UPSC Prelims 2026 · Question 17 of 96
UPSC Prelims 2026 question on Place Value System Epigraphic
- ExamUPSC CSE
- Year2026
- PaperGeneral Studies Paper I
- SubjectAncient History
- TopicAncient Art, Literature and Culture
- DifficultyHard
- TypeStatement
Consider the following statements relating to the use of the place-value system in India:
1. The earliest epigraphic use of the place-value system in India is found in the Mankani plates from Gujarat (AD 595-596).
2. In the ninth century, place-values become general in inscriptions all over India.
3. The place-values have been found in Sanskrit inscriptions in South-east Asia as early as the seventh century.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Show answer
Answer: D. 1, 2 and 3
Verdict
All three statements are correct, so the answer is Option (d).
Statement by statement
Statement 1 is correct: The earliest known epigraphic evidence of the decimal place-value system in India is found in the Mankani (Sankheda) copper plates of Gujarat dated to 595-596 CE. These inscriptions represent one of the earliest recorded uses of positional numerals in the Indian subcontinent.
Statement 2 is correct: By the ninth century CE, the decimal place-value notation had become widely prevalent in inscriptions across India. Though certain traditional numeral forms continued in some regions, the positional numeral system had by then gained broad acceptance and regular usage.
Statement 3 is correct: Evidence of Indian place-value numerals has also been discovered in Sanskrit inscriptions of South-east Asia dating from as early as the seventh century CE. This demonstrates the transmission of Indian mathematical ideas and numeral systems through expanding cultural, religious and commercial interactions between India and South-east Asia.