Q129
History of IndiaGupta & Post-Gupta Period
Who is the author of Allahabad Pillar Inscription?
- a.Rudradaman
- b.Harisena
- c.Samudragupta
- d.Banabhatta
Answer: (B) Harisena
The Allahabad Pillar inscription, or Prayag Prashasti, was composed in ornate Sanskrit (champu style, mixing prose and verse) by Harisena, court poet and minister (sandhivigrahika, kumaramatya) of Samudragupta; it lists his conquests in Aryavarta and Dakshinapatha, on the strength of which V. A. Smith called him the 'Napoleon of India'. The same pillar carries edicts of Ashoka and an inscription of Jahangir. Rudradaman, the Saka ruler, issued the Junagadh (Girnar) inscription, the first long inscription in chaste Sanskrit; Banabhatta, Harsha's court poet, wrote Harshacharita and Kadambari.