pattini cult was known as Kodal Pirakottiyama and he destroyed the efficacy of sea as a refuge
• Tolakappiyam was a book on grammer
• Kadimaram or kavalaram was the worship of tutelary tree
• Perundevanar translated Mahabharata into Tamil
• Tamil is the oldest Dravidian language
• Tolakappiyam is the earliest Tamil literary work extant today
• Sati or Tippaidal was common
• Kuppidu-Unit of measurement
• Nalikal-Unit of time
• Kalam-Unit of grain
• Kanam-Gold
• Velli-Silver
• Velvi-yajna
  
• Kadamai-King's customary tax
• Variyam-Land yielding tax
• Variyar-Tax collecting official
• Alakkus or Ulakku- Revenue measurement
• Pattinapattu-A work on Kaveripattanam
• Kalabhras rose against the Brahmins and ended the Sangam period
• Tirumal was the name of Vishnu
• Kalanju was a type of gold coin
• Korkai was known as Kolchi and Mahabalipuram as Melange
• Malayalam is the latest Dravidian language
• Spy was known as Orrayiar
• Nadukkal or virakkal was hero stone
• Alumbi Vel was revenue accountant
• Bhasa's Swapnovasavdutta was the earliest Sanskrit drama
• Earliest evidence of Vishti was in Bhagvata Purana
• Ritusamhara was the earliest work of Kalidasa
• Kumardasa wrote Janakiharana
• Chronlogical order of some Puranas: Manu-Brihaspati-Narada-Katyana-Vayu-Devala
• Auranasthanika-Officers in charge of wool market during the Gupta period
• Navaniketan-a book on medicine
• Vatsvatta wrote the famous Mandasore inscription of Kumargupta
• Maniyar Math was a circular temple only one of its kind
• Bhairavi wrote Kiratarjuniyam
• Yajnavalkya Smriti was the official lawbook of the Guptas

P.S: You should follow D N Jha's Ancient India for Gupta Age and Agnihotri's guidebook for the Sangam age chapter.

History- Gupta Age-Some High Frequency Questions Part I

• Guptas belonged to Dharana gotra
• Pushyavarman, a Kamprupa ruler placed as the ruler of North eastern part of the empire
• The poetic work"Krishna Charitam" is supposed to have been written by Samudragupta and for his poetic brilliance he got the title"Kaviraja"
• Some of the famous inscriptions of Kumaragupta were Bilsad, Damodarpur,Karmandaka ,Mandasore
• The Eran insciption(510 AD)is the first reference to Sati in India
• Yashodharman of Malwa defeated Mihirkula who then retreated to Kashmir and there he embraced Shaivism
• Apart from Chandragupta II Skandagupta also took the title Vikramaditya
• Samudragupta and Skandagupta both performed ashwamedha yajna
  
• Rulers after Skandagupta Purugupta-Buddhagupta-Vanyagupta-Bhanugupta-Narasimhagupta-KumaraguptaII-Vishnugupta
• Aprahata-Forest land
• Nivi Dharma-Land endowment in perpetuity
• Talavataka was village accountant
• According to Visakhadutta Vasana the saka ruler killed Ramagupta
• Allhabad pillar inscription is the first epigraphic evidence of zero
• The term Bhukti first apeared in the Bhojdeva inscription of Gwalior
• Tadaga was a reservoir
• Audrangika collected the King's share in kind
• Nivartana, Dronavapa, Kulavapa were all units of measurement
• Total 42 inscriptions of this age are found with maximum belonging to Kumaragupta
• The great boar image was installed at the gate of Udaygiri
• Kumaragupta is said to have embraced Buddhism towards the end of his reign
• Samudragupta sent an embassy to China in 361 AD and Skandagupta sent an embassy to China
• Mahapratihara was the palace guard
• Gadhiya was a series of coins during this period
• Fields owned by cultivators themselves were known as Kutumba Kshetra
• Dandin wrote Dasakumaracharita
• Bhattin wrote Ravanabadha
• According to T'sing Srigupta built a temple for the chinese pilgrims at Mrigashikhavahana
• Toramana was converted to jainism
• Earliest evidence of temple prostitution in India, Ramgarh inscription
• Narada smriti talks about 15 kinds of slaves
• Drangik-Official for collection of custom duties
• Yajnavalka Smriti was the official lawbook of the Guptas
• Kulika-Guild of artisans
  

