Higher Education in Ancient India MCQ Quiz in मल्याळम - Objective Question with Answer for Higher Education in Ancient India - സൗജന്യ PDF ഡൗൺലോഡ് ചെയ്യുക

The correct answer is Statement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect.

Key Points

• Statement (I): The Nalanda University of ancient India attracted students from various parts of Asia. (True)
  • Historical evidence shows that Nalanda University was indeed a renowned center of learning that attracted students from across Asia, including China, Korea, Japan, Tibet, and Southeast Asia.
• Statement (II): Nalanda University was overshadowed by the universities in Europe and Arabia immediately after its establishment. (False)
  • Nalanda University flourished from the 5th to the 12th century CE. Universities in Europe and Arabia emerged much later, with the first European universities appearing in the 11th and 12th centuries and the first major centers of learning in the Arab world developing around the 8th and 9th centuries.

Therefore, Nalanda University couldn't have been overshadowed by universities in Europe and Arabia "immediately after its establishment" as these universities simply didn't exist during Nalanda's peak period.

The correct option is Lilavati.

Key Points

• Nyāya Sutras
  • The Nyāya Sutras are an ancient Indian text that deals with logic and epistemology, not mathematics.
• Lilavati
  • Lilavati is an ancient Indian treatise on mathematics, written by the mathematician Bhāskara II in the 12th century.
  • It covers various mathematical problems and solutions.
• Mimāmsa Sutras
  • The Mimāmsa Sutras are a collection of texts that focus on the exegesis of the Vedas, particularly ritualistic texts, and are not related to mathematics.
• Pramanavarttika
  • Pramanavarttika is a text that deals with Buddhist logic and epistemology, authored by Dharmakirti. It is not related to mathematics.

Hence, the statement that "Lilavati is an ancient Indian treatise on problems related to Mathematics" is correct.

Key Points

• The first school established for the education of girls in India during the British period was Bethune School, Kolkata, founded in 1849 by John Drinkwater Bethune, a Scottish educator and reformer.
• It was the first government-funded girls' school in India, and it offered a curriculum that included English, Bengali, mathematics, science, and history.
• The other options are:
  • Eden Girls' School, Kolkata was founded in 1869.
  • Alexandra Girls' English Institution, Mumbai was founded in 1863.
  • Queen Mary's School, Delhi was founded in 1938.
• Bethune School played a pioneering role in the education of girls in India.
• It helped to break down traditional barriers to education for girls, and it inspired other schools to be founded for girls across India.

The ancient universities developed in connection with temples and became centers of community life in places of their location are Banaras and Navadeep.

Key Points

• Banaras or Varanasi, also known as Kashi, has been a prominent center of learning since ancient times.
  • It is home to the famous Banaras Hindu University, which was established in 1916.
• Navadeep, also known as Nabadwip, is a city in West Bengal, India.
  • It was a center of learning and culture during the reign of the Palas in the 8th and 9th centuries.
  • It is home to the Nabadwip Vidyasagar College, which was established in 1942.

In ancient times, India was a centre of higher learning as it is one of the oldest civilisations in the world. A large number of centres of learning were established across ancient India, of which Nalanda and Takshashila were the most famous and the oldest universities in the world.

Nalanda University

• Historical sources indicate that the University had a long and illustrious life which lasted almost continually for 800 years from the fifth to the twelfth century CE.
• It was a completely residential university believed to have 2,000 teachers and 10,000 students.
• The Nalanda ruins reveal through their architectural components the holistic nature of knowledge that was sought and imparted at this University. It suggests a seamless co-existence between nature and man, and between living and learning.
• The profound knowledge of Nalanda’s teachers attracted scholars from places as distant as China, Korea, Japan, Tibet, Mongolia, Turkey, Sri Lanka, and South East Asia.
• These scholars have left records about the ambience, architecture, and learning at this unique university.
• The most detailed accounts have come from Chinese scholars and the best known of these is Xuan Zang who carried back many hundred scriptures which were later translated into Chinese.

