SSC
The early medieval Sanskrit text on architecture 'Aparajitaprichchha', which also describes different types of rulers, was written by:
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Answer: Option D — Bhuvanadeva
Detailed Solution
The "Aparajitaprichchha" ("Questions of Aparajita") is a Sanskrit text on architecture (vastu-shastra), written by Bhuvanadeva in western India (Gujarat) around the 12th-13th century.
About the Aparajitaprichchha:
- It is written in the form of a dialogue between Aparajita (a son of Vishvakarma, the divine architect) and Vishvakarma, in which Aparajita asks questions and Vishvakarma answers them.
- It deals with town planning, temple architecture, the construction of palaces and houses, sculpture, painting and iconography.
- It is an important text of the Maru-Gurjara (Solanki) tradition of architecture of Gujarat and Rajasthan.
Its description of rulers:
- The text also discusses the hierarchy of rulers and political society in early medieval India.
- It describes different grades of rulers and feudatories, from the emperor (chakravartin) and great kings down to subordinate chiefs (samantas) and lesser lords.
- Historians use it to understand the "feudal" or "samanta" political structure of the period, in which many subordinate rulers owed allegiance to an overlord.
Other texts on architecture and polity:
- "Samarangana Sutradhara": a major work on architecture attributed to King Bhoja of Malwa (11th century).
- "Manasollasa" (Abhilashitartha Chintamani): an encyclopaedic work by the Western Chalukya king Someshvara III (12th century), covering polity, arts, food, music and games.
- "Mayamata" and "Manasara": south Indian texts on architecture.
- "Vishvakarma Prakash": another text on architecture.
Early medieval political structure:
- Kings granted land and revenue rights to officials, Brahmanas and feudatories.
- The samantas (feudatories) paid tribute, provided troops, and attended the king's court.
- Powerful samantas often became independent kings.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Bhoja wrote the "Samarangana Sutradhara".
- ✗Hemachandra was a Jain scholar of Gujarat.
- ✗Someshvara III wrote the "Manasollasa".
Quick tip
Remember: Aparajitaprichchha = Bhuvanadeva (vastu text of Gujarat; describes grades of rulers and samantas); Samarangana Sutradhara = Bhoja; Manasollasa = Someshvara III.
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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.