Daily Dose

1. Kerala has the highest number of Christians in India
2. Koneru Hampi was the first Indian woman Grandmaster
3. India's first Apparel Park in Tirupur
4. Rainbow Revolution aims at overall development of agriculture
5. Nitin Shrivastav became the first Indian to represent Australia in olympics in 2008
6. Fahmida Mirza recently became the first woman elected speaker of Pakistan
7. Shine is the latest portal launched by Yahoo group for women
8. India recently signed Bilateral Investment Promotion Agreement with Myanmar
9. Russian company Gazprom has signed a partnership with Gas Authority of India Ltd(GAIL)
10. Nokia is setting up a manufacturing plant in Chennai
11. TCS has set up European Software Development Centre(ESDC) in Budapest, Hungary
12. India funds a chair in the honour of Jawaharlal Nehru in Cambridge
13. Maria Rene Cura an Argentine author ran a centre devoted to India named Ananda Bhawan
14. Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre is in Mauritius
15. Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor , financially and technologically supported ny Japan will pass through Delhi, Haryana, UP,Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.Govt Of India has 49% stake in it whereas IL&FS has 41% and IDFC has 10%.The maximun part of the proposed corridor will pass through Rajasthan
16. Amarpura in Rajasthan has been decared as India's first millennium village by the United Nations as part of its Millennium goal.
17. Cape Verde is the latest entrant in WTO(153 rd)
18. World's first museum dedicated to Prophet Mohd has been set up in Dubai
19. Sam Pitroda, Chairman of Knowledge Commission, India is the recipient of the first Annual Global Indian Award
20. "Unaccostomed Eath" is the latest novel of Jhumpa Lahiri
    

Vijaynagar Kingdom-some points to remember

• Yusuf Adil Shah was killed by KrishnaDeva Raya(KDR) in the Battle of Kovilkonda
• KDR was known as Andhra Bhoja whereas Allasani Peddana was known as Andhra Kavita Pitamaha
• Tenali Rama who wrote Panduranga Mahamattya, adorned the court of KDR
• Tirumalamma was a famous poetess in the court of Achyuta Deva
• During Virupaksha II Orissa became a part of Vijaynagar empire for the first time
• Amuktamalyada written by KDR in Telegu was a book on polity
• Siddhya was the tax collected in cash
• Bukka sent an embassy to China(Ming dynasty).He adopted the title Vedamarga Pratisthapaka
  
• Besabaga was the sale of human.Nicolo Conti talks in detail about it
  
• Shalabhoga educational grant
• Devaraya II wrote Mahanataka Sudhanidhi in sanskrit.His court was visited by Abdur Razzak
  
• Battle of Talikota or the Battle Rakshasha Taggadi was fought on the bank of river Krishna
• Devaraya I included Turkish soldiers in his army.His court was visited by Nicolo Conti.
• The Military Dept was known as Khandachara and the revenue Dept as Athvane
• Nuniz came during KDR's rule
• Nikitin talks about the financial dualism prevailing in the country
• Pattanaswamy was the head of Traders' Associations
• Bhandarabadha was the crown land
• Lola Lakshmidhara wrote "Saraswati Vilasa"
• Rayasam was Royal decree
• Anegundi was the initial capital of Vijayngar empire
• KDR abolished marriage tax and patronised "Ashtadiggaja"
  
• Kalyanamandapa was the ornated pillar pavillions in the temples
• Barbers were exempted from professional taxes
• Harihara II captured Belgaum and Goa and attacked SriLanka after which he took the title"Maharajadhiraja"
• KDR gave permission to Albequerque to built a fort at Bhatkal
• Harihara and Bukka initially served under PrataprudraDeva II of Kakatiya dynasty
• Marava were the fishermen
• Srirangam inscription belongs to KDR
  

