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RAS question

The Harshnath temple inscription (956 CE) in Sikar district provides information about which dynasty?

Correct answer: (B) Chahamana dynasty.

The Harshnath temple inscription in Sikar district provides information about the Chahamana dynasty.

  1. (A)

    Paramara dynasty

  2. (B)

    Chahamana dynasty

  3. (C)

    Guhila dynasty

  4. (D)

    Pratihara dynasty

Explanation

The Harshnath temple inscription is important because it links the Sikar-region Harsha site directly with the Chahamanas: Epigraphia Indica, Volume 2 identifies the record as the "Harsha Stone Inscription of the Chahamana Vigraharaja" and locates the inscribed stone among the ruins of an ancient temple on Harsha hill, near Harasnath, south of Sikar. The inscription preserves Chahamana genealogy and records Shaiva patronage in the period. That makes Chahamana, not a neighbouring Rajput lineage, the dynasty for which this inscription is used as historical evidence.

Why the other options are wrong

  • (A) The Paramara dynasty is not the subject of this inscription; Epigraphia Indica, Volume 2 names it as the Harsha stone inscription of the Chahamana Vigraharaja.
  • (C) The Guhila dynasty is ruled out because the Harshnath inscription is connected with the Chahamanas through the Chahamana Vigraharaja record and Chahamana genealogy.
  • (D) The Pratihara dynasty is not supported by this record; the inscription is identified with the Chahamana Vigraharaja and Chahamana genealogy.

Concept

This tests the use of inscriptions as primary evidence for Rajasthan's early medieval dynasties. RAS repeatedly asks such links because inscriptions anchor dynasty, patronage and religious-history facts to specific sites.

Source

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