''Prashasti'' (

IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that emerged during ...

: Praśasti,

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...

for "praise") is an Indian genre of inscriptions composed by poets in praise of their rulers. Most date from the 6th century CE onwards. Written in the form of poetry or ornate prose, the ''prashastis'' stereotypically constructed a genealogy, the ruler's attributes, eulogize victories, piety and typically ended with one or more announcements of generous gifts and rewards he has given. They differ from the so-called "Cultic" genre of Indian inscriptions which praise a deity, religious founder (Buddha, Tirthankara, sub-tradition of Hinduism), guru, or sages then typically announces gifts or donations to a monastery, school, temple or a generous cause. In some epigraphic literature, a ''prashasti'' is considered synonymous with a ''kirti'' or ''purva'', and is related to the word ''kirtana'' which implies "songs and praises of" someone or a deity. The ''prashastis'' generally contained ornate titles, links to mythical legends or comparisons to deities, and often fabricated stories about wars, victories, loot and attributes.Sircar, D.C. (1996), Indian Epigraphy, Motilal Banarsidass, , pp. 24–28 For example, they would create genealogies of the rulers linked to solar or lunar dynasties, and in their praise allude to legendary heroes from Indian myths and legends such as those found in Epics and the Puranas. The earliest well known example of an extensive ''prashasti'' is the

Hathigumpha inscription The Hathigumpha Inscription is a seventeen line inscription in Prakrit language incised in Brahmi script in a cavern called Hathigumpha in Udayagiri hills, near Bhubaneswar in Odisha, India. Dated between 2nd-century BCE and 1st-century CE, it ...

of Kharavela inscribed in or about the 1st-century BCE in Prakrit language and Brahmi script. The earliest ''prashastic'' inscription in classical Sanskrit language is the

Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman The Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman, also known as the Girnar Rock inscription of Rudradaman, is a Sanskrit prose inscribed on a rock by the Western Satraps ruler Rudradaman I. It is located near Girnar hill near Junagadh, Gujarat, ...

(circa 150 CE), which became a prototype for Gupta era poetic prashastis in Sanskrit. According to Richard G. Salomon – a scholar of South Asian inscriptions, the inscription is the first extensive panegyric record in the poetic style. The style of

Rudradaman Rudradāman I (r. 130–150) was a Śaka ruler from the Western Kshatrapas dynasty. He was the grandson of the king Caṣṭana. Rudradāman I was instrumental in the decline of the Sātavāhana Empire. Rudradāman I took up the title of ''Ma ...

's inscription is seen in later ''prashasti'' inscriptions. The

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, na ...

'' meykeerthi'' inscriptions are similar to the ''prashastis'', but feature far more standardized formats.

Examples

* Nashik prashasti (2nd century CE),

Satavahana dynasty The Satavahanas (''Sādavāhana'' or ''Sātavāhana'', IAST: ), also referred to as the Andhras in the Puranas, were an ancient Indian dynasty based in the Deccan region. Most modern scholars believe that the Satavahana rule began in the la ...

* Prayaga prashasti (4th century CE),

Gupta Empire The Gupta Empire was an ancient Indian empire which existed from the early 4th century CE to late 6th century CE. At its zenith, from approximately 319 to 467 CE, it covered much of the Indian subcontinent. This period is considered as the Gold ...

: Lists the rulers against whom the Gupta king

Samudragupta Samudragupta (Gupta script: ''Sa-mu-dra-gu-pta'', (c. 335–375 CE) was the second emperor of the Gupta Empire of ancient India, and is regarded among the greatest rulers of the dynasty. As a son of the Gupta emperor Chandragupta I and the ...

fought. It also describes the policy that he followed toward each set of rulers. * Velvikudi inscription (c. 8th century CE), Pandya dynasty * Deopara Prashasti (12th century CE),

Sena dynasty The Sena dynasty was a Hindu dynasty during the early medieval period on the Indian subcontinent, that ruled from Bengal through the 11th and 12th centuries. The empire at its peak covered much of the north-eastern region of the Indian subcont ...

Raj Prashasti Raj Prashasti (IAST: Rāja Praśasti; Sanskrit: राज प्रशस्ति) is a Sanskrit text and inscription commemorating the construction of the Rajsamand Lake in 1676 by Maharana Raj Singh. The text of the prashasti was authored b ...

(17th century CE),

Mewar dynasty Kingdom of Mewar, sometimes known as Udaipur State, was ruled by the Sisodia dynasty. It was an independent kingdom in Rajputana region of India. It was established around the 7th century as minor rulers of the Nagada-Ahar region of Udaipur a ...

References

Sources

* {{Cite book , last=Salomon , first=Richard , title=Indian Epigraphy: A Guide to the Study of Inscriptions in Sanskrit, Prakrit, and the Other Indo-Aryan Languages , publisher=Oxford University Press , place=Oxford , year=1998 , isbn=0-19-509984-2 Indian inscriptions