Which of the following pairs is NOT correctly matched? State : Ruler

Option B is the mismatch. Warangal was the capital of the Kakatiya dynasty, and its rulers were Rudradeva, Ganapatideva, Rudramadevi and Pratapa Rudra. Ramachandra Deva was not a Kakatiya ruler. He was the last powerful Yadava king of Devagiri (c. 1271-1309), so he belongs with Devagiri, not Warangal.

Why the others are correct:

• A) Devgiri : Shankar Dev is correct. Shankaradeva was a Yadava ruler of Devagiri in the late thirteenth century.
• C) Hoysala : Veer Ballal is correct. The Hoysala kings Veera Ballala II and III ruled from Dwarasamudra and Halebidu.
• D) Madura : Veer Pandya is correct. Veera Pandya was a later Pandya ruler of Madurai.

The concept here is regional dynasties of the Deccan and South India, which comes up in the medieval history section of Prelims. For Mains, the Yadavas, Kakatiyas and Hoysalas were the Deccan powers that the Delhi Sultanate absorbed in the early fourteenth century, so mapping them correctly helps in answering questions on the Deccan's political transition.

Trap: Warangal is the most famous Deccan capital, so aspirants assume any name linked to that region is Kakatiya. Check the dynasty, not just the place.