Who renovated Sudarshan lake without using forced labour ?

The answer is D) Rudradaman-I, the Western Satrap ruler around 150 CE. The Junagadh rock inscription records that he repaired the Sudarshan lake near Girnar after storm damage, and he did it without forced labour (visti) or fresh taxes on the people. That inscription is also remembered as one of the earliest long Sanskrit inscriptions.

• A) Chandragupta Maurya: The lake was first built during his time, under his governor Pushyagupta, a Vaishya. Building it is not the same as renovating it without forced labour.
• B) Bindusara: He has no recorded link to the Sudarshan lake.
• C) Ashoka: He got canals and channels dug through the Yavana governor Tushaspa, which is a different project. Do not confuse his Girnar Rock Edict with the lake repair.

The core concept is ancient water management as a public works and governance question. For Mains, it links to how Indian rulers funded irrigation, and to the Sanskrit inscriptional record as a source for the history of governance.

Trap: Aspirants pick Chandragupta Maurya because the lake is so strongly tied to the Mauryan period. Check who did the renovation, not who first built the lake.