Divyanshu67/squad_v2 huggingface dataset:
History_of_India

The Mature Indus civilisation flourished from about 2600 to 1900 BCE, marking the beginning of urban civilisation on the subcontinent. The civilisation included urban centres such as Dholavira, Kalibangan, Ropar, Rakhigarhi, and Lothal in modern-day India, as well as Harappa, Ganeriwala, and Mohenjo-daro in modern-day Pakistan. The civilisation is noted for its cities built of brick, roadside drainage system, and multistoreyed houses and is thought to have had some kind of municipal organization.

Question: When did the Mature Indus Civilization thrive? 
Answer: 2600 to 1900 BCE

Question: What stage of civilization did the Mature Indus represent?
Answer: urban

Question: What kind of organization did the Mature Indus have?
Answer: municipal

Question: Of what were the early cities of the Mature Indus civilization built?
Answer: brick

Question: How high were the buildings in the Mature Indus ?
Answer: multistoreyed
History_of_India

The Vedic period is named after the Indo-Aryan culture of north-west India, although other parts of India had a distinct cultural identity during this period. The Vedic culture is described in the texts of Vedas, still sacred to Hindus, which were orally composed in Vedic Sanskrit. The Vedas are some of the oldest extant texts in India. The Vedic period, lasting from about 1750 to 500 BCE, and contributed the foundations of several cultural aspects of Indian subcontinent. In terms of culture, many regions of the subcontinent transitioned from the Chalcolithic to the Iron Age in this period.

Question: For what culture is the Vedic period named?
Answer: Indo-Aryan

Question: Where was the Indo-Aryan culture located?
Answer: north-west India

Question: In what language did  the Vedic culture speak?
Answer: Vedic Sanskrit

Question: What sacred texts are some of the oldest in India?
Answer: The Vedas

Question: What was the duration of the Vedic culture?
Answer: 1750 to 500 BCE
History_of_India

At the end of the Rigvedic period, the Aryan society began to expand from the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent, into the western Ganges plain. It became increasingly agricultural and was socially organised around the hierarchy of the four varnas, or social classes. This social structure was characterized both by syncretising with the native cultures of northern India, but also eventually by the excluding of indigenous peoples by labelling their occupations impure. During this period, many of the previous small tribal units and chiefdoms began to coalesce into monarchical, state-level polities.

Question: When did the Aryan culture begin its expansion?
Answer: Rigvedic period

Question: Into what area did the Aryan culture expand?
Answer: western Ganges plain

Question: What were the Aryan social classes called?
Answer: varnas

Question: What did the Aryans label as impure in the indigenous peoples in order to exclude them from certain social classes?
Answer: occupations

Question: What groupings formed up into larger monarchical groups?
Answer: small tribal units
History_of_India

The Kuru kingdom was the first state-level society of the Vedic period, corresponding to the beginning of the Iron Age in northwestern India, around 1200 – 800 BCE, as well as with the composition of the Atharvaveda (the first Indian text to mention iron, as śyāma ayas, literally "black metal"). The Kuru state organized the Vedic hymns into collections, and developed the orthodox srauta ritual to uphold the social order. When the Kuru kingdom declined, the center of Vedic culture shifted to their eastern neighbours, the Panchala kingdom. The archaeological Painted Grey Ware culture, which flourished in the Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh regions of northern India from about 1100 to 600 BCE, is believed to correspond to the Kuru and Panchala kingdoms.

Question: What was the first state size society in the Vedic period?
Answer: Kuru kingdom

Question: What is the dating of the Kuru kingdom?
Answer: 1200 – 800 BCE

Question: At the beginning of what age are the dates of the Kuru kingdom?
Answer: Iron Age

Question: What is the first Indian text to mention iron?
Answer: Atharvaveda

Question: When the Kuru kingdom declined, to what kingdom did Vedic culture go?
Answer: Panchala
History_of_India

In addition to the Vedas, the principal texts of Hinduism, the core themes of the Sanskrit epics Ramayana and Mahabharata are said to have their ultimate origins during this period. The Mahabharata remains, today, the longest single poem in the world. Historians formerly postulated an "epic age" as the milieu of these two epic poems, but now recognize that the texts (which are both familiar with each other) went through multiple stages of development over centuries. For instance, the Mahabharata may have been based on a small-scale conflict (possibly about 1000 BCE) which was eventually "transformed into a gigantic epic war by bards and poets". There is no conclusive proof from archaeology as to whether the specific events of the Mahabharat have any historical basis. The existing texts of these epics are believed to belong to the post-Vedic age, between c. 400 BCE and 400 CE. Some even attempted to date the events using methods of archaeoastronomy which have produced, depending on which passages are chosen and how they are interpreted, estimated dates ranging up to mid 2nd millennium BCE.

Question: What were the principle texts of Hinduism?
Answer: Vedas

Question: In what language were the Vedas ?
Answer: Sanskrit

Question: What were the core epics of the Vedas?
Answer: Ramayana and Mahabharata

Question: Which Vedic text is the longest single poem on Earth?
Answer: Mahabharata

Question: On what type of clash is the Mahabharata thought to have been based?
Answer: small-scale conflict
History_of_India

During the time between 800 and 200 BCE the Shramana-movement formed, from which originated Jainism and Buddhism. In the same period the first Upanishads were written. After 500 BCE, the so-called "Second urbanization" started, with new urban settlements arising at the Ganges plain, especially the Central Ganges plain. The Central Ganges Plain, where Magadha gained prominence, forming the base of the Mauryan Empire, was a distinct cultural area, with new states arising after 500 BC[web 1] during the so-called "Second urbanization".[note 3] It was influenced by the Vedic culture, but differed markedly from the Kuru-Panchala region. It "was the area of the earliest known cultivation of rice in South Asia and by 1800 BC was the location of an advanced neolithic population associated with the sites of Chirand and Chechar". In this region the Shramanic movements flourished, and Jainism and Buddhism originated.

