Pandya Dynasty Top 100 MCQs With Answer and Explanation

1. The capital city of the ancient Pandya dynasty was ____________.
A) Kanchipuram
B) Madurai
C) Uraiyur
D) Karur

2. The Pandya dynasty was one among the ____________.
A) Three Sangam age kingdoms
B) Nanda dynasties
C) Rajput confederacies
D) Later Guptas

3. The Pandyas are first mentioned by ____________.
A) Kalidasa
B) Megasthenes
C) Kautilya
D) Ashoka

4. The Pandya kingdom was famous in Sangam literature for ____________.
A) Trade in pearls
B) Iron weapons
C) Horses
D) Salt

5. The Sangam assemblies were patronized by ____________.
A) Chera kings
B) Chola kings
C) Pandya kings
D) All of the above

6. The emblem of the Pandya dynasty was ____________.
A) Tiger
B) Bow
C) Fish
D) Elephant

7. The earliest Pandya king known from inscriptions is ____________.
A) Nedunjeliyan
B) Kadungon
C) Mudukudumi Peruvaludi
D) Parantaka

8. The foreign traveler who visited the Pandya kingdom in the 13th century CE was ____________.
A) Ibn Battuta
B) Marco Polo
C) Al-Biruni
D) Hiuen Tsang

9. The main port of the Pandyas was ____________.
A) Puhar (Kaveripattinam)
B) Korkai
C) Muziris
D) Nagapattinam

10. Which Greek account mentions Pandya kingdom?
A) Indica by Megasthenes
B) Periplus of the Erythraean Sea
C) Geography by Ptolemy
D) All of the above

11. The Pandya king who sent an embassy to the Roman Emperor Augustus (1st century BCE) was ____________.
A) Nedunjeliyan
B) Mudukudumi Peruvaludi
C) Unknown Pandya king
D) Varaguna Pandya

12. The Kalabhra interregnum (3rd–6th century CE) ended with revival of ____________.
A) Cholas
B) Cheras
C) Pandyas
D) Pallavas

13. The title of Pandya kings in Sangam age was ____________.
A) Chakaravartin
B) Vanavan
C) Perumal
D) Meenavan

14. The Sangam text Maduraikkanji describes the Pandya king ____________.
A) Nedunjeliyan
B) Karikala Chola
C) Cheran Senguttuvan
D) Mahendravarman

15. The Pandya kings were great patrons of ____________.
A) Sanskrit epics
B) Tamil Sangam literature
C) Jain Prakrit texts
D) Arabic works

16. Which Pandya king performed several Vedic sacrifices?
A) Nedunjeliyan
B) Mudukudumi Peruvaludi
C) Kadungon
D) Maravarman Sundara Pandya

17. Pandya rulers followed ____________.
A) Jainism and Buddhism initially
B) Shaivism and Vaishnavism later
C) Both A and B
D) Christianity

18. The Pandya kingdom flourished particularly during ____________.
A) Sangam age and 13th century CE
B) Mauryan period
C) Gupta period
D) Mughal period

19. The Pandya kingdom was famous internationally for ____________.
A) Horses
B) Spices and pearls
C) Silk
D) Iron weapons

20. In Roman sources, the Pandya kingdom is described as ____________.
A) Rich in pearls
B) Rich in elephants
C) Rich in horses
D) Rich in silk

21. The Pandya polity was mainly ____________.
A) Feudal monarchy
B) Tribal democracy
C) Centralized monarchy with council of ministers
D) Theocratic state

22. The main military strength of Pandyas was ____________.
A) Horses
B) Elephants
C) Navy
D) Camel corps

23. The Sangam port city associated with Pandya trade was ____________.
A) Korkai
B) Sopara
C) Arikamedu
D) Tamralipti

24. The Pandya dynasty’s earliest inscriptions are found in ____________.
A) Tamil Brahmi script
B) Devanagari
C) Prakrit Kharosthi
D) Sanskrit Brahmi

25. The Pandya kings allied with which northern power occasionally?
A) Mauryas
B) Guptas
C) Satavahanas
D) Pallavas

26. The Pandyas revived their power after the defeat of the Kalabhras under ____________.
A) Nedunjeliyan
B) Kadungon
C) Sundara Pandya
D) Varaguna Pandya

