Bangladesh History and Politics

Ancient and Medieval Bengal

25 practice questions, each with the answer and an explanation.

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Random questions from this topic, one at a time. You see the answer and the explanation straight after each one.

All 25 questions

  1. Who was the independent ruler of Bengal in the early 7th century CE who established his capital at Karnasuvarna?
  2. What term did contemporary writings use for the anarchy in Bengal after the fall of Shashanka's kingdom, before the rise of the Pala dynasty?
  3. Who founded the Pala dynasty around 750 CE after being elected by regional chieftains to terminate prolonged anarchy?
  4. Excavated seals at Paharpur name which Pala king as the builder of the Somapura Mahavihara?
  5. Which dynasty from southern India succeeded the Palas in governing Bengal during the 11th and 12th centuries?
  6. Which 12th-century Sanskrit poet is best known for the poem Gita Govinda?
  7. Which biographical epic by Sandhyakar Nandi narrates both the story of Rama and the historical Varendra rebellion?
  8. Who led the Kaivarta rebellion against King Mahipala II, taking control of northern Bengal in the 11th century?
  9. Whose rule, beginning around 1203, began Muslim rule in Bengal?
  10. Which ruler declared the Sultanate of Bengal in 1352 by uniting Satgaon, Lakhnauti and Sonargaon?
  11. Which sultan of Bengal exchanged diplomatic envoys with the Ming Emperor of China and corresponded with the Persian poet Hafez?
  12. The historic Sixty Dome Mosque (Shat Gombuj Masjid) in Bagerhat was constructed in the 15th century by which Sufi general?
  13. Which sultan, whose reign was a golden age of the Bengal Sultanate, had been wazir to Shamsuddin Muzaffar Shah before assassinating him?
  14. Who was the leading figure among the Baro-Bhuyans who vigorously defended eastern Bengal against Mughal imperial forces?
  15. At which battle in 1576 did Mughal forces defeat Daud Khan Karrani, officially ending independent Afghan sultanate rule in Bengal?
  16. Who transferred the capital of the Mughal subah of Bengal from Rajmahal to Dhaka in 1610?
  17. Which Mughal subahdar led the 1666 campaign that expelled the Portuguese and Magh defenders from Chittagong, after which it was renamed Islamabad?
  18. The historic Lalbagh Fort in Old Dhaka was begun in 1678 by which Mughal prince before his recall by Aurangzeb?
  19. Whose tomb, inside the compound of Lalbagh Fort in Dhaka, was built by her father Shaista Khan?
  20. Who relocated the provincial treasury and administrative capital of Bengal from Dhaka to Murshidabad in 1704?
  21. Which ancient archaeological site in Narsingdi district has yielded ancient silver coins and evidence of human settlement dating back to 450 BCE?
  22. Which historical region in southeastern Bengal comprised the districts of Cumilla, Chandpur, and Brahmanbaria in ancient times?
  23. Which caravanserai structure in Old Dhaka was built in 1644 by Mir Abul Qasim to house traveling merchants and visiting dignitaries?
  24. Who was the young Nawab of Bengal who confronted the British East India Company at the Battle of Plassey on 23 June 1757?
  25. Under which British treaty of 1765 did Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II grant the Diwani (revenue collection rights) of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa to the Company?

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