Question

The Pallava king who adopted the epithet of Vichitrachitta of curious-minded was ____________ ?
A. Mahendravarman l
B. Narasimhavarman l
C. Narasimhavarman ll
D. Simhavishnu

Answer 1

Hint: -The Pallava dynasty is one of the South – Indian ruling Dynasties.
-This gained eminence after the eclipse of the Satavahanas Dynasty, whom the Pallava had served as feudatories.
-They were patrons of architecture.

Complete answer: Mahendravarman was the greatest among the Pallava rulers. Mahendravarman had ruled from AD 600 to AD 630. He bore many titles, Vichitrachitta is one of them. Vichitrachitta is a Sanskrit word meaning Unique Thoughts or weird thoughts and this title was given to Pallava king Mahendravarman l because he was very unique in his thoughts. He was a pioneer in building temples with stones. He had said that ‘never again will a temple be made of perishable material’. His Chitta was into music and painting as well and was an expert in them. He wrote several books. He was straightforward and also a good critic in his books. He had a varied interest. His thoughts were different from others.

OPTION A: As explained above, Therefore Option A is the correct option.
OPTION B: Narasimhavarman l was the son of Mahendravarman l. His reign started from AD 630 to AD 668. Therefore, Option B is an incorrect option.
OPTION C: Narasimhavarman ii popularly known as Raja Simha Pallava. He was the king of the Pallava Dynasty for the period of 695 to 722 AD. He is credited with the construction of the’ Shore Temple’. Therefore, Option C is an incorrect option.
OPTION D: Simhavishnu is also known as ‘Avni Simha’ son of Simhavarman iii. He was responsible for the revival of the Pallava Dynasty. He was personated as a great conqueror in ‘Mattavilasa Prahasana’, a drama written by his son Mahendravarman l. His reign period was from 575 TO 600 CE. Therefore, Option D is an incorrect option.
Hence Option A, Mahendravarman l is the correct answer.

Note: Along with the title of Vichitrachitta, Mahendravarman l bore many other titles like – ‘Chatrumalla’, ’Gunabhara’, ’Mattavilasa’, ’Avnibhajana’, ’ Sankirna Jati’. Each one of these resembles a specific quality of him.
He was given even the Uncomplimentary title of ‘Kalahapriya’.
Mahendravarman l was a greatly gifted king and his natural inclination was to promote and participate in the elegant arts of the piece.