Question

Which language is likely to be spoken in the Chera Kingdom of Mahodayapuram in the 9th century?
A. Hindi
B. Tamil
C. Telugu
D. Malayalam

Answer 1

Hint: The period during which the Sangam literature was compiled is known as the Sangam period. The three chief Tamil kingdoms during the Sangam period were the Cheras, the Cholas, and the Pandyas.

Complete answer:
The Chera dynasty was one of the most important dynasties of Southern India. It ruled over modern Kerala and Tamilnadu. Tamil and Sanskrit were the two most spoken languages in the Chera Kingdom of Mahodayapuram in the 9th century. The Tamil Kings of the Chera Kingdom extended lavish patronage to Tamil poets. The Sangam literature reflects Dravidian culture.
The Cheras of Mahodayapuram were set up in the 10th century in the south-western parts of the peninsula, part of present-day Kerala. Almost certainly, Malayalam was spoken here. The rulers presented the Malayalam language and content in their engravings.
The sanctuary theater of Kerala acquired stories from the Sanskrit legends. The principal artistic works in Malayalam, dated to about the 12th century, are straightforwardly obligated to Sanskrit. The Lilatilakam, a fourteenth-century text, managed sentence structure and poetics and was formed in Manipravalam; in a real sense, 'jewels and corals' alluding to the two dialects specifically Sanskrit and the local language.

Thus, option (D) is correct.

Note: As mentioned in history there were three Sangam that took place in Madurai, Kapadapuram, and Madurai. Only Tolkapiyyam of the second Sangam survives to date and all other works of the first two Sangams have been lost. Tolkappiyam is composed by Tholkappiyar and is dated between the 4th and the 5th-century CE. It talks about social life, human psychology, political and economic conditions during the Sangam age. It also sheds light on Tamil grammar.