Who out of the following performed a ritual called “Hiranya-Garbha”?

The correct answer is C) Dantidurga. After defeating the Chalukya ruler Kirtivarman II in the mid-8th century CE, Dantidurga of the Rashtrakuta dynasty performed the Hiranyagarbha ritual, the 'golden womb' ceremony. It was a formal claim to Kshatriya status and sovereign legitimacy, and the Samangarh copper plates record it.

• A) Mayur-Sharman: He was the founder of the Kadamba dynasty of Banavasi. Tradition says he was a Brahmin who took up arms, and his story is about Brahmin-to-Kshatriya transition, not this ritual.
• B) Harichandra: He figures in the early genealogy of the Gurjara-Pratihara family in the Mandor inscription. He is not linked to Hiranyagarbha.
• D) Harsha: He was the Pushyabhuti ruler of Kannauj, known for the Prayaga assemblies and his patronage of Buddhism as recorded by Xuanzang. Hiranyagarbha is not associated with him.

The core concept is how early medieval dynasties used Vedic royal rituals such as Hiranyagarbha, Ashvamedha and Rajasuya to claim legitimacy after a military rise. For Mains, this links to the debate on the Brahmanical integration of new ruling houses and the emergence of regional powers in the Deccan.

Trap: Candidates often pick Harsha because he is the best-known northern emperor of the period. Keep Deccan dynasties and their ritual claims separate in your notes.