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UPSC Prelims 2026 GS Paper 1, question 13

Topic: Ancient history

Q13

Which of the following pairs of ancient and modern names of rivers is/are correctly matched ?

  1. Vitasta : Chenab

  2. Asikni : Jhelum

  3. Parushni : Ravi

  4. Yavyavati : Beas

Select the answer using the code given below :

  1. (a) 1 and 2
  2. (b) 3 and 4
  3. (c) 3 onlyCorrect answer
  4. (d) 4 only

Solution.

Answer: (c) 3 only

  1. Pair 1 is incorrectly matched: Vitasta is the Rigvedic name of the Jhelum, not the Chenab.
  2. Pair 2 is incorrectly matched: Asikni is the Rigvedic name of the Chenab, not the Jhelum.
  3. Pair 3 is correctly matched: Parushni (or Iravati) is the ancient name of the Ravi river, on whose banks the Battle of the Ten Kings (Dasarajna) was fought.
  4. Pair 4 is incorrectly matched: the ancient Rigvedic name of the Beas is Vipasha, whereas Yavyavati is identified with the Zhob river.