SSC
The Third Buddhist Council was held during the reign of which emperor?
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Answer: Option B — Ashoka
Detailed Solution
After the death of the Buddha, four major Buddhist councils (sangitis) were held to compile his teachings and settle disputes in the Sangha (the community of monks). The Third Buddhist Council was held around 250 BCE at Pataliputra (near present-day Patna), the capital of the Mauryan Empire, under the patronage of Emperor Ashoka.
It was presided over by the monk Moggaliputta Tissa. The council aimed to purify the Sangha by removing monks with wrong views and to confirm the teachings of the Theravada (Sthaviravada) school. The Abhidhamma Pitaka, the third part of the Pali canon, is traditionally said to have been completed at this council, with Moggaliputta Tissa's work, the Kathavatthu. After the council, Buddhist missionaries were sent to different regions; Ashoka's son Mahinda and daughter Sanghamitra were sent to Sri Lanka.
The four Buddhist councils were:
First Council (about 483 BCE): at Rajagriha (Rajgir), under Ajatashatru, presided over by Mahakassapa. The Sutta Pitaka and Vinaya Pitaka were compiled (Ananda and Upali recited them).
Second Council (about 383 BCE): at Vaishali, under Kalashoka, presided over by Sabakami. The Sangha split into the Sthaviravadins and the Mahasanghikas.
Third Council (about 250 BCE): at Pataliputra, under Ashoka, presided over by Moggaliputta Tissa.
Fourth Council (1st century CE): at Kundalvana in Kashmir, under Kanishka, presided over by Vasumitra, with Ashvaghosha as deputy. Buddhism split into the Hinayana and Mahayana schools.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Ajatashatru was the patron of the First Council at Rajagriha.
- ✗Kanishka was the patron of the Fourth Council in Kashmir.
- ✗Kalashoka was the patron of the Second Council at Vaishali.
Quick tip
Remember: Buddhist councils = 1st Rajagriha (Ajatashatru), 2nd Vaishali (Kalashoka), 3rd Pataliputra (Ashoka, Moggaliputta Tissa), 4th Kashmir (Kanishka, Vasumitra).
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Buddhism & Jainism — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Buddhism & Jainism, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
Buddhism and Jainism arose in the 6th century BCE as reform movements. This topic covers the lives and teachings of Gautama Buddha and Mahavira, the Jain tirthankaras, the Buddhist councils, the sects of both religions, their sacred texts and the places linked to them. Common questions cover the four great events of the Buddha's life and their places (birth at Lumbini, enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, first sermon at Sarnath, death at Kushinagar), the four Buddhist councils with their kings and venues, and the Jain sects Digambara and Shvetambara. Learning the councils as a table of place, king and president is the fastest way to revise. Practise the Buddhism and Jainism questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.