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Harisena was the court poet and minister of:
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Answer: Option B — Samudragupta
Detailed Solution
Harisena was the court poet (sandhivigrahika, minister of peace and war) of the Gupta emperor Samudragupta (ruled about 335-375 CE). He is famous for composing the Prayag Prashasti, an inscription praising Samudragupta's achievements.
The Prayag Prashasti is engraved on the Allahabad Pillar, an Ashokan pillar now in the Allahabad (Prayagraj) Fort. The same pillar also carries Ashoka's edicts and a later inscription of the Mughal emperor Jahangir. The Prashasti is written in elegant Sanskrit, in a mix of prose and verse (champu style), and is the main source of information about Samudragupta's reign. ("Prashasti" means "in praise of".)
According to the Prayag Prashasti, Samudragupta:
Defeated and uprooted nine kings of Aryavarta (North India) and annexed their territories.
Led a southern campaign (Dakshinapatha) against twelve kings, such as Vishnugopa of Kanchi. He defeated them but returned their kingdoms to them in return for their acceptance of his overlordship.
Made forest kings (atavika rajyas) his servants.
Received tribute from frontier kingdoms, such as Samatata, Kamarupa and Nepal, and from tribal republics, such as the Malavas and Yaudheyas.
Received homage from distant rulers, such as the Shakas and the Kushanas, and the king of Sri Lanka, Meghavarman, who sought permission to build a monastery at Bodh Gaya.
Because of his many conquests, the British historian Vincent Smith called Samudragupta the "Napoleon of India". He also performed the Ashvamedha sacrifice. He was a patron of learning and a skilled musician; his gold coins show him playing the veena. He had the title "Kaviraja" (king of poets).
Samudragupta was the son of Chandragupta I, the founder of the Gupta era (319-320 CE), and Kumaradevi, a Lichchhavi princess.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Chandragupta I founded the Gupta era and married the Lichchhavi princess Kumaradevi.
- ✗Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya) had Kalidasa among his court poets.
- ✗Skandagupta defeated the Hunas; his Junagadh inscription mentions repairs to the Sudarshana lake.
Quick tip
Remember: Harisena = Prayag Prashasti (Allahabad Pillar) praising Samudragupta, the "Napoleon of India" (Vincent Smith), who played the veena on his coins.
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Post-Mauryan & Gupta Age — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Post-Mauryan & Gupta Age, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the period after the Mauryas: the Shungas, Satavahanas, Indo-Greeks, Shakas and Kushanas, followed by the Gupta Empire, often called the classical age of India, and the reign of Harshavardhana. It includes art, literature, science and administration in these periods. Exams test the rulers and their achievements (Kanishka and the fourth Buddhist council, Samudragupta's Allahabad Pillar inscription, Chandragupta II and Fa-Hien), the Gandhara and Mathura schools of art, and Gupta scholars such as Kalidasa, Aryabhata and Varahamihira. Harsha's reign is usually tested with Hiuen Tsang and Nalanda University. Practise the post-Mauryan and Gupta age questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.