Who among the following king had given patronage to Tansen before Akbar ?

The answer is A. Tansen was a court musician of the Baghela ruler Raja Ramchandra Singh of Rewa (Baghelkhand), and he was there before Akbar summoned him to Agra around 1562. The name 'Bhata' in the option points to the Baghela territory, which is the same Rewa-Bandhavgarh region.

Why the others are wrong:

• B) Rajbahadur of Malwa: Malwa's musical fame is tied to Baz Bahadur and Roopmati, not Tansen.
• C) Uday Singh of Mewar: No credible link to Tansen's patronage.
• D) Muzaffar Shah of Gujarat: Gujarat's rulers are not associated with Tansen.

Core concept: court patronage (ashraya) of music in the medieval period, and how the Mughal court absorbed talent from regional kingdoms. For Mains, this links to the cultural synthesis of the Mughal period and the Hindustani classical tradition.

Trap: Aspirants pick Baz Bahadur's Malwa because of the famous Malwa romance. Remember that Baz Bahadur is linked to Roopmati, while Tansen's pre-Akbar patron was the Rewa ruler.