Daily Dose-GK & CURRENT AFFAIRS

• Ramanujan was the first Indian to be elcted fellow of Trinity College, Cambidge
• Sir J.C.Bose was the first from the Indian subcontinent to get a US patent back in 1904
• Churchil won Nobel Prize in literature in 1953.
• Lewis Hamilton(UK) recently became world's youngest F 1 Racing Champion.
• Igiby Bank(Babylon, 605 BC) was the earliest bank of the world
• Anoushesh Ansari(Iran) was the first woman space tourist
• John Adams was the first US president to reside in the White House
• Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya was led by the Kikuyu tribe against British rule
• Monroe Doctrine(1823)- European countries no longer vto colonize in America or interfere with existing colonies.Propounded by US President James Monroe.
• Camp Delta, Camp Echo and Camp X-Ray are all parts of Guantanamo Bay prison
• Battle of Dien Bien Phu ended French participation in the affairs of Vietnam
• US-Vietnam war was also known as Second Indo-China War
• Ralph Bunche was the first Black to win a Nobel(1950)
• The Jazz Singer was the first talkie in the world
• Y.V.Chnadrachud had the longest tenure as the Chief Justice of India(1978-1985)
• The 17th Parallel separates North and South Vietnam
• Domino Theory-If a country succumbs to communist regime, the neighbouring countries will follow.It was developed during Eisenhower administration
• 055 Brigade-Organisation of Al Qaida terrorists
  
• Santa Catarina flood affected Brazil in 2008
• David Cameron is the Leader of Opposition in UK
• Operation Cyclone-Anti communist operation in Afghanistan by USA in late 70s and early 80s
• 40th Army- Soviet Army which invaded Afghanistan
• Mohd Zahir Shah ruled Afghanistan from 1933 to 1973
• Space X Falcon was the world's first privately developed space launch vehicle to successfully make orbit
• Albania and Croatia joined NATO in 2008
• Operation Mongoose-Operation by Kennedy Administration to overthrow Fidel Castroin late 1961
• Three Gorges Dam, China is the largest Hydroelectric project in the world
  

History- IVC-IMPORTANT FACTS

• Lothal is situated on the banks of river Bhogao
• Chanhudaro is the only IVC site to have curved bricks
• Kalibangan is the only IVC site to yield ornamental bricks, cylindrical granary and camel's bones
• The smallest IVC site Alla Dinho was discovered by Fairservice and it yields a distribution centre and
  
• A jewellery hoard
• Evidence of corbelled odrain in Mohenjodaro
  
• In Ropar we find the evidence of burial of dog along with the master
• Bruce Foote is known as "the father of Indian prehistory"
• From Nippur in Mesopotamia we find Harappan seals bearing the image of unicorn
• Evidence of horse from Surkotoda, Ropar,Lothal,Kalibangan, Rana Ghundai and Harappa
• Evidence of bones of rhinoceros from Amri
• Silver made its first appearance in IVC
• First fortified town in IVC was Ropar
• Brahui in Pakistan is the tribe believed to be the descendants of the Mohenjodaro people
• In Kalibangan and Rangpur no evidence of Mother Godess was found
• Farmana Khas is the latest Harappan site to be discovered
• Tiger seal is found at Banawali and button seal at Lothal
• Granary was the largest of all IVC buildings
• From Banawali a touchstone and a bronze chariot are found
• In Lothal doors and windows open by roads and not by lanes unlike other sites
• ‘Hakra Ware’ is found in Rakhigarhi

You can find excellent research works on IVC especially Harappa in http://www.harappa.com/har/har0.html

History material-Mughal India-Concluding part

• Only father Manrique mentioned that Taj Mahal was actually designed by Gerenimo Verenio

• Akbar was a famous palyer of Nakkarah, a musical instrument
• Nayakabheda was a popular style of painting of Mewar
• Todarmal translated Bhagbata Purana, Faizi translated Lilavati, Badaoni translated Ramayana and Sarhindi translated Atharva Veda
• Lal Kanwar taught Akbar music
• Abul Fazl mentions 17 painters, 36 musicians and 59 poets of Akbar's court
• Swami Haridas was the music teacher of Tansen
• Jahangir composed many Hindi songs while Shah Jahan was an accomplished singer and Babur an accomplished dancer
• Muraqqa was actually a photo album
• Manohat served both Akbar and Jahangir
• Jahangir gave Mansur the title Nadir Ul Asr, Abul Hassan Nadir Us Zamir and Abdus Samad Shirin Qalam.
• Jahangir sent Bishendas to Persia to draw a portrait of Shah Tahmasp
• Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri was written by Mutamad Khan
• Masir-i-Alamgiri was written by Mutamad Khan
• Mirza Mohd Qazm wrote "Alamgirnamah"
• Basaan was the creator of Razmnamah, the pictorial illustration of Mahabharata
• Dastan-i-amir hamza was the arliest collection of paintings during the Mughal period, it was complied during Humayun.
• Maharaja Sawant Singh patronised Kishangarh school of painting
• Shah Jahan spent the last 7 years of life in Musamman Burj in Agra Fort
• The Agra Fort plays a key role in the Sherlock Holmes mystery The Sign of the Four, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.(Courtesy: wikipedia)
• Gwalior fort is the precursor of Agra Fort
• Peocock throne was designed by Bebadal Khan
• Babri masjid was designed by Mir Baqi.

