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?
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UPSC Civil Services preparation
- AOnly one
- BOnly twoCorrect
- COnly three
- DAll the four
Explanation
Analyzing the territorial region-river pairs for ancient India (600-322 BC):
I. Asmaka - Godavari: Correct. Asmaka was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas located in the Deccan region, and the Godavari river indeed flowed through this territory.
II. Kamboja - Vipas: Incorrect. Kamboja was located in the northwestern region (modern Afghanistan-Pakistan border area), while Vipas (modern Beas) flowed through the Punjab region, not through Kamboja territory.
III. Avanti - Mahanadi: Incorrect. Avanti was located in central India (modern Madhya Pradesh region) around Ujjain and Mahishmati. The Mahanadi flows through eastern India (Odisha), not through Avanti territory.
IV. Kosala - Sarayu: Correct. Kosala was located in the modern Uttar Pradesh region, and the Sarayu river (modern Ghaghara) indeed flowed through this territory. Ayodhya, the capital of Kosala, was situated on the banks of Sarayu.

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