CAPF AC 2022 Q56: Ancient History – Mauryan Empire
- (a) Brahmi
- (b) Sharada
- (c) Kharoshthi
- (d) Greek-Aramaic
Answer: (d) Greek-Aramaic
Explanation
Scripts of Ashoka's inscriptions
How to think: Ashoka wrote in the script the local people could read.
Afghanistan had been under Persian and then Greek rule.
So there he used Aramaic and Greek.
| Region | Language | Script |
|---|---|---|
| Most of India | Prakrit | Brahmi |
| North-west (Mansehra, Shahbazgarhi in Pakistan) | Prakrit | Kharoshthi |
| Afghanistan (Kandahar, Laghman) | Greek and Aramaic | Greek and Aramaic |
Famous example: the Kandahar bilingual inscription is written in Greek and Aramaic side by side.
Who read them first: James Prinsep deciphered Brahmi and Kharoshthi in the 1830s.
Sharada is a much later script of Kashmir, from about the 8th century CE.
Answer: (d) Greek-Aramaic.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. Brahmi was used in most of India, not in Afghanistan.
- (b) Incorrect. Sharada is a later script of Kashmir, unknown in Ashoka's time.
- (c) Incorrect. Kharoshthi was used at Mansehra and Shahbazgarhi in present-day Pakistan.
- (d) CORRECT. Ashokan inscriptions in Afghanistan are in Greek and Aramaic.
Key point
Ashokan inscriptions: Prakrit in Brahmi (most of India), Prakrit in Kharoshthi (north-west), Greek and Aramaic (Afghanistan). Deciphered by James Prinsep in 1837-38. Kharoshthi is written right to left.
Remember
Afghanistan: Greek and Aramaic. North-west: Kharoshthi. Rest: Brahmi.
Common mistakes
- Marking Kharoshthi, the script of the north-west within Pakistan.
- Thinking Ashoka used only Brahmi everywhere in his empire.
- Treating Sharada as an ancient Mauryan script.
Exam tip
Educated guess: Afghanistan lay next to the Greek kingdoms left by Alexander. An emperor who wanted to be understood there would write in Greek.
Sources
- NCERT Class XII History — Themes in Indian History Part I, Chapter 2: Kings, Farmers and Towns
- NCERT Class VI History — Our Pasts I (Ashoka, the Emperor Who Gave Up War)