Consider the following events in the history of India: 1) Rise of Pratiharas under King Bhoja 2) Establishment of Pallava power under Mahendravarman-I 3) Establishment of Chola power by Parantaka-I 4) Pala dynasty founded by Gopala What is the correct chronological order of the above events, starting from the earliest time?

The correct order is 2 – 4 – 1 – 3, so the answer is C.

Start with the earliest. Mahendravarman-I (c. 600–630 CE) consolidated Pallava power at Kanchi, and he was also a patron of rock-cut cave temples. Next, Gopala founded the Pala dynasty in Bengal around c. 750 CE. He was chosen by local chiefs to end the anarchy of matsyanyaya. Then the Pratiharas rose to prominence under Nagabhata II and reached their peak under Mihira Bhoja (c. 836–885 CE), who held Kanauj. Last come the Cholas. Historians credit Vijayalaya (c. 850 CE) with the revival, and Parantaka-I (c. 907–955 CE) greatly extended it. The order stays the same whichever date you take for the Chola start.

• A is wrong because it places the Pratiharas before the Palas, but Gopala's dynasty (c. 750) precedes Bhoja (c. 836).
• B and D are wrong because they put the Cholas first, but Chola power is a ninth-century development, later than the Pallavas and Palas.

Trap: Aspirants often place the Cholas early because they are a famous southern dynasty. Their rise is post-850 CE, so they belong at the end of this sequence.