Ancient History MCQs – 13 ( South Indian Kingdoms )

Ans - A ( Deccan ).

• The Chalukyas ruled parts of Southern and Central India(Deccan) between the 6 CE to 12 CE.

• There were three distinct but related Chalukya dynasties:
• Badami Chalukyas → The earliest Chalukyas with their capital at Badami (Vatapi) in Karnataka. They ruled from mid-6th till the  death of their greatest king, Pulakesin II in 642 AD.

   

• Eastern Chalukyas: They emerged after the death of Pulakesin II in Eastern Deccan with capital at Vengi. They ruled till the 11th century.

• Western Chalukyas: They were descendants of the Badami Chalukyas. They emerged in the late 10th century and ruled from Kalyani.

Ans - C ( Pulakesin II ).

• Kirtivarman II was the last of the Chalukya rulers. He was defeated by the Rashtrakuta king ‘Dantidurga’.

Ans - C (  Pallava Dynasty.).

• Mahendravarman I, Narasimhavarman I and Narasimhavarman II belonged to the Pallava Dynasty.

Ans - B (  Mahendravarman I ).

• Mahendravarman I was a follower of Jainism. He was converted to Shaivism by the influence of the Saiva saint, Thirunavukkarasar alias Appar.

• He was a great builder of cave/rock cut temples. The Mandagapattu inscription hails him as ‘Vichitrachitta’ who constructed a temple for Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva without the use of bricks.

• He had also authored the Sanskrit work Mattavilasa Prahasanam.

Ans - A (  Narasimhavarman I ).

• Narasimhavarman I (630-668 A.D.) was also known as Mamalla, which means ‘great wrestler’.

• Mamallapuram, also known as Mahabalipuram, is a town of Tamil Nadu, best known for the UNESCO World Heritage Site of 7th and 8th century Hindu Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram. 
• Mamallapuram was one of two major port cities in the Pallava kingdom. The town was named after Pallava king Narasimhavarman I, who was also known as Mamalla.

   

• He defeated the Chalukya army and destroyed their capital city of Vatapi. After this, Narasimhavarman I assumed the title ‘Vatapikonda’.

• During his reign, Hiuen Tsang visited the Pallava capital Kanchipuram.

Ans - C (  Aparajita ).

• The Pallava rule lasted till the end of the ninth century A.D.

• The Chola king Aditya I defeated the last Pallava ruler Aparajita and seized the Kanchi region. With this, the rule of the Pallava dynasty came to an end.

Ans - A ( Administrative Divisions ).

• The Pallavas had a well organized administrative system. Pallavas had divided the empire into several administrative units. They were called Mandalam, Kottam, Nadu and Ur. 

• These administrative divisions may be compared with the modern administrative units, namely province, district, taluk and village.
• The biggest unit of the Pallava Empire was Mandalam. 

   

• Each Mandalam was divided into several Kottams. The number of Kottams varied according to the size of the Mandalam. Officials were appointed by the king to administer each Kottam.

   

• The next administrative unit was called Nadu. It was bigger than Ur or Village. There were several villages in each Nadu. A council called Naattar was in charge of the administration of Nadu.

   

• The Ur or village was the smallest unit of the Pallava administration. It was also under the control of the village committees called Sabhas.

Ans - B ( Land Grants to Temples and Brahmans ).

• During the Pallava rule, Land-grants provided to the temples were known as ‘Devadhana’ and to the Brahmans were known as ‘Brahmadeya’.

• Land tax was the primary source of the government revenue However Brahmadeya and Devadhana lands were exempted from tax.

Ans - B ( Vijayalaya ).

• The founder of the Chola Empire was Vijayalaya.

• However, It was under Rajaraja I and his son Rajendra I that the Chola power reached its highest point of glory.

   

Ans - A ( Rajendra I ).

• Chola ruler Rajendra I defeated Pala ruler Mahipala I of Bengal.

• To commemorate his victory, Rajendra founded the city of Gangaikondacholapuram. 

• It has been recognised as a World Heritage site by UNESCO.