1. Arrange the following names in chronological order. (DEC 2012)

I. Yoshomati
II. Pushyabhuti
III. Naravardhan
IV. Rajyashri

Codes:
(1) III, II, IV, I
(2) II, III, I, IV
(3) I, III, IV, II
(4) I, IV, III, II

Answer: 2

The correct answer is (2) II, III, I, IV.

Pushyabhuti (II) is placed first, as he is regarded as the earliest known ancestor and founder of the Pushyabhuti (Vardhana) dynasty of Thanesar. After him comes Naravardhana (III), who was one of his successors and part of the early genealogical line mentioned in inscriptions such as the Banskhera and Madhuban records.

Yashomati (I) belongs to a much later stage in the dynasty. She was the queen of Prabhakaravardhana and the mother of Harsha. Her position in the genealogy places her after the early rulers like Pushyabhuti and Naravardhana.

Finally, Rajyashri (IV), the daughter of Prabhakaravardhana and Yashomati, comes last chronologically. She is well known from literary sources such as Bana’s Harshacharita, especially for her marriage to the Maukhari ruler Grahavarman and the political events that followed.

Thus, arranging them from earliest to latest gives Pushyabhuti → Naravardhana → Yashomati → Rajyashri, corresponding to Option (2).