Question: What philosophical movement appeared during 800-200 BCE?
Answer: Shramana-movement

Question: What was the origins of the Shramana movement?
Answer: Jainism and Buddhism

Question: During what time were the first Upanishads written?
Answer: between 800 and 200 BCE

Question: What period started after 500 BCE?
Answer: Second urbanization

Question: Where was the central location of the Muayan Empire?
Answer: Central Ganges Plain
History_of_India

In the later Vedic Age, a number of small kingdoms or city states had covered the subcontinent, many mentioned in Vedic, early Buddhist and Jaina literature as far back as 500 BCE. sixteen monarchies and "republics" known as the Mahajanapadas—Kashi, Kosala, Anga, Magadha, Vajji (or Vriji), Malla, Chedi, Vatsa (or Vamsa), Kuru, Panchala, Matsya (or Machcha), Shurasena, Assaka, Avanti, Gandhara, and Kamboja—stretched across the Indo-Gangetic Plain from modern-day Afghanistan to Bengal and Maharashtra. This period saw the second major rise of urbanism in India after the Indus Valley Civilisation.

Question: By what age had many small states covered the subcontinent?
Answer: later Vedic Age

Question: How many small states covered the Ganges Plain of India?
Answer: sixteen monarchies

Question: What were the sixteen kingdoms called?
Answer: Mahajanapadas

Question: What second period did the rise of the small kingdoms show?
Answer: urbanism

Question: What was the first major urbanization in India?
Answer: Indus Valley Civilisation
History_of_India

Many smaller clans mentioned within early literature seem to have been present across the rest of the subcontinent. Some of these kings were hereditary; other states elected their rulers. Early "republics" such as the Vajji (or Vriji) confederation centered in the city of Vaishali, existed as early as the 6th century BCE and persisted in some areas until the 4th century CE. The educated speech at that time was Sanskrit, while the languages of the general population of northern India are referred to as Prakrits. Many of the sixteen kingdoms had coalesced to four major ones by 500/400 BCE, by the time of Gautama Buddha. These four were Vatsa, Avanti, Kosala, and Magadha. The Life of Gautam Budhha was mainly associated with these four kingdoms.

Question: Where was the Vajji confederation located?
Answer: Vaishali

Question: How early did the small republic states exist in India?
Answer: 6th century BCE

Question: Until what century did the republic states endure in India?
Answer: 4th century CE

Question: In what language did the educated Indian speak?
Answer: Sanskrit

Question: What was the general population's common language ?
Answer: Prakrits
History_of_India

The 7th and 6th centuries BC witnessed the composition of the earliest Upanishads. Upanishads form the theoretical basis of classical Hinduism and are known as Vedanta (conclusion of the Vedas). The older Upanishads launched attacks of increasing intensity on the ritual. Anyone who worships a divinity other than the Self is called a domestic animal of the gods in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. The Mundaka launches the most scathing attack on the ritual by comparing those who value sacrifice with an unsafe boat that is endlessly overtaken by old age and death.

Question: When were the earliest Upanishads composed?
Answer: 7th and 6th centuries BC

Question: Of what philosophical system do the Upanishads form the basis?
Answer: Hinduism

Question: What are the Upanishads called in Hinduism?
Answer: Vedanta

Question: What part of the Hinduism belief system did the Upanishads attack?
Answer: ritual

Question: What worship system is central to Hinduism?
Answer: Self
History_of_India

Increasing urbanisation of India in 7th and 6th centuries BCE led to the rise of new ascetic or shramana movements which challenged the orthodoxy of rituals. Mahavira (c. 549–477 BC), proponent of Jainism, and Buddha (c. 563-483), founder of Buddhism were the most prominent icons of this movement. Shramana gave rise to the concept of the cycle of birth and death, the concept of samsara, and the concept of liberation. Buddha found a Middle Way that ameliorated the extreme asceticism found in the Sramana religions.

Question: What did the shramana movements challenge?
Answer: orthodoxy of rituals

Question: Who was the founder of Jainism?
Answer: Mahavira

Question: What prominent icon founded Buddhism? 
Answer: Buddha

Question: What path did Buddha find to soothe the strictness of Sramana religions?
Answer: Middle Way

Question: What belief system taught the idea of samsara?
Answer: Shramana
History_of_India

Magadha (Sanskrit: मगध) formed one of the sixteen Mahā-Janapadas (Sanskrit: "Great Countries") or kingdoms in ancient India. The core of the kingdom was the area of Bihar south of the Ganges; its first capital was Rajagriha (modern Rajgir) then Pataliputra (modern Patna). Magadha expanded to include most of Bihar and Bengal with the conquest of Licchavi and Anga respectively, followed by much of eastern Uttar Pradesh and Orissa. The ancient kingdom of Magadha is heavily mentioned in Jain and Buddhist texts. It is also mentioned in the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas. A state of Magadha, possibly a tribal kingdom, is recorded in Vedic texts much earlier in time than 600 BC. Magadha Empire had great rulers like Bimbisara and Ajatshatru.

