Votive inscriptions record gifts made to:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Religious institutions
Votive inscriptions record gifts made to religious institutions; such short inscriptions are found in a number of cities by the second century BCE, naming the donor and sometimes his or her occupation.
NCERT (2026-27): “6.2 Urban populations: Elites and craftspersons … By the second century BCE, we find short votive inscriptions in a number of cities. These mention the name of the donor, and sometimes specify his/ her occupation as well. They tell us about people who lived in towns: washing folk, weavers, scribes, carpenters, potters, goldsmiths, blacksmiths, officials, religious teachers, merchants and kings. Sometimes, guilds or shrenis, organisations of craft producers and merchants, are mentioned as well. These guilds probably procured raw materials, regulated production, and marketed the finished product. It is likely that craftspersons used a range of iron tools to meet the growing demands of urban elites.… Votive inscriptions record gifts made to religious institutions.” |