27. The medieval Pandyas reached their peak under ____________.
A) Jatavarman Sundara Pandya I
B) Varaguna Pandya II
C) Maravarman Kulasekara Pandya I
D) Kadungon

28. Jatavarman Sundara Pandya I defeated ____________.
A) Chalukyas
B) Hoysalas and Cholas
C) Rashtrakutas
D) Vijayanagara

29. Which Pandya ruler made extensive donations to the Srirangam temple?
A) Maravarman Sundara Pandya I
B) Jatavarman Sundara Pandya I
C) Varaguna Pandya II
D) Kadungon

30. Marco Polo visited the Pandya kingdom during the reign of ____________.
A) Maravarman Sundara Pandya I
B) Jatavarman Sundara Pandya II
C) Maravarman Kulasekara Pandya I
D) Nedunjeliyan

31. Marco Polo praised Madurai for its ____________.
A) Iron and steel production
B) Rich pearl fisheries and trade
C) Powerful navy
D) Buddhist monasteries

32. The main rivals of the medieval Pandyas in South India were ____________.
A) Chalukyas and Rashtrakutas
B) Pallavas and Cholas
C) Hoysalas and Cholas
D) Satavahanas

33. The Pandya dynasty reached its height of territorial expansion in the ____________.
A) 7th century CE
B) 9th century CE
C) 13th century CE
D) 15th century CE

34. Which Pandya ruler claimed the title Konerinmaikondan (conqueror of kings)?
A) Kadungon
B) Jatavarman Sundara Pandya I
C) Varaguna Pandya II
D) Sundara Pandya II

35. The Pandyas annexed Sri Lanka under ____________.
A) Maravarman Sundara Pandya I
B) Jatavarman Sundara Pandya I
C) Maravarman Kulasekara Pandya I
D) Nedunjeliyan

36. The Pandya rulers were famous as ____________.
A) Patrons of temple building and land grants
B) Horse traders
C) Buddhist missionaries
D) Maritime warriors

37. The main source of Pandya economy was ____________.
A) Mining
B) Agriculture and trade
C) Horse imports
D) Military plunder

38. The Pandya ports were important for trade with ____________.
A) Rome
B) China
C) Arabia
D) All of the above

39. The Pandya kingdom was described as very wealthy by ____________.
A) Hiuen Tsang
B) Marco Polo
C) Al-Biruni
D) Ibn Battuta

40. Pandya kings assumed the title ____________.
A) Perumal
B) Sambuvaraya
C) Konerinmaikondan
D) Arya Chakravarti

41. The Pandyas’ political decline in the 14th century was due to ____________.
A) Invasion of Malik Kafur (Alauddin Khilji’s general)
B) Rise of Cholas
C) Invasion of Marathas
D) Portuguese traders

42. The Pandya rulers issued inscriptions mainly in ____________.
A) Prakrit
B) Sanskrit
C) Tamil
D) Kannada

43. The medieval Pandya administration was based on ____________.
A) Centralized monarchy with feudal chieftains
B) Republics
C) Democratic councils
D) Military governors only

44. Pandya taxation included ____________.
A) Land tax
B) Custom duties at ports
C) Professional taxes
D) All of the above

45. The Pandyas were contemporaries of ____________.
A) Satavahanas
B) Cholas, Cheras, Hoysalas
C) Guptas
D) Marathas

46. The Pandyas re-emerged as a major power after the decline of ____________.
A) Mauryas
B) Guptas
C) Cholas
D) Pallavas

47. The medieval Pandya empire included parts of ____________.
A) Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Sri Lanka
B) Deccan plateau
C) Karnataka only
D) Andhra Pradesh alone

48. The Pandya kingdom was rich because of ____________.
A) Pearl fisheries of Gulf of Mannar
B) Coromandel textile trade
C) Agriculture in fertile plains
D) All of the above

49. Pandya inscriptions and records are preserved mainly in ____________.
A) Copper plates and temple walls
B) Palm leaf manuscripts
C) Rock edicts
D) Buddhist texts

50. The Pandya kings were described in Tamil texts as ____________.
A) “Lords of the twin fish”
B) “Lords of elephants”
C) “Lords of the bow”
D) “Lords of the tiger”

