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?

1. A

   1 and 2 only

   1 and 2 only. This option is incorrect because statement 3 is also correct; Sanskrit inscriptions in South-east Asia exhibit place-values from the seventh century onwards.

2. B

   1 and 3 only

   1 and 3 only. This option is incorrect because statement 2 is also correct; by the ninth century, the place-value system became standard in inscriptions across India.

3. C

   2 and 3 only

   2 and 3 only. This option is incorrect because statement 1 is also correct; the Mankani copper-plate inscription from Gujarat (AD 595-596) contains one of the earliest epigraphic uses of the place-value system in India.

4. D

   1, 2 and 3

   1, 2 and 3. This option is correct because all three statements accurately reflect the historical and epigraphic evidence regarding the development and spread of the Indian place-value numeration system.

Summary. Official key is (d). All three statements are correct as the Mankani plates (AD 595-596), the ninth-century spread across India, and seventh-century Sanskrit inscriptions in South-east Asia collectively document the historical evolution and geographical diffusion of the Indian place-value system.