Prehistory & Early Dynasties of Chhattisgarh — Practice

Question 1

Name four prehistoric rock-art sites of Chhattisgarh and the district they lie in.

Accepted Answer

Singhanpur, Kabra Pahar, Ongna and Basnajhar are all in Raigarh district. The paintings show hunting, dancing and animals, and are assigned to periods from the Mesolithic onward.

Question 2

Which dynasty ruled from Pushkari, and where was it located?

Accepted Answer

The Nalas ruled from Pushkari, identified with Garhdhanora in the Bastar region. Bhavadattavarman, Arthapati and Skandavarman are the best-known kings.

Question 3

Who built the Lakshmana temple at Sirpur?

Accepted Answer

Vasata, the queen of the Panduvamshi king Harshagupta, is recorded as its builder. It is a brick temple of about the seventh century.

Question 4

Distinguish the Sharabhapuriya and Panduvamshi dynasties. (~100 words)

Accepted Answer

Both are associated with Sirpur, but they differ in period and religion. The Sharabhapuriyas ruled from about 475 to 590, first from Sharabhapura and later from Sirpur, and their kings were Vaishnava, styling themselves Parama-Bhagavata. Prasannamatra issued gold coins. The Panduvamshis of Kosala followed them in the seventh and eighth centuries with Sirpur as capital. Their best-known king, Mahashivagupta Balarjuna, was a Shaiva who presided over Sirpur's golden age, though the family remained tolerant of Buddhism. The Lakshmana temple belongs to this period.

Question 5

Who founded the Ratanpur line of the Kalachuris, and how did it develop? (~100 words)

Accepted Answer

Kalingaraja, about 1000, founded the independent Ratanpur line as an offshoot of the Kalachuris of Tripuri, first ruling from Tummana near Bilaspur. Ratnadeva I founded Ratnapura (Ratanpur) around the middle of the eleventh century and made it the capital. Jajalladeva I strengthened the line, and the Kalachuri era of 248 CE dated its grants. A Raipur branch emerged in the fourteenth century. Mohan Singh is remembered as the last independent ruler before Bhonsle rule.

Question 6

What is the traditional explanation of the name Chhattisgarh?

Accepted Answer

The popular explanation links it to thirty-six garhs, or forts, traditionally eighteen under the Ratanpur line and eighteen under the Raipur branch. Another view derives it from the Chedi country. Both are traditions and neither is settled.

Question 7

Which dynasty succeeded the Chindaka Nagas in Bastar, and what is its clan goddess?

Accepted Answer

Kakatiya princes from Warangal, led by Annamadeva in the traditional account, established a line in the early fourteenth century that ruled Bastar until independence. Their clan goddess is Danteshwari at Dantewada.

Question 8

Discuss the Kalachuris of Ratanpur and their contribution to Chhattisgarh. (~175 words)

Accepted Answer

The Kalachuris of Ratanpur were an offshoot of the Kalachuris of Tripuri who took over Dakshina Kosala around 1000 under Kalingaraja, first ruling from Tummana. Ratnadeva I founded Ratnapura in the eleventh century, and Jajalladeva I made the line strongly independent. Their records use the Kalachuri era of 248 CE. A Raipur branch emerged in the fourteenth century. The kingdom was organised into garhs, traditionally thirty-six, which is the popular basis of the name Chhattisgarh. Culturally, the dynasty patronised Shaiva and Vaishnava shrines, including Ratanpur's Mahamaya temple. Politically, the senior line ended with Mohan Singh in the mid-eighteenth century when Bhonsle rule replaced it. The dynasty thus gave the region its political shape and its name for seven centuries.

Question 9

Trace the political history of Dakshina Kosala from the Rajarshitulya to the Panduvamshi rulers. (~175 words)

Accepted Answer

Dakshina Kosala is the ancient name of the region. The Rajarshitulya kings ruled from Arang in the Gupta age, and the Arang plate of Bhimasena II records their line. In Bastar the Nalas ruled from Pushkari under Bhavadattavarman, Arthapati and Skandavarman, clashing with the Vakatakas. The Sharabhapuriyas ruled from about 475 to 590, first from Sharabhapura and later from Sirpur, as Vaishnava kings issuing copper-plate grants and gold coins. The Panduvamshis of Kosala followed in the seventh and eighth centuries with Sirpur as capital. Under Mahashivagupta Balarjuna the city reached its peak, with the Lakshmana temple built by Harshagupta's queen Vasata. The Somavamshis are also linked to the region. Each line shifted the capital and religion, but Sirpur emerged as the durable centre of early Chhattisgarh.

Practice — Prehistory & Early Dynasties of Chhattisgarh

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