51. In the early Sangam period, Pandya kings patronized ____________.
A) Jainism and Buddhism
B) Christianity
C) Islam
D) Zoroastrianism

52. In the medieval period, the dominant religions under Pandya patronage were ____________.
A) Shaivism and Vaishnavism
B) Jainism
C) Buddhism
D) Islam

53. The Pandya king Nedunjeliyan performed ____________.
A) Ashvamedha sacrifices
B) Jain rituals
C) Buddhist councils
D) Roman festivals

54. The Pandya kingdom was famous for ____________.
A) Religious tolerance
B) Persecution of other faiths
C) Only Buddhism
D) Monotheism

55. The Bhakti movement saints who flourished under Pandya rule were ____________.
A) Alvars and Nayanmars
B) Buddhists
C) Jains
D) Sufi saints

56. The Pandya dynasty contributed significantly to ____________.
A) Tamil Sangam literature
B) Sanskrit grammar
C) Pali canon
D) Persian poetry

57. The Sangam literary work Maduraikkanji praises ____________.
A) Cholas
B) Pandyas
C) Cheras
D) Pallavas

58. The Pandya kings patronized temple architecture in ____________.
A) Nagara style
B) Dravida style
C) Vesara style
D) Indo-Islamic style

59. The famous Meenakshi Temple at Madurai received contributions from ____________.
A) Pandyas
B) Cholas
C) Nayakas
D) All of the above

60. The Pandya art style is most evident in ____________.
A) Rock-cut caves and temples of Madurai region
B) Stupas of North India
C) Mauryan polished pillars
D) Mughal forts

61. The Pandya emblem of twin fish appears on ____________.
A) Coins and seals
B) Temple sculptures
C) Inscriptions
D) All of the above

62. Pandya coins were mostly made of ____________.
A) Gold
B) Copper and silver
C) Iron
D) Lead

63. The Pandya society was described in Sangam literature as ____________.
A) Stratified with Brahmanas, warriors, traders, and peasants
B) Tribal egalitarian society
C) Nomadic society
D) Urban only

64. Women poets like Avvaiyar flourished under ____________.
A) Pandya patronage
B) Gupta patronage
C) Maurya patronage
D) Satavahana patronage

65. The Pandya kingdom maintained strong trade links with ____________.
A) Rome and Greece
B) Southeast Asia
C) China and Arabia
D) All of the above

66. Roman coins have been found in Pandya territory, proving ____________.
A) Pandyas paid tribute to Rome
B) Active Indo-Roman trade
C) Roman conquest of Madurai
D) Roman settlements in Tamil Nadu

67. Pandya trade exports included ____________.
A) Pearls, pepper, elephants, textiles
B) Horses, wheat, iron
C) Opium, silk, carpets
D) Gold and silver

68. The Chinese pilgrim who mentioned Pandya territory was ____________.
A) Fa-Hien
B) Xuanzang
C) I-Tsing
D) Al-Biruni

69. The Pandya kingdom was also visited by ____________.
A) Marco Polo
B) Ibn Battuta
C) Megasthenes
D) Alberuni

70. The Gulf of Mannar was crucial for Pandyas because of ____________.
A) Salt pans
B) Pearl fisheries
C) Shipbuilding
D) Horse breeding

71. The Pandya dynasty contributed to Bhakti literature through patronage of ____________.
A) Alvar and Nayanmar saints
B) Buddhist monks
C) Jain monks
D) Persian poets

72. Pandya temple architecture influenced ____________.
A) Khmer temples in Cambodia
B) Indonesian Hindu temples
C) Sri Lankan shrines
D) All of the above

73. The Pandya period witnessed literary growth in ____________.
A) Pali
B) Tamil
C) Sanskrit
D) Persian

74. The Pandya kingdom’s prosperity impressed foreign travelers like ____________.
A) Marco Polo
B) Arab traders
C) Chinese pilgrims
D) All of the above

75. The most important cultural legacy of the Pandyas was ____________.
A) Promotion of Tamil literature and temple architecture
B) Decline of South Indian trade
C) Spread of Islam
D) Introduction of Persian art

76. The decline of the early Pandyas was caused by ____________.
A) Maurya invasion
B) Kalabhra occupation
C) Gupta conquest
D) Rashtrakuta attacks

