{"id":1307,"date":"2025-10-15T16:33:52","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T11:03:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/currentnewstimes.com\/upscpsir\/?p=1307"},"modified":"2025-10-06T17:05:35","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T11:35:35","slug":"mahajanapadas-and-rivers-flowing-through-them-upsc-cse-prelims-2025-pyq-solved","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/currentnewstimes.com\/upscpsir\/mahajanapadas-and-rivers-flowing-through-them-upsc-cse-prelims-2025-pyq-solved\/","title":{"rendered":"Mahajanapadas and Rivers flowing through them: UPSC CSE Prelims 2025 PYQ Solved"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>With reference to ancient India (600\u2013322 BCE), consider the following pairs:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Territorial Region<\/th><th>River flowing in the region<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>I. Asmaka<\/td><td>Godavari<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>II. Kamboja<\/td><td>Vipas<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>III. Avanti<\/td><td>Mahanadi<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>IV. Kosala<\/td><td>Sarayu<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(a) Only one<br>(b) Only two<br>(c) Only three<br>(d) All four<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83e\udde9 <strong>Step-by-Step Analysis<\/strong> of Mahajanapadas and their rivers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Pair I \u2013 Asmaka : Godavari \u2705 Correct<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Asmaka (or Assaka)<\/strong> was one of the <em>Sixteen Mahajanapadas<\/em>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It was the only Mahajanapada located <strong>south of the Vindhyas<\/strong>, in <strong>modern-day Maharashtra<\/strong> near <strong>Nanded<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The kingdom lay <strong>between the Godavari and Manjira rivers<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Its capital was <strong>Potana\/Podana (modern Bodhan)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Buddhist texts (like the <em>Anguttara Nikaya<\/em> and <em>Jatakas<\/em>) place Assaka on the <strong>banks of the Godavari<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2705 <strong>Hence, Pair I is correctly matched.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Also See:<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/currentnewstimes.com\/upscpsir\/araghatta-the-irrigation-device-upsc-prelims-2025-pyq-solved\">&nbsp;Araghatta, the Irrigation Device: UPSC Prelims 2025 PYQ Solved<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Also See:<\/strong>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/currentnewstimes.com\/upscpsir\/category\/upsc-prelims\/economics\/\">Economics Prelims PYQs<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Pair II \u2013 Kamboja : Vipas \u274c Incorrect<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Kamboja<\/strong> was located in the <strong>northwestern region<\/strong> of the Indian subcontinent.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It roughly corresponds to <strong>Rajaori and Hazara districts<\/strong> (in present-day Pakistan) and parts of <strong>Afghanistan<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ancient texts associate Kamboja with the <strong>Vitasta (Jhelum) River<\/strong>, not with the <strong>Vipas (Beas)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <em>Vipas<\/em> flows through <strong>Himachal Pradesh and Punjab<\/strong>, much further east than the Kamboja region.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\u274c <strong>Hence, Pair II is not correctly matched.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Pair III \u2013 Avanti : Mahanadi \u274c Incorrect<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Avanti<\/strong> was situated in <strong>West-Central India<\/strong>, corresponding to the <strong>Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It had <strong>two capitals<\/strong>:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Ujjayini (Ujjain)<\/strong> in the north<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mahishmati (Mandhata)<\/strong> in the south.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Major rivers associated with Avanti were <strong>Shipra (Sipra)<\/strong> and <strong>Narmada<\/strong>, <strong>not Mahanadi<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <strong>Mahanadi<\/strong> flows through <strong>Chhattisgarh and Odisha<\/strong>, far east of the Avanti region.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\u274c <strong>Hence, Pair III is not correctly matched.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Pair IV \u2013 Kosala : Sarayu \u2705 Correct<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Kosala<\/strong> was located in the <strong>Awadh region<\/strong> of present-day <strong>eastern Uttar Pradesh<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Its <strong>capital cities<\/strong> were <strong>Ayodhya<\/strong> and <strong>Sravasti<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <strong>Sarayu River<\/strong> flows through this region and passes by <strong>Ayodhya<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The kingdom also included <strong>Kapilavastu<\/strong>, the birthplace of Gautama Buddha.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It was bounded by:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Sadanira (Gandak)<\/strong> on the east,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Gomati<\/strong> on the west,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sai (Sarpika\/Syandika)<\/strong> on the south, and<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Nepal hills<\/strong> on the north.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2705 <strong>Hence, Pair IV is correctly matched.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Also See:<\/strong>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/currentnewstimes.com\/upscpsir\/non-cooperation-programme-upsc-prelims-2025-pyq-solved\">Non Cooperation Programme: UPSC Prelims 2025 PYQ Solved<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83e\uddfe <strong>Summary Table<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Pair<\/th><th>Territorial Region<\/th><th>River<\/th><th>Correct \/ Incorrect<\/th><th>Remarks<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>I<\/td><td>Asmaka<\/td><td>Godavari<\/td><td>\u2705<\/td><td>Southernmost Mahajanapada near Nanded<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>II<\/td><td>Kamboja<\/td><td>Vipas<\/td><td>\u274c<\/td><td>Associated with Vitasta (Jhelum) instead<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>III<\/td><td>Avanti<\/td><td>Mahanadi<\/td><td>\u274c<\/td><td>Associated with Shipra and Narmada<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>IV<\/td><td>Kosala<\/td><td>Sarayu<\/td><td>\u2705<\/td><td>Ayodhya on Sarayu banks<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2705 <strong>Final Answer:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>(b) Only two<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Correct pairs:<\/strong> I and IV<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udca1 <strong>Exam Connect (UPSC Pointers)<\/strong> on Mahajanapadas<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Asmaka<\/strong> was the only Mahajanapada located <strong>south of the Vindhyas<\/strong>, making it unique among the sixteen.