Which of the following historical events are correctly matched with their time period?
A. Accession of Chandragupta Maurya - 321 BCE
B. Reign of Asoka - 272/268-231 BCE
C. End of the Mauryan Empire - 500-400 BCE
D. Earliest inscriptional evidence of land grants by Satavahana rulers - 200-100 BCE
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → A, B and D only
Note: The given answer is as per the official NTA Answer Key. However, none of the given options appears to be correct, because the history textbook’s timeline places the earliest inscriptional evidence of land grants by Satavahana and Shaka rulers in about 100-200 CE; 200-100 BCE is the period when the Satavahanas rose in the Deccan, as explained below.
A. Accession of Chandragupta Maurya - 321 BCE Correct. Chandragupta Maurya, helped by Chanakya, overthrew the Nandas of Magadha and became king in about 321 BCE, founding the Mauryan empire.
B. Reign of Asoka - 272/268-231 BCE Correct. Asoka, Chandragupta’s grandson, ruled from about 272/268 BCE to 231 BCE; the two starting years are given because his coronation came some years after he took the throne.
C. End of the Mauryan Empire - 500-400 BCE Incorrect. The Mauryan empire ended in about 185 BCE, when Pushyamitra Shunga killed the last Mauryan ruler. The years 500-400 BCE are long before the empire began; they are the period when the rulers of Magadha were building up their power.
D. Earliest inscriptional evidence of land grants by Satavahana rulers - 200-100 BCE Correct as per NTA; however, the date is not correct. The Satavahanas rose to power in the Deccan in about 200-100 BCE, after the Mauryan empire broke up, but the earliest inscriptions recording land grants by Satavahana (and Shaka) rulers belong to about 100-200 CE.