Which of the following inscriptions gives the information about two Ashwamedha Yajnas performed by the King Pushyamitra Shunga?

The correct answer is C) Ayodhya inscription. This is the Dhanadeva inscription, a Brahmi record of roughly the 2nd century BCE found at Ayodhya. It describes its donor, Dhanadeva, as a descendant of a Kosala ruler and states that Pushyamitra Shunga performed two Ashvamedha sacrifices (dvir-ashvamedha-yajin). This is the key textual evidence for Pushyamitra's Ashvamedhas.

• Saranath inscription: Ashokan edicts and later records such as the Kanishka-period Buddha image inscription. They do not mention Pushyamitra's sacrifices.
• Besnagar inscription: The Heliodorus pillar from Vidisha. It records a Greek envoy's devotion to Vasudeva and names the Sunga king Bhagabhadra, not Pushyamitra.
• Hathigumpha inscription: The Kharavela inscription of Kalinga. It records his campaigns, including against Magadha and its ruler Brihaspatimitra, but says nothing about Ashvamedhas by Pushyamitra.

The core concept is epigraphic evidence for the Sunga revival of Brahmanical ritual after the Mauryas. The Ashvamedha was a claim to imperial sovereignty, which is a useful Mains angle on political legitimacy in post-Mauryan India.

Trap: Aspirants often pick Besnagar because it is linked to the Sungas. Check which Sunga king the inscription actually names.