RAS question
The Junagadh Rock Inscription of Rudradaman I is significant as:
Correct answer: (A) First long inscription in classical Sanskrit.
The Junagadh Rock Inscription of Rudradaman I is significant as the first long inscription in fairly standard classical Sanskrit.
Explanation
Rudradaman I's Junagadh Rock Inscription, dated shortly after 150 CE, matters because it marks a clear shift in Indian epigraphy towards extended Sanskrit prose. It is a Sanskrit inscription issued by the Western Satrap ruler Rudradaman I and is treated as the first long inscription recorded entirely in more or less standard Sanskrit. It also has public-works value because it records the repair of Sudarshana Lake, originally built in Chandragupta Maurya's time. That combination makes the inscription important both for the history of Sanskrit epigraphy and for evidence of state attention to irrigation and public works in ancient India.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) The Kalinga War is associated with Ashoka's Rock Edict XIII, not with Rudradaman I's Junagadh inscription.
- (C) Nalanda belongs to the Gupta-period historical context, whereas this inscription is dated shortly after 150 CE and concerns Rudradaman I and Sudarshana Lake.
- (D) The inscription is significant for Sanskrit epigraphy and the repair of Sudarshana Lake, not for an exposition of Buddhist philosophy.
Concept
This tests ancient Indian epigraphy, especially the transition from Prakrit-dominated early inscriptions to extended Sanskrit inscriptions. RAS asks such items because inscriptions are primary sources for polity, public works and cultural history.