MCQs on History of Jammu and Kashmir (With Answers)

J&K GK · 2026-10-19 · 9 min read

History of Jammu and Kashmir is asked in almost every JKSSB, J&K Police and JKPSC paper, usually as three to five easy-to-medium questions. This page gives a short timeline you can revise in ten minutes, then 30 solved MCQs with explanations. For the full bank, use the free topic sets linked at the end.

J&K history in one timeline

  • Ancient: Kashmir saw Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms. The Kushana king Kanishka is linked to the Fourth Buddhist Council, held at Kundalvana near Srinagar. The Karkota dynasty's Lalitaditya Muktapida built the Martand Sun Temple. Kalhana wrote the Rajatarangini in about 1148–49 CE
  • Medieval: Shah Mir founded the Sultanate in 1339. Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin (Budshah) ruled from 1420 to 1470. Akbar annexed Kashmir in 1586
  • Afghan and Sikh rule: Afghan governors ruled from 1753 to 1819, and Maharaja Ranjit Singh's army took Kashmir in 1819
  • Dogra rule: The Treaty of Amritsar (1846) gave Kashmir to Gulab Singh. Ranbir Singh, Pratap Singh and Hari Singh followed. The events of 13 July 1931 are remembered as Martyrs' Day
  • 1947 onwards: The Instrument of Accession was signed on 26 October 1947. The state constitution came into force on 26 January 1957
  • 2019: The J&K Reorganisation Act created the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh on 31 October 2019

How to revise

Learn the order of dynasties first, then the dates of the main treaties and events. Most questions ask who built or wrote something, or which year an event happened. Mughal gardens, Dogra rulers and the 1931 events are favourites.

Solved MCQs

Try all 30 questions below. After each answer, read the explanation, because the same fact is often asked in a different form.

Keep practising

Take the full J&K History topic sets with Easy, Medium and Hard levels, then a full-length mock. More revision notes: Dogra rule in J&K history.

Ancient and medieval periods in brief

  • Early history: Kashmir was linked with Buddhism, and the Kushana king Kanishka is said to have held the Fourth Buddhist Council at Kundalvana near Srinagar
  • Karkota dynasty: Lalitaditya Muktapida, in the eighth century, is the best-known king, and he built the Martand Sun Temple
  • Kalhana: wrote the Rajatarangini in the 12th century, a chronicle of the kings of Kashmir
  • Sultanate: Shah Mir founded the dynasty in 1339, and Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin (Budshah) is remembered for his patronage of crafts and learning
  • Mughals: Akbar annexed Kashmir in 1586
  • Afghans and Sikhs: Afghan rule began in 1753, and the Sikh forces of Ranjit Singh took Kashmir in 1819

After 1947

  • 1947: the Instrument of Accession was signed on 26 October
  • 1950: the Constitution of India came into force, with a special provision for J&K under Article 370
  • 1957: the Constitution of the state of Jammu and Kashmir came into force on 26 January
  • 1975: the Indira–Sheikh Accord was signed
  • 2019: the Reorganisation Act created the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh from 31 October

Making a timeline that sticks

Write the dates on a single line from 8th century to 2019. Under each date, write the ruler or event in two or three words. Check yourself by covering one half of the line and reciting the other half.

Common traps

  • The Treaty of Amritsar (1846) is different from the Treaty of Lahore, which came a week earlier
  • The Dogra period began in 1846, but Gulab Singh had been the Raja of Jammu since 1822
  • Hari Singh was the last Maharaja, and Karan Singh was his son
  • The Instrument of Accession was signed on 26 October, not on 22 October, when the tribal raiders invaded

Using the MCQs well

After you read the questions, say why each wrong option is wrong. For example, if you are asked who built the Martand Sun Temple, say that Lalitaditya of the Karkota dynasty did, and that Zain-ul-Abidin belongs to a later age. This makes the facts stay longer than a one-time reading.

Questions candidates ask

Which period is asked most? The Dogra period from 1846 to 1947, and the events around 1947 and 2019.

Who wrote the Rajatarangini? Kalhana, in the 12th century.

Who built the Martand Sun Temple? Lalitaditya Muktapida of the Karkota dynasty.

By Shivam · Written with AI assistance and fact-checked · Questions on this page are original · Editorial policy · Report an error

Practice questions

Q1. Zorawar Singh conquered Ladakh in the year:

  1. 1834
  2. 1857
  3. 1846
  4. 1819
Show answer

1834 — Zorawar Singh began his Ladakh campaign in 1834.

Q2. Chashma Shahi, the 'royal spring' garden, was built by:

  1. Maharaja Gulab Singh in 1850
  2. Jahangir in 1619
  3. Ali Mardan Khan, the Mughal governor, in 1632
  4. Asif Khan in 1633
Show answer

Ali Mardan Khan, the Mughal governor, in 1632 — It is a small terraced garden at the foot of the Zabarwan hills.

Q3. In 1822, Gulab Singh was made Raja of Jammu by which ruler?

  1. Ahmad Shah Abdali
  2. Lord Hardinge
  3. Maharaja Ranjit Singh
  4. Emperor Akbar
Show answer

Maharaja Ranjit Singh — Maharaja Ranjit Singh made Gulab Singh Raja of Jammu in 1822, at a ceremony held at Akhnoor.

