The inscription of Hathigumpha is the source of information about which king?

The correct answer is A) Kharvela. The Hathigumpha (Udayagiri, near Bhubaneswar, Odisha) inscription is written in Prakrit and Brahmi script. It records the achievements of Kharavela, the Mahameghavahana king of Kalinga, including his campaigns against Magadha, his Rajasuya sacrifice, his public works and his patronage of Jainism. It was first read by James Prinsep in 1825, and it is one of the main sources for Kalinga's early history.

• B) Ashok: Ashoka's records are the Rock and Pillar Edicts. His Kalinga War is described in the 13th Rock Edict, not in Hathigumpha.
• C) Harshavardhan: His history comes from Banabhatta's Harshacharita and Xuanzang's travel accounts. He ruled in the 7th century CE, long after this inscription.
• D) Kanishka: Kushana sources include the Rabatak and Surkh Kotal inscriptions. Hathigumpha has no connection to the Kushanas.

The core concept is that inscriptions are primary sources for dynastic history. This is useful in Mains GS-I when you discuss how epigraphy complements literary sources in reconstructing ancient India.

Trap: Because Ashoka's Kalinga War is famous, many aspirants pick B. Remember that the Kalinga conquest belongs to Ashoka, but the Hathigumpha inscription belongs to a later Kalinga ruler.