77. The later (medieval) Pandya dynasty declined in the ____________.
A) 10th century CE
B) 14th century CE
C) 7th century CE
D) 5th century CE

78. The most immediate cause of Pandya decline was ____________.
A) Invasion of Malik Kafur (1311 CE)
B) Chola conquest
C) Rise of Vijayanagara
D) Portuguese traders

79. After the Pandya decline, their territory came under ____________.
A) Cholas
B) Cheras
C) Vijayanagara Empire
D) Rashtrakutas

80. The Pandyas were finally replaced by ____________.
A) Madurai Sultanate
B) Portuguese traders
C) Nayakas of Madurai
D) Cholas

81. The Madurai Sultanate lasted until it was defeated by ____________.
A) Vijayanagara Empire
B) Delhi Sultanate
C) Cholas
D) Marathas

82. The Later Pandyas had constant succession disputes between ____________.
A) Chola princes
B) Brothers of the royal family
C) Ministers and generals
D) Foreign invaders

83. One reason for the Pandya decline was ____________.
A) Overextension of empire
B) Invasion by Sultanate armies
C) Civil wars
D) All of the above

84. The Pandya kingdom’s decline allowed which dynasty to rise in Tamil Nadu?
A) Cholas
B) Pallavas
C) Vijayanagara
D) Cheras

85. Which Pandya king was ruling when Malik Kafur invaded?
A) Jatavarman Sundara Pandya I
B) Maravarman Kulasekara Pandya I
C) Sundara Pandya IV
D) Varaguna Pandya II

86. The Pandyas’ foreign trade mainly declined because ____________.
A) Fall of Roman Empire
B) Arab domination of Indian Ocean trade
C) Portuguese entry
D) Decline of Buddhism

87. The Pandya dynasty was one of the earliest in India to ____________.
A) Issue copper coins
B) Promote overseas trade extensively
C) Introduce Buddhism
D) Adopt Persian language

88. The Pandya dynasty left behind inscriptions mainly in ____________.
A) Sanskrit and Tamil
B) Kannada
C) Telugu
D) Prakrit

89. Pandya rule is important for South Indian history because ____________.
A) It shows continuity from Sangam to medieval era
B) It promoted Tamil literature
C) It developed temple culture
D) All of the above

90. The Pandyas were unique among Indian dynasties for ____________.
A) Their pearl fisheries as a major revenue source
B) Their extensive embassies to Rome
C) Their Bhakti patronage
D) All of the above

91. The Pandyas are remembered in Sangam texts as ____________.
A) Lords of the bow
B) Lords of the fish
C) Lords of the tiger
D) Lords of the elephant

92. Pandya legacy in Tamil Nadu includes ____________.
A) Meenakshi Temple at Madurai
B) Sangam literature
C) Bhakti movement patronage
D) All of the above

93. The decline of the Pandya dynasty opened Tamil Nadu to ____________.
A) Delhi Sultanate control
B) Vijayanagara hegemony
C) Nayak rule
D) All of the above

94. The Pandya dynasty is often paired with which two other Tamil dynasties?
A) Cheras and Cholas
B) Pallavas and Satavahanas
C) Hoysalas and Rashtrakutas
D) Guptas and Mauryas

95. Which modern state was the core region of the Pandya kingdom?
A) Kerala
B) Andhra Pradesh
C) Tamil Nadu
D) Karnataka

96. The Pandya dynasty symbolized ____________.
A) Maritime trade and cultural patronage
B) Agricultural decline
C) Weak governance
D) Persian dominance

97. The most enduring Pandya contribution was ____________.
A) Sangam poetry
B) Temple architecture
C) Maritime trade
D) All of the above

98. In medieval times, Pandya kings sent embassies to ____________.
A) Rome
B) China
C) Arabia
D) All of the above

99. The Pandyas are remembered in Indian history as ____________.
A) The first Tamil dynasty to achieve overseas trade fame
B) Patrons of Bhakti saints
C) Rulers of Madurai, the cultural capital
D) All of the above

100. The Pandya dynasty’s overall significance lies in ____________.
A) Linking ancient Sangam culture with medieval Bhakti era
B) Promoting international trade
C) Contributing to Tamil identity
D) All of the above