Which of the following statement is correct with respect to the Prashastis and land grants?

I. Prashastis were composed by learned Brahmanas.

II. Kings often rewarded Brahmanas by grants of land which were recorded on copper plates.

Question

Question

This question was previously asked in

SSC CGL 2022 Tier-I Official Paper (Held On : 12 Dec 2022 Shift 1)

Answer 1

The correct answer is Prashastis.

Key Points:

Prashastis is a special kind of inscription, meaning “in praise of”.
They were composed by learned Brahmans in praise of the rulers. (statement 1 is correct)
They tell us how rulers of that time wanted to illustrate themselves.
If the kings liked the prashastis, they gave land as a gift to the Brahmans, with records of it on copper plates. (statement 2 is correct)
The prashastis generally contained ornate titles, links to mythical legends or comparisons to deities, and often fabricated stories about wars, victories, loot, and attributes.
The earliest well-known example of an extensive prashasti is the Hathigumpha inscription of Kharavela inscribed in or about the 1st century BCE in the Prakrit language and Brahmi script.
The earliest prashastic inscription in the classical Sanskrit language is the Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman (circa 150 CE), which became a prototype for Gupta-era poetic prashastis in Sanskrit.

Examples of Prashasti

Nashik prashasti (2nd century CE), of the Satavahana dynasty.
Prayaga prashasti (4th century CE), Gupta Empire: Lists the rulers against whom the Gupta king Samudragupta fought.
It also describes the policy that he followed toward each set of rulers.
Velvikudi inscription (c. 8th century CE), of Pandya dynasty.
Deopara Prashasti (12th century CE), of the Sena dynasty.