Prelims 2016 · Q80
HardIn the context of the history of India, consider the following pairs:
| Term | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Eripatti | Land, revenue from which was set apart for the maintenance of the village tank |
| 2. | Taniyurs | Villages donated to a single Brahmin or a group of Brahmins |
| 3. | Ghatikas | Colleges generally attached to the temples |
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) 1 and 3
Pairs 1 and 3 are correct. Eripatti was tank land and Ghatikas were temple-linked centres of learning, but a taniyur was a village independent of the local district (nadu), not a village given to Brahmins; that description fits a brahmadeya.
- ✓ 1. Many villages in the Tamil country depended on tank irrigation, and land set apart for the tank was called Eripatti (eri means tank).
- ✗ 2. A taniyur was a separate village within a nadu with its own revenue and justice arrangements. Villages granted to a single Brahmin (ekabhoga) or a group of Brahmins (ganabhoga) were brahmadeyas (NCERT: brahmadeya was land gifted to Brahmanas); many brahmadeyas did become taniyurs, but the two terms are not the same.
- ✓ 3. NCERT describes ghatikas as centres of learning; they were educational institutions of the early medieval south; in general every temple had a Ghatika attached to it.
Remember · Eripatti = tank land; taniyur = independent village; brahmadeya = land or village gifted to Brahmins; ghatika = temple-attached college.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 7 Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 1), Ch 7 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 7 · Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 1), Chapter 7 “The establishment of ghatikas — centres of learning that emerged during the reign of the Satavahanas — fostered an environment for education and intellectual growth.”
- History of India study material, Himachal Pradesh University (B.A. First Year, DSC-IB HIST 102), on the Pallava period ↗ · reference work “Many of the villages depended on tank irrigation and this land was known as Eripatti or tank. … Every temple in general had a Ghatika attached to it.”
- Unit 4: The Political Scenario III, Cholas and Chalukyas (IGNOU eGyanKosh) ↗ · reference work “many of the brahmadeyas in the Chola period were taniyur (separate village) in a nadu. They had a separate administrative system (revenue and justice).”
- Unit 13: Organisation of Agricultural and Crafts Production (IGNOU eGyanKosh) ↗ · reference work “Land grants could be either made to a single brahmana (ekabhoga-Brahmadeya) or to a group of brahmanas (gana-bhoga)”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2016, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·