RAS question
The Ghosundi inscription (found near Chittorgarh, 1st century BCE) is the earliest epigraphic evidence in Rajasthan of worship of which deity?
Correct answer: (B) Vasudeva (Vishnu/Krishna).
The Ghosundi inscription is Rajasthan's earliest epigraphic evidence for the worship of Vasudeva, associated with the Bhagavata-Vaishnava tradition.
Explanation
The Ghosundi inscription is significant because it records an early, physical act of worship: the construction of an enclosure in Narayan Vatika for Samkarshana and Vasudev, identified as the two brothers Balram and Krishna. It is a 1st-century BCE inscription found near Chittorgarh, regarded as the earliest Sanskrit inscription of Rajasthan, written in Brahmi script, and used as the earliest epigraphic evidence of Bhagavata or Vaishnava worship in the region. For RAS, it is a standard marker because Vasudeva worship, early Sanskrit epigraphy, and ancient Rajasthan all meet in this single inscription.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Shiva is wrong because the Ghosundi inscription refers to worship of Samkarshana and Vasudev, not to Shiva worship.
- (C) Surya is wrong because the recorded enclosure in Narayan Vatika is for Samkarshana and Vasudev, so it does not support Sun-god worship.
- (D) Brahma is wrong because the inscription's importance lies in its Bhagavata-Vaishnava reference to Vasudeva, not in evidence for Brahma worship.
Concept
This tests early religious history of Rajasthan through inscriptions, especially how epigraphic evidence is used to identify the spread of Bhagavata-Vaishnava worship. It recurs in RAS because Ghosundi links Rajasthan's ancient history, Brahmi-script epigraphy and early Vaishnava traditions in one factual anchor.