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'Ramacharitam' (Rampal Charit), a Sanskrit poem with a double meaning describing the Pala king Ramapala, was written by:
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Answer: Option B — Sandhyakara Nandi
Detailed Solution
"Ramacharitam" is a Sanskrit poem written by Sandhyakara Nandi, a poet of Bengal, in the 12th century CE.
About the Ramacharitam:
- It is a unique poem in which each verse has two meanings ("dvyarthaka" or "shlesha" style).
- In one meaning, it tells the story of Rama of the Ramayana.
- In the other meaning, it describes the life and achievements of Ramapala, the Pala king of Bengal (ruled about 1077-1130 CE).
- It has about 220 verses in four chapters.
- It is an important historical source for the history of the Palas and of Bengal in the 11th-12th centuries.
What it tells about Ramapala:
- During the reign of Ramapala's elder brother, Mahipala II, the Kaivartas (a community of fishermen and boatmen) revolted under their leader Divya (Divvoka), and captured north Bengal (Varendra).
- This revolt is known as the "Kaivarta revolt" (or Varendra rebellion); it is one of the earliest peasant revolts recorded in Indian history.
- Ramapala, with the help of his feudatories (samantas), defeated the Kaivarta leader Bhima (Divya's nephew), and recovered Varendra.
- He founded a new capital at Ramavati.
About Sandhyakara Nandi:
- He was the son of Prajapati Nandi, a minister of Ramapala.
- He called himself "Kalikala Valmiki" (the Valmiki of the Kali age).
- He wrote the poem during the reign of Madanapala, a later Pala king.
Other historical poems:
- "Harshacharita": by Banabhatta.
- "Navasahasankacharita": by Padmagupta, on the Paramaras.
- "Prithvirajavijaya": by Jayanaka.
- Good to know
- The other poets named wrote different works.
Quick tip
Remember: Ramacharitam = Sandhyakara Nandi (12th century; double meaning: Rama and the Pala king Ramapala; Kaivarta revolt under Divya); "Kalikala Valmiki".
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Books & Authors — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Books & Authors, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers famous books and their authors, including ancient Indian texts, works of the freedom struggle, classic and modern literature, autobiographies of famous people, and recently published books by well-known personalities. Questions usually name a book and ask for its author, or the other way round. Ancient and historical books, such as Arthashastra (Kautilya), Indica (Megasthenes) and Gitanjali (Rabindranath Tagore), are tested most often. Autobiographies are another favourite, so learn titles such as 'My Experiments with Truth' (Mahatma Gandhi) and 'Wings of Fire' (A. P. J. Abdul Kalam). Practise the books and authors questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.