The Mauryan empire

Answer: (c) Sohgaura

Sohgaura, in Uttar Pradesh, is known for a copper-plate inscription of the 4th–3rd century BCE in Brahmi, a Mauryan-age record far later than the Harappan cities. Chanhudaro, Kot Diji and Desalpur (Kutch) are Harappan settlements.

• ✓ (c) Sohgaura's fame is its copper-plate inscription (4th–3rd century BCE, Prakrit in Brahmi) about storing grain against famine, an early administrative record, not a Harappan settlement.
• ✗ (a) Chanhudaro is marked among the important Mature Harappan sites; it was a small settlement almost wholly given to crafts such as bead-making and shell-cutting.
• ✗ (b) Kot Diji is shown among Mature Harappan sites, and NCERT's map of Early Harappan occupation also names a Kot Diji culture area.

Remember · Sohgaura (Uttar Pradesh) = Mauryan-age copper-plate inscription on famine relief granaries; not Harappan. Chanhudaro, Kot Diji, Desalpur = Harappan sites.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 7 Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 1), Ch 5 (practise this chapter) · Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part I, Ch 1 (practise this chapter) · Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part I, Ch 1 (practise this chapter)

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2019, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error

Answer: (a) Kanganahalli

The ruined stupa at Kanaganahalli, part of the Sannati complex on the Bhima in Kalaburagi (Gulbarga) district of Karnataka, yielded a relief of Ashoka with his queens that carries an inscription naming him, 'Ranyo Ashoka' (King Ashoka). That is the site the question describes.

• ✓ (a) The Sannati–Kanaganahalli stupa in Gulbarga district, the largest stupa site excavated in Karnataka, was decorated with sculptural reliefs; one panel shows Ashoka with his queens together with an inscription mentioning him.
• ✗ (c) Shahbazgarhi (in present-day Pakistan) has one of Ashoka's Major Rock Edicts, a text carved on rock with no portrait of the king.
• ✗ (d) Sohgaura in Uttar Pradesh is known for a copper-plate inscription of the 4th–3rd century BCE, not a relief sculpture.

Remember · Kanaganahalli (Sannati, Kalaburagi, Karnataka): relief of Ashoka with his queens, with the inscription 'Ranyo Ashoka'. Shahbazgarhi and Mansehra: sites of Ashoka's Major Rock Edicts.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 An Introduction to Indian Art, Part I, Ch 4 (practise this chapter) · Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part I, Ch 2 (practise this chapter)

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2019, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error