RAS question
The 'Indica' was written by:
Correct answer: (C) Megasthenes.
Megasthenes, the Greek historian and diplomat sent by Seleucus I to Chandragupta Maurya's court at Pataliputra, wrote the Indica.
Explanation
Megasthenes was a Greek historian and diplomat. Seleucus Nicator sent him as an ambassador to Chandragupta Maurya's court at Pataliputra. Megasthenes wrote an account of India called the Indica. The complete text is no longer available, but fragments survive in the works of later writers such as Arrian, Strabo and Diodorus. For RAS, remember the direct association: Megasthenes wrote the Indica and described Indian society as divided into seven classes.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Ptolemy is associated with Geography, not with the authorship of the Indica.
- (B) Pliny wrote Natural History and was a later writer who drew on Megasthenes; he did not write the Indica.
- (D) Strabo wrote on geography and preserved material from Megasthenes, but he did not write the Indica.
Concept
This question tests knowledge of ancient Indian historiography, especially foreign accounts of the Mauryan period. RAS often asks about Greek and Roman writers because their works are important external sources for reconstructing early Indian history.