Photo coutesy:Wikipedia and other sites

Answers to History Quiz 3-Mughal India-Shah jahan, Aurangzeb, Mughal society

1. Peter Mundy
2. Ali Mardan
3. Ewaz Khan
4. Rajaram
   
5. 1671
6. Rja Jai Singh
7. Shaikh Sarmad
8. Malik Jewan
9. Jahan Ara
10. Gold coin
11. Surat
12. Silver coin
13. 16th century
14. Advance given to the artisans by the merchants
15. Tax levied on all sorts of clothes
    
16. Grant in cash
17. Bernier
18. Clothings interwoven with gold or silver
19. Textile
20. Aurangzeb
    

History Quiz 3-Mughal India-Shah jahan, Aurangzeb, Mughal society

1. Which foreigner gives a vivid account of the famine prevailing during Shah Jahan's rule?
2. Which governor of Kandhar defected to the Mughal side to give them the authority over Kandhar?
3. Who led the Kandhar mission in 1638?
4. Which Jat ruler exhumed the tomb of Akbar?
5. When did Aurangzeb decalre that all the Karoris must be Mislims?
6. Which Rajput ruler has been called as" key to Aurangzeb's brain" by Khafi khan?
7. Which famous Sufi saint was persecuted by Aurangzeb?
8. Which Baluch leader betrayed Darah after the batttle of Deoriah?
9. Who wrote under the pen name of "Makhfi"?
10. What was Ashrafi during the Mughal period?
11. Where in India the largest ship building factory located during the Mughal reign?
12. What was Shah Rukhi during the Mughal period?
13. In which century was tobacco imported in India for the first time?
14. What was Dadni?
15. What was Katraparcha?
16. What was "Wazifa"?
17. Which traveller stated that there was no middle class in India during the Mughal period?
18. What was Zartari?
19. Which was the most important industry during the Mughal rule?
20. Who created the post of Amin?

History titbits about Sikhism

1. Guru Amar Das beceme Guru at the age of 73 oldest among all the Sikh Gurus.
2. Humayun took blessings of Guru Angad.
3. Guru Hagovind was the first Guru to engage in warfare.
4. Akbar met Guru Amar Das and gifted him 84 acres of land, on which Guru Ramdas started construction of the city Ramdaspur(which later baceme Amritsar) and Harmandir.
5. Guru Arjun Dev complied Adi Granth Sahib.
6. Guru Angad developed the Gurumukhi script.
7. Guru Arjun Dev completed the city of Ramdaspur.
8. Guru Hargovind built the Akal Takht and founded the city of Kirtarpur.
9. Guru Har Rai's son Ram Rai took the side of Aurangzeb.
10. Guru Har Kishan was the youngest to become Guru(at the age of 5 years) and he died at the age of 8 years.
11. Guru Harkishan died of small pox.
12. Zafarnamah was the collection of Guru Govind Singh's leeter to Aurangzeb.
13. Vaichittar Nataka was the autobiography of Guru Govind Singh
14. Original name of Banda Bahadur was Gurubaksh Singh.
15. The name of Guru Govind Singh's horse was Dilbagh.
    

