UPSC Prelims 2023·GS1·history·ancient history

With reference to ancient Indian History, consider the following pairs: Literary work Author 1. Devichandragupta : Bilhana 2. Hammira-Mahakavya : Nayachandra Suri 3. Milinda-panha : Nagarjuna 4. Nitivakyamrita : Somadeva Suri How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

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Last updated 23 May 2026, 3:31 pm IST
  1. AOnly one
  2. BOnly twoCorrect
  3. COnly three
  4. DAll four

Explanation

Let's analyze each pair of literary work and author: 1. Devichandragupta : Bilhana - This pair is incorrectly matched. 'Devichandragupta' is a Sanskrit play attributed to Vishakhadatta, who also wrote 'Mudrarakshasa'. Bilhana was a Kashmiri poet who wrote 'Vikramankadevacharita', an epic poem on the life of the Chalukya king Vikramaditya VI. 2. Hammira-Mahakavya : Nayachandra Suri - This pair is correctly matched. 'Hammira-Mahakavya' is a historical epic poem (Mahakavya) about the Chahamana king Hammira-deva of Ranthambore, composed by the Jain scholar Nayachandra Suri. 3. Milinda-panha : Nagarjuna - This pair is incorrectly matched. 'Milinda-panha' (Questions of Milinda) is an important Buddhist text, which records a dialogue between the Indo-Greek King Menander I (Milinda) and the Buddhist monk Nagasena. Nagarjuna was a prominent Buddhist philosopher and the founder of the Madhyamaka school of Mahayana Buddhism, who lived several centuries after Nagasena. 4. Nitivakyamrita : Somadeva Suri - This pair is correctly matched. 'Nitivakyamrita' is a significant text on polity and ethics, composed by the Jain Acharya Somadeva Suri in the 10th century. Therefore, only two pairs (2 and 4) are correctly matched.
history: With reference to ancient Indian History, consider the following pairs: Literary work Author 1. Devichandragupta : Bilha

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