This question focuses on a famous epigraphic source, the Prayag Prashasti, and asks to identify the ruler whose achievements it commemorates. Inscriptions like this are vital for reconstructing the history of ancient India.
Understanding the Question, Key Concepts, and Approach
The question requires identifying the king whose military victories are detailed in the Prayag Prashasti. The solution involves knowing the content, author, and subject of this specific inscription.
Detailed Solution
Step 1: Identify the Prayag Prashasti. The Prayag Prashasti, also known as the Allahabad Pillar Inscription, is a eulogy (prashasti) engraved on an Ashokan pillar in Allahabad (Prayagraj). It is composed in classical Sanskrit.
Step 2: Connect the inscription to the ruler. The inscription was composed by Harisena, who was the court poet and a high-ranking official under the Gupta emperor Samudragupta. It provides a detailed and glowing account of Samudragupta's extensive military campaigns, his conquests across the Indian subcontinent, and his policies towards defeated kings.
Step 3: Eliminate other options.
Chandragupta Maurya belongs to the Mauryan dynasty, a much earlier period.
Ashoka, a Mauryan emperor, originally erected the pillar for his own edicts, but the Prashasti was a later addition. His inscriptions focus on Dhamma, not military conquests.
Harshavardhana was a later ruler from the Vardhana dynasty, whose life is detailed by the poet Banabhatta and the traveler Hiuen Tsang.
Step 4: Conclusion. The Prayag Prashasti is a primary source for the reign and military achievements of the Gupta ruler Samudragupta.