Themes I - Chapter 4

Question 1

What is the stupa at Sanchi mainly associated with?

Answer 1

Early Buddhism

Question 2

Who funded the preservation of Sanchi in the 19th century?

Answer 2

Shahjehan Begum and Sultan Jehan Begum

Question 3

Which British official published detailed works on Sanchi?

Answer 3

John Marshall

Question 4

Which century is considered a turning point for world philosophical traditions?

Answer 4

Mid-1st millennium BCE

Question 5

What were the Upanishads primarily concerned with?

Answer 5

Nature of the self and ultimate reality

Question 6

What was the sacrificial fire called in the Rigveda?

Answer 6

Agni

Question 7

What is the name of the Buddhist monastic code?

Answer 7

Vinaya Pitaka

Question 8

What do the Tipitaka texts consist of?

Answer 8

Vinaya Pitaka, Sutta Pitaka, Abhidhamma Pitaka

Question 9

What language were the earliest Buddhist texts written in?

Answer 9

Pali

Question 10

Who was the founder of Jainism according to tradition?

Answer 10

Mahavira

Question 11

How many tirthankaras are there in Jainism?

Answer 11

24

Question 12

What is the most important ethical principle in Jainism?

Answer 12

Ahimsa (non-violence)

Question 13

What is the goal of Jain monastic life?

Answer 13

Liberation from the cycle of rebirth

Question 14

Who was the Buddha by birth?

Answer 14

Siddhartha, a Sakya prince

Question 15

What were the four sights that changed Buddha’s life?

Answer 15

Old man, sick man, corpse, and mendicant

Question 16

Where did Buddha attain enlightenment?

Answer 16

Bodh Gaya

Question 17

What does ‘nibbana’ mean in Buddhism?

Answer 17

Extinguishing of ego and desire

Question 18

What is the earliest Buddhist text collection?

Answer 18

Sutta Pitaka

Question 19

What is the sangha in Buddhism?

Answer 19

The monastic community of monks and nuns

Question 20

Who was the first ordained female bhikkhuni?

Answer 20

Mahapajapati Gotami

Question 21

What is the term for a Buddhist nun?

Answer 21

Bhikkhuni

Question 22

What was the Buddha’s last message to his followers?

Answer 22

“Be lamps unto yourselves”

Question 23

What is a stupa?

Answer 23

A mound containing relics of the Buddha

Question 24

Who distributed Buddha’s relics and built stupas?

Answer 24

Ashoka

Question 25

Which text mentions Ashoka’s distribution of relics?

Answer 25

Ashokavadana

Question 26

What is the harmika in a stupa?

Answer 26

Balcony-like structure representing the abode of gods

Question 27

What is the yashti in a stupa structure?

Answer 27

The central mast over the harmika

Question 28

What do inscriptions on stupas record?

Answer 28

Donations by kings, guilds, monks, and women

Question 29

What guild helped build a gateway at Sanchi?

Answer 29

Ivory workers

Question 30

What direction did worshippers walk around stupas?

Answer 30

Clockwise

Question 31

What is the significance of the empty seat in Buddhist art?

Answer 31

Symbol of Buddha’s meditation

Question 32

What does the wheel (chakra) represent in Buddhist art?

Answer 32

Buddha’s first sermon

Question 33

What are Jataka tales?

Answer 33

Stories of Buddha’s previous lives

Question 34

What is a shalabhanjika?

Answer 34

A tree-spirit depicted as a woman touching a tree

Question 35

What were some common motifs in stupa carvings?

Answer 35

Elephants, monkeys, trees, Bodhi tree

Question 36

Which site has paintings depicting Jataka tales?

Answer 36

Ajanta

Question 37

Who is Gajalakshmi often identified with?

Answer 37

Goddess of fortune and mother of the Buddha

Question 38

What is Mahayana Buddhism?

Answer 38

A form of Buddhism that worships the Buddha as a saviour

Question 39

What is a Bodhisattva?

Answer 39

A compassionate being who helps others attain salvation

Question 40

What is Hinayana also known as?

Answer 40

Theravada

Question 41

What is Vaishnavism?

Answer 41

Worship of Vishnu as the principal deity

Question 42

What is Shaivism?

Answer 42

Worship of Shiva

Question 43

What is the linga a symbol of?

Answer 43

Shiva

Question 44

What is the garbhagriha in a temple?

Answer 44

Sanctum housing the deity

Question 45

What is the shikhara in temple architecture?

Answer 45

Tower over the sanctum

Question 46

What are artificial cave temples carved from?

Answer 46

Rock

Question 47

Which famous rock-cut temple is at Ellora?

Answer 47

Kailashnatha temple

Question 48

What style of sculpture influenced early Indian Buddhist art?

Answer 48

Greek (Gandhara art)

Question 49

Who was the first to document Sanchi in detail?

Answer 49

Alexander Cunningham

Question 50

What is the Mahaparinibbana Sutta about?

Answer 50

Buddha’s final instructions and death

Question 51

What is in situ preservation?

Answer 51

Preserving monuments at their original location

Question 52

Which site was looted for sculptures in the 1800s?

Answer 52

Amaravati