#ancient
📍 Buddhist councils -
Total 4 councils
✅first -483 BC- rajgrah -mhakashyap (president )-ajatsatru( ruler )
✅ second -383 BC- vaishali -sabakami- kalashok
✅third- 255 BC- patliputra -moglipuutt tiss- Ashok
✅fourth- 1st A.D - kundalvan (kashmir )- vasumitra/asvghosh -kanishk

📜 Eminent Personalities of Ancient India 🇮🇳

✅ Alexander – Ruler of Macedonia, invaded India in 326 BC, reached river Beas.
✅ Ajatashatru – Son of Bimbisara, established Pataliputra.
✅ Arien – Greek historian, wrote about Alexander’s invasion.
✅ Ashwaghosa – Wrote Buddha Charita, Sutralankar, and Sandaranand.
✅ AmarSimha – Sanskrit scholar, wrote Amarakosha in Chandragupta’s court.
✅ Aryabhatta – Explained solar & lunar eclipses, declared Earth is round, wrote Aryabhattiyam.
✅ Bimbisara – Founded Magadha Empire (Haryanka Dynasty), first influential king.
✅ Banabhatta – Court poet of Harshavardhana, wrote Harsha Charita & Kadambari.
✅ Charak – Ayurvedic expert, wrote Charak-Samhita.
✅ Amoghavarsha – Famous Rashtrakuta ruler.
✅ Patanjali – Founded ‘Yoga Shastra’, Hindu philosophy school.
✅ Dhanananda – Powerful Magadha king; Alexander did not invade Magadha due to his reputation.
✅ Darius I – Persian ruler who invaded India in 6th century BC.
✅ Gautami Putra Satakarni – Most famous Satavahana king (2nd century).

📜 Other Key Personalities

✅ Harisena – Wrote Prayaga Prashasti (Allahabad Pillar Inscription of Samudragupta).
✅ Kharavela – Ruler of Kalinga in 1st century AD, known for Hathigumpha inscription.
✅ Kanishka – Kushan king, started Shaka Era, organized 4th Buddhist Council (Kundalvana, Kashmir).
✅ Karikala – Chola ruler, founded Puhar (Kaveri Pattinam).
✅ Kautilya (Chanakya) – Wrote Arthashastra, compared to Machiavelli.
✅ Kalidasa – Sanskrit poet; wrote Raghuvamsa, Abhijnana Shakuntalam, Meghadutam.
✅ Kamban – Tamil poet (11th century), wrote Ramayanam in Tamil.
✅ Mihir Bhoja – Famous Pratihara ruler (9th century).
✅ Kalhana – Kashmiri poet & historian, wrote Rajatarangini.
✅ Marco Polo – Venetian traveller, visited India (13th century).
✅ Menander – Indo-Greek king, embraced Buddhism, known as Milinda Panho.
✅ Nagarjuna – Buddhist monk, propounded Madhyamaka philosophy.
✅ Makkali Gosala – Founder of Ajivika Sect (6th century BC).
✅ Mihirkula – Huna conqueror, defeated by Yashodharma.
✅ Skandagupta – Last mighty Gupta ruler.

📜 Scholars & Scientists of Ancient India

✅ Sushrut – Doctor, wrote Sushruta-Samhita.
✅ Pulikeshi II – Powerful Chalukya king, defeated Harshavardhana.
✅ Pushya Mitra Sunga – Killed last Mauryan ruler, founded Sunga Dynasty (185 BC).
✅ Pliny – Roman historian, wrote Natural History, documented Mauryas of India.
✅ Panini – Sanskrit grammarian, wrote Ashtadhyayi.
✅ Varahamihira – Astronomer, wrote Brihat Samhita.
✅ Sankaracharya – Propagated Advaita philosophy, born in Kaladi, Kerala.

#history
#history #prelims_facts #prelims #ancient

🔆 Vedic and Associated Literature

📍 Shruti: "That which is heard"; the authoritative religious texts of Hinduism, including the four Vedas and their embedded texts: Samhitas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas, and Upanishads.

📍 Smriti: "Remembered texts"; includes Vedangas, Puranas, epics, Dharmashastras, and Nitishastra.

📍 Vedas: The four ancient Sanskrit texts:
✅ Rig Veda
✅ Yajur Veda
✅ Sama Veda
✅ Atharva Veda

📍 Samhita: A collection of hymns associated with the Vedas.
📍 Brahmanas: Ritualistic texts explaining Vedic sacrifices.
📍 Aranyakas: "Forest books" forming part of the Vedic corpus.
📍 Vedangas: "Limbs of the Veda"; auxiliary texts.
📍 Gayatri Mantra: Verses from the Rig Veda invoking wisdom and enlightenment.
📍 Puranas: Hindu texts containing the history of various dynasties.
📍 Itihasa-Purana: Texts claiming to refer to past events.
📍 Dharmasutras: The earliest Dharmashastras, written in aphoristic style.
📍 Dharma-Shastra: Texts codifying social and ritual duties within the Varna system.

#history #prelims_facts #prelims #ancient_India #UPSC #PSC