Given below are two statements, one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other as Reason (R) :
Assertion (A) : We have much more information about Cholas than their predecessors.
Reason (R) : The Chol

Question

Given below are two statements, one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other as Reason (R) :
Assertion (A) : We have much more information about Cholas than their predecessors.
Reason (R) : The Chola rulers adopted the practice of having inscriptions written on the walls of temples giving a historical narrative of their victories.
Select the correct answer from the codes given below.

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — A, both statements are true and R correctly explains A. We do know far more about the Cholas than about most earlier South Indian dynasties, and the main reason is precisely their prolific epigraphy: Chola kings had long inscriptions engraved on the stone walls of temples recording genealogies, military victories, land grants and even the procedure for electing village assemblies (as in the Uttaramerur inscriptions of Parantaka I). These meykkirti/prasasti records are the principal source for reconstructing Chola history, so R is a direct explanation of A, not just a co-incidental fact.

Why the other options are wrong — (b) Wrong — R is not an unrelated true fact; the very reason so much Chola information survives is this temple-wall inscription habit, so R does explain A.  (c) Wrong — R is factually true: the Cholas really did engrave historical narratives on temple walls (e.g., the Brihadisvara temple at Thanjavur, the Uttaramerur inscriptions).  (d) Wrong — A is true: the rich epigraphic record makes the Cholas one of the best-documented dynasties of early-medieval South India.

Concept: Inscriptions (epigraphy) are among the most reliable primary sources for early-medieval Indian history. The Cholas (c. 850–1279 CE) were exceptionally prolific: thousands of their inscriptions survive on temple walls, opening with a eulogy (meykkirti) of the king's conquests and then recording administrative and economic detail. This abundance is why historians can reconstruct Chola polity, land relations and village government so fully.

State PCS 2020 Q8 — History PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2020 Q8 — History PYQ with Answer