RAS question
Which was the only Mahajanapada located south of the Vindhya mountains?
Correct answer: (C) Assaka.
Assaka, also called Ashmaka, was the only Mahajanapada located south of the Vindhyas, on the banks of the Godavari River.
Explanation
Assaka or Ashmaka is the answer because the standard list of sixteen Mahajanapadas includes it as the sole southern Mahajanapada. IGNOU eGyanKosh, Unit 5: Janapadas, Mahajanapadas, and Republics identifies Ashmaka as the only Mahajanapada in southern Bharat, located on the banks of the Godavari River. Pota, also known as Pratishthana or Paithan, was its capital. All the other fifteen Mahajanapadas lay in the northern part of India. The question is therefore testing a geographical exception in the Mahajanapada list, not just the ability to recall all sixteen names.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Avanti is wrong because it was in the present-day Malwa region, while Ashmaka was the only Mahajanapada in southern Bharat.
- (B) Kashi is wrong because it was in the south-east of present-day Uttar Pradesh, not south of the Vindhyas.
- (D) Chedi is wrong because it was related to present-day Bundelkhand and surrounding areas, whereas Ashmaka was the only southern Mahajanapada.
Concept
This tests the Ancient India map-work part of the RAS syllabus, especially the location of the sixteen Mahajanapadas. It recurs because RAS often asks factual geography-linked exceptions rather than only chronology or dynastic names.