Ajivika Sect In Ancient India

Exam-Oriented Q&A

Q1: Who founded the Ajivika Sect and when?
Answer: Makkhali Gosāla founded the Ajivika Sect in the 5th century BCE.

Q2: What is the core doctrine of the Ajivikas?
Answer: The central doctrine is Niyati (absolute fatalism), which denies free will and asserts that all events are predetermined.

Q3: How did Ajivikas view the concept of karma?
Answer: They rejected the karma doctrine as a fallacy, believing outcomes were governed solely by fate.

Q4: Which Mauryan emperor patronized the Ajivikas?
Answer: Emperor Ashoka assigned Barabar Hill caves to Ajivika monks in 261 BCE, and support continued under his grandson Dasaratha Maurya.

Q5: When did the Ajivika Sect decline?
Answer: The sect persisted until around the 14th century CE, after which it largely disappeared from historical records.