CAPF AC 2023 Q16: Ancient History – Gupta Empire
- (a) 1, 2 and 3 only
- (b) 2, 3 and 4 only
- (c) 4, 5 and 6 only
- (d) 1, 3 and 5 only
Answer: (d) 1, 3 and 5 only
Explanation
Dating ancient texts and inscriptions
How to think: tie each work to its king, then to that king's century.
Three of the six pairs carry the wrong century.
| Pair | Linked ruler | Actual period | Given | Match? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Prayag Prashasti of Harisena | Samudragupta | 4th century CE | 4th | Yes |
| 2. Fa Xian's account | Chandragupta II | 5th century CE (399-414) | 6th | No |
| 3. Mudrarakshasa of Vishakhadatta | Gupta age | About 5th century CE | 5th | Yes |
| 4. Harshacharita of Banabhatta | Harsha | 7th century CE | 6th | No |
| 5. Aihole Prashasti of Ravikirti | Pulakeshin II | 7th century CE (634) | 7th | Yes |
| 6. Kavirajamarga of Amoghavarsha | Rashtrakuta king | 9th century CE | 8th | No |
So pairs 1, 3 and 5 are correctly matched.
Answer: (d) 1, 3 and 5 only.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. Pair 2 is wrong; Fa Xian visited in the early 5th century.
- (b) Incorrect. Pairs 2 and 4 are wrong; Harshacharita is a 7th-century work.
- (c) Incorrect. Pairs 4 and 6 are wrong; Kavirajamarga belongs to the 9th century.
- (d) CORRECT. Pairs 1, 3 and 5 are correctly matched.
Key point
4th century: Samudragupta, Prayag Prashasti (Harisena). 5th century: Chandragupta II, Fa Xian (399-414). 7th century: Harsha (Harshacharita, Xuanzang), Pulakeshin II (Aihole, 634). 9th century: Amoghavarsha I, Kavirajamarga, earliest Kannada work on poetics.
Remember
Samudragupta 4th, Fa Xian 5th, Harsha and Pulakeshin II 7th, Amoghavarsha 9th.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up Fa Xian (5th century, Guptas) with Xuanzang (7th century, Harsha).
- Placing Harsha in the 6th century; he ruled from 606 to 647.
- Dating the Rashtrakuta king Amoghavarsha a century too early.
Exam tip
Educated guess: Harsha and Pulakeshin II were rivals of the same time, so the Harshacharita and the Aihole inscription must share a century. They are given as 6th and 7th, so one is wrong; Harsha's dates (606-647) show pair 4 is the wrong one, which removes (b) and (c).
Sources
- NCERT Class XII History — Themes in Indian History Part I, Chapter 2: Kings, Farmers and Towns (the Prayaga Prashasti)
- R. S. Sharma, India's Ancient Past — chapters on the Guptas, Harsha and the peninsular kingdoms