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Kamboja<\/strong> is often grouped with <strong>Gandhara<\/strong>, as both were northwestern kingdoms with strong <strong>Iranian and Central Asian influence<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Avanti<\/strong> later became part of <strong>Magadha<\/strong> under <strong>Shishunaga dynasty<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Kosala<\/strong> and <strong>Magadha<\/strong> were major powers during the <strong>Buddha\u2019s time<\/strong>, with frequent conflicts recorded in Pali texts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Also See:<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/currentnewstimes.com\/upscpsir\/fahien-faxian-chinese-pilgrim-travelled-india-during-reign-of-upsc-prelims-2025-pyq-solved\">Fa-Hien (Faxian), the Chinese pilgrim, travelled to India during the reign of? : UPSC Prelims 2025 PYQ Solved<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mahajanapadas: Capitals and River Flowing through them<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"914\" src=\"https:\/\/currentnewstimes.com\/upscpsir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/mahajanpasad-upsc-cse-prelims.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1308\" srcset=\"https:\/\/currentnewstimes.com\/upscpsir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/mahajanpasad-upsc-cse-prelims.jpg 800w, https:\/\/currentnewstimes.com\/upscpsir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/mahajanpasad-upsc-cse-prelims-263x300.jpg 263w, https:\/\/currentnewstimes.com\/upscpsir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/mahajanpasad-upsc-cse-prelims-768x877.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Mahajanapada<\/th><th>Capital(s)<\/th><th>River(s) flowing<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Anga<\/td><td>Champa<\/td><td>Ganga, Champa<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Magadha<\/td><td>Rajagriha (Girivraja), later Pataliputra<\/td><td>Ganga, Son, Punpun, Gandak<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Kasi (Kashi)<\/td><td>Kasi (Varanasi)<\/td><td>Ganga, Varuna, Asi<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Vatsa (Vamsa)<\/td><td>Kausambi<\/td><td>Ganga, Yamuna<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Kosala<\/td><td>Shravasti<\/td><td>Sarayu (Ghaghara)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Surasena<\/td><td>Mathura<\/td><td>Yamuna<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Panchala<\/td><td>Ahichchatra, Kampilya<\/td><td>Ganga, Yamuna<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Kuru<\/td><td>Indraprastha<\/td><td>Yamuna, Ganga<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Matsya<\/td><td>Viratanagara<\/td><td>Chambal<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Chedi<\/td><td>Sothivati (Banda)<\/td><td>Ken, Yamuna<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Avanti<\/td><td>Ujjaini (Ujjain), Mahishmati<\/td><td>Shipra, Narmada<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Gandhara<\/td><td>Taxila<\/td><td>Indus, Kabul<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Kamboja<\/td><td>Poonch (Rajapura)<\/td><td>Beas or tributaries of Indus<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Assaka (Asmaka)<\/td><td>Potali, Podana (Paithan)<\/td><td>Godavari<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Vajji (Vriji)<\/td><td>Vaishali<\/td><td>Gandak<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Malla<\/td><td>Kusinara, Pava<\/td><td>Rapti, Gandak<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2699\ufe0f Bonus UPSC Question on Mahajanapadas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Q. Which one of the following Mahajanapadas was situated south of the Vindhyas?<\/strong><br>(a) Avanti<br>(b) Asmaka<br>(c) Kosala<br>(d) Kamboja<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2705 <strong>Answer:<\/strong> (b) Asmaka<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Also See<\/strong>:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/currentnewstimes.com\/upscpsir\/raja-ram-mohan-roy-upsc-cse-prelims-pyq-2025-solved\">Raja Ram Mohan Roy: UPSC CSE Prelims PYQ 2025 Solved<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Also See:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/currentnewstimes.com\/upscpsir\/rajendra-1-chola-dynasty-upsc-cse-prelims-2025-pyq-solved\/\">Rajendra 1 &amp; Chola Dynasty: UPSC CSE Prelims 2025 PYQ Solved<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-cyan-blue-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-bc961043479603f57dc2d224febe208f\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/history\/mahajanapadas-map.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Map of Mahajanapadas<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>R. S. Sharma, <em>Ancient India<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Buddhist and Jaina texts (Jatakas)<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Poonam Dalal Dahiya, Unit 13, <em>Mahajanapadas of the Indo-Gangetic Plain<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With reference to ancient India (600\u2013322 BCE), consider the following pairs: Territorial Region River flowing in the region I. Asmaka Godavari II. Kamboja Vipas III. Avanti Mahanadi IV. Kosala Sarayu How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched? (a) Only one(b) Only two(c) Only three(d) All four \ud83e\udde9 Step-by-Step Analysis of Mahajanapadas and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,9,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-history","category-prelims-2025","category-upsc-prelims"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Varun Jain","author_link":"https:\/\/currentnewstimes.com\/upscpsir\/author\/pushkaragarwal\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"With reference to ancient India (600\u2013322 BCE), consider the following pairs: Territorial Region River flowing in the region I. Asmaka Godavari II. Kamboja Vipas III. Avanti Mahanadi IV. Kosala Sarayu How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched? (a) Only one(b) Only two(c) Only three(d) All four \ud83e\udde9 Step-by-Step Analysis of Mahajanapadas and&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/currentnewstimes.com\/upscpsir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/currentnewstimes.com\/upscpsir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/currentnewstimes.com\/upscpsir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/currentnewstimes.com\/upscpsir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/currentnewstimes.com\/upscpsir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1307"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/currentnewstimes.com\/upscpsir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1307\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1310,"href":"https:\/\/currentnewstimes.com\/upscpsir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1307\/revisions\/1310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/currentnewstimes.com\/upscpsir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/currentnewstimes.com\/upscpsir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/currentnewstimes.com\/upscpsir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}