Chhattisgarh P.C.S. Prelims 2016

Historical Geography of the Epics

Authentic Past Paper Standard Evaluation

In the period of Mahabharata, the name of Mahanadi was-

Solution & Analysis

Answer: E

Concept Ancient Indian geography in the Epics used distinctive names for major rivers that often changed across different Yugas or periods.

Explanation In the Mahabharata and Puranas, the Mahanadi (the major river of Odisha/Chhattisgarh) is referred to as Nilotpala or Chitrotpala. None of the provided options (A, B, C, D) are correct.

Logical Breakup
Option E (None of these): Because the correct ancient names like Nilotpala or Chitrotpala are missing.
Logic: Mahananda (C) is a different river in Bihar/West Bengal, not the Mahanadi.

Active Recall

Question

Which ancient region was the Mahanadi river central to?

Answer

The Mahanadi was the life-line of the ancient kingdom of Dakshina Kosala (modern-day Chhattisgarh).

Core Insight

The variety of names for the Mahanadi in different Puranic texts (Kanaka-Nandini, Chitrotpala, Nilotpala) reflects its immense spiritual importance over time.