Question: Of what was Magadha one of sixteen?
Answer: Mahā-Janapadas

Question: How does the Sanskrit translate Maha-Janapadas?
Answer: Great Countries

Question: Where was the center of Magadha?
Answer: Bihar

Question: Where were there early records of the Magadha kingdom?
Answer: Vedic texts

Question: What time do the texts locating Magadha kingdom predate?
Answer: 600 BC.
History_of_India

The earliest reference to the Magadha people occurs in the Atharva-Veda where they are found listed along with the Angas, Gandharis, and Mujavats. Magadha played an important role in the development of Jainism and Buddhism, and two of India's greatest empires, the Maurya Empire and Gupta Empire, originated from Magadha. These empires saw advancements in ancient India's science, mathematics, astronomy, religion, and philosophy and were considered the Indian "Golden Age". The Magadha kingdom included republican communities such as the community of Rajakumara. Villages had their own assemblies under their local chiefs called Gramakas. Their administrations were divided into executive, judicial, and military functions.

Question: Where is the earliest mention of Magadha people?
Answer: Atharva-Veda

Question: In the development of which religions did Magadha participate?
Answer: Jainism and Buddhism

Question: Where was the location origin of the Maurya and Gupta empires?
Answer: Magadha

Question: Due to advances in science and culture, what are the Magadha region empires considered to represent?
Answer: Golden Age

Question: What were local villages' assemblies called in the Magadha kingdoms?
Answer: Gramakas
History_of_India

In 530 BC Cyrus the Great, King of the Persian Achaemenid Empire crossed the Hindu-Kush mountains to seek tribute from the tribes of Kamboja, Gandhara and the trans-India region (modern Afghanistan and Pakistan). By 520 BC, during the reign of Darius I of Persia, much of the northwestern subcontinent (present-day eastern Afghanistan and Pakistan) came under the rule of the Persian Achaemenid Empire, as part of the far easternmost territories. The area remained under Persian control for two centuries. During this time India supplied mercenaries to the Persian army then fighting in Greece.

Question: What Persian king wanted tribute from the tribes of northern India?
Answer: Cyrus the Great

Question: By 520 BC what empire ruled the northwestern Indian subcontinent?
Answer: Persian Achaemenid Empire

Question: What king ruled Persia in 520 BC?
Answer: Darius I of Persia

Question: How long did the Persian empire control the northern India subcontinent?
Answer: two centuries

Question: What did India supply to the Persian war efforts against Greece?
Answer: mercenaries
History_of_India

By 326 BC, Alexander the Great had conquered Asia Minor and the Achaemenid Empire and had reached the northwest frontiers of the Indian subcontinent. There he defeated King Porus in the Battle of the Hydaspes (near modern-day Jhelum, Pakistan) and conquered much of the Punjab. Alexander's march east put him in confrontation with the Nanda Empire of Magadha and the Gangaridai of Bengal. His army, exhausted and frightened by the prospect of facing larger Indian armies at the Ganges River, mutinied at the Hyphasis (modern Beas River) and refused to march further East. Alexander, after the meeting with his officer, Coenus, and learning about the might of Nanda Empire, was convinced that it was better to return.

Question: When did Alexander the Great reach India?
Answer: 326 BC

Question: Who did Alexander defeat in the area now Pakistan?
Answer: King Porus

Question: At what battle did Alexander beat King Porus?
Answer: Battle of the Hydaspes

Question: Where did Alexander's army finally mutiny?
Answer: Hyphasis

Question: The strength of what empire's army pushed Alexander to retreat?
Answer: Nanda Empire
History_of_India

The Maurya Empire (322–185 BCE) was the first empire to unify India into one state, and was the largest on the Indian subcontinent. At its greatest extent, the Mauryan Empire stretched to the north up to the natural boundaries of the Himalayas and to the east into what is now Assam. To the west, it reached beyond modern Pakistan, to the Hindu Kush mountains in what is now Afghanistan. The empire was established by Chandragupta Maurya in Magadha (in modern Bihar) when he overthrew the Nanda Dynasty. Chandragupta's son Bindusara succeeded to the throne around 297 BC. By the time he died in c. 272 BC, a large part of the subcontinent was under Mauryan suzerainty. However, the region of Kalinga (around modern day Odisha) remained outside Mauryan control, perhaps interfering with their trade with the south.

Question: What was the first empire to unify India?
Answer: Maurya Empire

Question: What was the time span of the Mauryan Empire?
Answer: 322–185 BCE

Question: Who formed the Maurya Empire in Magadha?
Answer: Chandragupta Maurya

Question: What dynasty did Chandragupta Maurya defeat?
Answer: Nanda Dynasty

Question: In what year did Chandraguta's son come to the throne?
Answer: 297 BC
History_of_India

The Arthashastra and the Edicts of Ashoka are the primary written records of the Mauryan times. Archaeologically, this period falls into the era of Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW). The Mauryan Empire was based on a modern and efficient economy and society. However, the sale of merchandise was closely regulated by the government. Although there was no banking in the Mauryan society, usury was customary. A significant amount of written records on slavery are found, suggesting a prevalence thereof. During this period, a high quality steel called Wootz steel was developed in south India and was later exported to China and Arabia.

