Practicing Success

Target Exam

CUET

Subject

History

Chapter

Ancient India: Kings, Farmers and Towns

Question:

The Prayaga Prashasti was written in which language?

Options:

Sanskrit

Pali

Prakrit

Tamil

Correct Answer:

Sanskrit

Explanation:

The historical accounts of the Gupta rulers have been pieced together from diverse sources, including literature, coins, and inscriptions. Poets composed prashastis, poetic compositions that praised specific kings and patrons. Historians strive to extract factual information from such compositions, although it is essential to recognize that the poets and their audience often valued them primarily as works of poetry rather than as strictly literal accounts of events. A notable example is the Prayaga Prashasti, also known as the Allahabad Pillar Inscription, written in Sanskrit by Harishena, the court poet of Samudragupta. Samudragupta is considered one of the most powerful Gupta rulers of the fourth century CE.