Who among the following led a successful military campaign against the kingdom of Srivijaya, the powerful maritime State, which ruled the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java and the neighbouring islands?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) Rajendra I (Chola)
Only the Cholas had a navy able to strike across the Bay of Bengal. Rajendra Chola I, son of Rajaraja I, sent a naval expedition in the 1020s that defeated Srivijaya's forces and took its capital, a punitive raid rather than a lasting occupation.
- ✓ (c) Rajendra I's fleet defeated the Shrivijaya forces and captured their capital; he also took the title Gangaikondachola after campaigns reaching Odisha and Bengal.
- ✗ (a) Amoghavarsha I was a ninth-century Rashtrakuta king of the Deccan, remembered as Nripatunga and a patron of scholars, not for any overseas war.
- ✗ (d) Vishnuvardhana freed the Hoysalas of Karnataka from Chalukya overlordship in the twelfth century and challenged the Cholas on land; he led no naval campaign.
Remember · Rajendra Chola I (c. 1014–1044): naval raid on Srivijaya (Malay Peninsula–Sumatra), title Gangaikondachola, new capital Gangaikondacholapuram.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 7 Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 2), Ch 4 (practise this chapter) · Class 7 Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 2), Ch 4 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 7 · Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 2), Chapter 4 “Rajendra sent his navy, which defeated the Shrivijaya forces and captured their capital. However, he did not try to occupy the defeated empire; it was a punitive expedition,”
- NCERT Class 7 · Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 2), Chapter 4 “Under King Vishnuvardhana, they broke away from Chalukya overlordship, challenged the Cholas, and gradually extended their sway over most of present-day Karnataka.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2025, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·