In Haripala's "Sangeeta Sudhakara", written in the ______ century A.D., the terms Carnatic and Hindustani are found for the first time.

Correct option is A

The correct answer is (A) 14

Explanation:
• The 'Sangeeta Sudhakara' is a significant musicological text written by Haripala Deva, who was a king of the Chalukya dynasty ruling in South India.
• Written in the 14th century, this work is historically critical because it provides the earliest known mention of the division of Indian classical music into two distinct systems: Hindustani (North Indian) and Carnatic (South Indian).
• This division became more pronounced following the Persian and Islamic influences in North India, which gradually altered the northern style while the southern style retained more traditional Vedic elements.

Information Booster:
• Hindustani Music: Characterized by the use of Shuddha Vikrit Swaras and heavily influenced by Persian 'Sufi' music.
• Carnatic Music: Primarily based on the 72 Melakarta Raga system and remains more indigenous to the southern part of the peninsula.
• Other Texts: 'Sangita Ratnakara' by Sarangadeva (13th century) is another foundational text that precedes Haripala but does not explicitly categorize the two styles in this modern nomenclature.

Additional Knowledge:
• 18th Century (Option B): By this time, both systems were fully developed with distinct Gharanas (Hindustani) and Trinity contributions (Carnatic), but the terminology had existed for centuries.
• 8th Century (Option C): This era was dominated by the post-Bharata period developments, where Matanga Muni's 'Brihaddeshi' introduced the concept of 'Raga', but not the North-South division.
• 6th Century (Option D): This is the early classical period where 'Natya Shastra' principles were strictly followed without regional bifurcation in terminology.