Author - Biswarup Chatterjee.
Introduction
The study of ancient Indian history is founded upon a wide range of primary and secondary sources, among which inscriptions constitute one of the most authoritative and indispensable forms of historical evidence. Alongside literary texts, archaeological remains, coins, and the accounts of foreign travelers, inscriptions provide authentic contemporary records that enable historians to reconstruct the political, social, economic, religious, and cultural dimensions of ancient Indian civilization with a high degree of accuracy. Since most inscriptions were engraved at or near the time of the events they commemorate, they are generally regarded as more reliable than many literary traditions that were compiled or revised centuries later.