Analyze the features of the Mauryan Rock-Cut Architecture and Pillar Edicts: 1. Mauryan pillars were monoliths carved out of single pieces of sandstone, whereas Achaemenian pillars were constructed using separate stone pieces joined together. 2. The polishing technique on Mauryan pillars produced a characteristic mirror-like luster that endured for millennia. 3. All Mauryan rock-cut edicts across the subcontinent were written exclusively in Sanskrit using the Brahmi script. Which of the statements given above are correct?

💡 Solution & Explanation

Statements 1 and 2 are correct because Mauryan monolithic pillars carved from Chunar sandstone contrast structurally with assembled Persian Achaemenian columns, and their remarkable mirror polish is a hallmark of Mauryan craftsmanship. Statement 3 is incorrect because while most edicts used Prakrit in Brahmi script, inscriptions in the northwest used Kharosthi, and those in Kandahar used Greek and Aramaic rather than Sanskrit. Sanskrit inscriptions only became prominent epigraphic standards during the later Gupta period, such as in the Allahabad Pillar inscription of Samudragupta.