UGC NTA NET/JRF Exam, INDIAN CULTURE, JUNE-2025

The terms 'Saliyar' and 'Kaikkolar' appear frequently in early medieval South Indian inscriptions and refer to'communities of weavers.
• Kaikkolars were skilled weavers, often associated with Chola military and commercial service.
• Saliyars were another prominent weaving community, especially in Tamil Nadu.
These groups played a crucial role in the textile economy and temple endowments during the Chola period.

In Pala period inscriptions (8th to 12th century CE), the best quality horses are often said to have come from the Uttarapatha (the northern quarters of the Indian subcontinent). This term historically referred to regions including Central Asia and the northwestern parts of India, which were known for supplying high-quality cavalry horses, essential for warfare and royal stables.

The most renowned commentary on the Yajnavalkya Smriti was written by Vijnanesvara, titled Mitakshara.
It became a foundational legal text in Hindu law, especially influencing the Mitakshara school of Hindu jurisprudence, one of the two major schools alongside Dayabhaga.

Let's analyze each location:
• Mamallapuram, Nagapattinam, and Visakhapattinam are on the eastern coast of India.
• Surparaka (modern Sopara near Mumbai) is on the western coast.
Thus, Surparaka is geographically distinct from the others, making it the odd one out.

Amir Khusrau, the celebrated Sufi poet, is credited with creating "Sabaq-i-Hindi", which means "Indian style" of Persian poetry.
It blended Persian literary forms with Indian themes, imagery, and vocabulary, and laid the foundation for Hindavi and Urdu literature.

'Mitakshara' is a renowned legal commentary on the Yajnavalkya Smriti, authored by Vijnaneshwara in the 11th century. It became the foundational text for Hindu law, especially for the Mitakshara school, influencing legal traditions concerning inheritance, property rights, and family law throughout much of India (except Bengal).

The observation that the circumference of Vijayanagara was "sixty miles" and that there were "ninety thousand men fit to bear arms" was made by Nicolo Conti, an Italian merchant and traveler. He visited India around 1420 CE, during the reign of Deva Raya I. His vivid account is among the earliest European descriptions of Vijayanagara, noting its vast size, military strength, and urban sophistication, which left a deep impression on foreign visitors.

The text 'Haqaiq-i-Hind' was authored by Abdul Wahid Bilgrami, a 16th-century Sufi scholar. In this work, he interpreted Hindu religious concepts, such as Krishna, Radha, Gopis, and Yamuna, through the lens of Sufi mysticism, attempting to bridge Islamic and Hindu philosophical ideas.

The words 'Kamin', Mahin', 'Kirpas, and 'Khand Chhap' are all technical terms associated with textile production, especially during the medieval period. They refer to types, qualities, or printing styles of fabrics, notably in the context of the Indo-Islamic textile industry that flourished under the Mughals and other regional kingdoms.

The work 'Tuhfat-ul-Hind' (Gift of India), a Persian treatise on Indian music, medicine, philosophy, and other sciences, was written by Mirza Khan ibn Fakhruddin Muhammad around 1675 CЕ. The preface of the text explicitly states that it was composed during the reign of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb (1658-1707), and it was intended for his son, Prince Muhammad Mu'iz al-Din, who later briefly ruled as Jahandar Shah.
Despite Aurangzeb's austere policies toward music, the text reflects the continued interest in Indian sciences and arts within intellectual circles of his time.