Which of the following inscription reveals information about Silk Weavers Guild ?
- (a)Dashpur Inscription
- (b)Prayag Prashasti
- (c)Eran Inscription
- (d)Hathigumpha Inscription
Correct — A, the Dashpur (Mandsaur) inscription. This Gupta-period stone inscription, from the time of Kumaragupta I and the local governor Bandhuvarman and composed by the poet Vatsabhatti, records a guild (shreni) of silk weavers who migrated from the Lata region (Gujarat) to Dashapura (modern Mandsaur, MP) and built — and later repaired — a temple of the Sun (Surya). It is the classic epigraphic evidence for an ancient Indian craft guild.
- (b)Prayag Prashasti — The Allahabad (Prayag) Pillar inscription, composed by Harishena, is a eulogy of Samudragupta's conquests and reign — it is about imperial military campaigns, not a silk weavers' guild.
- (c)Eran Inscription — The Eran inscriptions (MP) are known for other things — the earliest epigraphic record of sati (510 CE) and Toramana's boar inscription — not a silk weavers' guild.
- (d)Hathigumpha Inscription — The Hathigumpha inscription (Udayagiri, Odisha) records the achievements of the Kalinga king Kharavela; it has nothing to do with silk weavers.
Shrenis (guilds) were autonomous professional/craft associations central to the ancient Indian economy; they fixed wages, standards and prices and even had judicial authority over their members. The Dashpur (Mandsaur) silk-weavers' inscription is the textbook example of a guild recorded in stone, showing artisan mobility and guild-funded temple building.
Every option is a well-known inscription, so the discriminator is the specific subject each records. Match each inscription to its 'headline' theme — Dashpur ↔ silk weavers' guild, Prayag Prashasti ↔ Samudragupta, Eran ↔ sati/Toramana, Hathigumpha ↔ Kharavela.
- Dashpur = ancient name of Mandsaur (Madhya Pradesh).
- The inscription records a silk weavers' guild that migrated from Lata (Gujarat) and built a Sun temple.
- Dated to Kumaragupta I / governor Bandhuvarman; composed by the poet Vatsabhatti.
- Shreni = a guild; it fixed standards, wages and prices and self-regulated its members.
- Assuming any famous Gupta inscription mentions guilds — only Dashpur (Mandsaur) records the silk weavers.
- Mixing up Eran (sati/Toramana), Prayag Prashasti (Samudragupta) and Hathigumpha (Kharavela).
MPPSC and UPSC both ask 'which inscription records X' — commit Dashpur/Mandsaur ↔ silk weavers' guild ↔ Sun temple, plus each rival inscription's own headline.
With reference to the guilds (Shreni) of ancient India that played a very important role in the country's economy, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. Every guild was registered with the central authority of the State and the king was the chief administrative authority on them. 2. The wages, rules of work, standards and prices were fixed by the guild. 3. The guild had judicial powers over its own members.
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 3 only
- (c) 2 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer(c) 2 and 3 only — guilds fixed wages/standards/prices and judged their own members.
Same concept — the shreni (guild) whose most famous epigraphic record is the Dashpur silk-weavers' inscription tested here.
Which statement is false regarding the Dashpur inscription of Kumaragupta and Bandhuvarman?
- (a) In this inscription, there is mention of the construction of Surya temple by a group of silk weavers.
- (b) This is the oldest example of advertisement tradition in Bharat.
- (c) In this inscription, Dashpur has been called Paschimpur also.
- (d) This inscription was composed by Bhavabhuti.
Answer(d) This inscription was composed by Bhavabhuti.
Same inscription, asked directly by MPPSC in 2024 — it confirms the silk-weavers-guild Sun-temple detail that makes Dashpur the answer here.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The silk weavers of the Dashpur (Mandsaur) inscription are said to have migrated from which region?
- (a)Kalinga
- (b)Lata (Gujarat)
- (c)Vanga (Bengal)
- (d)Gandhara
Answer(b) Lata, in the Gujarat region.
- practice — not a real PYQ
In ancient India, a 'shreni' was:
- (a)a land-revenue unit
- (b)a guild of merchants or craftsmen
- (c)a military rank
- (d)a type of coin
Answer(b) a guild of merchants or craftsmen.