Mahabharata

The first reference to the Mahabharata is found in the *Ashvalayana Grihyasutra*.
Initially, it contained only 8,800 verses (*shlokas*) and was known as “*Jaya Samhita*”.
Later, the number of verses rose to 24,000, and it became renowned as “*Bharata*”.
Finally, as it came to contain 100,000 verses, it was named “*Satasahasri Samhita*” or “*Mahabharata*”.
To whose court did the Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta come? Muhammad bin Tughlaq. He was later appointed as the *Qazi* (judge) of Delhi.
To which kingdom did Marco Polo travel? The Pandya Empire.
Under what title was the *Manusmriti* translated into English? *A Code of Gentoo Laws* (1776).
When was the Asiatic Society of Bengal established? In 1784, in Calcutta.

Who founded the Asiatic Society of Bengal? Sir William Jones.
Who translated *Abhijnanashakuntalam* into English in 1789? Sir William Jones.
Who translated the *Bhagavad Gita* into English? Charles Wilkins (in 1785).
When was the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland established in London? March 15, 1823.
By whom were ancient Indian texts translated on a massive scale into 50 volumes under the title *Sacred Books of the East*? Max Muller.
The first written evidence regarding “*Sati*” is found in Bhanugupta’s Eran inscription (Sagar, Madhya Pradesh) dating back to 510 AD.
Who wrote the book *Early History of India*? Vincent Arthur Smith (1904)
Who authored the book “History and Culture of the Indian People”? R.C. Majumdar
Who wrote the “History of South India”? K.A. Nilakanta Sastri
Who wrote the book “The Wonder That Was India” in 1951? A.L. Basham
Who wrote the book “An Introduction to the Study of Indian History”? D.D. Kosambi (1956)
D.D. Kosambi followed the materialist interpretation of history derived from the writings of Karl Marx.
What are the structures found in South India—tombs surrounded by large stones where the dead were buried along with their tools, weapons, pottery, and other objects—called? Megaliths
Eras
1. Vikrama Era = 57 BC
2. Saka Era = 78 AD
3. Gupta Era = 319 AD