With reference to ancient Indian History, consider the following pairs:

Literary work		Author
(1)	Devichandragupta	Bilhana
(2)	Hammira-Mahakavya	Nayachandra Suri
(3)	Milinda-panha	Nagarjuna
(4)	Nitivakyamrita	Somadeva Suri

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched? 

The correct answer is Option 2.

Key Points

• Devichandragupta – Bilhana
  • Correct Author: Devichandragupta is a Sanskrit play written by Vishakhadatta, not Bilhana.
  • The play narrates the heroic deeds of Chandragupta, particularly rescuing his elder brother's wife from the Shaka ruler.
  • Hence, Pair 1 is incorrect.
• Hammira-Mahakavya – Nayachandra Suri
  • Correct Author: Hammira-Mahakavya is a 15th-century Sanskrit epic poem written by the Jain scholar Nayachandra Suri.
  • It is a legendary biography of the 13th-century Chahamana king Hammira and tells about the Chahamana dynasty rulers.
  • Hence, Pair 2 is correct.
• Milinda-panha – Nagarjuna
  • Correct Author: Milinda-panha (The Questions of Milinda) is a text that contains dialogues between the Buddhist monk Nagasena and King Milinda (Menander I).
  • However, it was not authored by Nagarjuna; it is written in the Pali language, and the author is not specifically identified.
  • Hence, Pair 3 is incorrect.
• Nitivakyamrita – Somadeva Suri
  • Correct Author: Nitivakyamrita is a work on ethics, politics, and social norms written in Sanskrit by Somadeva Suri, a renowned Jain monk and scholar.
  • It is composed in the form of verses (shlokas) and provides teachings on various aspects of life.
  • Hence, Pair 4 is correct.
• Pairs 2 and 4 are correctly matched, while Pairs 1 and 3 are incorrect.
• Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2: Only two.