2014 GS Paper I, all questions
UPSC Prelims 2014 · GS Paper I
Question 21: History and Culture
In medieval India, the designations 'Mahattara' and 'Pattakila' were used for
amilitary officers
bvillage headmen
cspecialists in Vedic rituals
dchiefs of craft guilds
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (b).
Mahattara and Pattakila are titles met in early medieval inscriptions and land grants for village-level leaders: both refer to village headmen or elders who dealt with the king's officials and the village community. They were not military ranks, ritual specialists or heads of craft guilds. Remember them as village headmen when they appear in a question on medieval administration.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Wrong. Military officers had other titles, such as Senapati.
- (b) Right. Both titles refer to village headmen.
- (c) Wrong. Vedic ritual specialists were priests such as Purohita or Acharya, not Mahattara.
- (d) Wrong. Guild chiefs had titles like Shreshthi or Jyeshthaka.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2014, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.