Which of the following inscription reveals information about Silk Weavers Guild ?

Question

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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.

Why the other options are wrong — (b) 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) 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) The Hathigumpha inscription (Udayagiri, Odisha) records the achievements of the Kalinga king Kharavela; it has nothing to do with silk weavers.

Concept: 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.

State PCS 2019 Q95 — History PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2019 Q95 — History PYQ with Answer