Consider the following statement with reference to Persian invasions:

All Indian tribes to the west of the Indus river submitted to Cyrus the Great.
The invasions discouraged the growth of Indo-Iranian commerce.
The entire Indian subcontinent became the 20th Satrapy of the empire of Darius I.

How many of the statements above are correct ?

Only one
Only two
All three
None

Question

Consider the following statement with reference to Persian invasions:

	All Indian tribes to the west of the Indus river submitted to Cyrus the Great.
	The invasions discouraged the growth of Indo-Iranian commerce.
	The entire Indian subcontinent became the 20th Satrapy of the empire of Darius I.

How many of the statements above are correct ?


	Only one
	Only two
	All three
	None

ONLiNE UPSC · Accepted Answer

Statement 1 is correct: Cyrus the Great was the greatest conqueror of the Achaemenid Empire. He was the first conqueror who led an expedition and entered into India. He captured the Gandhara region. All Indian tribes to the west of the Indus river submitted to him and paid tribute.

Statement 2 is not correct: The Indo-Iranian contact lasted for about 200 years. The Persian invasion provided an impetus to the growth of Indo-Iranian commerce, it did not discourage the trade.

Statement 3 is not correct: Darius I, the grandson of Cyrus, conquered the Indus valley in 518 B.C. and annexed the Punjab and Sindh. This region became the 20th Satrapy of his empire, not the entire Indian subcontinent. It was the most fertile and populous province of the Achaemenian Empire.

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