RAS question
The Gupta-period inscription found at Bhilsa (Besnagar) mentions a governor of Rajasthan. The Guptas' influence in Rajasthan is primarily evidenced by inscriptions from which site?
Correct answer: (A) Nagari (Madhyamika).
Nagari, ancient Madhyamika near Chittorgarh, is the site that chiefly evidences Gupta influence in Rajasthan.
Explanation
Nagari is the right site because the question is asking for Gupta-period evidence in Rajasthan, not for an older archaeological phase. Rajasthan Foundation, Government of Rajasthan identifies Nagari, 18 km north of Chittorgarh, as the site of ancient Madhyamika and notes that it flourished up to the Gupta period. Gupta-linked remains at Nagari include a Vishnu temple referred to in a fifth-century inscription, two carved pillars described as belonging to the Gupta period, coins and a Vishnu temple, while wider Gupta control in eastern Rajasthan is also evidenced by the Gangdhar inscription of 423 CE of Vishvavarman.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Kalibangan is a prehistoric site, so it does not provide the Gupta-period inscriptional and temple evidence asked for here.
- (C) Ahar belongs to the Chalcolithic context, whereas the question is about evidence for Gupta-period influence in Rajasthan.
- (D) Bairat is more closely associated with the Mauryan period, not the Gupta-period evidence linked with Nagari/Madhyamika.
Concept
This tests how early Rajasthan history is reconstructed from sites, inscriptions, coins and temple remains rather than from dynastic names alone. It recurs in RAS because Nagari/Madhyamika is a key site for linking local archaeology with wider political control.