SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 16 September 2025, Shift 3 · General Awareness · Question 4 of 75

We transcribed this text from the pictures on a candidate's response sheet for this shift; the answer is the key SSC colour-marked on that sheet. Solution last reviewed 13 September 2026.

Where this paper and its answers come from

SSC does not publish CGL question papers or a public answer key. From 2025 the candidate response sheet prints every question and option as a picture, so the text here is transcribed from those pictures for this shift and checked against them independently; where the layout carries meaning, the picture is shown as well. Each answer is the key SSC colour-marked on that sheet. SSC released a tentative key for challenge and later its final one, both only to candidates behind a login, and the sheet does not say which of the two it carries. The solutions are written by UnlockIAS.

Which of the following statements about the Mahasandhivigrahika during Gupta's rule is correct?

(a)He was the chief justice of the kingdom and presided over land disputes.
(b)He supervised irrigation works and public revenue collection.
(c)He acted as the foreign minister and collaborated closely with the king and military.
(d)He managed temple endowments and religious affairs.

Answer

Why

Correct — C. Split the title: maha (great), sandhi (peace or alliance), vigraha (war).

The Mahasandhivigrahika was the great officer of peace and war: treaties, alliances and wars with other states. In modern terms, a foreign minister.

War tied the post to the king and the army. Virasena Saba, Chandragupta II's minister of peace and war, went with the king on his military expeditions → option (c).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
He was the chief justice of the kingdom and presided over land disputes. — Courts and land disputes are justice, a different portfolio. Nothing in sandhi and vigraha, peace and war, points to presiding over cases.
(b)
He supervised irrigation works and public revenue collection. — Irrigation and revenue are internal administration. The title faces outward, to treaties and wars with other states, not to collecting the king's share of produce.
(d)
He managed temple endowments and religious affairs. — Temple endowments were religious administration. A title built from peace and war describes diplomacy and warfare, not grants to temples.

Concept

Gupta inscriptions record officials by their titles, and this one explains itself: the sandhivigrahika handled peace and war with other kingdoms.

The Allahabad Pillar inscription of Samudragupta, composed by Harishena, describes him as Sandhivigrahika, Kumaramatya and Mahadandanayaka.

Virasena Saba held the post of minister of peace and war under Chandragupta II by hereditary right. He is known from an inscription at the Udayagiri caves.

Harishena's title is Sandhivigrahika. The stem uses Mahasandhivigrahika, the 'great' form of the same office, so read both as the minister of peace and war.

Key facts

Sandhi means peace or alliance and vigraha means war, so the sandhivigrahika was the minister of peace and war.
Harishena, who composed the Allahabad Pillar inscription of Samudragupta, held the titles Sandhivigrahika, Kumaramatya and Mahadandanayaka.
Virasena Saba was Chandragupta II's minister of peace and war and went with him on military expeditions.

Study next

Gupta officials: Kumaramatya, Mahadandanayaka and MahabaladhikritaGupta taxes: bhaga, bhoga and hiranyaThe Allahabad Pillar inscription of Samudragupta

Common traps

Guessing from maha that the post was the chief judge. Maha only means great, and the rest of the title names peace and war.
Confusing the Mahasandhivigrahika with the Mahadandanayaka. Harishena was both Sandhivigrahika and Mahadandanayaka, but they are separate offices.

Here each option is a full job description, so the Sanskrit roots of the title decide it. Gupta administration is also asked at 15 Sep 2025, 09:00, GA Q.3 (the Sarthavaha) and 17 Sep 2025, 12:30, GA Q.3 (Gupta taxes).

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: History — all 218 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.