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What were 'prashastis' in ancient India? |
Poems composed to describe the administration in the Gupta empire. Poems composed in praise of kings in particular, and patrons in general. Laws that were to be followed by common masses and were written on pillars or huge rocks. Novels composed in praise of the common people and their struggles against the rulers. |
Poems composed in praise of kings in particular, and patrons in general. |
The correct answer is Option 2 - Poems composed in praise of kings in particular, and patrons in general. Histories of the Gupta rulers have been reconstructed from literature, coins and inscriptions, including prashastis, composed in praise of kings in particular, and patrons in general, by poets. While historians often attempt to draw factual information from such compositions, those who composed and read them often treasured them as works of poetry rather than as accounts that were literally true. The Prayaga Prashasti (also known as the Allahabad Pillar Inscription) composed in Sanskrit by Harishena, the court poet of Samudragupta, arguably the most powerful of the Gupta rulers (c. fourth century CE), is a case in point. |
