The inscription of Hathigumpha is the source of information about which king?

1. A

   Kharvela

   (a) Kharvela. The Hathigumpha inscription in the Udayagiri caves near Bhubaneswar is a Prakrit record of Kalinga’s Chedi king Kharavela. It narrates his conquests, Jain leanings and public works. That stored name is the official key.

2. B

   Ashok

   (b) Ashok. Ashoka’s Kalinga story lives in his own edicts such as Dhauli and Jaugada, not in Hathigumpha. He is not the key.

3. C

   Harshavardhan

   (c) Harshavardhan. Harsha’s seventh-century career is known from Banskhera, Madhuban and Xuanzang, not Hathigumpha.

4. D

   Kanishka

   (d) Kanishka. Kanishka’s record is Rabatak, Sarnath and Mathura, a Kushan corpus far from Udayagiri-Khandagiri.

Summary. Official key is (a) Kharvela. Hathigumpha is Kharavela’s seventeen-line Prakrit inscription at Udayagiri. Ashoka, Harsha and Kanishka have other named epigraphs. Neighbouring sites are Khandagiri and the Chedi-Mahameghavahana line. Honour the stored Kalinga king.