Which of the following was not a provincial political centre of the Mauryan Empire?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Mathura
The five major political centres of the Mauryan Empire were the capital Pataliputra and the provincial centres of Taxila, Ujjayini, Tosali and Suvarnagiri; Mathura was not one of them.
NCERT (2026-27): “3.2 Administering the empire … There were five major political centres in the empire – the capital Pataliputra and the provincial centres of Taxila, Ujjayini, Tosali and Suvarnagiri, all mentioned in Asokan inscriptions.… 3.2 Administering the empire … These centres were carefully chosen, both Taxila and Ujjayini being situated on important long-distance trade routes, while Suvarnagiri (literally, the golden mountain) was possibly important for tapping the gold mines of Karnataka.…” |