MPPSC 2020 Prelims Q67: According to Chachnama, what was the Capital of the Indus

Q: What is the answer to MPPSC 2020 Prelims Q67?

B. Correct — B, Arod (Aror / Alor). The Chachnama, the Persian chronicle of the Arab conquest of Sindh, names Aror — on the Indus near modern Rohri/Sukkur — as the capital of the Sindh (Indus) country under the Brahman dynasty of Chach and his son Raja Dahir in the 6th-7th centuries.

MPPSC 2020 Prelims Paper-I · Question 67 of 100

Verified against the official question paper. Answer as per the official MPPSC answer key.

According to Chachnama, what was the Capital of the Indus Country in the 6th and 7th century?

(a)Deval
(b)Arod
(c)Lodawa
(d)Barmer

Answer

Why

Correct — B, Arod (Aror / Alor). The Chachnama, the Persian chronicle of the Arab conquest of Sindh, names Aror — on the Indus near modern Rohri/Sukkur — as the capital of the Sindh (Indus) country under the Brahman dynasty of Chach and his son Raja Dahir in the 6th-7th centuries.

Why the others are wrong

(a)Deval — Debal (Deval) was Sindh's coastal port, the first town Muhammad bin Qasim captured (711-712 CE) — an important city, but not the capital.
(c)Lodawa — Lodhruva (Lodurva) was an early capital of the Bhati Rajputs near Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, unrelated to the Chachnama's Sindh.
(d)Barmer — Barmer is a town in western Rajasthan; it is not the capital described in the Chachnama.

Concept

The Chachnama (also Fateh-nama-i-Sindh) is the principal narrative source for the Arab conquest of Sindh under Muhammad bin Qasim (712 CE) and for the preceding Brahman dynasty. It presents Aror as Raja Dahir's capital on the Indus.

Distinguish the political capital (Aror, inland on the Indus) from the port of entry the Arabs stormed first (Debal, on the coast). Questions often pair these two to test whether you know which was the capital.

Key facts

Chachnama = Persian account of the Arab conquest of Sindh (translated 13th century).
Aror (Alor), near modern Rohri, was the capital of Sindh under Chach and Dahir.
Debal was the coastal port first captured by Muhammad bin Qasim in 712 CE.
Raja Dahir was the last Brahman-dynasty ruler of Sindh.

Study next

Arab conquest of Sindh (712 CE) and Muhammad bin QasimThe Brahman dynasty of Sindh: Chach and DahirEarly Arab contact with IndiaHistorical sources: Chachnama, Al-Biladuri's Futuh-al-Buldan

Common traps

Choosing Debal (the port) instead of Aror (the capital)
Confusing Sindhi place-names with Rajasthan towns (Lodhruva, Barmer)

Source-plus-fact: 'According to the Chachnama...' — tests both the source and the specific place.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Practice

practice — not a real PYQ
Which coastal town of Sindh did Muhammad bin Qasim capture first, in 711-712 CE?
- (a)Debal
- (b)Aror
- (c)Multan
- (d)Brahmanabad
Answer(a) Debal, the port of Sindh.
practice — not a real PYQ
The Chachnama chiefly narrates which event of early Indian history?
- (a)The Arab conquest of Sindh
- (b)The Ghaznavid raids
- (c)The founding of the Delhi Sultanate
- (d)The Chola naval expeditions
Answer(a) The Arab conquest of Sindh under Muhammad bin Qasim.