Question: What are the basic written records of the Mauryans?
Answer: Arthashastra and the Edicts of Ashoka

Question: What is the archaeological period of the Mauryan Empire?
Answer: Northern Black Polished Ware

Question: What metal was developed in south India during the time of the Mauryan Empire?
Answer: Wootz steel

Question: To where was wootz steel exported?
Answer: China and Arabia

Question: What organization closely monitored business dealings in the Mauryan Empire? 
Answer: government
History_of_India

During the Sangam period Tamil literateure flourished from the 3rd century BCE to the 4th century CE. During this period the 3 Tamil Dynasties Chera dynasty, Chola dynasty and the Pandyan Dynasty ruled parts of southern India. The Sangam literature deals with the history, politics, wars and culture of the Tamil people of this period. The scholars of the Sangam period rose from among the common people who sought the patronage of the Tamil Kings but who mainly wrote about the common people and their concerns. Unlike Sanskrit writers who were mostly Brahmins, Sangam writers came from diverse classes and social backgrounds and were mostly non-Brahmins. They belonged to different faiths and professions like farmers, artisans, merchants, monks, priests and even princes and quite few of them were even women.

Question: During what period did Tamil literature thrive?
Answer: Sangam period

Question: How many Tamil dynasties ruled during the Sangam period?
Answer: 3

Question: What was the extent of the Sangam period?
Answer: 3rd century BCE to the 4th century CE

Question: In what part of India did the Tamil dynasties rule?
Answer: southern India

Question: How were Tamil writers different from earlier Sanskrit writers?
Answer: non-Brahmins
History_of_India

The Śātavāhana Empire was a royal Indian dynasty based from Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh as well as Junnar (Pune) and Prathisthan (Paithan) in Maharashtra. The territory of the empire covered much of India from 230 BCE onward. Sātavāhanas started out as feudatories to the Mauryan dynasty, but declared independence with its decline. They are known for their patronage of Hinduism and Buddhism which resulted in Buddhist monuments from Ellora (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) to Amaravati. The Sātavāhanas were one of the first Indian states to issue coins struck with their rulers embossed. They formed a cultural bridge and played a vital role in trade as well as the transfer of ideas and culture to and from the Indo-Gangetic Plain to the southern tip of India. They had to compete with the Shunga Empire and then the Kanva dynasty of Magadha to establish their rule. Later, they played a crucial role to protect a huge part of India against foreign invaders like the Sakas, Yavanas and Pahlavas. In particular their struggles with the Western Kshatrapas went on for a long time. The notable rulers of the Satavahana Dynasty Gautamiputra Satakarni and Sri Yajna Sātakarni were able to defeat the foreign invaders like the Western Kshatrapas and to stop their expansion. In the 3rd century CE the empire was split into smaller states.

Question: What empire covered most of India from 230 BCE?
Answer: Śātavāhana Empire

Question: Of what were the Satavahanas patrons?
Answer: Hinduism and Buddhism

Question: What did the Satavahanas issue embossed with their king's head?
Answer: coins

Question: When was the Satavahana Empire divided into smaller states?
Answer: 3rd century CE

Question: From what did the Satavahana Empire protect much of India?
Answer: foreign invaders
History_of_India

The Shunga Empire or Shunga Empire was an ancient Indian dynasty from Magadha that controlled vast areas of the Indian subcontinent from around 187 to 78 BCE. The dynasty was established by Pushyamitra Shunga, after the fall of the Maurya Empire. Its capital was Pataliputra, but later emperors such as Bhagabhadra also held court at Besnagar, modern Vidisha in Eastern Malwa. Pushyamitra Shunga ruled for 36 years and was succeeded by his son Agnimitra. There were ten Shunga rulers. The empire is noted for its numerous wars with both foreign and indigenous powers. They fought battles with the Kalingas, Satavahanas, the Indo-Greeks, and possibly the Panchalas and Mathuras. Art, education, philosophy, and other forms of learning flowered during this period including small terracotta images, larger stone sculptures, and architectural monuments such as the Stupa at Bharhut, and the renowned Great Stupa at Sanchi. The Shunga rulers helped to establish the tradition of royal sponsorship of learning and art. The script used by the empire was a variant of Brahmi and was used to write the Sanskrit language. The Shunga Empire played an imperative role in patronizing Indian culture at a time when some of the most important developments in Hindu thought were taking place.

Question: What was the time span of the Shunga Empire?
Answer: 187 to 78 BCE

Question: Who founded the Shuga empire after the fall of the Maurya empire?
Answer: Pushyamitra Shunga

Question: How long did Pushyamitra Shunga rule?
Answer: 36 years

Question: What script variant was used to write the Sanskrit language?
Answer: Brahmi

Question: What tradition did Shunga rulers help begin?
Answer: sponsorship of learning and art
History_of_India

During the reign of Khārabēḷa, the Chedi dynasty of Kaḷinga ascended to eminence and restored the lost power and glory of Kaḷinga, which had been subdued since the devastating war with Ashoka. Kaḷingan military might was reinstated by Khārabēḷa: under Khārabēḷa's generalship, the Kaḷinga state had a formidable maritime reach with trade routes linking it to the then-Simhala (Sri Lanka), Burma (Myanmar), Siam (Thailand), Vietnam, Kamboja (Cambodia), Malaysia, Borneo, Bali, Samudra (Sumatra) and Jabadwipa (Java). Khārabēḷa led many successful campaigns against the states of Magadha, Anga, Satavahanas till the southern most regions of Pandyan Empire (modern Tamil Nadu).

