With reference to ancient India (600-322 BC), consider the following pairs: [Ancient History]

Territorial region	River flowing in the region
I. Asmaka	Godavari
II. Kamboja	Vipas
III. Avanti	Mahanadi
IV. Kosala	Sarayu

How many of the pairs given above are corectly matched?

The correct answer is Only two.

Let us analyze each pair in detail to understand why only two of them are correctly matched:

1. Pair I: Asmaka - Godavari (Correct)
Asmaka (or Assaka) was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas of ancient India (600–322 BC). It was located in the southern part of India, in the Deccan region, particularly around the banks of the Godavari River. Its capital was Potali (or Podana). Since Asmaka is correctly associated with the Godavari River, this pair is correctly matched.

2. Pair II: Kamboja - Vipas (Incorrect)
Kamboja was a Mahajanapada situated in the far northwest of the Indian subcontinent (present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan). The Vipas River (modern-day Beas River) flows through the Punjab region of India. The region of Kamboja is instead historically associated with the Hindu Kush region and rivers like the Kabul (Kophes) or Kunar. Therefore, this pair is incorrectly matched.

3. Pair III: Avanti - Mahanadi (Incorrect)
Avanti was an important Mahajanapada located in Central India (present-day Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh). It was divided into northern and southern parts by the Vindhya range, with the northern capital at Ujjain and the southern capital at Mahishmati. The key river flowing through Avanti was the Vetravati (modern Betwa) or Sipra, not the Mahanadi (which flows mainly through modern-day Chhattisgarh and Odisha). Therefore, this pair is incorrectly matched.

4. Pair IV: Kosala - Sarayu (Correct)
Kosala was a prominent Mahajanapada located in the northern region of India (present-day Awadh in Uttar Pradesh). Its famous capital was Ayodhya, which is situated on the banks of the Sarayu River. Since Kosala is historically and geographically tied to the Sarayu River, this pair is correctly matched.

Thus, only Pair I (Asmaka - Godavari) and Pair IV (Kosala - Sarayu) are correctly matched, making the total number of correct pairs exactly two.