With reference to the scholars/litterateurs of ancient India, consider the following statements: 1. Panini is associated with Pushyamitra Shunga. 2. Amarasimha is associated with Harshavardhana. 3. Kalidasa is associated with Chandra Gupta-II. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

QUESTION

Medium

Art & Culture

Prelims 2020

With reference to the scholars/litterateurs of ancient India, consider the following statements:

Panini is associated with Pushyamitra Shunga.
Amarasimha is associated with Harshavardhana.
Kalidasa is associated with Chandra Gupta-II.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect. Panini (c. 5th-4th century BCE) was a grammarian who wrote the Ashtadhyayi, a foundational text of Sanskrit grammar. Pushyamitra Shunga (r. 185-145 BCE) was the founder of the Shunga dynasty, which ruled after the Mauryan Empire. Their timelines don't align.

Statement 2 is incorrect. Amarasimha (c. 4th-5th century CE) was a scholar and lexicographer who compiled the Amarakosha, a Sanskrit thesaurus. He was one of the nine gems in the court of Vikramaditya, Gupta emperor. Harshavardhana (r. 606-647 CE) was a ruler of the Vardhana dynasty. Thus, there was no overlap between both of them.

Statement 3 is correct. Kalidasa (c. 4th-5th century CE) is considered one of the greatest Sanskrit poets and dramatists. His works include Abhijnakuntalam (Shakuntala) and Meghadtam (The Cloud Messenger). The Gupta Empire, under Chandra Gupta II (r. 375-415 CE), is known as a golden age of Indian literature, and Kalidasa is believed to have flourished during this period.

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