Crack Prelims
← Ancient India · Mauryas, Guptas & southern dynasties
Prelims 2020 · Q82 · Mauryas, Guptas & southern dynasties

With reference to the period of Gupta dynasty in ancient India, the towns Ghantasala, Kadura and Chaul were well known as

Show answer

Answer: A. Ghantasala and Kadura (Koddura) on the Andhra coast and Chaul on the Konkan coast were ports in the early period, handling foreign trade.

Watch for: Ghantasala has a Buddhist stupa, so students may pick option D.

Why the other options are wrong
  • B. Wrong because these were not capitals of major kingdoms.
  • C. Wrong because they are not known for stone art.
  • D. Wrong because they are not mainly Buddhist pilgrimage sites.

Source to check: R.S. Sharma, India's Ancient Past, chapter on trade; Upinder Singh, A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India

Answer from the official UPSC key. Written and fact-checked by AI against the official key. Spotted a mistake? Report it.