UPSC Prelims 2025 · Question 27 of 100
UPSC Prelims 2025 question on Asmaka Kamboja Avanti Kosala Rivers
- ExamUPSC CSE
- Year2025
- PaperGeneral Studies Paper I
- SubjectAncient History
- TopicVedic Period
- DifficultyHard
- TypeMatch
With reference to ancient India (600–322 BC), consider the following pairs:
Territorial Region — River flowing in the region
I. Asmaka : Godavari
II. Kamboja : Vipas
III. Avanti : Mahanadi
IV. Kosala : Sarayu
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
Show answer
Answer: B. Only two
Analysis
Two pairs (I and IV) are correctly matched → Option (b).
Statement by statement
Pair I – CORRECT: The Asmaka (or Assaka) kingdom was located in South India, on the banks of the Godavari river. Hence pair I is correctly matched.
Pair II – INCORRECT: The Kamboja region was located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, roughly corresponding to parts of modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Kashmir. The Vipas river (Beas) flows through the Punjab region, while Kamboja's core area is generally placed further west than the main course of the Vipas river. Hence pair 2 is not correctly matched.
Pair III – INCORRECT: The Avanti kingdom was located in West-Central India, in the Malwa region of present-day Madhya Pradesh with capital at Ujjain. The Mahanadi river flows through Central and Eastern India (Chhattisgarh and Odisha), not through Avanti. Hence pair 3 is not correctly matched.
Pair IV – CORRECT: The Kosala kingdom was located in the Awadh region of present-day Uttar Pradesh. The Sarayu river flows through this region, passing by Ayodhya. Hence pair 4 is correctly matched.