DO YOU KNOW----

1. Doris Lessing is the oldest to win a nobel prize.
2. Suzlon, the wind energy major is the largest manufacturing site in the world.It is the first case where India invested in China.
3. Cricket was a part of Olympics in 1900 when UK won gold by defeating France.
4. Jessica Cox lost her two arms in an accident and later on became the first person to fly an aeroplane using only her feet.
5. Google actually means a number with millions of zeroes in it.
6. No Olympics were held in 1916,1940 and 1944 due to World Wars.
7. BOSS or Bharat Operating System Solutions, is India's first own PC Operating system.
8. Beijing is the third Asian country to host Olympics after Tokyo and Seoul.
9. Colgate in Spanish menas"Go Hang Yourself".So you can figure out the sales statistics of Colgate in Spain.
10. Neel Kashkari, an Indian has been given the charge of rescuing US from financial crisis.

Answers to History Quiz 2

1>Market Superintendent.
2>Local militia deployed to counter bandits.
3>Askari-Sambhal
Hindal-Alwar and Mewat
4>Bir Singh Deo Bundella in 1620-21.
5>1575 only to be revoked in 1580
6>Islam Shah Suri.
7>Fixed state demand as prevailed in Bengal.
8>Kirat Khan.
9>Revenue assessment of the rajputs.
10>William Hawkins.
11>Francisco Paelseart.
12>Kalanaur.
13>Jahangir.
14>Mahesh Das.
15>Dewan-i-tan-in charge of cash salary
Dewan-i-maal-in charge of royal seal.
16>1584
17>Jagir given to the Muslims during Jahangir.
18>Militia employed directly by state and sent to the mansabdars.
19>1/4th of the state demand in contrast to 1/3rd in the other places.
20>Birbal.
21>Bayazid alias Pir Raushani
22>Hakim Sur Afghan.
23>Rana Pratap Singh.
24>Gaur.
25>Bajaur.

History Quiz Part 2 Mughal Period Babur to Akbar including religion and administration

1>What was Hemu's post under Adil Shah Suri?

2>Who were Shahbandis during Akbar?

3>Which provinces were given to Askari and Hindal resectively by Babur ?

4>Who led the campaign of Kangra fort during Jahangir's reign?

5>When did Akbar reimpose Jeziyah?

6>Which Suri ruler codified the Muslim law?

7>What was "Muqtai" during the Mughal period?

8>Who was the opponent of Sher Shah in the battle of Kalinjar?

9>What was "Rekh"?

10>To Which foreigner did Jahangir give the title "Khan"?

11>Who wrote "Jahangir's India"?

12>Where was Akbar coronated?

13>Who started Duh Aspa Seh Aspa system?

14>What was the original name of Birbal?

15>What was the function of Dewan-i-tan and Dewan-i-maal respectively?

16>When was the Ilahi Era started by Akbar?

17>What was Altamagha?

18>Who were Dakhili?

19>During the rule of Sher Shah what was the stae demand of revenue in Multan?

20>Who was the only Hindu to accept Din-i-Ilahi?

21>Who wrote the book"Khair Ul Baiyan?

22>Who was the military general of Rana Pratap Singh?

23>Which ruler was also known as "Kika"?

24>Which city was named Janatabad by Humayun?

25>Which was the first Indian fort captured by Babur?

Answers to History Quiz Part 1 Delhi Sultanate Special

1>Zia Nakshbandi.He wrote Tuti Namah,a persian translation of Sukha Saptati
2>Cooking.
3>Qutubuddin Aibak
4>Sikander Lodhi
5>Turkallah
6>Sikander Lodhi's tomb
7>Khwajah Isami's Futuh-us Salatin
8>Firuz Shah Tughlak
9>Fakr i Mudabbir
10>Alauddin Khalji.Minister for collection of arrear
11>Alauddin Khalji.Minister for maintaining record of revenue and expenditure
12>Khasrau Shah.He was a shudra.
13>Tair. During Behram Shah' rule(1241-42)
14>Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah.In 1398.
15>Iltutmish for his son Nasiruddin mahmud.
16>Khizerabad, in the name of his son Khizer Khan
17>Mohd Bin Tughlak
18>Mohd Bin Tughlak
19>Iltutmish and Tajuddin Yaldoz, 1215-16
20>Balban.
21>Alauddin Khalji
22>Kutlugh Khaja in 1298
23>Firuz Shah Tughlak
24>Utbi
25>Mahmood of Ghazni.

