Question

Kharavela of Kalinga was a follower of ________.
A. Jainism
B. Buddhism
C. Hinduism
D. Confucianism

Answer 1

Hint:Kharavela was the king of Kalinga which is presently Orissa during the 2nd century of the Mahameghavahana dynasty.
He was crowned as the king of Kalinga at the age of 24.
The inscriptions of Kharavela named him Chakravartin which means Universal Emperor.

Complete answer:
Option A, Jainism is an Indian religion whose history has been created by the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras who believed in the principles of self-help as according to them there are no gods or spiritual power which will help humans. The main three jewels or three principles of the religion are- right belief, right knowledge and right conduct.
Kharavela was the first great ruler of Kalinga and his information is derived from the Hatigumpha inscription which is a seventeen line rock cut written in Brahmi letters found in the cave of Udayagiri hills in Bhubaneswar of Orissa. He was born in Jainism and a firm follower of the religion and made all the efforts to promote the religion. He was a great achiever such as renovation of the capital in which he himself worked to repair gates and buildings of his capital Kalinganagara, he prepared a powerful infantry, elephant force etc. He provided entertainment to his reign through arts, music and dance, he removed taxation for the benefit of the public. Thus, it is the correct answer.

Option B, Buddhism is a religion started by Siddhartha Gautama followed in mostly in Asia. The holy book of Buddhism is known as Tripitaka written in Pali language. So, it is the incorrect answer.

Option C, Hinduism is an Indian religion which is followed by 15 to 16 percent of the global population and known to be the third largest religion in the world. So, it is also not the relevant answer.

Option D, Confucianism is a kind of tradition, philosophy, and rationalistic religion originated in China for leading a simple and systematic life. Thus, it is not a related answer.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option A, i.e. Jainism.

Note:The Hatigumpha inscription consists of 13 years of the reign of Kharavela.
His predecessor was his father and referred to as ‘Chetaraja’ in the inscription.
His successor was ‘Kudepasiri’ and was styled as ‘Aira Maharaja Kalingadhipati Mahameghavahana’.