The poet of King Bhoj who accepted Jainism was

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — D, Dhanpal (Dhanapala). Dhanapala was a celebrated Sanskrit–Prakrit poet at the court of the Paramara king Bhoja of Dhar (11th century). Born into a Shaiva Brahmin family, he embraced Jainism — tradition credits the influence of his younger brother Shobhana, who had become a Jain monk. His works include the Sanskrit prose romance Tilakamanjari and the Prakrit lexicon Paiyalachchhi.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) Not the poet of Bhoja's court linked with a conversion to Jainism.  (b) Not associated with King Bhoja or with the conversion story; a look-alike '…pal' distractor.  (c) Not Bhoja's Jain-convert poet — the answer the commission's key credits is Dhanpal.

Concept: The Paramara king Bhoja of Dhar (r. c. 1010–1055 CE) was a renowned patron of learning whose court attracted many scholars and poets. Dhanapala, one of them, is notable both as a Sanskrit/Prakrit litterateur and as a Brahmin who converted to Jainism — reflecting the strong Jain presence in medieval Malwa and Gujarat.

State PCS 2020 Q43 — Madhya Pradesh GK PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2020 Q43 — Madhya Pradesh GK PYQ with Answer