Who/What were the “Yavana”?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Greeks and other peoples who entered the subcontinent from the north-west
Yavana is a Sanskrit word used for the Greeks and other peoples who entered the subcontinent from the north-west. In Vijayanagara times the word was used for the Sultans: Krishnadeva Raya took pride in the title ‘establisher of the Yavana kingdom’ because he supported some claimants to power in the Sultanates. The other options describe other terms of Vijayanagara history: the Gajapatis were the ruling lineage of Orissa, and the kudirai chettis were the local horse merchants.
NCERT (2025-26): “2.2 The apogee and decline of the empire … Although the armies of the Sultans were responsible for the destruction of the city of Vijayanagara, relations between the Sultans and the rayas were not always or inevitably hostile, in spite of religious differences. Krishnadeva Raya, for example, supported some claimants to power in the Sultanates and took pride in the title ‘establisher of the Yavana kingdom’. Similarly, the Sultan of Bijapur intervened to resolve succession disputes in Vijayanagara following the death of Krishnadeva Raya.… 2.1 Kings and traders … Local communities of merchants known as kudirai chettis or horse merchants also participated in these exchanges.…”
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