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Kings, Farmers And Towns
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In praise of Samudragupta

[This is an excerpt from the Prayaga Prashasti]

He was without an antagonist on earth; he, by the overflowing of the multitude of (his) many good qualities adorned by hundreds of good actions, has wiped off the fame of other kings with the soles of (his) feet; (he is) Purusha (the Supreme Being), being the cause of the prosperity of the good and the destruction of the bad (he is) incomprehensible; (he is) one whose tender heart can be captured only by devotion and humility; (he is) possessed of compassion; (he is) the giver of many hundred thousands of cows; (his) mind has received ceremonial initiation for the uplift of the miserable, the poor, the forlorn and the suffering; (he is) resplendent and embodied kindness to mankind; (he is) equal to (the gods) Kubera (the god of wealth), Varuna (the god of the ocean), Indra (the god of rains) and Yama (the god of death)...

A. What is a Prashasti? Who wrote the above Prashasti?

B. Give any four qualities of the rulers as mentioned in this Prashasti.

C. Why did rulers identify themselves with a variety of deities?

D. Name two other sources for studying about the Guptas.

Answer

A. (a) Prashasti is a composition in the praise of kings in particular and patrons in general by poets.

(b) The above Prashasti is composed by Harishena, a court poet of Samudragupta.
B. 1. incomprehensible 2. compassion 3. Purusha, the supreme being, 4. kindness to mankind
C. The rulers identified themselves with a variety of deities because they considered themselves god-like and adopted the title of devaputra or “son of god”, and was also means of claiming high status by identifying with a variety of deities.

D. Literature, coins and inscriptions.

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Some More Questions From Kings, Farmers And Towns Chapter

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.

Collect five different kinds of currency notes and coins in circulation today. For each one of these, describe what you see on the observe and the reverse (the front and the back). Prepare a report on the common features as well as the differences in terms of pictures, scripts and languages, size, shape and any other element that you find significant. Compare these with the coins shown in this chapter, discussing the materials used, the techniques of minting, the visual symbols and their significance and the possible functions that coins may have had.

What is meant by Janapada?

What were the Mahajanapadas? Name a few important Mahajanapadas.

Which Mahajanapada emerged as the strongest one? Name any three of its important rulers.

What was the early capital of Magadha? Tell its one feature. In the 4th century BCE, which city was made the capital of Magadha?

Who was Chandragupta Maurya? Upto where he extended his control of the empire?

Who was Asoka? Which famous state he annexed into Mauryan empire?

Give brief description of languages and scripts of inscriptions of Asoka.