Q: With reference to the invaders in ancient India, which one of the following is the correct chronological order?
(a)Greeks – Sakas – Kushans
(b)Greeks – Kushans – Sakas
(c)Sakas – Greeks – Kushans
(d)Sakas – Kushans – Greeks
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Post-Mauryan & Foreign Invasions — UPSC Prelims Previous Year Questions
5 questions from UPSC CSE Prelims GS Paper 1 on Post-Mauryan & Foreign Invasions (Ancient History). Spanning from 1999 to 2006. Practice with show/hide answers and detailed explanations.
5
Questions
4
Years
2
Easy
3
Moderate
Year-wise Distribution
What UPSC Asks About Post-Mauryan & Foreign Invasions
Post-Mauryan India opens a favourite UPSC window into the transitional centuries after Ashoka’s death. In barely five prelims between 1999 and 2006 the Commission tested Indo-Greek, Saka, Parthian and Kushana dynasties; Satavahana polity; Sangam chronology; and the diffusion of Gandhara–Mathura art and punch-marked, Kharoshthi-Brahmi coinage. Questions usually demand quick recognition of rulers like Menander or Kanishka, correct north-west to Deccan maps, Indo-Greek gold coins, Prakrit inscriptions such as the Junagarh rock edict of Rudradaman and the patronage given to Buddhist sects. UPSC also likes pairing foreign invasions with their cultural contributions—rainwater tanks, stucco images, silk-route trade—rather than asking pure battles. Hence aspirants must integrate polity, economy, art, religion and numismatics with a tight chronology to sail through one-liner prelim statements.
Related Ancient History Sub-topics
All Post-Mauryan & Foreign Invasions Questions
Q: Consider the following statements: 1. The last Mauryan ruler, Brihadratha was assassinated by his commander-in-chief, Pushyamitra Sunga. 2. The last Sunga king, Devabhuti was assassinated by his Brahmana minister Vasudeva Kanva who usurped the throne. 3. The last ruler of the Kanva dynasty was deposed by the Andhra’s. Which of these statements is/are correct?
(a)1 and 2
(b)Only 2
(c)Only 3
(d)1, 2 and 3
Q: The practice of military governorship was first introduced in India by the
(a)Greeks
(b)Shakas
(c)Parthians
(d)Mughals
Q: Which one of the following dynasties was ruling over North India at the time of Alexander's invasion?
(a)Nanda
(b)Maurya
(c)Sunga
(d)Kanva
Q: The Indo-Greek kingdom set up in north Afghanistan in the beginning of the second century BC was
(a)Bactria
(b)Scythia
(c)Zedrasia
(d)Aria
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I quickly remember the chronological order of foreign dynasties that entered North-West India after the Mauryas?▼
Use the mnemonic "Greeks Saw Parthian Kushans"—Indo-Greek → Saka → Parthian → Kushana. Combine it with anchor rulers: Menander, Rudradaman, Gondophernes, Kanishka. Writing this chain beside a rough map during revision cements both sequence and geography.
Which art schools associated with Post-Mauryan rulers are regularly asked in UPSC Prelims?▼
UPSC repeatedly links Gandhara sculpture with Indo-Greek and Kushana patronage, Mathura school with Saka-Satavahana interaction, and Amaravati stupa art with the Satavahanas. Remember their key materials—schist for Gandhara, red sandstone for Mathura, limestone for Amaravati—to tackle statement questions on iconography.