RAS Pre 2021, held on 27 October 2021. Question text as printed in RPSC's booklet; answer as per RPSC's final answer key.

Consider the following statements and choose the correct answer using the code given below – Statement 1 : Krishnadevaraya, ruler of Vijaynagar wrote the treatise Amuktamalyada. Statement 2 : Krishnadevaraya is also known by the name of Andhra Bhoj. Statement 3 : Allasani Peddana, the poet laureate well versed in Sanskrit and Tamil, adorned his court. Code -

Q: What is the answer to RAS Pre 2021 Q23?

(3). Correct — option (3), Both the statements 1 & 2 are true. Statement 1 is true. NCERT's Themes in Indian History, Part II says Krishnadeva Raya, the most famous ruler of Vijayanagara, composed a work on statecraft in Telugu known as the Amuktamalyada. The Sahitya Akademi's Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature calls the Amuktamalyada, also called Vishnuchittiyamu, the only Telugu poem he wrote, and lists several Sanskrit poems by him. Statement 2 is true. P. Chenchiah and Raja M. Bhujanga Rao's A History of Telugu Literature says Krishnadevaraya is known as Andhra Bhoja for his constant support and encouragement to Telugu literature. Statement 3 is false. The same book calls Allasani Peddana the Poet Laureate of Krishnadevaraya's court, but the learning it credits him with is in Sanskrit and Telugu; the statement's Tamil does not match. His Manucharitra is a Telugu classic. With 1 and 2 true and 3 false, the code is option (3), Both the statements 1 & 2 are true.

(1)Statement 1 is true
(2)Statement 2 is true
(3)Both the statements 1 & 2 are true
(4)All the three statements are true

Answer

(3)

Why

Correct — option (3), Both the statements 1 & 2 are true.

Statement 1 is true. NCERT's Themes in Indian History, Part II says Krishnadeva Raya, the most famous ruler of Vijayanagara, composed a work on statecraft in Telugu known as the Amuktamalyada.

The Sahitya Akademi's Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature calls the Amuktamalyada, also called Vishnuchittiyamu, the only Telugu poem he wrote, and lists several Sanskrit poems by him.

Statement 2 is true. P. Chenchiah and Raja M. Bhujanga Rao's A History of Telugu Literature says Krishnadevaraya is known as Andhra Bhoja for his constant support and encouragement to Telugu literature.

Statement 3 is false. The same book calls Allasani Peddana the Poet Laureate of Krishnadevaraya's court, but the learning it credits him with is in Sanskrit and Telugu; the statement's Tamil does not match. His Manucharitra is a Telugu classic.

With 1 and 2 true and 3 false, the code is option (3), Both the statements 1 & 2 are true.

Why the others are wrong

(1)
Statement 1 is true — Statement 1 is indeed true, but this code stops there and leaves out statement 2, which is also true.
Chenchiah and Bhujanga Rao record that Krishnadevaraya is known as Andhra Bhoja for his support of Telugu literature, so the complete code must include statement 2.
(2)
Statement 2 is true — Statement 2 is true, but this code leaves out statement 1, which is also true.
NCERT says Krishnadeva Raya composed the Amuktamalyada, a work on statecraft in Telugu, so the complete code must include statement 1 as well.
(4)
All the three statements are true — Statement 3 is false, so all three cannot be true.
Allasani Peddana was Krishnadevaraya's Poet Laureate, but Chenchiah and Bhujanga Rao describe his learning as being in Sanskrit and Telugu. The statement's "Sanskrit and Tamil" does not match; Peddana's Manucharitra is a Telugu work.

Concept

NCERT calls Krishnadeva Raya, of the Tuluva dynasty, the most famous ruler of Vijayanagara. Sources differ by a year on his reign: NCERT gives 1509–29, while the Sahitya Akademi encyclopaedia and Chenchiah and Bhujanga Rao give 1509–30.

He was a poet as well as a patron. The encyclopaedia lists his Sanskrit works, among them the Jambavati Parinayam, and names the Amuktamalyada as his only Telugu poem.

Chenchiah and Bhujanga Rao say he opened the Telugu Prabandha movement with the Amuktamalyada, a Vaishnava story of the saint Vishnuchitta's foster-daughter and her devotion to Ranganatha of Srirangam.

At his court a circle of eight poets, the Ashtadiggajas, led that movement. The book lists Allasani Peddana first and calls him the Poet Laureate, with the title Andhra Kavita Pitamahudu.

RPSC's syllabus lists, under Indian History, "Sultanate Period: Achievements of prominent Sultanate Rulers. Cultural achievements of Vijaynagar."

