Previous Year Question

Pair I — Asmaka : Godavari — Correct. Asmaka or Assaka was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas. Its territory was situated in southern India on the banks of the Godavari River, and its capital is given as Potali/Potana/Podana. UGC-INFLIBNET's academic account explicitly locates Asmaka on the Godavari.

Pair II — Kamboja : Vipas — Incorrect. Kamboja was situated in the Uttarapatha, close to Gandhara, and was associated with the north-western region around Rajapura/Rajauri. Vipas is the modern Beas River. According to the Government of India's Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, the Beas is associated with Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. Hence, Vipas cannot be correctly matched as the river of the Kamboja region.

Pair III — Avanti : Mahanadi — Incorrect. Avanti was a Mahajanapada of western-central India, roughly associated with the Ujjain region and part of the Narmada valley. Academic material describes its northern and southern divisions and identifies Ujjain and Mahishmati as its capitals. The Mahanadi, on the other hand, flows principally through Chhattisgarh and Odisha. Thus, Avanti–Mahanadi is incorrectly matched.

Pair IV — Kosala : Sarayu — Correct. Kosala roughly corresponded to the modern Awadh region, and the Sarayu divided Kosala into northern and southern portions. Ayodhya and Shravasti were among its important cities. Therefore, Kosala–Sarayu is correctly matched.