Question

Which of the following statements accurately describes the inscriptions on the Allahabad Pillar?

• A. Samudragupta’s inscription, authored by Harishena, details his military and political achievements, while Jahangir’s later Persian inscription partially overwrote the Ashokan text.
• B. The inscriptions on the pillar are entirely from the Gupta period, with no later additions.
• C. Jahangir's inscription in Persian was carefully placed to preserve the Ashokan text beneath.
• D. Samudragupta’s inscription, written in Sanskrit by Harishena, records his literary contributions to the Gupta court.

Answer 1

Answer:

A. Samudragupta’s inscription, authored by Harishena, details his military and political achievements, while Jahangir’s later Persian inscription partially overwrote the Ashokan text.

Samudragupta’s Inscriptions A later inscription by Samudragupta on the pillar is regarded as the most significant historical record of the classical Gupta age. Written in refined Sanskrit by his court poet Harishena, it details Samudragupta’s military campaigns, political achievements, and his invasion of South India. Jahangir’s Inscriptions The pillar also bears an inscription from Mughal emperor Jahangir, engraved by his favored calligrapher, Mir Abdullah Mushkin Qalam, in Persian. This inscription overwrites parts of the much older Ashokan text.