UPSC Prelims 2026 · Question 5 of 96
UPSC Prelims 2026 question on Senguttuvan Udiyanjeral Nedunjeliyan
- ExamUPSC CSE
- Year2026
- PaperGeneral Studies Paper I
- SubjectAncient History
- TopicHarshavardhana & Southern Dynasties
- DifficultyMedium
- TypeMatch
Which of the following pairs of the king and his dynasty in early historical Tamilakam is/are NOT correctly matched?
1. Senguttuvan : Chera
2. Udiyanjeral : Chola
3. Nedunjeliyan : Pandya
Select the answer using the code given below:
Show answer
Answer: B. 2 only
Analysis
The question asks which pairs are NOT correctly matched, and only pair 2 qualifies, so the answer is Option (b).
Statement by statement
Pair 1 is correctly matched: Senguttuvan, also known as Cheran Senguttuvan or the Red Chera, was a prominent ruler of the Chera dynasty. He is celebrated in the Tamil epic Silappadikaram and is credited with establishing the Pattini (Kannagi) cult.
Pair 2 is not correctly matched: Udiyanjeral (Uthiyan Cheralathan) belonged to the Chera dynasty, not the Chola dynasty. He is considered the first historically recorded Chera ruler of the Sangam period and is famous in Sangam literature for the legend of feeding the rival armies during the Mahabharata war.
Pair 3 is correctly matched: Nedunjeliyan was a famous king of the Pandya dynasty. Sangam literature mentions prominent Pandyan kings by this name, such as Nedunjeliyan II, who is renowned for his decisive victory at the Battle of Talaiyalanganam against a combined Chera and Chola force.