Wednesday Filler Trivia

by indophile Wed Mar 28, 2012 2:46 pm

Please do not google.

1. In ancient times, how many kingdoms were in India (Anga, Vanga, Kalinga, Kashmira, ….. etc.)

2. What are the names of the 5 books of Pancha-tantra?

3. To what kingdom does Rukmini (wife of Krishna) belong? Why did her dad name her Rukmini?

4. Who were paraded naked on a bullock cart in Chandini Chowk in Delhi and shot in cold blood in front of the Humayun Tomb?

5. Who was hanged from a tree in Sheeshgunj in Delhi, and why?

6. Who gave English the idea to hire locals (Indians) to raise an army in order to conquer territory in India?

7. Who wrote “Rajataragini,” a history of Kashmir royal dynasties?

8. What are the five Mahakavyas (greatest literary works) in Sanskrit and who are their corresponding authors?

9. How many verses are in Shankaracharya’s Soundarya Lahari?

10. How many verses are in Valmiki Ramayana?

by charvaka Wed Mar 28, 2012 3:48 pm

indophile wrote:
2. What are the names of the 5 books of Pancha-tantra?

I remember three: mitralAbham, mitrabhEdam, labdhapraNASam

indophile wrote:
3. To what kingdom does Rukmini (wife of Krishna) belong? Why did her dad name her Rukmini?

Vidarbha, I think.

indophile wrote:
4. Who were paraded naked on a bullock cart in Chandini Chowk in Delhi and shot in cold blood in front of the Humayun Tomb?

The sons and grandsons of the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar.

indophile wrote:
5. Who was hanged from a tree in Sheeshgunj in Delhi, and why?

One of the Sikh gurus -- the one who fought Aurangzeb. Arjandev may be.

indophile wrote:
7. Who wrote “Rajataragini,” a history of Kashmir royal dynasties?

Kalhana.

indophile wrote:
8. What are the five Mahakavyas (greatest literary works) in Sanskrit and who are their corresponding authors?

I remmeber three... kumArasambhavam and raghuvamsam by kALidAsa, kirAtArjunIyam by bhAravi. naishadha-charitra was one of the five, don't remember who wrote it.

indophile wrote:
10. How many verses are in Valmiki Ramayana?

24,000

by charvaka Wed Mar 28, 2012 7:39 pm

indophile wrote:6. Who gave English the idea to hire locals (Indians) to raise an army in order to conquer territory in India?

The Mughals who used Rajput armies to conquer Rajputana? Or the use of European artillery forces by native rulers (e.g. Nizam, Tipu Sultan, the Peshwa) might have prompted the Europeans to think of the flip side of that -- raising their own native infantries.

by Guest Wed Mar 28, 2012 9:20 pm

Sorry, I have the set of trivia almost done but PI said she will post a set this week and so I decided to delay mine to next week.

by Guest Thu Mar 29, 2012 1:07 am

charvaka wrote:
indophile wrote:
4. Who were paraded naked on a bullock cart in Chandini Chowk in Delhi and shot in cold blood in front of the Humayun Tomb?
The sons and grandsons of the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar.

i don''t think they were paraded naked. also, they were put to the bayonet i think. would be interesting to see the answer to this question.

by Guest Thu Mar 29, 2012 1:15 am

indophile wrote:6. Who gave English the idea to hire locals (Indians) to raise an army in order to conquer territory in India?

the nizam of hyderabad?

by Mosquito Thu Mar 29, 2012 2:41 am

2. sandhi vigraham.

by indophile Thu Mar 29, 2012 8:56 am

Answers:

In ancient times, how many kingdoms were in India (Anga, Vanga, Kalinga, Kashmira, ….. etc.) ----------à 18
What are the names of the 5 books of Pancha-tantra? -----à The original panchatantra of 2000 years ago are --- (1) mitrabhEda, (2) mitralaabha, (3) kaakalOkeeyam, (4) labdhapranasam, and (5) aparikshita-kaarakam. A similar book called “hitOpadEsam” which came about a 1000 years later has the same titles for the first 3 books but the last 2 are titled Sandhi and Vigraham.

3. To what kingdom does Rukmini (wife of Krishna) belong? Why did her dad name her Rukmini? ----à Vidarbha. She was named Rukmini because her dad thought of her as his “golden” girl.
4. Who were paraded naked on a bullock cart in Chandini Chowk in Delhi and shot in cold blood in front of the Humayun Tomb? ---à Three mughal princes, sons of the last mughal king. In all the accounts I’ve read, being paraded on the bullock cart, and being stripped naked, are common. The differences in the accounts are – some say they were shot near the Humayun tomb, and some say they were shot near a place called “khoon darwaza” (blood gate), and their bodies were thrown near a “kotwali” (Mughal police station). Col. Hodson of the Hodson’s Horse (Cavalry Regiment) gave the orders for their killing after he captured the king Bahadurshah alive the previous day, and the princes refused to surrender.
5. Who was hanged from a tree in Sheeshgunj in Delhi, and why? ----à Guru Teg Bahadur, the Sikh Guru. When Mughal authorities stepped up forcible conversions in Kashmir, the pundits sought help from the Sikh Guru and urged him to do something to stop the conversions. The Guru challenged the authorities to convert him first, and if they succeed, they could merrily go on their converting ways in Kashmir. He was brought to Delhi and the Islamic scholars worked on him for many days expounding the greatness of Islam, and when that didn’t work, they killed a son of his. Still he stood his ground uttering the famous words – “Sar dein, magar saar na dein” (I will give up my head but never my faith (hope the language is right)). Of course. He was hanged.
6. Who gave English the idea to hire locals (Indians) to raise an army in order to conquer territory in India? ---à A French general in India named Duplex (I am not sure about the spelling). Robert Clive copied that idea.
7. Who wrote “Rajataragini,” a history of Kashmir royal dynasties? -----à Kalhana
8. What are the five Mahakavyas (greatest literary works) in Sanskrit and who are their corresponding authors? --à (1) Raghuvamsa (Kalidasa), (2) Kumarasambhava (Kalidasa), (3) Naishadha-charitra (Emperor Shree-harsha or Harshavardhana), (4) Kiraata-Arjuneeyam (Bhaaravi), (5) Shishupaala-Vadha (Maagha).
9. How many verses are in Shankaracharya’s Soundarya Lahari? ------à 100.
10. How many verses are in Valmiki Ramayana? --à 24,000.

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