Q80 · UPSC Prelims 2016 · Set A · Art and Culture

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In the context of the history of India, consider the following pairs:Term - Description1.Eripatti : Land, revenue from which was set apart for the maintenance of the village tank2.Taniyurs : Villages donated to a single Brahmin or a group of Brahmins3.Ghatikas : Colleges generally attached to the templesWhich of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

A 1 and 2
B 3 only
C 2 and 3
D 1 and 3

Correct answer: (d) 1 and 3

Explanation

  1. A

    1 and 2

    Pair 1 (Eripatti : tank-maintenance land) is correctly matched, but pair 2 (Taniyurs : villages donated to Brahmins) is not: taniyurs were large, separately administered villages in the Chola country, whereas brahmadeya/devadana language covers Brahmin and temple grants. 1 and 2 is therefore not the key.

  2. B

    3 only

    Pair 3 (Ghatikas : colleges attached to temples) is correct, but pair 1 is also correct, so 3 only is incomplete.

  3. C

    2 and 3

    Pair 2 is wrongly matched, so 2 and 3 cannot be the key even though ghatikas are right.

  4. D

    1 and 3

    Eripatti (or eripatti land) was land whose revenue maintained the village tank in South Indian records. Ghatikas were temple-centred centres of higher learning in the early medieval South. Taniyurs were not simply Brahmin gift-villages. Pairs 1 and 3 are correctly matched, so (d) is the official key.

Summary. Official key is (d) 1 and 3. The stem’s three South Indian terms must be read as listed: eripatti with tank upkeep, taniyurs as a Chola administrative category of large villages, ghatikas as temple colleges (for example Kanchi). Brahmadeya is the usual label for Brahmin settlements, which is why pair 2 fails. Matching questions on Chola local bodies often test tank, temple and grant vocabulary together.

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