Medium Level – GK Questions

The Treaty of Paris (1763) ended the Seven Years' War globally and the Third Carnatic War in India. France regained its trading posts but agreed not to fortify them, effectively ending French political ambitions in India. [[30]]

The First Carnatic War (1746-48) was the Indian theatre of the War of Austrian Succession (1740-48) in Europe. It saw French forces under Dupleix capture Madras from the British. [[30]]

The French East India Company was founded in 1664 during the reign of Louis XIV, under the guidance of Finance Minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert. Pondicherry became their main settlement in India. [[30]]

Though Vasco da Gama first landed at Calicut (1498), the Portuguese established their first factory at Cochin (Kochi) in 1503. Calicut's Zamorin was hostile to Portuguese trade ambitions. [[30]]

Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed by Aurangzeb in 1675 for refusing to convert to Islam and for defending the religious freedom of Kashmiri Pandits. His martyrdom is commemorated at Gurdwara Sis Ganj in Delhi. [[30]]

Guru Arjan Dev (1563-1606) compiled the Adi Granth (later Guru Granth Sahib) in 1604, installing it at the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar. He was the first Sikh Guru to be martyred. [[30]]

Bajirao I (1720-1740) served as Peshwa under Chhatrapati Shahu. He expanded Maratha territory from Malwa to Delhi through brilliant military campaigns, earning the title 'Thorale Bajirao' (the great). [[30]]

The Third Battle of Panipat (January 14, 1761) saw the Maratha forces led by Sadashiv Rao Bhau defeated by Ahmad Shah Abdali's Afghan army. This halted Maratha expansion northward and weakened their power. [[30]]

Gol Gumbaz (1656), the mausoleum of Muhammad Adil Shah in Bijapur, features a dome with a diameter of 44 meters – the second-largest pre-modern dome after St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Its whispering gallery is famous. [[30]]

Kalhana wrote Rajatarangini in Sanskrit during the 12th century. It is considered one of the earliest historical chronicles in Indian literature, covering Kashmir's history from mythical times to his era. [[30]]

Chand Bardai, court poet of Prithviraj Chauhan, composed Prithviraj Raso in Brajbhasha. Though its historical accuracy is debated, it remains an important source for medieval Rajput history. [[30]]

Ellora Caves (6th-10th century CE) showcase religious harmony with 12 Buddhist, 17 Hindu, and 5 Jain caves carved from a single basalt cliff. The Kailasa Temple (Cave 16) is the world's largest monolithic structure. [[30]]

Aryabhata (476-550 CE) calculated pi as 3.1416 in his work Aryabhatiya. He also proposed that Earth rotates on its axis and revolves around the Sun, centuries before Copernicus. [[30]]

Rajaraja Chola I (985-1014 CE) built the magnificent Brihadeeswarar Temple at Thanjavur, a UNESCO World Heritage Site showcasing Dravidian architecture and Chola artistic excellence. [[30]]

According to Tamil tradition, three Sangams were held: First at Madurai (mythical), Second at Kapadapuram, and Third at Madurai. Thanjavur was not a Sangam venue but later became a Chola capital. [[30]]

Mahayana Buddhism emphasizes the Bodhisattva ideal – enlightened beings who postpone their own Nirvana to help others achieve liberation. This contrasts with Hinayana's focus on individual salvation. [[30]]

The Fourth Buddhist Council (c. 72 CE) was held at Kundalavana in Kashmir under Kushana emperor Kanishka. It was presided by Vasumitra and led to the division of Buddhism into Mahayana and Hinayana sects. [[30]]

The partition of Bengal (1905) sparked the Swadeshi Movement. Due to widespread protests, Lord Hardinge annulled the partition in 1911 and shifted the capital from Calcutta to Delhi. [[30]]

Dadabhai Naoroji was elected as a Liberal Party MP from Finsbury Central (London) in 1892. He used this platform to highlight India's economic exploitation under British rule. [[30]]

Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal emperor, was proclaimed the symbolic leader of the revolt in Delhi. After the British recaptured Delhi, he was exiled to Rangoon where he died in 1862. [[30]]