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?
Show answer
Answer: B. Pair 1 is wrong: Devichandraguptam was written by Vishakhadatta. Pair 2 is correct: Hammira-Mahakavya is by Nayachandra Suri. Pair 3 is wrong: Milinda-panha is a dialogue between King Menander and the monk Nagasena, not by Nagarjuna. Pair 4 is correct: Nitivakyamrita is by Somadeva Suri. So only two.
Watch for: Nagasena and Nagarjuna sound alike; Bilhana wrote Vikramankadevacharita, not Devichandraguptam.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Wrong because pairs 2 and 4 are both correct.
- C. Wrong because pairs 1 and 3 are incorrect.
- D. Wrong because Devichandraguptam and Milinda-panha are wrongly matched.
Source to check: Upinder Singh, A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India (literary sources); Sahitya Akademi, Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature
Answer from the official UPSC key. Written and fact-checked by AI against the official key. Spotted a mistake? Report it.