Who among the following led a successful military campaign against the kingdom of Srivijaya, the powerful maritime State, which ruled the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java and the neighbouring islands?
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Answer: C. Rajendra I (1014–1044 CE), the Chola king, sent a naval expedition around 1025 CE against the Srivijaya kingdom of South-East Asia. It was a major victory. It showed Chola sea power in the Indian Ocean.
Watch for: Do not pick a Deccan dynasty just because it was powerful; only the Cholas had a strong navy for overseas campaigns.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Wrong because the Rashtrakutas of the Deccan did not lead naval campaigns to South-East Asia.
- B. Wrong because Prataparudra (Kakatiya) ruled later and fought the Delhi Sultanate, not Srivijaya.
- D. Wrong because the Hoysalas were a land power in Karnataka.
Source to check: NCERT Class 7 History, Our Pasts II, chapter 'New Kings and Kingdoms'
Answer from the official UPSC key. Written and fact-checked by AI against the official key. Spotted a mistake? Report it.