Sohgaura copper plate
Also called: Sohgaura inscription · Topic: The Mauryan Empire · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 5 "The Rise of Empires"
Meaning
The Sohgaura copper plate is an inscription from the 4th-3rd century BCE. It was found at Sohgaura near Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. It is written in Prakrit in the Brahmi script. It is one of India's earliest known administrative records (written orders of a government). Scholars believe it was issued during Chandragupta Maurya's reign. It shows that the Mauryan state planned ahead to protect people from famine.
Example
The plate records that granaries (stores for grain) were set up as a precaution against famine. This fits the Mauryan idea, found in the Arthashastra, that the king's happiness lies in the welfare of his subjects.
Don't confuse with
- Mahasthan inscription: also about relief from state stores, but it is carved on limestone and comes from Bangladesh. The Sohgaura record is on copper and comes from Uttar Pradesh.
Related concepts
- Ashokan edicts
- Piyadassi
- Kandahar bilingual inscription
- Shahbazgarhi and Mansehra edicts
- Maski edict
- Girnar rock edict
- R. Shamasastry
- Mahasthan inscription