Question 4. When were Samantas declared Maha-samantas? (a) When they bring gifts for their kings (b) When they provide kings with military support (c) When they gain power and wealth (d) None of the above Answer
Answer: As samantas gained power and wealth, they declared themselves to be maha-samanta, maha-mandaleshvara and so on. Sometimes they asserted their independence from their overlords. It was during the seventh century that the kings acknowledged the big landlords as their subordinates or samantas.
