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HISTORY OPTIONAL MAPS FOR HISTORY OPTIONAL

Famous Inscription Sites in India

by LotusArise July 4, 2025 0 Comments

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 Mehrauli Pillar Inscription
Mehrauli Iron Pillar was originally located on a hill near the
Beas River.

Erected by Chandragupta Vikramaditya originally at

Vishnupada 7Udayagiri),M.P. but was transported to Delhi
later.

Iron pillar reflects the high level of metallurgical skill as it is

rust free.

Iron pillar with an idol of Garuda at the top.

Dedicated to Vishnu in 3rd to 4th century CE by king

Chandra (probably Chandragupta IIB.

Mehrauli inscription suggests that Chandragupta fought

against a confederacy of enemies in Bengal and also led a
campaign into the Punjab.

Pillar had astrological significance during Gupta age.

Iron Pillar, which rises magnificently at a height of 24 feet, is

located within the Qutub Complex, which also houses the
famed Qutub Minar. It is located in the Qutb Complex, in
front of the Quwwatul Mosque.

It contains verses composed in the Sanskrit language, in

shardulvikridita metre.

Banskhera Inscription
In Shahjahanpur district, Uttar Pradesh.

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 An inscription dated AD 628 gives information:
Harsha had granted village to two brahmans.

Victory of Rajyavardhana over the Malwa king

Devagupta

Murder of Devagupta by Sasanka.

Banskhera copper plate gives the ancestry of Harsha and

bears the signature the great king of kings,
Harshavardhana, the famous king of the Harsha Dynasty.
Signature has the following meaning: “This is the
signature of me, the great king of kings, Shri Harsha”.

This inscription describes Harsha as the worshipper of

Shiva.

Allahabad Pillar Inscription (Prayag Prashasti)

In Allahabad, Uttarpradesh.

Pillar is an Ashoka Stambha.

Contains Ashokan inscription in Brahmi containing the same

six edicts that can be seen on the other pillars.

Also has later inscriptions of Samudragupta.

It is in Sanskrit, written in Gupta script (later version of
Brahmi) by the poet and minister, Harishena.

Praising Samudragupta and lists the political and

military achievements.

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 Also engraved on the stone are inscriptions by the Mughal
emperor, Jahangir.

Mentions the conquest of Samudragupta both in North &

South and described the boundaries of Gupta Empire and
his diplomatic relations.

The title of Kaviraja was mentioned, it thus testifies

Samudragupta as a patron of poetic art and a poet himself.

Bhitari Pillar Inscription

In Ghazipur district, Uttar Pradesh

Bhitari pillar inscription of Skandagupta.

Important in understanding the chronology of the
various Gupta rulers.

Mentions the conflict between Skandagupta and the

Pushyamitras as well as the Hunas.

Mandsaur Inscription
In the Malwa region, in Mandsaur district, Madhya Pradesh.

Mandasor Pillar Inscriptions of Yashodharman:

In Sanskrit from early 6th-century.

Record victory of Malwa king Yasodharman over the

Hun king Mihirakula.

Mandsaur Inscription of Kumar Gupta:

Dated to 5th century.

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 Records that many silk weavers migrated from Lata
7Gujarat) to Dasapura.

Some adopted other occupations while those who

adhered to their original craft organised themselves
into a guild.

Guild of silk weavers built a sun temple in 437 AD.

Eran Inscription
Sagar district, M.P. on the bank of Bina river.

Gupta inscriptions:
Epigraphic inscription of Samudra Gupta which
mentions that a part of western Malwa was annexed by
Chandra Gupta.

Inscription at Eran dated 510 AD gives the first

concrete evidence of Sati.

Vishnu shrines of Gupta period found (famous varah

temple).

Early phase: Malwa culture, Later: BRW and iron.

Mud fortification wall and a moat found.

Famous for collossal bear, the zoomorphic incarnation of

Vishnu.

Punchmarked coins and coin of Ramagupta found.

Punch marked coins and coins of Ramagupta, the Nagas

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 have been found.

A seal bearing the figure of Gaja Lakshmi of Gupta period

is an interesting find.

Besnagar Incription (Vidisha/ Bhilsa)

Vidisha is an ancient city, situated near Bhopal
Madhyapradesh.

The city, originally called Besnagar and Bhilsa, was renamed

Vidisha in 1956.

Besnagar figures significantly in Buddhist, Jain and

Brahmanical literature.

Heliodorus pillar/ Besnagar pillar/ Garuda pillar:

Monolithic free standing stone column.

Erected around 113 BCE by Heliodorus, a Greek

ambassador of the Indo-Greek king to the court of the
Shunga king.

Surmounted by a sculpture of Garuda.

Inscription states that it was raised in honour of god

Vasudeva by Heliodorous.

The Udayagiri Caves are situated nearby, just south of

Vidisha, is the ancient Buddhist complex of Sanchi.

Remains of large temple of the late Paramara period known

as Bijamamandal found here.

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 Junagarh Inscription
Junagarh district, Gujarat. Located at the foot of Girnar
hills.

Major rock edicts of Ashoka on black granite in Brahmi

script.

On the same rock there are inscriptions in Sanskrit added

around 150 CE by Rudradaman I, the Saka ruler of Malwa, a
member of the Western Kshatrapas dynasty:
earliest Sanskrit inscription mentions renovation of
Sudarshana Lake which was originally built by
Pusyagupta the provincial governor of Chandragupta.

Another inscription dates from about 450 CE and refers to

Skandagupta.

Many Jain and Hindu temples are located in Girnar.

