Factual information from prashatis about the Gupta rulers:

(i)Histories of the Gupta rulers have been reconstructed from literature , coins and inscriptions , including prashastis , composed in praise of kings by poets.

(ii)While historians often attempt to draw factual information from such compositions , those who composed and read them treasured them as works of poetry rather than as accounts. 

Lingayats disapproved practices of the Dharmashashtra were:

(ii)They worship Shiva in his manifestation as a linga . They do not practice funerary rites such as cremation , prescribed in the Dharmashashtra. Instead , they ceremonially bury their dead.

(ii)They encouraged practices such as post puberty marriage and the remarriage of windows disapproved in the Dharmashashtras.

The Strategies for procuring materials by the Harappans for craft production are:

(i)The Harappans procured materials for craft production in various ways . They established settlements such as Nageshwar and Balakot in areas where shell was available.

(ii)Other sites like Shortughai , in far off Afghanistan , the best source of lapis lazuli , a blue stone that was apparently very highly valued. From Lothal and Bharuch –carnelian was procured , steatite from south Rajasthan and North Gujarat.

(iii) Another strategy for procuring raw material may have been to send expeditions to areas such as Khetri region of Rajasthan for copper and South India for Gold.

(iv)Recent Archaeological finds suggest that Harappans procured material from other countries like – they got copper from Oman a region called Magan in Mesopotamian texts. It is likely that communication with Oman , Bahrain or Mesopotamia was by sea. 

Sources to reconstruct the history of the Mauryan Empire are:

(i)Archaeological finds, especially sculpture.

(ii)The account of Megasthenes, a Greek ambassador to the court of Chandragupta Maurya, which survives in fragments.

(iii)The Arthashastra, parts of which were probably composed by Kautilya or Chanakya, traditionally believed to be the minister of Chandragupta.

(iv)Buddhist , Jaina and Puranic literature , as well as Sanskrit literary works. The inscriptions of Asoka on rocks and pillars.

Sutta Pitaka reconstructed the philosophy of Buddhism as:

(i)Buddha’s teachings have been reconstructed from stories found mainly in the Sutta Pitaka. These stories describe his miraculous powers other suggest that the Buddha tried to convince people through reasons and persuation rather than display of supernatural power.

(ii)The world is transient and constantly changing ; it is also soulless as there is nothing permanent.

(iii)Sorrow is intrinsic to human existence. It is by following the path of moderation between severe penance and self-indulgence that human beings can rise above these worldly troubles.

(iv)In the earliest form of Buddhism existence of god was irrelevant. Buddha regarded the social world as the creation of humans rather than of divine origin. Therefore, he advised kings to be humane and ethical. Individual effort was expected to transform social relations.

(v)The Buddha emphasized individual agency and righteous action as a means to escape from the cycle of rebirth and attain self-realisation and nibbana.The extinguishing of the ego and desire would thus end the cycle of suffering.

Buddhist Tipitakas:

It means three baskets which hold three types of texts. They were first transmitted orally and then written and classified according to the subject matter.

(i)The Vinaya Pitaka included rules and regulations for those who joined the sangha or monastic order.

(ii)The Sutta Pitaka which contains the teachings of Buddha

(iii)The Abhidhamma Pitaka dealt with philosophical matters.