History · Negotiating the Sources
UGC NET December 2024 History
Which of the following statements are correct about the 'ganas' or 'sanghas' of ancient India? Choose the correct answer from the options given below.
- 1. They had no single hereditary monarch
- 2. They were exactly similar to modern democracies
- 3. A permanent standing army was their greatest asset
- 4. The procedures of Buddhist monastic organization imbibed the 'ganas'
- 5. In Licchavi there were 7,707 kings
A1, 4 and 5 only ✓ Correct
B1, 2 and 3 only
C2, 3 and 5 only
D3 and 5 only
Correct answer: (A) 1, 4 and 5 only — The correct statements are 1, 4 and 5 only.
Explanation
★The correct statements are 1, 4 and 5 only.
★Rhys Davids first described the republics of ancient India, which were unlike modern democracies.
★Power was vested in an aristocracy, so they had no single hereditary king.
★The Buddhist Sangha appears to have worked on this gana system of assembly.
★The Ekapanna Jataka says the Licchavi capital Vaishali was always ruled by 7,707 kings.
★Unlike the monarchies, the republics did not maintain a permanent standing army, so the third statement is wrong.
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