Inscriptional Evidences Relating to the Development of Classical Sanskrit

Summary

This essay challenges the nineteenth‑century belief that the golden age of classical Sanskrit occurred in the sixth century CE under a legendary Vikramaditya. Surveying inscriptions from the Nasik Prakrit record (c. 150 CE), Rudradāman’s Junagadh inscription, various Gupta copper plates and the Aihole inscription of Pulakeśin II (634–35 CE), the author shows that Sanskrit prose and poetry flourished well before and after the supposed date. References to poets such as Kālidāsa and Bhāravi appear in early epigraphy, implying that these luminaries lived between the second and fifth centuries and were celebrated long before the sixth century. The paper argues that Sanskrit literary culture developed gradually through royal patronage across different regions rather than suddenly under one monarch. By analysing linguistic features, dating formulas and literary allusions in inscriptions, it reconstructs a more nuanced timeline for the emergence of classical style. The author concludes that the notion of a single ‘golden age’ centred on one ruler is untenable and that the evolution of Sanskrit was a cumulative pan‑Indian phenomenon.