Vision Academy EducareVision Academy Educare
Question 26 of 94 · Early Medieval India & South Indian Kingdoms
Questionmedium
This question was previously asked in

SSC

In the Chola period, land gifted to Brahmanas was called:

Answer View answer ▾

Answer: Option B — Brahmadeya

Detailed Solution

In the Chola period, land gifted to Brahmanas was called "brahmadeya".

About brahmadeya:

  • "Brahmadeya" means "given to Brahmanas".
  • Brahmanas often received land grants from kings and other donors, as an act of religious merit.
  • As a result, a large number of Brahmana settlements emerged in the Kaveri valley, as in other parts of south India.
  • Each brahmadeya was looked after by an assembly or "sabha" of prominent Brahmana landholders.
  • These assemblies worked very efficiently; their decisions were recorded in detail in inscriptions, often on the stone walls of temples.
  • Brahmadeyas were often exempt from certain taxes.
  • NCERT notes that the Brahmanas in such settlements were given land, and that they were responsible for organising the agriculture of the village.

Land categories in Chola inscriptions (NCERT):

  • "Vellanvagai": land of non-Brahmana peasant proprietors.
  • "Brahmadeya": land gifted to Brahmanas.

Effects of brahmadeya grants:

  • They helped spread agriculture into new areas, as Brahmanas organised the clearing of land and irrigation.
  • They spread Sanskrit learning and Brahmanical culture.
  • They created new centres of rural settlement.
  • They also increased the economic and social power of Brahmanas.

Similar grants in other regions:

In the Gupta and post-Gupta periods, many such grants were recorded on copper plates.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗"Vellanvagai" was the land of non-Brahmana peasant proprietors.
  • ✗"Shalabhoga" was another category of land.
  • ✗"Devadana" was land for temples.

Quick tip

Remember: Brahmadeya = land gifted to Brahmanas (managed by the sabha); Vellanvagai = non-Brahmana peasants' land.

💬 Discussions on this question

Ask a doubt ›

Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.

Ask a doubt

More Early Medieval India & South Indian Kingdoms Questions

View all ›
  1. Q1.The Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty was founded by:
  2. Q2.Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni was a contemporary of which Chola ruler?
  3. Q3.Who was the court poet of Harshavardhana and the author of the 'Harshacharita'?
  4. Q4.In the battle on the banks of the Narmada, the Chalukya king Pulakeshin II defeated:
  5. Q5.The Shore Temple at Mamallapuram was built during the reign of:

More General Knowledge Questions

  1. Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
  2. Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
  3. Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
  4. Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
  5. Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms

Early Medieval India & South Indian Kingdoms — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Early Medieval India & South Indian Kingdoms, 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 India from about the 7th to the 12th century: the Rajput dynasties, the tripartite struggle between the Palas, Pratiharas and Rashtrakutas, and the South Indian kingdoms of the Chalukyas, Pallavas, Cholas and Pandyas, along with the Sangam age and the temple architecture of the period. Questions often ask which dynasty built a temple (the Pallavas built the Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram, and Rajaraja Chola I built the Brihadeeswara Temple at Thanjavur), the capitals of dynasties, and the local self-government of the Cholas. Learning each dynasty with its capital, greatest ruler and one monument is the quickest way to answer these questions. Practise the early medieval India 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.

‹ All Early Medieval India & South Indian Kingdoms questionsBrowse all topics ›