Who among the following Arab writers has given the description of Kalachuri ruler Gangeyadeva and his capital Tripuri?
- (a)Al-Bahari
- (b)Al-Masudi
- (c)Al-Biruni
- (d)Ibn Battuta
Correct — C, Al-Biruni. Al-Biruni (973–1048), the Khwarezmian polymath who accompanied the era of Mahmud of Ghazni's campaigns and lived in India for over a decade, wrote 'Kitab al-Hind' (Tahqiq-i-Hind) — an 11th-century account of Indian society, science and geography. In it, he describes the contemporary Kalachuri king Gangeyadeva as ruler of the Dahala country and names his capital, Tripuri (near present-day Jabalpur).
- (a)Al-Bahari — Not a recognised Arab chronicler of India from this period — no account of Gangeyadeva or Tripuri is attributed to this name.
- (b)Al-Masudi — Al-Masudi (d. 956 CE) travelled through India in the early 10th century — nearly a century before Gangeyadeva's reign (c. 1015–1041) even began, so he could not have described him.
- (d)Ibn Battuta — Ibn Battuta was a 14th-century Moroccan traveller who visited India under Muhammad bin Tughlaq — three centuries after Gangeyadeva's reign, far too late to have described him.
Al-Biruni was a Khwarezmian polymath attached to the court circle around Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni, who spent over a decade in India studying Sanskrit, astronomy and society and wrote 'Kitab al-Hind' (Tahqiq-i-Hind) — an 11th-century ethnographic account of India. In it he describes several contemporary regional rulers, including the Kalachuri king Gangeyadeva of the Dahala (Chedi) country.
The trap is picking any 'famous Arab traveller/writer' without checking the century — only a chronicler contemporary with Gangeyadeva's 11th-century reign could have described him; earlier (Al-Masudi) or much later (Ibn Battuta) travellers are chronologically ruled out.
- Al-Biruni lived in India for over a decade (c. 1017–1030 CE) during the era of Mahmud of Ghazni, and wrote Kitab al-Hind (Tahqiq-i-Hind).
- Gangeyadeva (r. c. 1015–1041) was the most powerful Kalachuri king of Tripuri (Chedi/Dahala country), near present-day Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.
- Gangeyadeva issued a distinctive gold coinage (seated goddess Lakshmi type) that was widely imitated across North India.
- Al-Masudi (d. 956 CE) and Ibn Battuta (14th century) both fall outside Gangeyadeva's reign, one too early and one too late.
- Confusing Al-Masudi (10th century, too early) with Al-Biruni (11th century, contemporary of Gangeyadeva)
- Confusing Ibn Battuta (14th-century traveller under the Tughlaqs) with the earlier Arab/Central Asian chroniclers
MPPSC and UPSC frequently ask 'who described ruler/place X' among a list of foreign chroniclers — anchor each name to the century and dynasty it was actually contemporary with.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Al-Biruni's famous 11th-century account of Indian society, science and geography is known as:
- (a)Kitab al-Hind (Tahqiq-i-Hind)
- (b)Rajatarangini
- (c)Ain-i-Akbari
- (d)Tabaqat-i-Nasiri
Answer(a) Kitab al-Hind (Tahqiq-i-Hind) — Al-Biruni's ethnographic account of India, written after his years in the subcontinent.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Kalachuris of Tripuri, whose capital lay near present-day Jabalpur, are also known by which alternate regional name?
- (a)Chedi (Dahala)
- (b)Chalukyas of Kalyani
- (c)Paramaras of Malwa
- (d)Chandelas of Jejakabhukti
Answer(a) Chedi (Dahala) — the region/dynasty name under which the Kalachuris of Tripuri, including Gangeyadeva, ruled.