Question

Literary sources from the Mauryan period include Indica and ________.
1. Rock Inscriptions
2. Arthshastra
3. Coins
4. Pillar inscription

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 2 : Arthshastra

The correct answer is Arthshastra.

• There are two types of sources of Mauryan History i.e Literary and another one is Archaeological.
• The literary sources comprised Kautilya’s Arthasastra, Visakha Datta’s Mudra Rakshasa, Megasthenese’s Indica, Buddhist literature, and Puranas.
• Arthasastra-
  • It is a book written by Kautilya on polity and governance.
  • He was the Prime Minister of Chandragupta Maurya, founder of the Mauryan dynasty.
  • It tells the economic and political conditions of the Mauryan period. 
• Indica-
  • Indica is an account of Mauryan India by Megasthenese who was the ambassador of Seleucus Nikator in the court of Chandragupta Maurya.
  • It illustrates the administration in the Mauryan Empire, the seven-caste system, and the absence of slavery in India.