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.
Correct — D is the FALSE statement. The Dashpur (Mandsaur) inscription of Kumaragupta I and the local ruler Bandhuvarman — a Gupta-era record — was composed by the poet Vatsabhatti, not Bhavabhuti. Bhavabhuti was a celebrated Sanskrit playwright of a much later era (7th-8th century CE, associated with king Yashovarman of Kannauj), known for plays such as Malati-Madhava and Uttararamacharita — an entirely different person, genre and century, unconnected to this Gupta-period inscription.
- (a)In this inscription, there is mention of the construction of Surya temple by a group of silk weavers. — A TRUE statement, not the false one asked for — the inscription records a Surya (Sun) temple built by the guild of silk weavers who had migrated from Lata (Gujarat) to Dashapura.
- (b)This is the oldest example of advertisement tradition in Bharat. — Per the official key this is a TRUE statement about the inscription (it is often cited as an early instance of a guild's self-promotion), so it is not the false option the question is looking for.
- (c)In this inscription, Dashpur has been called Paschimpur also. — Per the official key this is a TRUE statement about the inscription's text, so it is not the false option the question is looking for.
The Mandsaur (ancient Dashapura) stone inscription of Kumaragupta I and the local ruler Bandhuvarman, from the Gupta era, records how a guild of silk weavers migrated from Lata (in modern Gujarat) to Dashapura and, prospering there, funded the construction of a temple to the sun god (Surya). It is a key primary source on Gupta-period craft guilds, urban prosperity, and patronage by local rulers alongside the imperial Gupta line.
Exams pair a 'which is FALSE' question with one clearly wrong statement — usually a misattributed author or date — planted among several accurate ones. The trap is over-thinking the plausible true statements instead of spotting the single factual error.
- The Dashpur/Mandsaur inscription of Kumaragupta I and Bandhuvarman records a Surya (Sun) temple built by a migrant guild of silk weavers from Lata (Gujarat).
- It was composed by the poet Vatsabhatti — not Bhavabhuti.
- Bhavabhuti (7th-8th century CE) was a Sanskrit dramatist linked to king Yashovarman of Kannauj — a different person, era and genre altogether.
- The inscription is a key Gupta-period source on craft guilds and urban patronage outside the imperial dynasty itself.
Only the authorship claim is false — Vatsabhatti composed the inscription, not the later dramatist Bhavabhuti.
- Assuming any famous Sanskrit poet's name (like Bhavabhuti) could be the author of any old inscription — always match author to era.
- Missing that a 'which is false' question usually has only ONE deliberately wrong statement among several true ones.
MPPSC/UPSC test inscriptions by pairing them with their actual composer — watch for anachronistic author names planted as the false statement.
With reference to the history of ancient India, Bhavabhuti, Hastimalla and Kshemeshvara were famous
- (a) Jain monks
- (b) playwrights
- (c) temple architects
- (d) philosophers
Answer(b) playwrights
Directly confirms Bhavabhuti's real identity — a celebrated Sanskrit playwright — the same figure this MPPSC question's false option wrongly credits as the author of a 5th-century Gupta-era inscription.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Allahabad Pillar inscription (Prayaga Prashasti), eulogising the conquests of Samudragupta, was composed by:
- (a)Harishena
- (b)Vatsabhatti
- (c)Ravikirti
- (d)Bhavabhuti
Answer(a) Harishena, Samudragupta's court poet.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Bhavabhuti, celebrated for Sanskrit plays such as Malati-Madhava and Uttararamacharita, is associated with the court of which ruler?
- (a)Samudragupta
- (b)Yashodharman
- (c)Yashovarman of Kannauj
- (d)Chandragupta II
Answer(c) Yashovarman of Kannauj.