With reference to the scholars/litterateurs of ancient India, consider the following statements:
- 1.Panini is associated with Pushyamitra Shunga.
- 2.Amarasimha is associated with Harshavardhana.
- 3.Kalidasa is associated with Chandra Gupta – II.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) 3 only
UPSC's key counts only statement 3 as correct. NCERT places Kalidasa in the Gupta age, Panini lived several centuries before the Shungas, and Harsha's seventh-century court is known for Banabhatta.
- ✗ 1. Panini, author of the Sanskrit grammar Ashtadhyayi, is dated to about 500 BCE. Pushyamitra Shunga founded the Shunga dynasty around 185 BCE, more than three centuries later.
- ✗ 2. Harshavardhana ruled Kanauj from about 606 to 647 CE, and NCERT names Banabhatta as his court poet. UPSC's official key treats this statement as incorrect; we could not confirm the detail from an official source, so we do not explain it here.
- ✓ 3. NCERT places Kalidasa's works in the Gupta age and describes Chandragupta II as surrounding himself with learned men, poets and artists. UPSC's key counts this statement correct.
Remember · Panini c. 500 BCE (grammar); Kalidasa in the Gupta age; Harsha's court poet was Banabhatta.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part I, Ch 3 (practise this chapter) · Class 9 Understanding Society: India and Beyond, Ch 5 (practise this chapter) · Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part I, Ch 2 (practise this chapter) · Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part I, Ch 2 (practise this chapter) · Class 7 Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 1), Ch 7 (practise this chapter) · Class 7 Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 1), Ch 7 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 12 · Themes in Indian History, Part I, Chapter 3 “c. 500 BCE Ashtadhyayi of Panini, a work on Sanskrit grammar”
- NCERT Class 9 · Understanding Society: India and Beyond, Chapter 5 “185 BCE: Foundation of Shunga empire by Pushyamitra Shunga”
- NCERT Class 12 · Themes in Indian History, Part I, Chapter 2 “c. 606-647 CE Harshavardhana king of Kanauj; Chinese pilgrim Xuan Zang comes in search of Buddhist texts”
- NCERT Class 12 · Themes in Indian History, Part I, Chapter 2 “The Harshacharita is a biography of Harshavardhana, the ruler of Kanauj (see Map 3), composed in Sanskrit by his court poet, Banabhatta (c. seventh century CE).”
- NCERT Class 7 · Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 1), Chapter 7 “Chandragupta II kept himself surrounded by many learned men, poets and artists, and his patronage of such diverse talent enriched his court greatly.”
- NCERT Class 7 · Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 1), Chapter 7 “He is renowned for his contributions to Sanskrit literature and exquisitely refined poetry.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2020, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·