This is a statement made by one of the best-known epigraphists of the twentieth century, D.C. Sircar: “There is no aspect of life, culture and activities of the Indians that is not reflected in inscriptions.” Discuss.
Inscriptions are a great source of information for understanding the different aspects of the life of the Mauryans. Some of the important uses of inscriptions are:
- They are historically important as they act as a source of information about the social and political situation in those times.
- They generally gave information about the achievements of the Kings as the inscriptions were generally written by men under the service of the Kings.
- The inscriptions also gave information about the religious donations made by the Kings and princes.
- Some of the earliest inscriptions were generally written in the Prakrit.
- Some of the inscriptions also mentioned the date of their commission. In other cases the actual dates of the inscriptions can be determined by several techniques.