Weekend Dose

1. Harmony is the first room of International space station.It opened in 2007.
2. Egypt and Syria united in 1958 to form United Arab Republic.They broke apart in 1961
3. Valentina Tereshkova is the first woman in space.
4. Uranium Oxide is also known as yellow cake
5. Quebec province in Canada is demanding autonomy.
6. Euthanasia is legalized in Belgium.
7. Headquarter of CIS is at Minsk
8. Pygmalion point was the earlier name of Indira Point.
9. Agenda 21 is the UN program on sustainable development
10. Headquarter of UNICEF is in New York.
11. Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty was proposed by Ireland and Finland was the first country to sign it.
12. World's highest airport is at Lhasa.
13. Kishor Biyani is known as the father of retail in India
14. Terekhol river separates Maharashtra and Goa
15. Headquarter of World Intellectual Property Organization is at Geneva
16. Prime Minister of Monaco is appointed by the President of France
17. Joseph Cabilla is Congo's first elected President.
18. VY Canis Majoris is the largest star known to man.
19. Monumental Axis in Brazil is the widest road in the world.It can accomodate as many as 160 cars.
20. Richard Stallman is known as the "Father of Free ware".
21. E-Swecha is the Indian version of Linux.
22. The African Union was formed in 2002 in Adis Ababa.
23. Mumbai will soon have India's first floating heliport.
24. Rainforest Declaration was signed between Brunei,Indonesia and Malaysia to conserve Borneo island
25. Jugnu is the name of India's first nano satellite developed by the students of Kanpur IIT

History Quiz Part 1 Delhi Sultanate Special

Keeping in mind the importance of History as an optional Subject in Civil Services and other examinations, I'll publish some selected questions which I am sure will benefit you in many ways.Once the preliminary examination of Civil Service Examination conducted by UPSC is over , I'll publish some articles on important topics in my other blogs. So keep reading.

1>Who was the first Muslim to translate Sanskrit work into Persian?

2>What was the subject of the famous book Niyamat Namah?

3>Who built Madrasah-i-Muizzi?

4>Gulrukhi was the pen name of which Medieval ruler?

5>By which name Nizamuddin Auliya used to call Amir Khasrau?

6>Which was the first example of double domed tomb in India?

7>In which book we find the first literary description of spinning wheel?

8>Which ruler separated Jeziyah from Kharaj?

9>Who wrote Adab-Ul-Harb?

10>Who created the post of Dewan- i- Mushtaqraaj?

11>The Department Dewan -i-waqoof was created by whom?

12>Who was the only Hindu convert to sit on the throne of Delhi Sultanate?

13>Who was the first Mongol ruler to invade India and during whose rule?

14>Who was the ruler when Amir Timur invaded India?

15>Who bulit Sultan Garhi?

16>What name was given to Chittor after it was defeated by Alauddin Khalji?

17>Which Medieval ruler devised a Famine Code?

18>The city Adilabad was built by which medieval ruler?

19>The third battle of Tarain was fought between whom?

20>During whose rule an embassy was sent to Halaku Khan?

21>Which medieval ruler used to call himself Yamini Khilafat?

22>Under which general the Mongols first invaded Delhi?

23>Who imposed Jeziyah on the Brahmins?

24>Who wrote the book Twarikh-i-yamini?

25>Who was the first Muslim ruler to adopt the title"Sultan"?

Answers to Mega Quiz 1

1> Hyderabad

2> Krishna Menon, former Defense Minister of India.He gave 7 hour long speech.

3> Indonesia

4> Himadri

5> Keibul Lamjao

6> Postal system

7> Villa.4 goals

8> Roadrunner developed by IBM

9> Revenue generated by issuing currency

10> INS Jalashwa.

11> Location specific software for mobile phones

12> Bandhavgarh National Park, MP

13> Meera Shankar

14> Viswa Mohan Bhatt

15> Omid

16> Martha Nussabam

17> Amsterdam

18> Rod Laver

19> Steffi Graff

20> Arthur Ash

21> Samrupa, cloned buffalo calf

22> Malta

23> Germany

24> Tswane

25> Jack Smith

Mega Quiz 1

1>Which is the world's first certified green airport?

2>Who holds the record for delivering the longest speech in history?

3>Which country has recently decided to come out of OPEC?

4>What is the name of India's research station at Arctic?

5>Which is the only floating national park in the world?

