Which twelfth century Sanskrit scholar was first responsible for the compilation of 'Nibandhas' or digests of epic and Puranic texts?

The correct answer is C, Lakshmidhara. Lakshmidhara, a minister of the Gahadavala king Govindachandra of Kanauj, compiled the Kritya-kalpataru, the first great nibandha or digest of Dharmashastra, epic and Puranic texts.

A nibandha collects verses on a theme from many older works, such as the Smritis, the epics and the Puranas, and arranges them under topics like gifts, pilgrimage, vows, purity and the duties of kings. Lakshmidhara's Kritya-kalpataru, written in the twelfth century, was a vast work in fourteen parts and became the model for later digests compiled across north India. These works show how Brahmanical scholars tried to bring the large Puranic tradition into an ordered code.

Option A is wrong because Harsha was a seventh-century king who wrote the plays Nagananda, Ratnavali and Priyadarshika, not nibandhas. Option B is wrong because Govindachandra was the king who patronised Lakshmidhara, not the compiler. Option D is wrong because Kalidasa was a poet and dramatist of the Gupta age, author of Abhijnanashakuntalam.

Exam tip: Kritya-kalpataru = Lakshmidhara, minister of Gahadavala Govindachandra (12th century).