UPSC Prelims 2014 GS Paper I · Q21 of 100 History hard

In medieval India, the designations 'Mahattara' and 'Pattakila' were used for

  1. (a) military officers
  2. (b) village headmen ✓ UPSC's answer
  3. (c) specialists in Vedic rituals
  4. (d) chiefs of craft guilds

Why the answer is (b)

• In early medieval inscriptions (Pala, Pratihara, Chandella), 'mahattara' (elder) and 'pattakila' (from which 'patel' derives) denote village headmen who represented the village in dealings with the State and collected revenue — option (b).

• Military officers were senapati/dandanayaka (a); ritual specialists were purohitas (c); guild heads were shreshthis (d).

• Hence option (b).

Why the other options are wrong

(a) military officers
Military officers had titles like senapati.
(c) specialists in Vedic rituals
Ritual specialists were purohitas.
(d) chiefs of craft guilds
Guild chiefs were shreshthis.

Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2014, held on 24 August 2014. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.

Reading the answer is not the same as getting it right under a clock. Practise this question with UPSC's negative marking, and anything you miss goes into an error notebook until you get it right twice.

Practise this paper free