UPSC Prelims 2015 Question:

Which of the following kingdoms were associated with the life of the Buddha?

1. Avanti
2. Gandhara
3. Kosala
4. Magadha
   
   

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Explanation:

Important places traveled by Gautama Buddha: 

• Buddha traveled to Rajagaha, capital of Magadha, to visit King Bimbisara. During this visit, Sariputta and Maudgalyayana were converted by Assaji, one of the first five disciples. So, point 3 is correct.
  
  
• Buddha belonged to the Shakya clan whose capital was Kapilavastu, and who were later annexed by the growing Kingdom of Kosala during the Buddha's lifetime.  So, point 4 is correct. 
  
  
• By the lifetime of the Gautama Buddha (flourished c. 6th–4th century BCE), Avanti was one of the four powers of northern India, but no evidence has been found that Buddha visited there.  So, point 1 is not correct.
  
  
• The Seated Buddha from Gandhara is an early surviving statue of the Buddha discovered at the site of Jamal Garhi in ancient Gandhara in modern-day Pakistan, that dates to the 2nd or 3rd century AD during the Kushan Empire. Statues of the "enlightened one" were not made until the 1st century CE but there is also no evidence that Buddha visited there.  So, point 2 is not correct.
   

Therefore, option (4) is the correct answer.  

Subject: History | Post Mauryan Age