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Q66 (IAS/2020) History & Culture › Culture, Literature, Religion & Philosophy › Ancient and classical literature Official Key

With reference to the scholars/litterateurs of ancient India, consider the following statements : 1. Panini is associated with Pushyamitra Shunga. 2. Amarasimha is associated with Harshavardhana. 3. Kalidasa is associated with Chandra Gupta - II. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: C
Explanation

The correct answer is Option 3 because only the third statement is chronologically and historically accurate.

  • Statement 1 is incorrect: Panini, the celebrated Sanskrit grammarian who authored the Ashtadhyayi, is generally dated between the 6th and 4th century BCE. Pushyamitra Shunga, however, ruled much later in the 2nd century BCE. It was Patanjali, the author of Mahabhasya, who was contemporary to Pushyamitra Shunga.
  • Statement 2 is incorrect: Amarasimha, the author of the Sanskrit lexicon Amarakosha, was one of the "Nine Gems" (Navaratnas) in the court of Chandra Gupta II (Gupta Dynasty). Harshavardhana (Vardhana Dynasty) ruled in the 7th century CE and was associated with scholars like Banabhatta.
  • Statement 3 is correct: Kalidasa, the legendary poet and playwright (author of Shakuntala and Meghaduta), is traditionally and historically recognized as the most prominent of the "Nine Gems" in the court of Chandra Gupta II (Vikramaditya).

Therefore, since only statement 3 is valid, Option 3 is the right choice.

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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 scholars/litterateurs of ancient India, consider the following statements : 1. Panini is associated with Pushyamitr…
At a glance
Origin: From standard books Fairness: High fairness Books / CA: 10/10 · 0/10
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This is a classic 'Timeline Mismatch' trap. The examiner took famous figures and paired them with rulers from completely different centuries. If you had memorized the standard 'Navaratnas' list of the Gupta period and the basic chronology of Sanskrit grammar (Panini → Patanjali), this was a free hit.

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
For scholars/litterateurs of ancient India, which ruler, dynasty, or royal court was the grammarian Panini associated with?
Origin: Direct from books Fairness: Straightforward Book-answerable
From standard books
Exploring Society:India and Beyond ,Social Science-Class VII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 5: The Rise of Empires > DON'T MISS OUT > p. 95
Presence: 5/5
“The famed Sanskrit grammarian Pāṇini lived around the 5th century BCE, during the time of the Nandas. He is known for composing the Aṣhṭādhyāyi, an ancient text that lists the rules of Sanskrit grammar in 3,996 short sūtras. Sūtras: Sutras are concise, carefully crafted phrases that capture knowledge and important ideas (from ancient Indian text) in a way that's easy to remember and pass on.”
Why this source?
  • Explicitly places Pāṇini around the 5th century BCE and states this was during the time of the Nandas.
  • Names Pāṇini as the author of the Aṣṭādhyāyī, tying his activity to that historical period.
History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 4: Emergence of State and Empire > Art and Culture > p. 60
Presence: 4/5
“Most of the literature and art of the period have not survived. Sanskrit language and literature. Emergence of State and Empire were enriched by the work of the grammarian Panini (c. 500 BCE), and Katyayana, who was a contemporary of the Nandas and had written a commentary on Panini's work. Buddhist and Jain texts were primarily written in Pali. Evidently many literary works in Sanskrit were produced during this period and find mention in later works, but they are not available to us. The Arthasastra notes the performing arts of the period, including music, instrumental music, bards, dance and theatre.”
Why this source?
  • Gives Panini's date (c. 500 BCE), providing chronological support for association with the Nanda era.
  • Links later grammarians (Katyayana) as contemporaries of the Nandas, reinforcing the temporal-cultural milieu.
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Statement analysis

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