Vijayanagara's culture was many-languaged. The Sahitya Akademi encyclopaedia records Krishnadevaraya writing in both Sanskrit and Telugu, and Chenchiah and Bhujanga Rao call him a scholar in three languages: Sanskrit, Kanarese (Kannada) and Telugu.

For Telugu, Chenchiah and Bhujanga Rao date a Prabandha period from his reign, name its eight court poets, and call Peddana's Manucharitra a classic regarded as the ideal of kavya literature.

NCERT uses the Amuktamalyada as a historical source too, quoting its advice that a king should improve his harbours and encourage commerce.

Key facts

NCERT: Krishnadeva Raya composed a work on statecraft in Telugu known as the Amuktamalyada.
Sahitya Akademi encyclopaedia: the Amuktamalyada, also called Vishnuchittiyamu, is the only Telugu poem Krishnadevaraya wrote.
Chenchiah and Bhujanga Rao: Krishnadevaraya is known as Andhra Bhoja for his support of Telugu literature.
Chenchiah and Bhujanga Rao: Allasani Peddana, the Poet Laureate, bore the title Andhra Kavita Pitamahudu.
Chenchiah and Bhujanga Rao: Peddana's learning in Sanskrit and Telugu was prodigious.

Checking the three statements

1. Krishnadevaraya wrote the Amuktamalyada→True — NCERT; Sahitya Akademi encyclopaedia

2. Krishnadevaraya is called Andhra Bhoja→True — Chenchiah and Bhujanga Rao

3. Peddana, Poet Laureate, versed in Sanskrit and Tamil→False — his learning was in Sanskrit and Telugu

Statements 1 and 2 true, 3 false: option (3).

Study next

The Ashtadiggajas of Krishnadevaraya's courtAllasani Peddana and the ManucharitraThe Amuktamalyada as a source on Vijayanagara statecraftKannada literature at the Vijayanagara courtThe Tuluva dynasty and the Battle of Talikota

Common traps

Accepting a statement because most of it is right. Peddana was the Poet Laureate, but the language pair Sanskrit and Tamil does not match his Telugu scholarship.
Stopping at the first true statement. Options (1) and (2) each name a true statement, but only option (3) covers both.
Confusing the two titles. Andhra Bhoja is the king's; Andhra Kavita Pitamaha belongs to Peddana.

A question can give statements about a ruler's works, titles and court poets and ask which of them are true, as here.

A question can also name a title such as Andhra Kavita Pitamaha and ask who held it, or ask the language of a work written at a court.

Related PYQs

RPSC_2023_PRE_GS_Q1382023Open & attempt →

Which of the following poet was given the title of ‘Andhra Kavita Pitamah’ by Krishnadev Ray ?

(1) Allasani Peddana
(2) Bhattumurti
(3) Tenali Ramkrishana
(4) Pingli Suranna

Answer(1)

Same court, same poet: that question asks which poet Krishnadev Ray gave the title 'Andhra Kavita Pitamah' (RPSC key: option (1), Allasani Peddana). This question asks about the king's own work, his title and Peddana's languages.

RPSC_2024_PRE_GS_Q1422024Open & attempt →

In which language did the poet Mallanarya write the texts named “Bhava Chinta Ratna” and “Veerasaivamrita” in the court of Krishandev Ray ?

(1) Sanskrit
(2) Tamil
(3) Telugu
(4) Kannada

Answer(4)

Same court, another language: that question asks the language in which the poet Mallanarya wrote Bhava Chinta Ratna and Veerasaivamrita in Krishnadev Ray's court (RPSC key: option (4), Kannada). This question is about Telugu literature at that court.

Practice

practice — not a real PYQ
In which language did Krishnadevaraya compose the Amuktamalyada?
- (a)Sanskrit
- (b)Kannada
- (c)Telugu
- (d)Tamil
Answer(3) — NCERT calls it a work on statecraft in Telugu, and the Sahitya Akademi encyclopaedia calls it his only Telugu poem. Sanskrit (1) is the language of his other works, such as the Jambavati Parinayam. Kannada (2) and Tamil (4) are not the language these sources give for it.
practice — not a real PYQ
The title 'Andhra Bhoja' is associated with —
- (a)Allasani Peddana
- (b)Krishnadevaraya
- (c)Tenali Ramakrishna
- (d)Achyuta Raya
Answer(2) — Chenchiah and Bhujanga Rao say Krishnadevaraya is known as Andhra Bhoja for his support of Telugu literature. Allasani Peddana (1) held the title Andhra Kavita Pitamahudu. Achyuta Raya (4) was Krishnadevaraya's successor, and Tenali Ramakrishna (3) was a poet, not the king the title honours.