Which one of the following was a very important seaport in the Kakatiya kingdom ?
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Answer: B. Motupalli, on the coast of present-day Andhra Pradesh, was the chief seaport of the Kakatiya kingdom. Marco Polo landed there in the late 13th century. Ganapatideva's Motupalli inscription gave protection and fixed duties for foreign merchants. So Motupalli.
Watch for: Machilipatnam is the best-known Andhra port, so students pick it without checking the period.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Wrong because Kakinada became important much later, mainly in colonial times.
- C. Wrong because Machilipatnam rose to fame later, under the Golconda Qutb Shahis and European companies.
- D. Wrong because Nelluru was an inland town, not the Kakatiya port.
Source to check: Motupalli pillar inscription of Kakatiya Ganapatideva, 1244 CE (Epigraphia Indica, Archaeological Survey of India); Marco Polo's account of the kingdom of Mutfili
Answer from the official UPSC key. Written and fact-checked by AI against the official key. Spotted a mistake? Report it.