UPSC Prelims 2022 Question:

Consider the following pairs:

Sl. No.	Site of Ashoka’s major rock edicts		Location in the State of
1.	Dhauli	:	Odisha
2.	Erragudi	:	Andhra Pradesh
3.	Jaugada	:	Madhya Pradesh
4.	Kalsi	:	Karnataka

How many pairs given above are correctly matched?

Explanation: 

• • Dhauli is located in the ancient territory of Kalinga, now the state of Odisha, which the emperor Ashoka Maurya (reigned 272-231 BC) conquered with appalling loss of life in about 260 BC. Thereafter Ashoka repented of the violence which he had done, and converted to Buddhism. He expressed his remorse, and his intention to govern the kingdom according to the principles of his new faith, in a series of rock-cut edicts. So, pair 1 is correctly matched.
    
    
  • Ashoka rock edict site near Erragudi on Gooty-Pathikonda road is in Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh. So, pair 2 is correctly matched.
    
    

• Jaugada is an ancient fort that served as a Mauryan fortified capital of the Kalinga province. Jaugada is located near the cities of Berhampur and Purushottampur in Ganjam district of Odisha. Along with Dhauli, this place is also known for Kalinga edicts in Odisha. So, pair 3 is not correctly matched.
  
  

• Rock edicts of Kalsi erected by King Asoka and located about 43 km from Dehradun in Uttarakhand. So, pair 4 is not correctly matched.
  
  

Therefore, option (2) is the correct answer.

Subject: History|Architecture and Sculptures