Question: What Kalingan ruler brought the Chedi dynasty back into power?
Answer: Khārabēḷa

Question: What power had previously defeated the Kalingans? 
Answer: Ashoka

Question: In what arena was Kalinga a formidable power?
Answer: maritime

Question: What maritime advantage did the Kalingans have?
Answer: trade routes

Question: What militaristic leader restored might to the Kalinga empire?
Answer: Khārabēḷa
History_of_India

The Kushan Empire expanded out of what is now Afghanistan into the northwest of the subcontinent under the leadership of their first emperor, Kujula Kadphises, about the middle of the 1st century CE. They came of an Indo-European language speaking Central Asian tribe called the Yuezhi, a branch of which was known as the Kushans. By the time of his grandson, Kanishka, they had conquered most of northern India, at least as far as Saketa and Pataliputra, in the middle Ganges Valley, and probably as far as the Bay of Bengal.

Question: From what area did the Kushan Empire come?
Answer: Afghanistan

Question: Who was the first ruler of the Kushan empire?
Answer: Kujula Kadphises

Question: In the middle o what century did the Kushan empire begin?
Answer: 1st century CE

Question: What was the language base of the Kushans?
Answer: Indo-European

Question: What had the Kushans conquered much of by the time of Kanishka
Answer: northern India
History_of_India

Classical India refers to the period when much of the Indian subcontinent was reunited under the Gupta Empire (c. 320–550 CE). This period has been called the Golden Age of India and was marked by extensive achievements in science, technology, engineering, art, dialectic, literature, logic, mathematics, astronomy, religion, and philosophy that crystallized the elements of what is generally known as Hindu culture. The Hindu-Arabic numerals, a positional numeral system, originated in India and was later transmitted to the West through the Arabs. Early Hindu numerals had only nine symbols, until 600 to 800 CE, when a symbol for zero was developed for the numeral system. The peace and prosperity created under leadership of Guptas enabled the pursuit of scientific and artistic endeavors in India.

Question: By what is India under the Gupta Empire referered?
Answer: Classical India

Question: What was the time span of the Gupta Empire?
Answer: c. 320–550 CE

Question: What is the period of the Gupta Empire called?
Answer: Golden Age of India

Question: What philosophy  formed at the time of the Gupta Empire?
Answer: Hindu culture

Question: What numeral system originated in India?
Answer: Hindu-Arabic
History_of_India

The high points of this cultural creativity are magnificent architecture, sculpture, and painting. The Gupta period produced scholars such as Kalidasa, Aryabhata, Varahamihira, Vishnu Sharma, and Vatsyayana who made great advancements in many academic fields. The Gupta period marked a watershed of Indian culture: the Guptas performed Vedic sacrifices to legitimize their rule, but they also patronized Buddhism, which continued to provide an alternative to Brahmanical orthodoxy. The military exploits of the first three rulers – Chandragupta I, Samudragupta, and Chandragupta II - brought much of India under their leadership. Science and political administration reached new heights during the Gupta era. Strong trade ties also made the region an important cultural centre and established it as a base that would influence nearby kingdoms and regions in Burma, Sri Lanka, Maritime Southeast Asia, and Indochina. For these reasons, historian Dr.Barnett remarked:

Question: What did the Guptas promote in their reigns?
Answer: Indian culture

Question: Besides the Vedic practices, what other religion did the Guptas patronize?
Answer: Buddhism

Question: What Guptas brought much of India under Gupta rule?
Answer: first three rulers

Question: What business activity made the Gupta Empire prominent in India?
Answer: Strong trade ties

Question: What did the Gupta Empires trade ties influence?
Answer: nearby kingdoms
History_of_India

Kadamba (345 – 525 CE) was an ancient royal dynasty of Karnataka, India that ruled northern Karnataka and the Konkan from Banavasi in present-day Uttara Kannada district. At the peak of their power under King Kakushtavarma, the Kadambas of Banavasi ruled large parts of modern Karnataka state. The dynasty was founded by Mayurasharma in 345 CE which at later times showed the potential of developing into imperial proportions, an indication to which is provided by the titles and epithets assumed by its rulers. King Mayurasharma defeated the armies of Pallavas of Kanchi possibly with help of some native tribes. The Kadamba fame reached its peak during the rule of Kakusthavarma, a notable ruler with whom even the kings of Gupta Dynasty of northern India cultivated marital alliances. The Kadambas were contemporaries of the Western Ganga Dynasty and together they formed the earliest native kingdoms to rule the land with absolute autonomy. The dynasty later continued to rule as a feudatory of larger Kannada empires, the Chalukya and the Rashtrakuta empires, for over five hundred years during which time they branched into minor dynasties known as the Kadambas of Goa, Kadambas of Halasi and Kadambas of Hangal.

Question: During what time did Kadamba rule northern Karnataka?
Answer: 345 – 525 CE

Question: Where did the Kadamba dynasty originate?
Answer: Karnataka, India

Question: What ruler ruled at the peak of Kadamba power?
Answer: King Kakushtavarma

Question: Who founded the Kamdamba dynasty?
Answer: Mayurasharma

Question: What dynasty made military alliances with the Kamdamba?
Answer: Gupta Dynasty
History_of_India

The Hephthalites (or Ephthalites), also known as the White Huns, were a nomadic confederation in Central Asia during the late antiquity period. The White Huns established themselves in modern-day Afghanistan by the first half of the 5th century. Led by the Hun military leader Toramana, they overran the northern region of Pakistan and North India. Toramana's son Mihirakula, a Saivite Hindu, moved up to near Pataliputra to the east and Gwalior to the central India. Hiuen Tsiang narrates Mihirakula's merciless persecution of Buddhists and destruction of monasteries, though the description is disputed as far as the authenticity is concerned. The Huns were defeated by the Indian kings Yasodharman of Malwa and Narasimhagupta in the 6th century. Some of them were driven out of India and others were assimilated in the Indian society.

