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

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 ?

1 and 2 only
2 and 3 only
3 only
1, 2 and 3
This question was previously asked in
UPSC IAS – 2020
Statement 3 is correct because Kalidasa, the renowned Sanskrit poet and dramatist, is widely believed to have been one of the Navaratnas (nine gems) in the court of the Gupta Emperor Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya), who ruled from approximately 380 to 415 CE. Statement 1 is incorrect as Panini, the grammarian known for ‘Ashtadhyayi’, lived much earlier, around the 4th century BCE, while Pushyamitra Shunga founded the Shunga dynasty in the 2nd century BCE. Statement 2 is incorrect as Amarasimha, the author of the lexicon ‘Amarakosha’, is also traditionally placed in the court of Chandragupta II, not Harshavardhana who ruled in the 7th century CE.
Kalidasa is firmly associated with the Gupta period, particularly the reign of Chandragupta II.
Panini’s ‘Ashtadhyayi’ is a foundational text of Sanskrit grammar. Amarasimha’s ‘Amarakosha’ is a popular Sanskrit thesaurus. Harshavardhana’s court had notable scholars like Banabhatta.
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