Identify the correct statements among the following:
(A) Gajapati means lord of elephants.
(B) The Gajapati title was used by Deccan Sultans.
(C) Local communities of merchants were known as Kudirai-chettis.
(D) Chennakeshava Temple is at Belur.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → (A), (C) and (D) only
(A) Gajapati means lord of elephants. Correct. Gajapati literally means lord of elephants. It was the name of a ruling lineage that was very powerful in Orissa in the fifteenth century.
(B) The Gajapati title was used by Deccan Sultans. Incorrect. The Gajapatis were the rulers of Orissa. In the popular traditions of Vijayanagara, the Deccan Sultans were called ashvapati, or lord of horses, and the rayas narapati, or lord of men.
(C) Local communities of merchants were known as Kudirai-chettis. Correct. Local communities of merchants known as kudirai chettis, or horse merchants, took part in the import of horses from Arabia and Central Asia.
(D) Chennakeshava Temple is at Belur. Correct. The ruling elites of the Hoysalas in Karnataka extended patronage to the Chennakeshava temple at Belur.
NCERT (2026-27): “2. Rayas, Nayakas and Sultans … Some of the areas that were incorporated within the empire had witnessed the development of powerful states such as those of the Cholas in Tamil Nadu and the Hoysalas in Karnataka. Ruling elites in these areas had extended patronage to elaborate temples such as the Brihadishvara temple at Thanjavur and the Chennakeshava temple at Belur. The rulers of Vijayanagara, who called themselves rayas, built on these traditions and carried them, as we will see, literally to new heights. 2.1 Kings and traders As warfare during these times depended upon effective cavalry, the import of horses from Arabia and Central Asia was very important for rival kingdoms. This trade was initially controlled by Arab traders. Local communities of merchants known as kudirai chettis or horse merchants also participated in these exchanges.… Elephants, horses and men Gajapati literally means lord of elephants. This was the name of a ruling lineage that was very powerful in Orissa in the fifteenth century. In the popular traditions of Vijayanagara the Deccan Sultans are termed as ashvapati or lord of horses and the rayas are called narapati or lord of men.” |