Which of these is incorrectly matched?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Mandasor - Inscription of Ashoka
The question asks for the pair that is incorrectly matched, so each pair is checked.
Option (1) V.S. Sukthankar - Critical edition of the Mahabharata — Correct statement. In 1919 a team led by the Sanskritist V.S. Sukthankar began preparing a critical edition of the Mahabharata.
Option (2) Manusmriti - Laid down duties of the Chandalas — Correct statement. The Manusmriti laid down the “duties” of the chandalas, who were placed at the very bottom of the hierarchy.
Option (3) Mandasor - Inscription of Ashoka — Incorrect statement. The stone inscription found at Mandasor (Madhya Pradesh) dates to c. fifth century CE, long after Asoka, and records the history of a guild of silk weavers who had migrated there from Lata (Gujarat).
Option (4) Rig Veda - Concern with Patriliny — Correct statement. The concern with patriliny is evident in mantras in ritual texts such as the Rigveda.
NCERT (2026-27): “1. The Critical Edition of the Mahabharata … One of the most ambitious projects of scholarship began in 1919, under the leadership of a noted Indian Sanskritist, V.S. Sukthankar. A team comprising dozens of scholars initiated the task of preparing a critical edition of the Mahabharata.… 2.2 The ideal of patriliny … The concern with patriliny was not unique to ruling families. It is evident in mantras in ritual texts such as the Rigveda.… 3.3 Jatis and social mobility … We seldom come across documents that record the histories of these groups. But there are exceptions. One interesting stone inscription (c. fifth century CE), found in Mandasor (Madhya Pradesh), records the history of a guild of silk weavers… 3.5 Beyond the four varnas: Subordination and conflict … Those who performed such tasks, designated as chandalas, were placed at the very bottom of the hierarchy. Their touch and, in some cases, even seeing them was regarded as ‘polluting’ by those who claimed to be at the top of the social order. The Manusmriti laid down the ‘duties’ of the chandalas. They had to live outside the village, use discarded utensils, and wear clothes of the dead and ornaments of iron.…” |