Previous Year Question

This is not a straightforward factual question because UPPSC's answer key itself became disputed and the matter reached the Allahabad High Court.

In its provisional answer key, UPPSC initially treated option (a) Shivaji as correct. After considering objections from candidates, the Commission changed the answer to option (b) Prithviraj.

The Commission relied on a work on medieval Indian history in which an expression equivalent to ‘the last sun of Indian glory’ was used for Prithviraj.

However, the expert appointed by the Court raised an important qualification—contemporary court historians do not mention such a title for Prithviraj. Modern scholarship may describe Prithviraj in terms such as the last great or glorious Hindu emperor, but the precise expression “Last Sun of Indian Glory” is not a securely established formal historical title.

The Court also advised against framing such ambiguous questions. Nevertheless, because at least one historical textbook relied upon by the Commission used the expression for Prithviraj, the Court accepted UPPSC's final answer, option (b) Prithviraj.

Prithviraj Chauhan, also known as Prithviraj III, was a ruler of the Chahamana/Chauhan dynasty and was associated with Ajmer and the Delhi region.

He defeated Muhammad Ghori in the First Battle of Tarain in 1191 CE, but was defeated in the Second Battle of Tarain in 1192 CE. The second battle was followed by an important transformation in the political power structure of northern India.

Therefore, this expression should not be treated as an uncontested formal historical title. For this particular question, it is best understood as an expression associated with Prithviraj according to UPPSC's final revised answer key.