By signing in you confirm you are 18 or older, or have your parent’s or guardian’s consent.

UPSC Prelims 2025 GS Paper 1, question 16

Topic: Medieval history

Q16

Who among the following led a successful military campaign against the kingdom of Srivijaya, the powerful maritime State, which ruled the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java and the neighbouring islands?

  1. (a) Amoghavarsha (Rashtrakuta)
  2. (b) Prataparudra (Kakatiya)
  3. (c) Rajendra I (Chola)Correct answer
  4. (d) Vishnuvardhana (Hoysala)

Solution.

Answer: (c) Rajendra I (Chola)

  1. In 1025 CE, the Chola emperor Rajendra Chola I dispatched a major naval expedition across the Bay of Bengal against the Sailendra ruler Sangrama Vijayottunggavarman of Srivijaya (Kadaram).
  2. The campaign captured Kadaram (Kedah), Palembang, Pannai, and Melayu across the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra to secure Chola maritime trade routes to China.