Question: What type of trib were the Hephthalites?
Answer: nomadic confederation

Question: Where did the White Huns roam?
Answer: Central Asia

Question: In what country did the White Huns settle?
Answer: Afghanistan

Question: What lands did the White Huns take in the 5th century? 
Answer: Pakistan and North India
History_of_India

After the downfall of the prior Gupta Empire in the middle of the 6th century, North India reverted to small republics and small monarchical states ruled by Gupta rulers. Harsha was a convert to Buddhism. He united the small republics from Punjab to central India, and their representatives crowned Harsha king at an assembly in April 606 giving him the title of Maharaja when he was merely 16 years old. Harsha belonged to Kanojia. He brought all of northern India under his control. The peace and prosperity that prevailed made his court a center of cosmopolitanism, attracting scholars, artists and religious visitors from far and wide. The Chinese traveler Xuan Zang visited the court of Harsha and wrote a very favorable account of him, praising his justice and generosity.

Question: In which century did the Gupta Empire fall?
Answer: middle of the 6th century

Question: To what type of states did the former Gupta Empire revert?
Answer: small

Question: After uniting the area, what title was Harsha given?
Answer: Maharaja

Question: When was Harsha crowned by the states he united?
Answer: April 606

Question: To what religion had Harsha been converted?
Answer: Buddhism
History_of_India

From the fifth century to the thirteenth, Śrauta sacrifices declined, and initiatory traditions of Buddhism, Jainism or more commonly Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Shaktism expanded in royal courts. This period produced some of India's finest art, considered the epitome of classical development, and the development of the main spiritual and philosophical systems which continued to be in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Emperor Harsha of Kannauj succeeded in reuniting northern India during his reign in the 7th century, after the collapse of the Gupta dynasty. His empire collapsed after his death.

Question: What declined from the 5th to the 13th centuries
Answer: Śrauta sacrifices

Question: What philosophical traditions developed during the period of the 5th to the 13th centuries?
Answer: Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism

Question: In what century was Harsha's rule? 
Answer: 7th century

Question: What happened to Harsha's empire after his death?
Answer: collapsed

Question: What area did Harsha unite during his reign?
Answer: northern India
History_of_India

Ronald Inden writes that by the 8th century CE symbols of Hindu gods "replaced the Buddha at the imperial centre and pinnacle of the cosmo-political system, the image or symbol of the Hindu god comes to be housed in a monumental temple and given increasingly elaborate imperial-style puja worship". Although Buddhism did not disappear from India for several centuries after the eighth, royal proclivities for the cults of Vishnu and Shiva weakened Buddhism's position within the sociopolitical context and helped make possible its decline.

Question: What cults weakened Buddhism in India?
Answer: Vishnu and Shiva

Question: What replaced Buddha in ruling centers?
Answer: Hindu gods

Question: What kind of temples were built for Hindu Gods?
Answer: monumental

Question: What was the style of worship of Hindu Gods?
Answer: elaborate

Question: By what dentury did Buddhism disappear form much of India?
Answer: eighth
History_of_India

From the 8th to the 10th century, three dynasties contested for control of northern India: the Gurjara Pratiharas of Malwa, the Palas of Bengal, and the Rashtrakutas of the Deccan. The Sena dynasty would later assume control of the Pala Empire, and the Gurjara Pratiharas fragmented into various states. These were the first of the Rajput states. The first recorded Rajput kingdoms emerged in Rajasthan in the 6th century, and small Rajput dynasties later ruled much of northern India. One Gurjar Rajput of the Chauhan clan, Prithvi Raj Chauhan, was known for bloody conflicts against the advancing Turkic sultanates. The Chola empire emerged as a major power during the reign of Raja Raja Chola I and Rajendra Chola I who successfully invaded parts of Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka in the 11th century. Lalitaditya Muktapida (r. 724 CE–760 CE) was an emperor of the Kashmiri Karkoṭa dynasty, which exercised influence in northwestern India from 625 CE until 1003, and was followed by Lohara dynasty. He is known primarily for his successful battles against the Muslim and Tibetan advances into Kashmiri-dominated regions. Kalhana in his Rajatarangini credits king Lalitaditya with leading an aggressive military campaign in Northern India and Central Asia. He broke into the Uttarapatha and defeated the rebellious tribes of the Kambojas, Tukharas (Turks in Turkmenistan and Tocharians in Badakhshan), Bhautas (Tibetans in Baltistan and Tibet) and Daradas (Dards). His campaign then led him to subjugate the kingdoms of Pragjyotisha, Strirajya and the Uttarakurus. The Shahi dynasty ruled portions of eastern Afghanistan, northern Pakistan, and Kashmir from the mid-7th century to the early 11th century.

