The prashasti (inscription of praise) of Samudragupta, composed by his court poet, is inscribed on an Ashokan pillar at:

The prashasti of Samudragupta, known as the "Prayag Prashasti" or the "Allahabad Pillar Inscription", is inscribed on an Ashokan pillar now standing inside the Allahabad Fort, Prayagraj.

About the Allahabad Pillar Inscription:

• It was composed in Sanskrit by Samudragupta's court poet and minister.
• It is written in the Gupta Brahmi script.
• It is a mixture of poetry and prose (a "champu" style).
• It does not mention a date.
• It is the main source for Samudragupta's reign and conquests.
• It describes him as a great warrior, a poet ("Kaviraja"), a musician, and a generous and kind ruler.
• It describes him as equal to the gods, such as Varuna, Indra, Yama and Kubera.
• NCERT uses it as an example of a "prashasti", a special kind of inscription written in praise of a king, which became common from the Gupta period.

A pillar with three layers of history:

• The pillar was originally erected by Ashoka; it contains some of his pillar edicts, including the "Queen's Edict" and the "Schism Edict".
• Samudragupta's prashasti was added later, in the 4th century CE.
• In the 17th century, an inscription of the Mughal emperor Jahangir was added, recording his genealogy.
• The pillar was probably moved to Allahabad from Kaushambi, perhaps by Akbar or another ruler.

About prashastis:

• "Prashasti" means "in praise of".
• They were composed by court poets to glorify kings and their achievements.
• They are important sources of history, but historians read them carefully, as they may exaggerate.
• Other important prashastis include the Aihole inscription of Pulakeshin II (by Ravikirti) and the Gwalior prashasti of Mihira Bhoja.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Sarnath has an Ashokan pillar with the lion capital.
• ✗Mehrauli is in Delhi.
• ✗Eran has other Gupta inscriptions.