CAPF (AC) 2013 (Paper-1) (Question 51-100)

Agriculture was the main occupation of the Indus Valley people. The prevalence of agriculture is indicated by finds of grain through archaeological evidence that the Harappans grew many crops wheat, barley, lentil, chickpea and sesame.

They also introduced the tool which is known as plough and was used to dig earth for planting the seeds and turning the soil. Granaries in Harappa and other places prove this.
Agriculture of Indus Valley Civilization

• In earlier times, the Indus region was lush with vegetation and received significant rainfall, contributing to its agricultural prosperity.
• The annual inundation of the Indus River replenished the region’s fertility.
• The Indus Valley people sowed seeds in November, and when the river’s waters subsided, they harvested barley and wheat.
• They utilised ploughshares and stone sickles for cultivation and harvesting. While irrigation was primarily rain-fed, check dams were constructed on rivers, though there is no evidence of canal irrigation.
• Two varieties of wheat are frequently found at Harappan sites. They also grew dates, mustard, sesame, and leguminous plants like peas. Granaries were built in cities such as Harappa and Mohenjodaro to store food grains, likely collected as
  taxes from peasants and used for wage payments.
• The Indus people were among the earliest to produce cotton, and a ploughed field has been discovered at Kalibangan in Rajasthan.

Cotton played an important role in the history of India, the British Empire and continues to be an important crop and commodity. The Company was already a major buyer of Indian cotton textiles for export to Europe.

The growth of the cotton textiles imports into Britain via the East India Company from the 17th century opened up new avenues for British manufacturers for import or export of new clothes, patterns, designs became a trend in the market. Therefore, option C is the correct answer.

The establishment of the Mughal rule brought changes in the socio-economic life of the country. It increased urbanization as the elite bureaucracy of the Mughals lived in towns. Their rule strengthened the inter-urban contact, especially in riparian North India. They also increased trade and business through sea routes. Thus, option A is the correct answer.

The Mughal Empire ruled large parts of the Indian subcontinent from the early 16th to mid-19th centuries. Founded in 1526 by Babur, a Timurid prince descended from Turkic-Mongol ancestors, the Mughal dynasty expanded its territories under influential rulers like Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan, and Aurangzeb.
The Mughals ushered in an era of political unity, military strength, architectural marvels, and cultural synthesis of Persian, Central Asian, and Indian traditions.

They left an invaluable legacy, including iconic monuments like the Taj Mahal, Red Fort, and Fatehpur Sikri, showcasing their architectural brilliance. The Mughal dynasty ruled over an incredibly prosperous empire until its decline in the early 18th century.

Babur was descended from Timur and Genghis Khan, he invaded Punjab areas between 1519 and 1524. Crossing the Indus after conquering Kabul and Ghazni, he capitalised on discontent against the Delhi Sultanate. Defeating Ibrahim Lodi in the battle of Panipat in 1526, Babur founded the Mughal dynasty in Delhi.

Rising exports during the cotton boom of the 1860s when the American Civil war made Lancashire (England) turn to Deccan raw cotton for a few years. It was a direct result of the demand created in Europe because of the civil war in America; India opted as a producing and manufacturing country.

In 1853, the cotton textile industry was established in Bombay and 1859 jute industry was established in Rishra near Kolkata.

The basic difference between Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhism is the worship of gods and goddesses. Mahayana worships the bodhisattvas, while Hinayana Buddhist idea is that Buddha was the human instead of God because Hinayana thinks that Buddha was simply a man who introduced a path to Nirvana.

The three bodies of a Buddha are accepted in Mahayana Buddhism, are (i) Nirmanakaya (ii) Sambhogakaya (iii) Dharmakaya.

The Dakshinapatha was the name of the southern highway which originated from Rajagriha in Magadha, followed through Ujjain and Narmada valley to Pratisthana (Paithan) in the Mahajanapada of Ashmaka (in modern Maharashtra) to the western coast of India and continuing in the southern direction.

The other highway was the Uttarapatha or the great northern road that was from Taxila in Afganisthan, through modern Punjab up to the western coast of Yamuna. It went southwards up to Mathura, from there it passed on to Ujjain in Malwa on the western coast.

Gandhi decided that if there was any one product through which the civil disobedience could be inaugurated, then it was salt. Even though salt was freely available on the coasts of India, Indians were forced to buy it from the colonizers.

The Salt law symbolized the exploitative and unfair laws of the British. As Gandhi broke the salt laws in Dandi, similar acts of civil disobedience took place in other parts of India.

Khilafat Movement, (1919-1920) was a movement of Indian Muslims, led by the Ali Brothers (Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali), that demanded about the Turkish Sultan or Khalifa must retain control over the Muslim sacred places in the erstwhile Ottoman empire.

The Khilafat Movement was built around opposing British rule in India; protecting the sovereignty of the Khilafah. The Muslims of India decided to launch a movement to protect the institution of the caliphate and to manifest their resentment over the actions of the allies in Turkey.

Gandhiji's first major public appearance was at the opening of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in February 1916. The speech given by Gandhiji at BHU was focused on the fact that Indian nationalism was a production of the elite like the doctors, landlords and lawyers.

It was additionally the initial public announcement of the wish of Gandhiji that he desired to make nationalism proper representative of the Indian persons as one whole.

Ibadat Khana was built in 1575 CE by Akbar. During the 1570s Akbar held inter-faith debate and discussions to understand the stand of different religions. Akbar invited many priests, maulvis, missionaries, scholars and philosophers to take part in the religious discussions.

Finally, he arrived at a conclusion called Sulh-i-kul, which many historians have translated as Din-i-elahi, which is erroneous. Akbar did not want nor find any new religion. Like Ashoka he tried to bring harmony among the different sects in his kingdom.