State PCS
Which inscription of the 5th century CE gives information about a guild of silk weavers who migrated from Lata (Gujarat) and built a temple of the Sun god?
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Answer: Option D — Mandsaur (Dashapura) inscription
Detailed Solution
The Mandsaur inscription (from ancient Dashapura, in the Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh) gives valuable information about a guild of silk weavers in the Gupta period.
About the inscription:
- It is dated in the Malava era, corresponding to 436-437 CE, with a later addition recording the repair of the temple in 473-474 CE.
- It belongs to the reign of the Gupta emperor Kumaragupta I, when the local governor was Bandhuvarman.
- It was composed in Sanskrit verse by the poet Vatsabhatti.
What it tells us:
- A guild (shreni) of silk weavers originally lived in Lata (southern Gujarat).
- Attracted by the good qualities of the king of Dashapura, the members of the guild migrated to Dashapura with their families.
- Some members continued as silk weavers, while others took up different occupations, such as archery, astrology, story-telling and religious life.
- The guild built a magnificent temple dedicated to the Sun god (Surya) in Dashapura.
- After some time, part of the temple fell into disrepair, and the guild repaired it.
- The inscription praises the beauty of silk cloth, saying that a woman, even if she is young and beautiful, does not go to meet her lover until she has put on a pair of silk garments.
NCERT on guilds:
- NCERT discusses this inscription to show how guilds (shrenis) of craftsmen worked in early India.
- It notes that guild members shared more than a common profession: they also made joint decisions, invested together, and supported religious institutions.
About guilds in ancient India:
- Guilds of merchants and craftsmen were important in the economy.
- They had their own rules, leaders and seals, and some even acted as banks, accepting deposits.
- Gupta-period seals of guilds have been found at Vaishali and Bhita.
About Dashapura:
- It is the modern town of Mandsaur in western Madhya Pradesh.
- It was later the site of the victory pillars of the Aulikara king Yashodharman (6th century CE).
Why not the other options?
- ✗The Junagadh inscription belongs to Rudradaman I and Skandagupta.
- ✗The Mehrauli iron pillar has an inscription of a king called "Chandra".
- ✗The Allahabad pillar has Samudragupta's inscription.
Quick tip
Remember: silk weavers' guild = Mandsaur (Dashapura) inscription (436-437 CE; Kumaragupta I and Bandhuvarman; composed by Vatsabhatti; Sun temple).
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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.