Nasik Inscription
In Nasik, Maharashtra.

Has Chalcolithic and Neolithic cultures.

Mentions the achievement of Gautamiputra Satkarni.

Composed by his mother Gautami Balasri.

Mentions the boundaries of his kingdom and his victory

over Saka King Nahapana and thus restoring the prestige
of Satavahanas.

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 Presence of NBPW.

Located on the ancient trade route connecting the ports

of western India and north and south Indian cities.

Important settlement in the Saka-Satavahana period during

200 BC c 200 AD.

Buddhist rock cut caves which follow a wooden style of

construction.
Chaitya halls and viharas of Hinayana Buddhism.

The façade of Chaityagriha is richly carved.

The reliefs of Buddha and Bodhisattvas, female deities,

etc found.

Patronized by local kings, merchants, artisans and

kings of the Satavahanas.

Nanaghat Inscription
Nanaghat is a mountain pass in the Western Ghats,
Maharashtra.

Part of an ancient trading route, and famous for a major

cave with Sanskrit inscriptions in Brahmi script.

Mentions Satakarni-I as ‘Dhakhinapatha-pathi’thus

implying control over Deccan.

Nanaghat inscriptions:
Gives information about the Satavahana empire.

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 Attributed to a queen of the Satavahana dynasty,
Naganika, wife of king Satakarni.

Suggest that she the queen mother, who sponsored

this cave after the death of her husband.

Notable for linking the Vedic and Vaishnavism deities.

The mention of Samkarsan a fBalarama) and Vasudeva

fKrishna) indicate the prevalence of Bhagavata tradition
in the Satavahana dynasty.

Hathigumpha Inscription (Elephant Cave

inscription)
From Udayagiri, near Bhubaneswar in Odisha.

Inscription:
Inscribed by Jain king Kharavela of the Kalinga
kingdom during 2nd century BCE.

Faces towards the Rock Edicts of Ashoka at Dhauli,

situated nearby.

Consists of seventeen lines in Prakrit incised in a

Brahmi script on a natural cavern Hathigumpha of
Udayagiri hill.

Talks about:
military conquests of Kharvela,

his orientation towards Janism,

his construction works,

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 his liberal religious spirit,

his favors to art like music and dance etc.

his retrieving an image of a jina.

Mentions the military expeditions carried by Kharavela and

also shows his Jaina belief as the inscription starts with
Jain Namokar Mantra.

Aihole Inscription
In Bijapur district, Karnataka.

It is east of Pattadakal, while Badami is to the west of both.

First capital of western Chalukyas (later moved to Badami).

Chalukyan architecture, with many stone temples dating

from 5th century CE.
Earliest structural temples.

Among the seventy temples found at Aihole, four are

important.
Ladh Khan temple is flat-roofed structure
consisting of a pillared hall.

Durga temple resembles a Buddha Chaitya.

Huchimalligudi temple.

The Jain temple at Meguti.

Caves:

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 Ravana Phadi cave- rocks cut temples.

Jain cave temple

A Buddhist Chaitya Cave- partly rockcut structure.

Aihole inscription:
Aihole Prasasti in Meguti Temple

Composed by Ravikirti, the court poet of Pulakesin

Satyasraya 7Pulakeshin IIa of the Badami
Chalukya dynasty in 634 A.D.

In Sanskrit language and old Karnataka script

Detailed account of Pulakesin II’s exploit against his

neighbouring kingdoms like the Pallavas.

Describes the victory of Pulakesin II against

Harshavardhana.

Kudumiyanmalai Inscription
Pudukottai district, Tamil Nadu.

The Pallava inscription at Kudumiyan Malai refers to a great

musician Rudracharya.

Inscription written on rocks of cave temple.

Is a celebrated musical inscription as it gives the musical

notes in seven classical ragas.

7th century, most probably by Mahendra Pallava.

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 Uttaramerur Inscription
In Kanchipuram district, Tamilnadu.

Originally existed as a Brahmin settlement. Pallava king

Nandivarman II f720c796 CEB established it as a
brahamdeya village.

The famous inscription from Parantaka I’s reign is found on

the walls of the Vaikunda Perumal Temple.

Inscription on granite stones of the temple dedicated to

Shiva (during rule of Parantaka Chola) throw light on the
functioning of Chola’s village administration particularly
Sabha, the assembly of Brahmin village and shows
autonomy enjoyed by villages during Cholas.

It also mentions the qualifications, mode of election,

disqualification criteria and constitution of committee for
local governance.

Required qualifications:
It includes ownership of a certain amount of land,
having a house, being between the age of 35 and 70
and “knowing mantras and Brahmanas” (from the
Vedic corpus).

An exception can be made on land ownership if the

person has learnt at least “one Veda and
four Bhashyas”. One must also be “well-versed in
business” and “virtuous”.

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 Selection procedure for the Sabha
It says there were 30 wards. Everyone living in these
30 wards would assemble and select one
representative for the village assembly.

All those eligible and willing would write their names on

palm leaf tickets following which, the representative
would be chosen based on an elaborate draw of lots,
conducted by priests in the inner hall of the building
where the assembly meets.

Disqualification: The inscription then lists several

factors which disqualify someone and their family like:
Not having submitted accounts while previously
serving on a committee.

Committing any of the first four of the five ‘great

sins’ (killing a Brahman, drinking alcohol, theft and
adultery)

Being associated with outcastes, and eating

‘forbidden’ dishes.

Lumbini Pillar Inscription

also called the Paderia inscription

Situated in Nepal

ancient Brahmi script

Is a royal commemorative inscription recording Ashoka’s

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