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Q79 (IAS/2020) History & Culture › Ancient India › Ancient social structure Official Key

With reference to the history of India, the terms "kulyavapa" and "dronavapa" denote

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: A
Explanation

The correct answer is Option 1.

In the context of Ancient Indian history, particularly during the Gupta period, the terms kulyavapa and dronavapa were widely used units of land measurement. These terms are frequently mentioned in copper-plate inscriptions (such as the Damodarpur plates) to denote the area of land required to sow a specific quantity of grain.

  • Kulyavapa: Derived from 'Kulya' (a basket) and 'Vapa' (to sow), it referred to the area of land required to sow one kulya of grain.
  • Dronavapa: A smaller unit, referring to the area needed to sow one drona of grain (where 1 kulya = 8 dronas).

Options 2, 3, and 4 are incorrect because these terms specifically relate to the agrarian measurement of area based on seed capacity, rather than currency, urban zoning, or religious ceremonies.

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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. With reference to the history of India, the terms "kulyavapa" and "dronavapa" denote [A] measurement of land [B] coins of different mon…
At a glance
Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 10/10
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While the skeleton flags this as web-heavy, this is a classic 'Gupta Administration' question found in advanced texts like Upinder Singh or RS Sharma. It exposes the gap between 'Basic NCERT' and 'Advanced Reference' reading. Strategy: Focus on Economic History terms (Land, Tax, Coins) over Political History.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
In the history of India, do the terms "kulyavapa" and "dronavapa" denote measurements of land?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"Dronavapa along with its other divisions and multiples such as adhavapa and kulyavapa were also used in the inscriptions of Bengal33. The words kulyavapa, dronavapa and adhavapa indicate the area of land that was required to sow seed grains of the weight respectively of one kulya, drona and adhaka34. According to Sanskrit lexicons a dronavapa was equivalent to one-eight of a kulyavapa and this equation of 1:8 between a kulyavapa and dronavapa is also corroborated by epigraphic evidences.35"
Why this source?
  • Explicitly states that kulyavapa and dronavapa indicate areas of land (defined by seed-sowing quantity).
  • Notes these terms occur in inscriptions (epigraphic evidence) confirming their use as land measures.
  • Gives the quantitative relationship (dronavapa = 1/8 kulyavapa), reinforcing they are units of area.
Web source
Presence: 3/5
"There was no uniform system of land measurement in India in the past. The land measures varied considerably in time and space. The inscriptions of Orissa furnish an elaborate system of land measurement."
Why this source?
  • States that historic India used a variety of land-measure units recorded in inscriptions.
  • Provides contextual support that regional inscriptions (like those of Orissa) enumerated such land-measure terms.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 11: Later Cholas and Pandyas > Land Revenue and Survey > p. 160
Strength: 5/5
“For the purposes of assessing tax, the Cholas undertook extensive land surveys and revenue settlements. Rajaraja I (1001), Kulotunga I (1086) and Kulotunga III (1226) appointed people for land survey so that the land could be classified and assessed for the purposes of taxation. Like other functionaries of the state, the surveyors of the land called naduvagaiseykira too hailed from the landholding communities. Various units of the land measurement such as kuli, ma, veli, patti, padagam, etc. Paddy as tax was collected by a unit called kalam (28 kg). Rajaraja I standardised the collection of tax. He collected 100 kalam from the land of one veli (about 6.5 acres), the standard veli being variable according to fertility of the soil and the number of crops raised.”
Why relevant

Lists of historical Tamil land-measurement units (kuli, ma, veli, patti, padagam) show that regional, named units were commonly used.

How to extend

A student could treat kulyavapa/dronavapa as candidate regional units and check inscriptions/lexica from the same linguistic/geographic area for similar naming patterns.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 11: Later Cholas and Pandyas > Political Divisions > p. 169
Strength: 4/5
“tank. For instance, Madurai is described in an inscription as Madakkulakkil Madurai. The duty of the nattar was to assess the qualities of land under cultivation and levy taxes. In surveying the lands, the officials used rods of 14 and 24 feet. After the measurement, the authorities donated the lands. Salabogam land was assigned to Brahmins. The land assigned to ironsmiths was called tattarkani; for carpenters, it was known as thatchar-maaniyam. Bhattavriutti is the land donated for Brahmin group for imparting education.”
Why relevant

Description of land surveying practice (use of rods of 14 and 24 feet) indicates formal measurement methods and named measures tied to local surveying conventions.

How to extend

One could compare the structure of the terms kulyavapa/dronavapa with known surveying terms or rod-based measures used in the region to see if they align.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: The Guptas > Agriculture and Agrarian Structure > p. 95
Strength: 4/5
“The Paharpur copper plate inscription indicates that the king was the sole proprietor of the land. Even when he made land grants, he reserved his prerogatives over it. The location and boundaries of individual plots were marked out and measured by the record keepers and influential men in the locality. As stated in Paharpur plates, an officer called ustapala maintained records of all the land transactions in the district and the village accountant preserved records of land in the village. • Kshetra: Khila; Cultivatable land: Waste land • Kshetra: Aprahata; Cultivatable land: Jungle or waste land • Kshetra: Vasti; Cultivatable land: Habitable land • Kshetra: Gapata Saraha; Cultivatable land: Pastoral land”
Why relevant

References to officers who marked out and measured individual plots (ustapala, village accountants) show that recorded, standardized land measures were part of administrative record-keeping.

How to extend

A student might search administrative records or copper-plate grants produced by the same scribal offices for occurrence of kulyavapa/dronavapa as units.

THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART II, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 8: Peasants, Zamindars and the State > 6. Land Revenue System > p. 213
Strength: 3/5
“The Ain compiled the aggregates of such lands during Akbar's rule. Efforts to measure lands continued under subsequent emperors. For instance, in 1665, Aurangzeb expressly instructed his revenue officials to prepare annual records of the number of cultivators in each village (Source 7). Yet not all areas were measured successfully. As we have seen, forests covered huge areas of the subcontinent and thus remained unmeasured. Ü Discuss... The zamindari system was abolished in India after Independence. Read through this section and identify reasons why this was done.”
Why relevant

Discussion of systematic efforts to measure lands (e.g., Ain under Akbar, later imperial measurement campaigns) illustrates a long-standing practice of naming and recording units.

How to extend

Using the knowledge that empires compiled named land aggregates, a student could look for these specific terms in Mughal or pre-Mughal cadastral compilations or translations.

INDIA PEOPLE AND ECONOMY, TEXTBOOK IN GEOGRAPHY FOR CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 3: Land Resources and Agriculture > Land Use Categories > p. 21
Strength: 3/5
“Land-use records are maintained by land revenue department. The land use categories add up to reporting area, which is somewhat different from the geographical area. The Survey of India is responsible for measuring geographical area of administrative units in India. Have you ever used a map prepared by Survey of India? The difference between the two concepts are that while the former changes somewhat depending on the estimates of the land revenue records, the latter does not change and stays fixed as per Survey of India measurements. You may be familiar with land use categories as they are also included in your Social Science textbook of Class X.”
Why relevant

Distinction between land-revenue records and fixed geographical measurement shows the persistence of local revenue units separate from modern survey measures.

How to extend

This suggests checking historical land-revenue records (as distinct from modern Survey of India maps) for occurrence of kulyavapa/dronavapa as revenue units.

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Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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