With reference to the invaders in ancient India,which one of the following is the correct chronological order?Select the correct answer from the code given below:

1. A

   Greeks – Sakas – Kushans

   Greeks – Sakas – Kushans. The Indo-Greeks (Bactrian Greeks) invaded first in the early 2nd century BCE, followed by the Sakas (Scythians) in the 1st century BCE, and finally the Kushans (Yueh-chis) in the 1st century CE. This sequence precisely matches the known historical timeline of foreign incursions into ancient India, making it the correct option.

2. B

   Greeks – Kushans – Sakas

   Greeks – Kushans – Sakas. This option places the Kushans before the Sakas. Historically, the Kushans established their rule in northern India under Kujula Kadphises only after the Saka power had already been firmly rooted in regions like Taxila, Mathura, and western India.

3. C

   Sakas – Greeks – Kushans

   Sakas – Greeks – Kushans. This option incorrectly places the Sakas before the Greeks. The Indo-Greeks arrived in northwestern India much earlier than the Saka migrations, rendering this chronological sequence wrong.

4. D

   Sakas – Kushans – Greeks

   Sakas – Kushans – Greeks. This option reverses almost the entire sequence by putting the Greeks last. The Greeks were undeniably the earliest among these three groups to invade and establish territories in ancient India.

Summary. Official key is (a) Greeks – Sakas – Kushans. The chronological arrival of foreign invaders in ancient India began with the Indo-Greeks in the second century BCE. They were subsequently followed by the nomadic Saka tribes in the first century BCE. Ultimately, the Kushans arrived and consolidated their vast empire in the first century CE. Any reversal of these primary migration waves disrupts the established historical sequence. Therefore, only option (a) provides the accurate ascending order of their invasions.