Additional Information

Magadh University in Bodh Gaya, Bihar is recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC). It was established in 1962 by Satyendra Narayan Sinha, an educationist. The university is now governed by the Bihar State University Act 1976. It provides facilities for higher learning and research in the faculties of science, social sciences, humanities and commerce.

Vikramsila, founded by king Dharmapala in the 8th century, was a famous centre of international learning for more than four centuries. It was one of the most important centres of Buddhist learning in India. Vikramashila is known to us mainly through Tibetan sources, especially the writings of Taranatha, the Tibetan monk historian of the 16th–17th centuries. This university was well known for its specialized training on the subject of Tantra (Tantrism).

Takshashila University was founded by Bharata and named after his son Taksha, who was established as its ruler. The famous Sanskrit grammarian, Kautilya who wrote Arthashastra and Charaka, the famous physician of ancient India were professors in this University. Taxila specialized in the study of Medicine. Chandragupta Maurya was the product of this University.

Hence, the first known residential International University of the world is Nalanda University.

The moving force behind the enactment of the Indian Universities Act in the beginning of the 20th Century was Lord Curzon

Key Points

•  Lord Curzon, who served as Viceroy of India from 1899 to 1905, played a significant role in the reform of the Indian educational system, including the enactment of the Indian Universities Act of 1904.
• This act was aimed at reorganizing the Indian university education system to improve standards and bring about greater governmental control and regulation.

Key Points Statement I: In the Vedic age both men and women had access to education.

• Statement I is true because in the Vedic age, both men and women had access to education.
• There are many references in the Vedas to women being educated and participating in religious and intellectual activities.
• For example, the Rig Veda mentions several women who were scholars and poets.

Statement II: Woods Despatch (1854) recognised for the first time that the Government should give 'frank and cordial support' to female education.

• Statement II is also true because the Woods Despatch was a landmark document in the history of female education in India.
• It was the first time that the British government had officially recognized the importance of female education and had committed to providing financial support for it.
• The Woods Despatch was issued in 1854 by Lord Dalhousie, the Governor-General of India.
• The Despatch stated that the government should "give frank and cordial support" to female education, and it outlined a number of ways in which the government could do this.
• The Despatch's recommendations were implemented, and female education began to expand in India.
• By the end of the 19th century, there were hundreds of girls' schools in India, and female literacy rates had begun to increase.

Therefore, both statements are true.

Here are some additional details about Statement I:

• In the Vedic age, education was not compulsory for anyone, but it was available to both men and women.
• Women were educated in the home by their mothers and fathers, and they also studied at religious schools.
• Women were taught to read, write, and do arithmetic. They were also taught about religious texts, philosophy, and history.

Here are some additional details about Statement II:

• The Woods Despatch was a response to the growing demand for female education in India.
• Despatch's recommendations were based on the belief that female education was essential for the social and economic development of India.
• Despatch's recommendations were successful in increasing female literacy rates in India.

The correct answer is 1, both Statement I and Statement II are true.

The correct answer is A and C only.

​Both Nalanda and Odantapuri were ancient universities in India that developed in connection with the viharas during the ancient period.Important PointsViharas were Buddhist monasteries that served as centers of learning, where scholars and students would engage in the study of various subjects, including Buddhist philosophy, scriptures, logic, medicine, and other fields of knowledge.

Nalanda University:

• Nalanda University, located in present-day Bihar, India, was founded in the 5th century CE and is considered one of the oldest universities in the world.
• It was a renowned center of learning that attracted scholars and students from different parts of the world, and it played a significant role in the development of Indian, Buddhist, and other Asian intellectual traditions.

Odantapuri:

• Odantapuri, also known as Odantapura or Uddandapura, was another ancient Buddhist university located in present-day Bihar, India.
• It was founded during the Gupta period in the 6th century CE and was known for its emphasis on the study of Buddhist philosophy and logic.
• Although not as well-known as Nalanda, Odantapuri was an important center of learning during the ancient period in India.

