Match List-I with List-II

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

(A)-(III), (B)-(I), (C)-(IV), (D)-(II)

The correct answer is Option (2) → (A)-(III), (B)-(I), (C)-(IV), (D)-(II)

(A) First Stupas — (III) Third Century BCE: While the tradition of making tumuli was older, the first major structural stupas (like those at Sanchi and Bharhut) became prominent during the Mauryan period under Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE.

(B) Jainism, Buddhism — (I) Sixth Century BCE: This was the era of "Great Transformation" in India, where Mahavira (Jainism) and Gautama Buddha (Buddhism) challenged established rituals and spread their teachings.

(C) Later Vedic traditions — (IV) 1000-500 BCE: This period followed the Early Vedic age and saw the composition of the Samaveda, Yajurveda, Atharvaveda, and the Brahmanas, marking a shift in social and religious structures.

(D) Vaishnavism, Shaivism — (II) Second Century BCE onwards: These Puranic traditions, centered on the worship of specific deities like Vishnu and Shiva, began to gain significant momentum and institutional form from the 2nd century BCE into the early centuries CE.