Q4. The 'Martyrs' Day' in Kashmir commemorates the events of:

  1. 26 October 1947
  2. 15 August 1947
  3. 13 July 1931
  4. 5 August 2019
Show answer

13 July 1931 — On 13 July 1931 people were killed outside the Srinagar Central Jail.

Q5. Kashmir was conquered by the Sikh army of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in:

  1. 1819
  2. 1752
  3. 1857
  4. 1846
Show answer

1819 — The Sikhs took Kashmir from the Afghan Durranis in 1819.

Q6. Kalhana's Rajatarangini, the chronicle of the kings of Kashmir, was written in:

  1. Sharada, in the 4th century CE
  2. Persian, in the 16th century CE
  3. Urdu, in the 19th century CE
  4. Sanskrit, in the 12th century CE
Show answer

Sanskrit, in the 12th century CE — Kalhana composed the Sanskrit chronicle around 1148–49 CE; later writers such as Jonaraja continued it.

Q7. The Martand Sun Temple in Kashmir is associated with which ruler?

  1. Lalitaditya Muktapida
  2. Zain-ul-Abidin
  3. Avantivarman
  4. Gulab Singh
Show answer

Lalitaditya Muktapida — The Martand temple near Mattan (Anantnag) is credited to Lalitaditya of the Karkota dynasty, 8th century.

Q8. The Akhnoor fort stands on the bank of which river?

  1. Ravi
  2. Jhelum
  3. Chenab
  4. Tawi
Show answer

Chenab — Akhnoor on the Chenab is also known for Harappan and Buddhist remains.

Q9. Gulab Singh was succeeded as Maharaja by his son:

  1. Amar Singh
  2. Hari Singh
  3. Pratap Singh
  4. Ranbir Singh
Show answer

Ranbir Singh — Ranbir Singh ruled from 1857 to 1885.

Q10. Mir Syed Ali Hamadani, who is linked with the Khanqah-e-Moula in Srinagar, came to Kashmir from:

  1. Samarkand
  2. Hamadan in Persia
  3. Baghdad
  4. Kabul
Show answer

Hamadan in Persia — Shah-e-Hamadan came from Persia in the 14th century; the Khanqah stands on the Jhelum.

Q11. The Muslim Conference was renamed the National Conference in:

  1. 1939
  2. 1947
  3. 1931
  4. 1952
Show answer

1939 — Under Sheikh Abdullah the party became the All Jammu & Kashmir National Conference.

Q12. Karan Singh served as Sadr-i-Riyasat until 1965 and then became:

  1. The first Lieutenant Governor
  2. The first Governor of J&K
  3. The Prime Minister of J&K
  4. The first Chief Minister of J&K
Show answer

The first Governor of J&K — The title Sadr-i-Riyasat was replaced by Governor after the Sixth Amendment of the State Constitution.

Q13. The Shankaracharya Temple in Srinagar stands on which hill?

  1. Pir Panjal
  2. Gopadari (Takht-i-Sulaiman) hill
  3. Zabarwan peak
  4. Hari Parbat
Show answer

Gopadari (Takht-i-Sulaiman) hill — It is a Shiva temple on a hill south-east of the city, overlooking Srinagar.

Q14. Before the Sikhs took Kashmir in 1819, it was ruled by the:

  1. British East India Company
  2. Mughals
  3. Afghan Durranis
  4. Dogras
Show answer

Afghan Durranis — Afghan governors ruled from the 1750s until 1819.

Q15. Lalitaditya Muktapida, who built the Martand Sun Temple, belonged to which dynasty?

  1. Gupta
  2. Maurya
  3. Karkota
  4. Kushan
Show answer

Karkota — Lalitaditya Muktapida was the most powerful ruler of the Karkota dynasty, in the 8th century.

Q16. Governor's rule was imposed in J&K for the first time in:

  1. 1990
  2. 1977
  3. 1965
  4. 1953
Show answer

1977 — Section 92 of the State Constitution was used in 1977.

Q17. The Dogra general who conquered Ladakh in the 1830s was:

  1. Hari Singh Nalwa
  2. Mian Hathu
  3. Zorawar Singh
  4. Atta Muhammad Khan
Show answer

Zorawar Singh — Zorawar Singh Kahluria, Gulab Singh's general, brought Ladakh under Dogra rule.

Q18. Ranbir Singh was succeeded by:

  1. Gulab Singh
  2. Amar Singh
  3. Hari Singh
  4. Pratap Singh
Show answer

Pratap Singh — Pratap Singh ruled from 1885 to 1925.

Q19. Gulab Singh was confirmed as Raja of Jammu by Ranjit Singh in:

  1. 1857
  2. 1846
  3. 1819
  4. 1822
Show answer

1822 — Ranjit Singh invested Gulab Singh as Raja of Jammu in 1822.

Q20. Zaina Lank, an artificial island built by Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin, lies in:

  1. Anchar Lake
  2. Manasbal Lake
  3. Dal Lake
  4. Wular Lake
Show answer

Wular Lake — Zaina Lank is in Wular Lake, India's largest freshwater lake.

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