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Question 2 of 9 · Early Medieval India & South Indian Kingdoms
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Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni was a contemporary of which Chola ruler?

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Answer: Option B — Rajendra I

Detailed Solution

Mahmud of Ghazni ruled the kingdom of Ghazni (in present-day Afghanistan) from 998 to 1030 CE. Rajendra Chola I ruled the Chola empire in South India from 1014 to 1044 CE. So their reigns overlapped between 1014 and 1030, making them contemporaries. However, they never came into contact, since Mahmud's raids were confined to North and North-western India.

Mahmud is said to have raided India about 17 times between 1000 and 1027 CE. His aim was mainly to plunder the wealth of Indian temples and cities to finance his wars in Central Asia, rather than to build an empire in India. His most famous raids include:

The defeat of the Hindu Shahi ruler Jayapala (1001) and his son Anandapala.

The sack of Nagarkot, Thanesar, Mathura and Kannauj (1018).

The sack of the Somnath temple in Gujarat (1025), the most famous raid.

Al-Biruni, the great scholar who wrote "Kitab-ul-Hind" (Tahqiq-i-Hind) about Indian society, science and religion, came to India with Mahmud. The Persian poet Firdausi, author of the "Shahnama", lived at his court.

Rajendra I was the son of Rajaraja I. He expanded the Chola empire greatly. He led an expedition to the north up to the Ganga, defeating the Pala king Mahipala, and took the title "Gangaikonda Chola" (the Chola who conquered the Ganga). He built a new capital called Gangaikonda Cholapuram. He also sent a powerful naval expedition to South-east Asia against the Srivijaya kingdom (in present-day Indonesia and Malaysia) around 1025, and conquered Sri Lanka completely.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Rajaraja I ruled from 985 to 1014; he built the Brihadeeswara temple at Thanjavur.
  • ✗Karikala was an early Chola king of the Sangam age.
  • ✗Kulottunga I ruled from 1070, after Mahmud's death.

Quick tip

Remember: Mahmud of Ghazni (998-1030), 17 raids, Somnath (1025), Al-Biruni and Firdausi; contemporary = Rajendra I (Gangaikonda Chola, Srivijaya expedition).

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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.

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