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Kings, Farmers And Towns
The inscriptions are helpful in writing the history of the Gupta period. How?
Inscription helps alot when writing the history of the Gupta period because with the help of it we can trace from it earliest period to its last period. Here are some of the example:
(a) Dr. Fleet rendered great service by publishing in 1888 the third volume of Corpus inscription of the early Gupta kings and their successors.The first 16 inscriptions in the above mentioned corpus refer to the early Guptas.Their dates range from 360 A.D. to 466 A.D.The date line of the early Gupta dynasty is taken to end with Skandagupta.
(b) The Allahabad pillar inscription of Samudragupta gives us a detailed account of the conquests of his.
(c) The Eran Stone No. 2 inscription of Samudragupta’s period contains a record of the power and achievements of Samudragupta.
(d) The Udayagiri cave inscription, the Mathura stone inscription, the Sanchi stone inscription and the Gadhwa Stone Inscription of the time of Chandragupta II give us a lot of information regarding the attitude of the state towards religion.
Thus we can see from the above example that the inscription touches almost all the aspects of the Gupta rule. From its economy, society to political. Thus making it easier to reconstruct many aspects of theri rule from first Gupta ruler to the last one.
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Describe the salient features of Mahajanapadas.
How do historians reconstruct the lives of ordinary people?
Compare and contrast the list of things given to the Pandyan chief (Source 3) with those produced in the village of Danguna (Source 8). Do you notice any similarities or differences?
List some of the problems faced by epigraphists.
Discuss the main features of Mauryan administration. Which of these elements are evident in the Asokan inscriptions that you have studied?
This is a statement made by one of the best-known epigraphists of the twentieth century, D.C. Sircar: “There is no aspect of life, culture and activities of the Indians that is not reflected in inscriptions”. Discuss.
Discuss the notions of kingship that developed in the post-Mauryan period.
To what extent were agricultural practices transformed in the period under consideration?
Compare Maps 1 and 2, and list the Mahajanapadas that may have been included in the Mauryan Empire. Are any Asokan inscriptions found in these areas?
Collect newspapers for one month. Cut and paste all the statements made by government officials about public works. Note what the reports say about the resources required for such projects, how the resources are mobilised and the objective of the project. Who issues these statements, and how and why are they communicated? Compare and contrast these with the evidence from inscriptions discussed in this chapter. What are the similarities and differences that you notice.
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