Question

The Kalinga war was fought in

• A. 221 BC
• B. 265 BC
• C. 261 BC
• D. 316 BC

Hint:

For historical dates, direct factual recall is necessary. Focus on key battles and events associated with major historical figures like Ashoka.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

The Kalinga War is one of the most significant turning points in ancient Indian history, and its date is fixed using Ashoka's own inscriptions rather than external chronicles.

1. 221 BC: Too late to fit Ashoka's regnal timeline connected to the war; this year lies well after the war and the resulting shift in his policies had already taken hold.
2. 265 BC: Falls within Ashoka's reign but before the campaign against Kalinga actually began, so it cannot be the war's date.
3. 261 BC: Matches the year recorded in Ashoka's Rock Edict XIII, the primary epigraphic evidence historians rely on for this event. This inscription ties the war directly to the eighth year after his coronation, which corresponds to 261 BC.
4. 316 BC: This year belongs to the Mauryan dynasty's earlier phase, decades before Ashoka's rule even began, so it cannot describe an event from his reign.

Since Ashoka's own edict fixes the war to his eighth regnal year, the correct year is 261 BC.