The Arab traveller Suleman visited India in the reign of Pratihar King –

Correct — option (4), Bhoj I.

The Arab account linked with Sulaiman dates to AD 851, inside the reign of the Pratihara king Bhoja I (Mihira Bhoja). The History and Culture of the Indian People, Vol. IV (The Age of Imperial Kanauj), gives Bhoja's known dates as AD 836 and 882, a reign of more than 46 years.

That volume words the source two ways. One chapter speaks of 'Sulaiman who visited India in A.D. 851'; the chapter on the Pratiharas calls it an account 'composed in A.D. 851 and generally attributed to Sulaiman', and a footnote notes that some scholars doubt he wrote it.

The account describes the 'king of Juzr'. That volume says Juzr stands for Gurjara, so the account may be taken to refer to Bhoja. R.S. Tripathi's History of Kanauj notes the same identification by scholars, with the Pratihara ruler of Kanauj.

Sulaiman's king keeps large forces, has the finest cavalry of any Indian prince, is hostile to the Arabs, and rules a country safer from robbers than any other in India.

The idea to remember: Sulaiman, AD 851, 'king of Juzr' = Pratihara Bhoja I.

Why the others are wrong

• (1)
  Nagbhatt II — Nagabhata II was Bhoja I's grandfather, and his reign ended before AD 851. The Age of Imperial Kanauj cites the Prabhavaka-charita for his death in AD 833, while noting reasons to doubt that passage.

  Nagabhata II is the Pratihara king who defeated Chakrayudha, the ruler Dharmapala of Bengal had placed on the throne of Kanauj, and probably occupied Kanauj.

• (2)
  Nagbhatt I — Nagabhata I belongs to the 8th century, a century before Sulaiman's account. The Age of Imperial Kanauj places his accession within a few years of AD 730 and his rule probably until 756.

  He is the Pratihara who resisted the Arab invasions; the Gwalior inscription says he crushed the large armies of the powerful Mlechchha king.

• (3)
  Vatsraj — Vatsaraja ruled in the late 8th century: The Age of Imperial Kanauj says he was on the throne by AD 778 and regards him as king of Avanti in 783. That is well before the account of 851.

  Vatsaraja is the Pratihara whom the Rashtrakuta king Dhruva defeated, forcing him to retreat behind the desert of Rajputana.

The Gurjara-Pratiharas rose in western India in the 8th century and later ruled from Kanauj. Arab writers called their kingdom Juzr or Jurz, from 'Gurjara'.

The four kings in the options, in order: Nagabhata I, Vatsaraja, Nagabhata II and Bhoja I. The volume's list places Kakkuka and Devaraja between Nagabhata I and Vatsaraja, and Ramabhadra between Nagabhata II and Bhoja.

Bhoja was also known as Mihira, Adivaraha and Prabhasa, according to The Age of Imperial Kanauj.

Key facts

• An Arab account of AD 851, generally attributed to Sulaiman, describes the 'king of Juzr', identified with the Pratihara king Bhoja I.
• The Age of Imperial Kanauj gives Bhoja I's known dates as AD 836 and 882, a reign of more than 46 years.
• Sulaiman says no other Indian prince had so fine a cavalry, and no country in India was safer from robbers.
• Nagabhata II, Bhoja I's grandfather, died in AD 833 according to the Prabhavaka-charita, a passage The Age of Imperial Kanauj treats with caution.
• A copperplate of Bhoja I's reign was found at Daulatpura, near Didwana (Nagaur District Gazetteer).

Common traps

• Picking the king who defeated Chakrayudha of Kanauj: that was Nagabhata II, whose reign ended in 833, before the account of 851.
• Mixing the two Bhojas: Bhoja I here is the Pratihara Mihira Bhoja of the 9th century, not the later Paramara Bhoja.
• Taking 'Juzr' for a place name unrelated to India: The Age of Imperial Kanauj reads it as Gurjara, the Pratihara kingdom.

UnlockIAS will link similar questions from RAS Pre 2018 and 2016 here once those papers are published on this site.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Arrange the following Pratihara rulers in chronological order: A. Bhoja I B. Nagabhata I C. Nagabhata II D. Vatsaraja Codes:

  • (a)B, D, C, A
  • (b)B, C, D, A
  • (c)D, B, C, A
  • (d)B, D, A, C
  Answer(1) — Nagabhata I (c. 730–756), Vatsaraja (on the throne by 778), Nagabhata II (died c. 833), Bhoja I (known dates 836 and 882). Option (2) puts Nagabhata II before Vatsaraja; option (3) puts Vatsaraja before Nagabhata I; option (4) puts Bhoja I before his grandfather.
• practice — not a real PYQ

  Which Pratihara ruler was defeated by the Rashtrakuta king Dhruva and forced to retreat into the desert of Rajputana?

  • (a)Nagabhata I
  • (b)Vatsaraja
  • (c)Nagabhata II
  • (d)Bhoja I
  Answer(2) — The Age of Imperial Kanauj, citing Rashtrakuta records, says Dhruva crushed Vatsaraja, who put the desert of Rajputana between himself and the invaders. Option (1) resisted the Arabs; option (3) defeated Chakrayudha; option (4) is the king of Sulaiman's account.