Early Medieval India: Palas, Rajputs & the South: previous-year questions

Answer: (A) 200 years

The Tripartite Struggle for control of Kannauj between the Palas, the Gurjara-Pratiharas and the Rashtrakutas ran from the late 8th century to the early 10th century, roughly 200 years. It outlasted 50 or 100 years by far and ended well before 400 years, as all three powers had declined by the 10th century.

Answer: (B) the Cholas

The Chola kingdom was divided into mandalams (provinces), which were subdivided into valanadus and nadus, with villages run by assemblies like the ur and sabha. This layered administrative system is the classic feature of the Cholas, not of the Pallavas, Pandyas or Rashtrakutas.

Answer: (A) Kalhana

Kalhana, a 12th-century Kashmiri poet, wrote the Rajatarangini, a verse chronicle of the kings of Kashmir. Bilhana wrote the Vikramankadevacharita, Banabhatta the Harshacharita, and Ashvaghosha the Buddhacharita.

Answer: (B) Pallavas

The Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram was built by the Pallava king Narasimhavarman II (Rajasimha) around 700 CE. The Cholas built the Brihadeshvara at Thanjavur, and the Kailasa temple at Ellora, a common confusion, is Rashtrakuta.

Answer: (A) Bilhana

Bilhana, the Kashmiri poet at the court of the Western Chalukya king Vikramaditya VI of Kalyani, wrote the Vikramankadevacharita in his patron's praise. Ravikirti composed the Aihole inscription, Banabhatta the Harshacharita, and Kalhana the Rajatarangini.

Answer: (C) Kanchipuram

Kanchipuram was the Pallava capital, where they built temples such as the Kailasanatha. Hampi was the capital of Vijayanagara, while Dwarka and Ujjain lie in western and central India.

Answer: (A) Rajendra Chola I

Rajendra Chola I (1014–44), son of Rajaraja I, sent his army north up to the Ganga, defeating Mahipala I of Bengal (c. 1023). To commemorate it he took the title Gangaikonda ("conqueror of the Ganga") and built a new capital, Gangaikondacholapuram, with its own Brihadisvara temple. His naval expedition against Srivijaya (1025) gave him the title Kadaram Kondan. Rajaraja I (985–1014) built the Brihadisvara temple at Thanjavur; Rajadhiraja died fighting the Chalukyas at Koppam (1054); and Rajendra II was crowned on that very battlefield.

Answer: (C) Krishnadevaraya

Amuktamalyada is a Telugu poem by Krishnadevaraya (1509–29) of the Tuluva dynasty of Vijayanagara; it tells the story of the Tamil saint Andal (Goda Devi) and also sets out his ideas on statecraft. He also wrote the Sanskrit play Jambavati Kalyanam, was called "Andhra Bhoja", and his court had the Ashtadiggajas, eight Telugu poets led by Allasani Peddana. Madhvacharya founded the Dvaita school, Ramanuja the Vishishtadvaita school (Sri Bhashya), and Maladhar Basu wrote the Bengali Sri Krishna Vijaya, for which Sultan Barbak Shah gave him the title Gunaraj Khan.

Answer: (C) Gopal

Gopala founded the Pala dynasty around 750 AD, when he was chosen king to end the anarchy (matsyanyaya) in Bengal. His son Dharmapala founded the Vikramashila university and fought in the Tripartite Struggle for Kannauj. Devapala, Dharmapala's son, extended Pala power further. Tejpal was not a Pala king; Tejapala and his brother Vastupala were ministers in Gujarat who built the Luna Vasahi Jain temple at Dilwara, Mount Abu.

Answer: (A) 1191 AD

In the First Battle of Tarain in 1191, Prithviraj Chauhan defeated Muhammad Ghori. In the Second Battle of Tarain in 1192, Ghori defeated and killed Prithviraj, opening north India to Turkish rule. Tarain is near Thanesar in present-day Haryana. The other years do not match either battle.

Answer: (C) Chach Namah

The Chach Nama, a Persian work of the 13th century translated by Ali Kufi from an older Arabic account, describes the conquest of Sindh by Muhammad bin Qasim in 712. The Akbarnama is Abul Fazl's history of Akbar's reign. The Ain-i-Akbari, its third volume, describes Akbar's administration. The Shahnama is Firdausi's Persian epic, written at the court of Mahmud of Ghazni.

Answer: (C) Rashtrakuta

Arab writers such as Sulaiman and Al-Masudi called the Rashtrakuta kings 'Balhara' (from their title Vallabha-raja) and ranked them among the great rulers of the world. The Rashtrakutas, founded by Dantidurga with their capital at Manyakheta (Malkhed), built the rock-cut Kailasa temple at Ellora under Krishna I; Amoghavarsha I wrote the Kannada work Kavirajamarga. They took part in the tripartite struggle for Kanauj with the Palas and the Pratiharas.

Answer: (B) Rajaraja I

Rajaraja I (985-1014 CE) was born Arulmozhivarman (Arumolivarman) and took the title Rajaraja on becoming king. He conquered northern Sri Lanka and the Maldives, built up the Chola navy, carried out a land survey and built the Brihadeshwara (Rajarajeshwara) temple at Thanjavur, completed in 1010. His son Rajendra I ('Gangaikonda Chola') led the Ganga and Srivijaya expeditions. Kulottunga I began the Chalukya-Chola line and was called 'Sungam Tavirtta' (abolisher of tolls).

Answer: (D) Palas

Sandhyakar Nandi wrote the Sanskrit kavya Ramacharitam under the later Pala kings (he was patronised by Madanapala, son of Ramapala). Each verse can be read in two ways - as the story of the Ramayana and as the career of Ramapala, including the Kaivarta (Varendra) rebellion of Divya and Bhima. The Senas patronised Jayadeva (Gita Govinda), Dhoyi (Pavanaduta), Umapati Dhar, Govardhan and Sarana in Lakshmana Sena's court; the Hussain Shahis encouraged Bengali works such as the Mahabharata translations of Kavindra Parameshwar and Srikar Nandi; the Mauryan age is linked with Kautilya's Arthashastra.

Answer: (B) Kalhana

Kalhana's "Rajatarangini" (12th century CE) is a chronicle of the kings of Kashmir and one of the earliest true works of Indian historiography.

Answer: (A) Rajendra I

Rajendra Chola I (1014-1044) sent an army up to the Ganga, defeated the Pala king Mahipala I, took the title 'Gangaikondachola' and built a new capital, Gangaikondacholapuram; his naval expedition against Srivijaya earned him the title 'Kadaram Kondan'. Rajaraja I built the Brihadeeswara temple at Thanjavur, Rajadhiraja I died fighting the Chalukyas at Koppam, and Kulottunga I was known as 'Sungam Tavirtta' (abolisher of tolls).

Answer: (B) Palas, Pratiharas, Rashtrakutas

The tripartite struggle for control of Kanauj (8th–10th century CE) was fought among the Palas of Bengal, the Gurjara-Pratiharas of western India, and the Rashtrakutas of the Deccan. The Cholas and Pallavas were southern dynasties not involved.

Answer: (A) Dharmapala

Vikramshila University was founded by Dharmapala, the second ruler of the Pala dynasty of Bengal (c. 775–810 CE). It was one of the two greatest centres of Buddhist learning in India alongside Nalanda. Devapala was his successor; Ballal Sen was a Sena dynasty king.