RAS question
The Allahabad Pillar Inscription (Prayag Prashasti) eulogizes which Gupta ruler?
Correct answer: (B) Samudragupta.
The Allahabad Pillar Inscription, also known as the Prayag Prashasti, eulogises the Gupta ruler Samudragupta.
Explanation
The Prayag Prashasti is the later Gupta inscription on the Allahabad Pillar and is attributed to the 4th-century CE emperor Samudragupta. It was composed by Harishena, his poet and minister, in refined Sanskrit and Gupta script. Its purpose is not a neutral record: it is a panegyric, so it praises Samudragupta and presents his reign through political and military achievement. This matches the standard exam cue that the inscription, composed by the court poet Harishena, describes Samudragupta's conquests across India and is linked with V.A. Smith's description of him as the "Indian Napoleon". The name Prayag Prashasti should therefore immediately point to Samudragupta, not to another Gupta ruler.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Chandragupta II is associated here with praise on the Mehrauli Iron Pillar, not with the Allahabad Pillar's Prayag Prashasti.
- (C) Chandragupta I was an important early Gupta ruler, but the cited Allahabad Pillar inscription is a panegyric of Samudragupta.
- (D) Kumaragupta I is remembered here for founding Nalanda, whereas the Prayag Prashasti praises Samudragupta's reign and achievements.
Concept
This tests Gupta-period epigraphy, especially the ability to link major inscriptions with the ruler they praise. RAS repeats such pairings because inscriptions are primary sources for reconstructing political history and royal ideology in ancient India.