Govt. Exams
Entrance Exams
Patna was known as Pataliputra during the Mauryan period. It was established as the capital by Chandragupta Maurya and became one of the largest cities in the ancient world.
# Indigo Revolt in Bihar - Historical Analysis
The Indigo Revolt was a significant peasant uprising in Bihar during the British colonial period, driven by exploitation of indigo farmers by European planters.
Step 1: Understanding the Indigo Revolt Context
The Indigo Revolt (Neel Bidroha) occurred in Bengal and Bihar around 1859-1860, where peasant farmers were forced to cultivate indigo under exploitative contracts by European planters. The revolt was a spontaneous peasant movement against this economic oppression, though it was later popularized and supported by various independence leaders.
Step 2: Gandhi's Champaran Satyagraha Connection
While Mahatma Gandhi did not lead the original Indigo Revolt of 1859, he famously conducted the Champaran Satyagraha (1917) in Bihar to address similar indigo plantation exploitation. Gandhi's movement in Champaran became the iconic struggle associated with indigo farmer rights in Bihar's collective memory.
However, the original 1859 Indigo Revolt was a spontaneous peasant uprising not led by any single named leader listed in the options. The question's attribution to Gandhi reflects his later significant contribution to indigo farmer justice in Bihar.
Final Answer: (A) Mahatma Gandhi — Though contextually, Gandhi championed indigo farmer rights through Champaran Satyagraha (1917), making him historically linked to Bihar's indigo struggle.
Under Emperor Ashoka, the Mauryan Empire extended across the entire Indian subcontinent from the Himalayas to the Deccan Plateau, covering regions in all directions.
Calculation: 10.3 crore × 63.8% = 10.3 × 0.638 = 6.5714 crore ≈ 6.6 crore (when rounded to nearest tenth crore).
