UPSC Prelims 2016 Q89: Art & Culture – Festivals, Crafts & Folk Traditions
With reference to the cultural history of India, the memorizing of chronicles, dynastic
histories and epic tales was the profession of who of the following?
- (a) Shramana
- (b) Parivraajaka
- (c) Agrahaarika
- (d) Maagadha
Answer: (d) Maagadha
Explanation
Who memorized chronicles, dynastic histories and epic tales?
This was the profession of the Sutas and Maagadhas, the bards of ancient India.
They recited the deeds of kings and kept genealogies alive by memory.
| Term | Meaning | Memorized chronicles? |
|---|---|---|
| (a) Shramana | Wandering ascetic of the non-Vedic traditions (Buddhist, Jain) | No |
| (b) Parivraajaka | Wandering religious mendicant | No |
| (c) Agrahaarika | Officer in charge of agrahara lands given to Brahmins | No |
| (d) Maagadha | Bard and chronicler | Yes |
The Puranas and the epics were handed down by such bards before being written.
The bank earlier stored (b) as the key; the official key is (d).
Answer: (d) Maagadha.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. A Shramana was an ascetic, not a keeper of dynastic histories.
- (b) Incorrect. A Parivraajaka was a wandering mendicant, not a chronicler.
- (c) Incorrect. An Agrahaarika looked after land grants to Brahmins.
- (d) CORRECT. The Maagadha was a bard who memorized chronicles, dynastic histories and epic tales.
Key point
Sutas and Maagadhas: bards who memorized chronicles, genealogies and epic tales. Shramana = ascetic; Parivraajaka = mendicant; Agrahaarika = land-grant officer.
Remember
Maagadha = bard and chronicler.
Common mistakes
- Reading Maagadha only as 'a person from Magadha'.
- Confusing wandering mendicants with wandering bards.
- Forgetting the pair Suta and Maagadha in the epic tradition.
Exam tip
Suta and Maagadha always go together: charioteer-bards and chroniclers.
Sources
- Romila Thapar — Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300 (The itihasa-purana tradition)
- NCERT Class XII — Themes in Indian History Part I, Ch 3 (Kinship, Caste and Class)