Question: How many dynasties fought for control from the 8th to the 10th century?
Answer: three

Question: When did the first Rajput kingdoms emerge in India?
Answer: 6th century

Question: What Rajput ruler was known for his conflicts with the Turkic sultanates?
Answer: Prithvi Raj Chauhan

Question: In what century did the Chola Empire emerge?
Answer: 11th century

Question: Who was emperor of the Kashmiri  Karkota dynasty?
Answer: Lalitaditya Muktapida
History_of_India

The Chalukya Empire (Kannada: ಚಾಲುಕ್ಯರು [tʃaːɭukjə]) was an Indian royal dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynasty, known as the "Badami Chalukyas", ruled from Vatapi (modern Badami) from the middle of the 6th century. The Badami Chalukyas began to assert their independence at the decline of the Kadamba kingdom of Banavasi and rapidly rose to prominence during the reign of Pulakeshin II. The rule of the Chalukyas marks an important milestone in the history of South India and a golden age in the history of Karnataka. The political atmosphere in South India shifted from smaller kingdoms to large empires with the ascendancy of Badami Chalukyas. A Southern India-based kingdom took control and consolidated the entire region between the Kaveri and the Narmada rivers. The rise of this empire saw the birth of efficient administration, overseas trade and commerce and the development of new style of architecture called "Chalukyan architecture". The Chalukya dynasty ruled parts of southern and central India from Badami in Karnataka between 550 and 750, and then again from Kalyani between 970 and 1190.

Question: When did the Chalukya Empire rule?
Answer: 6th and the 12th centuries

Question: What portion of India did the Chalukya Empire rule?
Answer: southern and central

Question: What style of architecture developed during the Chaluka reigns? 
Answer: Chalukyan architecture

Question: When did the Chalukyans rule from Badami?
Answer: 550 and 750

Question: When was the second reign of Chalukyans?
Answer: 970 and 1190
History_of_India

Founded by Dantidurga around 753, the Rashtrakuta Empire ruled from its capital at Manyakheta for almost two centuries. At its peak, the Rashtrakutas ruled from the Ganges River and Yamuna River doab in the north to Cape Comorin in the south, a fruitful time of political expansion, architectural achievements and famous literary contributions.[citation needed] The early kings of this dynasty were Hindu but the later kings were strongly influenced by Jainism. Govinda III and Amoghavarsha were the most famous of the long line of able administrators produced by the dynasty. Amoghavarsha, who ruled for 64 years, was also an author and wrote Kavirajamarga, the earliest known Kannada work on poetics. Architecture reached a milestone in the Dravidian style, the finest example of which is seen in the Kailasanath Temple at Ellora. Other important contributions are the sculptures of Elephanta Caves in modern Maharashtra as well as the Kashivishvanatha temple and the Jain Narayana temple at Pattadakal in modern Karnataka, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Arab traveler Suleiman described the Rashtrakuta Empire as one of the four great Empires of the world. The Rashtrakuta period marked the beginning of the golden age of southern Indian mathematics. The great south Indian mathematician Mahāvīra (mathematician) lived in the Rashtrakuta Empire and his text had a huge impact on the medieval south Indian mathematicians who lived after him. The Rashtrakuta rulers also patronised men of letters, who wrote in a variety of languages from Sanskrit to the Apabhraṃśas.

Question: When was the Rastrakuta Empire started?
Answer: 753

Question: In what location was the capital of the Rashtrakuta Empire?
Answer: Manyakheta

Question: What was the faith of the early rulers of the Rastrakuta Empire?
Answer: Hindu

Question: By what were the later kings of the Rastrakuta Empire influenced?
Answer: Jainism

Question: What Rastrakuta king ruler for 64 years?
Answer: Amoghavarsha
History_of_India

The Pala Empire (Bengali: পাল সাম্রাজ্য Pal Samrajyô) flourished during the Classical period of India, and may be dated during 750–1174 CE. Founded by Gopala I, it was ruled by a Buddhist dynasty from Bengal in the eastern region of the Indian subcontinent. Though the Palas were followers of the Mahayana and Tantric schools of Buddhism, they also patronised Shaivism and Vaishnavism. The morpheme Pala, meaning "protector", was used as an ending for the names of all the Pala monarchs. The empire reached its peak under Dharmapala and Devapala. Dharmapala is believed to have conquered Kanauj and extended his sway up to the farthest limits of India in the northwest. The Pala Empire can be considered as the golden era of Bengal in many ways. Dharmapala founded the Vikramashila and revived Nalanda, considered one of the first great universities in recorded history. Nalanda reached its height under the patronage of the Pala Empire. The Palas also built many viharas. They maintained close cultural and commercial ties with countries of Southeast Asia and Tibet. Sea trade added greatly to the prosperity of the Pala kingdom. The Arab merchant Suleiman notes the enormity of the Pala army in his memoirs.

