(a) Jain monks                                                      

(b) Playwrights

(c) Temple architects                                                    

(d) Philosophers

Answer: b

Explanation:

●  Bhavabhuti – mentioned by Kalhana in his Rajatarnagini as a poet in the court of King Yasovaraman of Kanyakubja(8th Century A.D). The drama mahaviracarita,Malatimadhava and Uttararamacarita are ascribe to Bhavabhuti.

● Hastimalla, He lived in the 9th century AD. He wrote many poems, such as Adipurana, Purucarita, and Uddayanarajakavya. He also wrote several dramas, such as Arjunaraja, Bharataraja, Meghesvaran, Maithiliparinaya, Subhadsaharana, Anjanapavanajaya, and Vikrantikaurava.

● Kshemendra belongs to the eleventh century A.D. – he wrote the later version of Brihat-katha by Gunadhya. His version is known as Kshemendra’s Brihat-kathamanjari. The other version of Brihat-katha is Somadeva’s Katha-Saritsagara.

Hence, option b is correct.

Read: Previous Year UPSC History Questions (PYQs) With Explanation 2021