Who was the author of the Gwalior Prashasti of Mihira Bhoja?
- (a)Nagabhata
- (b)Vatsaraja
- (c)Baladitya
- (d)Kakkuka
Correct — C, Baladitya. The Gwalior prashasti is the great eulogy of the Gurjara-Pratihara house composed in the reign of Mihira Bhoja, and it is the source from which the dynasty's own account of itself is reconstructed — Nagabhata I appearing to crush the army of the Mlechchha ruler, and the line of kings that followed him. The other three names in the options are people the record is about, not people who wrote it. Nagabhata and Vatsaraja are Pratihara rulers whose deeds the prashasti narrates, and Kakkuka, the eighth-century Pratihara also called Kakustha, is known to history precisely because this inscription names him. That leaves the fourth name as the composer, and the official key marks Baladitya.
- (a)Nagabhata — A Pratihara ruler, the founder-figure of the imperial line, whose defence against the Arab advance the prashasti itself celebrates. He is the subject of the eulogy, not its author.
- (b)Vatsaraja — Another Pratihara ruler of the eighth century, a contender in the tripartite struggle for Kanauj. Again a king named in the record.
- (d)Kakkuka — An eighth-century Pratihara also called Kakustha, known from this very inscription. He is widely circulated online as the answer to this question, but the UPSC key does not take him, and a person listed inside a genealogy is an odd candidate for its author.
A prashasti is a eulogy — a formal Sanskrit composition, usually inscribed, praising a ruler and setting out his ancestry and achievements. It is composed by a court poet and often signed by him, engraved by a named craftsman, and it is one of the main sources for dynastic history where no chronicle survives. The Gwalior prashasti of Mihira Bhoja belongs to the ninth century and is the principal record of the Gurjara-Pratiharas, the dynasty that held Kanauj at the height of the tripartite struggle with the Palas and the Rashtrakutas.
Honesty first. This is a name-recall question, and the composer's name cannot be checked against a scholarly edition from the open web — the Epigraphia Indica volume that carries the record was not reachable while this card was written, and several coaching sites circulate 'Kakkuka' as the answer. What can be checked is the shape of the options: three of the four are Pratihara rulers, and Kakkuka in particular is known to modern history only because the Gwalior prashasti mentions him. On that reading the odd name out is the author, and the official key marks (c). Treat Baladitya as the key's answer supported by elimination, not as a fact independently verified here.
- A prashasti is a eulogistic Sanskrit composition praising a ruler, usually composed by a court poet and inscribed on stone or copper.
- The Gwalior prashasti is the principal record of the Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty and dates to the reign of Mihira Bhoja in the ninth century.
- It narrates the dynasty from Nagabhata I, who is described as crushing the army of a powerful Mlechchha ruler.
- Kakkuka, also called Kakustha, is an eighth-century Pratihara known from this inscription.
- Mihira Bhoja ruled roughly from 836 to 885 CE, the period of Pratihara ascendancy at Kanauj.
- Choosing a king's name because it is familiar; a prashasti's author is a poet, not the ruler being praised.
- Trusting an answer circulated on the open web over the commission's own key.
- Confusing Mihira Bhoja, the Pratihara, with Bhoja of Dhara, the eleventh-century Paramara scholar-king.
As a name-recall item — who composed which prashasti — or as an inscription-to-dynasty matching question.
Consider the following events in the history of India: 1. Rise of Pratiharas under King Bhoja 2. Establishment of Pallava power under Mahendravarman I 3. Establishment of Chola power by Parantaka I 4. Pala dynasty founded by Gopala What is the correct chronological order of the above events, starting from the earliest time?
- (a) 2 – 1 – 4 – 3
- (b) 3 – 1 – 4 – 2
- (c) 2 – 4 – 1 – 3
- (d) 3 – 4 – 1 – 2
Answer(c) 2 – 4 – 1 – 3
The same ruler placed in time. Fixing the rise of the Pratiharas under Bhoja between Gopala's Palas and Parantaka's Cholas is what dates the eulogy this question asks about.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Gwalior prashasti is the principal record of which dynasty?
- (a)The Palas of Bengal
- (b)The Gurjara-Pratiharas
- (c)The Rashtrakutas
- (d)The Chandellas
Answer(b) The Gurjara-Pratiharas — it was composed in the reign of Mihira Bhoja and narrates the line from Nagabhata I.
- practice — not a real PYQ
In Indian epigraphy, a prashasti is best described as
- (a)a record of a land grant to a temple
- (b)a eulogy praising a ruler and setting out his ancestry and achievements
- (c)a treaty between two kingdoms
- (d)a list of taxes levied in a district
Answer(b) a eulogy praising a ruler and setting out his ancestry and achievements — usually composed by a court poet.