Mahendravarman I who wrote Mattavilasa-prahasana is related to which of the following ruling dynasties?

Correct — D. Mahendravarman I was a Pallava king ruling from Kanchipuram, son of Simhavishnu and father of Narasimhavarman I.

He wrote the Sanskrit farce Mattavilasa Prahasana, a satire on the religious orders of Kanchi, and he is credited with the earliest rock-cut cave temples in the Tamil country, recorded in the Mandagapattu inscription.

His titles, Vichitrachitta and Mattavilasa, belong to the same restless and artistic reputation — option (d).

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  Pushyabhuti — The Pushyabhuti or Vardhana dynasty ruled from Thanesar and later Kannauj — Harshavardhana's northern line. Contemporary with Mahendravarman, but not his house.
• (b)
  Chalukya — The Chalukyas of Badami were the Pallavas' rivals, not their family. Pulakeshin II campaigned against Mahendravarman I, which is precisely why the name is placed in this option list.
• (c)
  Maitraka — The Maitrakas ruled from Valabhi in Saurashtra and are remembered for its centre of learning. They have no connection with Tamil rock-cut temples or with Sanskrit farce at Kanchi.

The Pallavas ruled from Kanchipuram between roughly the sixth and the ninth centuries CE, and their reputation rests on architecture as much as on war.

Mahendravarman I opens the rock-cut phase — shrines cut out of living rock, as at Mandagapattu, whose inscription boasts of a temple made without brick, timber, metal or mortar.

His son Narasimhavarman I Mamalla gave Mamallapuram its rathas and mandapas, and later Pallavas built structural temples such as the Kailasanatha at Kanchipuram and the Shore Temple.

Key facts

• Mahendravarman I was a Pallava ruler with his capital at Kanchipuram.
• He wrote the Sanskrit satirical play Mattavilasa Prahasana.
• The Mandagapattu inscription records his rock-cut temple built without brick, timber, metal or mortar.
• His son Narasimhavarman I is associated with Mamallapuram and with the defeat of the Chalukyas at Vatapi.

Common traps

• Reading a Sanskrit play as a northern or courtly clue and drifting towards Pushyabhuti.
• Confusing Mahendravarman I with his son Narasimhavarman I, who took Vatapi.
• Placing the Chalukyas and Pallavas in one dynasty because they appear together in accounts of the period.

No directly related past PYQ was found.