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?
Correct Answer B. Only two
Explanation
The correct option is B (Only two).
- Pair 1 is incorrectly matched: Devichandraguptam was composed by Vishakhadatta (author of Mudrarakshasa), not Bilhana. (Bilhana authored the Vikramankadevacharita and Caurapancasika).
- Pair 2 is correctly matched: Hammira-Mahakavya was written by the Jain scholar Nayachandra Suri in the 15th century, detailing the heroic resistance of Hammiradeva of Ranthambore against Alauddin Khalji.
- Pair 3 is incorrectly matched: Milinda-panha (“Questions of Menander”) records the philosophical dialogues between the Indo-Greek King Menander I and the Buddhist monk Nagasena, not Nagarjuna.
- Pair 4 is correctly matched: Nitivakyamrita (“Nectar of Political Aphorisms”) is a classic treatise on polity and statecraft composed by the 10th-century Jain scholar Somadeva Suri (court scholar of the Rashtrakutas).