Skip to content
GK24
Prime
Indian HistoryMediumAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2018, GK

The class of Amar Nayakas in Vijayanagara is a reference to which of the following?

  1. A.Village Chieftains
  2. B.Senior Civil Servants
  3. C.Tributary Chiefs
  4. D.Military Commanders

Correct answer

D. Military Commanders

Explanation

The correct answer is D, Military Commanders. The amara-nayakas were military commanders to whom the Vijayanagara rulers gave territories to govern.

Under the amara-nayaka system, a key political innovation of the Vijayanagara Empire, the king granted a commander an area of land called amaram. The nayaka collected taxes and other dues from peasants, craftsmen and traders there, kept part of the revenue for himself and for maintaining a fixed body of horses and elephants, and sent the rest to the king as tribute. These troops formed an important part of the royal army. The nayakas also paid for the upkeep of temples and irrigation works, and many later broke away to found kingdoms, such as the Nayakas of Madurai and Thanjavur.

Option A is wrong because village affairs were run by local headmen, not the amara-nayakas. Option B is wrong because they were warriors holding land, not civil officials. Option C is wrong because tributary chiefs were rulers of subordinate kingdoms, whereas nayakas were commanders appointed by the king.

Exam tip: amara-nayaka system of Vijayanagara resembles the Delhi Sultanate's iqta; land granted = amaram.

Practice Questions

View all
Q1.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2016, GKEasy

The 'water frame' of Richard Arkwright was a device for

  1. A.producing a new type of painting
  2. B.irrigating fields for rice cultivation
  3. C.producing strong threads of yarn
  4. D.the faster movement of steamships
Show answer
Correct answer: C. producing strong threads of yarn

Richard Arkwright's water frame, patented in 1769, was a spinning machine driven by water power that spun strong cotton thread.

Q2.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2017, GKMedium

Consider the following statements about the Salt March : 1. The Salt March was deliberately ignored by the European media. 2. The Salt March was widely covered by the American and European press. 3. The Salt March was the first nationalist activity in which women participated in large numbers. 4. The Salt March impressed upon the British the urgent need to devolve more power to Indians. Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. A.1, 2 and 4
  2. B.2, 3 and 4
  3. C.3 and 4 only
  4. D.2 and 3 only
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 2, 3 and 4

The Salt March drew wide notice in the American and European press, brought women into the national movement in large numbers, and made the British see that they had to share more power with Indians.

Q4.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2016, GKHard

The term Upari refers to which one of the following?

  1. A.A category of proprietary tenure under the Mughal rule
  2. B.A category of tenancy tenure under the Maratha rule
  3. C.A soldier in the Maratha army
  4. D.A village headman in the Mughal period
Show answer
Correct answer: B. A category of tenancy tenure under the Maratha rule

In the Maratha villages of the Deccan, an upari was a tenant who cultivated land without any hereditary right to it.

Q5.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2017, GKHard

With regard to nature of Mughal State, who among the following scholars argued that "the peculiar feature of the State in Mughal India was that it served not merely as the protective arm of the exploiting classes, but was itself the principal instrument of exploitation"?

  1. A.Irfan Habib
  2. B.Satish Chandra
  3. C.Athar Ali
  4. D.J. F. Richards
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Irfan Habib

In his study of the Mughal agrarian system, Habib argued that the Mughal State did not merely protect the exploiting classes but was itself the main instrument for taking the peasants' surplus.