Which one of the following inscriptions refers to a confederacy of Tamil States?
- A.The Second Major Rock Edict of Ashoka
- B.Hathigumpha Inscription of Kharavela
- C.Allahabad Pillar Inscription of Samudragupta
- D.Junagadh Inscription of Rudradaman
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Hathigumpha Inscription of Kharavela. It records that Kharavela of Kalinga broke up a confederacy of Tamil states that had been a threat to his kingdom for 113 years.
The Hathigumpha (elephant cave) inscription is carved on the Udayagiri hill near Bhubaneswar in Odisha, in Prakrit and Brahmi script, and is usually dated to the first century BCE. Composed by or for Kharavela of the Mahameghavahana (Chedi) dynasty, a patron of Jainism, it gives a year-by-year account of his reign: his campaigns against the Satavahanas, Magadha and the Greeks, and in his eleventh year his victory over the Tramira (Tamil) confederacy in the south. It is the earliest inscription to mention such a league of Tamil kingdoms.
A is wrong: Ashoka's Second Major Rock Edict names the Cholas, Pandyas, Satiyaputras and Keralaputras as independent neighbours, not as a confederacy.
C is wrong: Harishena's Allahabad prashasti lists the southern kings Samudragupta defeated, not a Tamil league.
D is wrong: Rudradaman's Junagadh inscription is about repairs to the Sudarshana lake and his Sanskrit rule in western India.
Exam tip: Hathigumpha means Kharavela of Kalinga and the 113-year-old Tamil confederacy.
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