Additional Information

•  Navadeep and Kanchi, on the other hand, were not universities associated with the viharas during the ancient period in India.
• Navadeep is a city in present-day West Bengal, India, known for its cultural and historical significance, but it did not have an ancient university associated with viharas.
• Kanchi, or Kanchipuram, is a city in present-day Tamil Nadu, India, which was an important center of learning during the medieval period, but it did not have a university associated with viharas during the ancient period.

The correct response is I-B, II-D, III-C, & IV-A

Key Points

Nalanda University :

• Location: Bihar
• Nalanda was an ancient university located in the present-day Nalanda district in Bihar, India. It was one of the world's first residential universities, where 2,000 teachers and 10,000 students from all over the Buddhist world lived and studied. It operated from around the 5th century AD to 1193 AD.

Vikramshila University:

• Location: Bhagalpur, Bihar
• The Vikramshila University was located near Bhagalpur in Bihar, India. This university was established by the Pala dynasty king Dharmapala in the late 8th or early 9th century. Vikramshila was one of the two most important centers of Buddhist learning in India during the Pala empire, along with Nalanda University.

Odantapuri University:

• Location: Biharsharif, Bihar
• Odantpuri, also known as Odantapura, was located in Biharsharif, Bihar. Established by Gopala I of the Pala dynasty in the 8th century, it was another major center of higher education in ancient Bihar. It is said to have housed around 12,000 students.

Vallabhi University

• Location: Gujarat
• Vallabhi University was an ancient center of learning in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, India. The university was well-known for its curriculum which included both secular and religious subjects. It was contemporaneous with Nalanda and existed between the 6th and 12th centuries.

Hence,  I-B, II-D, III-C, & IV-A is the correct answer. 
Additional Information

Taxila or Takshashila University:

• Takshashila or Taxila was a world-famous university in India.
• It was located in the ‘Gandhara’ region of ancient India, presently in Pakistan’s Rawalpindi district.

Pushpagiri University:

•  Pushpagiri University was located in ancient Kalinga, covering districts such as Cuttack and Jajpur of present Odisha.
• It was established in the last years of BCE; it is as old as the Nalanda University.
• It is claimed that Emperor Ashoka established this ancient University of India.

Ancient Indian Education Policy is considered to have begun around the 3rd Century B.C. with elements of religious training to impart traditional knowledge during this period two systems of education have developed- the Vedic, which is further subdivided into

• post-Vedic and/ or Brahminic
• the Buddhist

Important Points

Learning in Vedic period and Upanishad

• Gurukul's system of education:
  • Gurukul's system of education was originated In the Vedic period of India in which anyone who wished to study went to a teacher’s (Guru) house (Ashram) and requested to be taught.
  • If accepted as a student (disciple) by the Guru, s/he would then stay at his place and help in all activities at home
  • The Guru taught everything the child wanted to learn, from Sanskrit to the Holy Scriptures and from Mathematics to Metaphysics. The student stayed as long as he wished or until the guru felt he had taught everything he could teach
• Education in Mathas:
  • ​Buddhist education was also imparted in Mathas during the Upanishadic period.
  • The entry to higher education was very selective and competitive and only the best managed to enter the citadel of higher learning
  • ‘Upajsaya’ (Guru) was mainly responsible for the proper education and upkeep of the disciple. He was duty-bound to fulfill all the necessities of the disciple, during the education period

Hence, the Gurukul system of education in India flourished during the Vedic and Upanishadic periods.

Additional Information

•  Post-Vedic Age:
  • In the Vedic age, The first stage is known as the Rigvedic period or Early Vedic period and the later stage is known as the Later Vedic period
  • Mauryan period, Kushanas, and Gupta period fall under the Post Vedic age that is the age after the Vedic period was over.
  • The Gurukula system become more prominent in this age
  • During this period the teacher (Guru) enjoyed a predominant place not only in his Gurukul but in the entire society.
  • During this period the curriculum included more subjects than during the Vedic age. Ved Mantras (hymns and verses) were principally taught in the Vedic period. During the post-Vedic period, various types of Literature were produced pertaining to the different Vedas