6>"Project Arrow"- aims at revamping the ____ system of the country>Fill in the blanks.

7>Who was the highest scorer in Euro 2008?

8>Which is presently the fastest super computer in the world?

9>What is "Seigniorage"?

10>Name India's only amphibian warship.

11>What is Magitti?

12>Which national park in India boasts of the highest tiger population density?

13>Who is presently India's envoy to USA?

14>Name the first Indian to win grammy award.

15>Name Iran's first satellite launched recently.

16>Who is credited for developing Human Development Index?

17>Which is the oldest stock exchange in the world?

18>Which tennis player won all the grand slams in a year twice?

19>Which tennis player won the Golden Grand Slam?

20>Who was the first black tennis player to win Wimbledon?

21>Name India's first cloned animal.

22>Which is the smallest country in EU?

23>Which is the most populous country in EU?

24>What is the new name of Pretoria?

25>Who along with Sabeer Bhatia developed Hotmail?

ANSWERS OF QUIZ 3

1>Fazl Ibn Mali

2>Atala Devi masjid

3>South Korea

4>Monaco

5>Irene Khan

6>Lord Swaraj Paul

7>29th May

8>Jamnagar, by Reliance

9>Hind Swaraj

10>Althing(Iceland)

QUIZ 3

1>Along with quranic sayings, there is only one name of a person in Kutub Minar.What is that?

2>Name the only single mosque in India named after a Hindu goddess.

3>Along with India 15th August is the independence day of another Asian country.Name it.

4>Name the country with highest population density.

5>Who is the present Director of Amnesty International?

6>Who is the first asian to be the Dy chairperson of the House of the Lord in UK?

7>Which day is celebrated as Mount Everest Day?

8>World's biggest refinery is being set up where and by whom?

9>Which is the only book written by Gandhiji in two languages?

10>Name the oldest surviving paliament in the world.

ANSWERS OF QUIZ 2

1>Surgery for weight loss

2>Canada

3>Bangalore

4>Kodaikanal.This place is also known as "Princess of hill stations"

5>Halle Berry in 2002 for Monster’s Ball

6>Lonsdaleite

7>Param Padma developed by CDAC

8>Sagar Island(West Bengal)

9>TCS

10>Fuqu Shima (Japan)

QUIZ 2

1>What is bariatric surgery?

2>In 2008 doctors of which country created history by performing robotic surgery?

3>Where in India the first PIO/NRI University will be set up?

4>Where in India the Kurinji flowers bloom once in every 12 years?

5>Who is the first black actress to win an oscar?

6>Which is now the hardest material?(it has replaced diamond as the hardest material recently)

7>What is the name of India's first super computer?

8>Where in India the largest solar power project located?

9>Which company has recently bagged the contract for passport processing in India?

10>Where in the world is the largest nuclear reactor complex located?

Answers of QUIZ NO 1

Well before I proceed to today's questions here are the answers of the earlier ones.

1>Morarji Desai
2>Kerala
3>London stock exchange
4>Globaly, no particular place
5>Albert Camus
6>Harold Mcmillan
7>Vizag port
8>Yohiri Shimbum(japan)
9>Shimla, 1913
10>Iceland

Day 1

Hi guys, hope u like my articles in my other blog@ saptarshinag.blogspot.com.Any suggestion from you is always welcome and from now onwards I'll start a different approach while catering to your needs.I will write a weekly article in my other blog whereas I'll try to present 10 interesting questions here regularly.This questions will help you to hone your GK skills and might be useful for various competitive exams.I'll put some current affairs questions as well so that you can keep in touch with the current events.Please help me to improve this blog by giving constructive suggestions.The answers of the questions asked will be given in the next day.So here we go...

1>Name the person who is the recipient of both Bharat Ratna and Nishan-e-Pakistan , the highest civilian awards of the two countries respectively?

2>Which is the Indian state with no home guards?

3>Footsie is the Stock market index of which stock market?

4>In 2008 where was World Social Forum held?

5>Name the Nobel Prize winner to star in world cup football?

6>Who was the first British PM to come to India?

7>Which port in India is the top traffic handler?

8>Which is the largest circulated daily in the world?

9>Where and when was the first telecom exchange in India established?

10>Bobby Fischer, the famosu Chess player hailed from which country?