Question: During what span of time did the Pala Empire thrive?
Answer: 750–1174 CE

Question: What style of belief system did the Pala Empire favor?
Answer: Buddhist

Question: What is the term used to describe the Pala Empire?
Answer: golden era of Bengal

Question: What educational center reached it height during the Pala rule?
Answer: Nalanda

Question: What ruler founded the Pala dynasty?
Answer: Gopala I
History_of_India

Medieval Cholas rose to prominence during the middle of the 9th century C.E. and established the greatest empire South India had seen. They successfully united the South India under their rule and through their naval strength extended their influence in the Southeast Asian countries such as Srivijaya. Under Rajaraja Chola I and his successors Rajendra Chola I, Rajadhiraja Chola, Virarajendra Chola and Kulothunga Chola I the dynasty became a military, economic and cultural power in South Asia and South-East Asia. Rajendra Chola I's navies went even further, occupying the sea coasts from Burma to Vietnam, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Lakshadweep (Laccadive) islands, Sumatra, and the Malay Peninsula in Southeast Asia and the Pegu islands. The power of the new empire was proclaimed to the eastern world by the expedition to the Ganges which Rajendra Chola I undertook and by the occupation of cities of the maritime empire of Srivijaya in Southeast Asia, as well as by the repeated embassies to China. They dominated the political affairs of Sri Lanka for over two centuries through repeated invasions and occupation. They also had continuing trade contacts with the Arabs in the west and with the Chinese empire in the east. Rajaraja Chola I and his equally distinguished son Rajendra Chola I gave political unity to the whole of Southern India and established the Chola Empire as a respected sea power. Under the Cholas, the South India reached new heights of excellence in art, religion and literature. In all of these spheres, the Chola period marked the culmination of movements that had begun in an earlier age under the Pallavas. Monumental architecture in the form of majestic temples and sculpture in stone and bronze reached a finesse never before achieved in India.

Question: What area did the Cholas unite in the 9th century?
Answer: South India

Question: What kind of power did the Chola dynasty become in south India?
Answer: military, economic and cultural

Question: In what area did the Chola Empire establish political unity?
Answer: whole of Southern India

Question: In what type of architecture did the Cholas excel? 
Answer: Monumental

Question: From their contacts and conquests in surrounding sea areas, what did this establish the Chola empire as? 
Answer: sea power
History_of_India

The Western Chalukya Empire (Kannada:ಪಶ್ಚಿಮ ಚಾಲುಕ್ಯ ಸಾಮ್ರಾಜ್ಯ) ruled most of the western Deccan, South India, between the 10th and 12th centuries. Vast areas between the Narmada River in the north and Kaveri River in the south came under Chalukya control. During this period the other major ruling families of the Deccan, the Hoysalas, the Seuna Yadavas of Devagiri, the Kakatiya dynasty and the Southern Kalachuri, were subordinates of the Western Chalukyas and gained their independence only when the power of the Chalukya waned during the later half of the 12th century. The Western Chalukyas developed an architectural style known today as a transitional style, an architectural link between the style of the early Chalukya dynasty and that of the later Hoysala empire. Most of its monuments are in the districts bordering the Tungabhadra River in central Karnataka. Well known examples are the Kasivisvesvara Temple at Lakkundi, the Mallikarjuna Temple at Kuruvatti, the Kallesvara Temple at Bagali and the Mahadeva Temple at Itagi. This was an important period in the development of fine arts in Southern India, especially in literature as the Western Chalukya kings encouraged writers in the native language of Kannada, and Sanskrit like the philosopher and statesman Basava and the great mathematician Bhāskara II.

Question: During waht centuries did the Western Chalukya rule?
Answer: 10th and 12th

Question: What was the architectural style of the Chalukyas?
Answer: transitional

Question: Where did the Chalukyas build most of their monuments?
Answer: central Karnataka

Question: What did the Chalukya kings encourage writers to use?
Answer: native language

Question: Besides the language of Kannada, what other old language was used during the western Chalukya dynasty?
Answer: Sanskrit
History_of_India

The early Islamic literature indicates that the conquest of India was one of the very early ambitions of the Muslims, though it was recognized as a particularly difficult one. After conquering Persia, the Arab Umayyad Caliphate incorporated parts of what are now Afghanistan and Pakistan around 720. The book Chach Nama chronicles the Chacha Dynasty's period, following the demise of the Rai Dynasty and the ascent of Chach of Alor to the throne, down to the Arab conquest by Muhammad bin Qasim in the early 8th century AD, by defeating the last Hindu monarch of Sindh, Raja Dahir.

Question: What group wanted to conquer India from earliest times?
Answer: Muslims

Question: What empire took over parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan in 720?
Answer: Arab Umayyad Caliphate

Question: Who was the final Hindu monarch of Sindh?
Answer: Raja Dahir

Question: What Arab leader completed the early ambitions of Arabs by conquering parts of northern India?
Answer: Muhammad bin Qasim

Question: How did the early Muslims view the possibility of conquering India? 
Answer: difficult
History_of_India

In 712, Arab Muslim general Muhammad bin Qasim conquered most of the Indus region in modern-day Pakistan for the Umayyad Empire, incorporating it as the "As-Sindh" province with its capital at Al-Mansurah, 72 km (45 mi) north of modern Hyderabad in Sindh, Pakistan. After several incursions, the Hindu kings east of Indus defeated the Arabs at the Battle of Rajasthan, halting their expansion and containing them at Sindh in Pakistan. The south Indian Chalukya empire under Vikramaditya II, Nagabhata I of the Pratihara dynasty and Bappa Rawal of the Guhilot dynasty repulsed the Arab invaders in the early 8th century.

Question: In what year did Muslim general Muhammad bin Qasim take over most of the Indus area?
Answer: 712

Question: Who eventually defeated the Arabs at Rajasthan?
Answer: Hindu kings

Question: In what area did the Indian Kings contain the Arabs?
Answer: Sindh in Pakistan

Question: When was the Arab invasion repulsed?
Answer: early 8th century

Question: Where did the Arabs establish as the capital of the newly conquered territory?
Answer: Al-Mansurah