SSC
In the post-Mauryan period, which dynasty controlled a large part of the Silk Route connecting China with Central Asia and India?
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Answer: Option B — Kushanas
Detailed Solution
In the post-Mauryan period, the Kushanas ruled over a vast empire that included Central Asia and north-western India, and controlled a large part of the Silk Route.
About the Silk Route:
- The Silk Route (or Silk Road) was a network of trade routes connecting China with Central Asia, India, West Asia and the Mediterranean (the Roman empire).
- It got its name from Chinese silk, which was highly valued and was one of the main goods carried along it.
- NCERT explains that the Kushanas, who ruled over Central Asia and north-west India around 2,000 years ago, controlled much of the Silk Route.
- Their two major centres of power were in the north-west and in the Ganga region.
How the Kushanas benefited:
- They collected taxes, tributes and gifts from traders who travelled along the route.
- They encouraged trade, and some parts of the route passed through their territory, including branches that led to Indian ports.
- The wealth from trade made them powerful and prosperous.
- Their gold coins, which were issued in large quantities, show the importance of trade, as gold came partly from trade with Rome.
Goods traded along the Silk Route:
- From China: silk, porcelain, paper.
- From India: spices (especially pepper), cotton textiles, precious stones, ivory, indigo.
- From the Roman empire: gold and silver coins, glassware, wine, olive oil.
Spread of ideas:
- Buddhism spread from India to Central Asia and China along the Silk Route.
- Art styles, such as the Gandhara style, spread along the route.
About the Kushanas:
- They were a branch of the Yuezhi people of Central Asia.
- They ruled from about the 1st to the 3rd century CE.
- Their greatest ruler was Kanishka.
- Their empire included Bactria (Afghanistan), Gandhara, Punjab, and the Ganga valley as far as Varanasi.
Why not the other options?
- ✗The Satavahanas ruled the Deccan and controlled trade with the Romans through western ports.
- ✗The Shungas and Kanvas ruled Magadha and central India.
Quick tip
Remember: Kushanas controlled the Silk Route (1st-3rd centuries CE; Yuezhi origin; greatest ruler Kanishka); Silk Route = China to Rome; Buddhism spread along it.
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Post-Mauryan & Gupta Age — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Post-Mauryan & Gupta Age, 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.
This topic covers the period after the Mauryas: the Shungas, Satavahanas, Indo-Greeks, Shakas and Kushanas, followed by the Gupta Empire, often called the classical age of India, and the reign of Harshavardhana. It includes art, literature, science and administration in these periods. Exams test the rulers and their achievements (Kanishka and the fourth Buddhist council, Samudragupta's Allahabad Pillar inscription, Chandragupta II and Fa-Hien), the Gandhara and Mathura schools of art, and Gupta scholars such as Kalidasa, Aryabhata and Varahamihira. Harsha's reign is usually tested with Hiuen Tsang and Nalanda University. Practise the post-Mauryan and Gupta age 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.