Sources of Indian History

Archaeological evidence for many crafts may not have survived. Many crafts persons and merchants formed associations known as shrenis. These shrenis of crafts persons provided training, procured raw material, and distributed the finished product. 

Archaeological
excavation of Mehrgarh has revealed that the earliest settlers were
involved in domestication of animals and agriculture. They mainly
cultivated barley and wheat. Many mud - brick structures, which are
compartmented, have been discovered at Mehrgarh. Most likely they were
granaries. During the early period these people used  stone
tools. Polished stone - axes, flint blades and pointers have been found
from this site.

• Manu Smriti is considered to be the oldest Smriti.
• It is variously dated to be from the 2nd century BCE to 3rd century CE.
• It presents itself as a discourse given by dharma topics such as duties, rights, laws, conduct, virtues and others

Ksemendra, an 11th-century Sanskrit poet from Kashmir in India was known for his satires exposing the evils of contemporary society.

• The Rajatarangini of Kalhana was composed in the twelfth century.
• It is a metrical legendary and historical chronicle of the north-western Indian subcontinent, particularly the kings of Kashmir.

• Kalpasutra was authored by Bhadrabahu.
• It is a Jain text containing the biographies of the Jain Tirthankaras, notably Parshvanatha and Mahavira.

Chachnamah, originally written in Persian, is one of the main historical sources for the history of Sindh in the seventh to eighth centuries CE.

Kalilah wa Dimna, a book containing a collection of fables is an Arabic version of the Panchtantra.

An artifact, or artifact, is something made or given shape by humans, such as a tool or a work of art, especially an object of archaeological interest. Artifacts are archaeological sources. The ornaments, tools, and pottery that were made in the past are found due to archaeological excavations and help to know about the past. Hence, Option A is correct. Among the rest, inscriptions are a historical, religious, or another record cut, impressed, painted, or written on stone, brick, metal, or another hard surface, like a pillar of stone. A coin is a small, flat round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. A monument is a type of—usually three-dimensional—structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical, political, technical or architectural importance, like the Taj Mahal. Hence, these are incorrect. 

Al-Beruni's Kitab-ul-Hind is a comprehensive study of Indian culture, society, and intellectual life. It is not a political history, and he was generally objective rather than critical of specific political figures like Ghaznavi in the context of his scholarly observations.

Literary sources are of two kinds.

There are two kinds of Literary sources. One is Written Literature and another is Oral
Literature. Written literature can be further classified into
native and foreign literature.

Fernao Nunes is also known as Fernao Nuniz. He was a Portuguese traveler, chronicler and horse trader who spent three years in Vijayanagara, capital of the Vijayanagara Empire in the time period 1535-1537.

Seleucus Nicator was defeated by Chandragupta Maurya. Megasthenes was his ambassador. After defeat of Seleucus
Nicator Megasthenes stayed back at Chandragupta
Maurya’s court. His book ‘Indica’ is an
important source for the study of India
during the Maurya period.

Stala-Puranas are texts or legends associated with specific sacred sites or temples in India, detailing their history and mythological significance.

Rajatarangini, historical chronicle of early India, written in Sanskrit verse by the Kashmiri Brahman Kalhana in 1148, that is justifiably considered to be the best and most authentic work of its kind. It covers the entire span of history in the Kashmir region from the earliest times to the date of its composition.

The following sources are included in the written source:-

Literary
sources are divided into three categories; religious, secular and
foreign accounts.Literary sources inform us about the political, social ,
economic , religious and cultural life of our ancestors. Most of the
ancient manuscripts are religious in nature. Besides the religious
literature there also exists a vast body of secular literature on the subject of mathematics, medicines and science. Many learned people were traveling around the world during the ancient and medieval period. These people were making account of what they saw in these foreign territories. For instance, Greek , Roman and Chinese travelers came to India and they left behind
accounts of things that they saw.

Tamra-patra were inscriptions on copper plates. They  play an important role in the reconstruction of the history of India. They usually record grants of land or lists of royal lineages carrying the royal seal.

Bhoj-Patra tree was a particular type of tree which was widely found in the Himalayas. The bark of this particular type of tree was used for writing in ancient India. 

The bark is distinguished by its white to brownish colour. This distinctive bark peels off in very thin, almost, in transparent strips.  

Thus, it is clear that Bhoj-Patras was the bark of a particular type of tree on which ancient books were written.

Thus, the correct answer is D.

Rajatarangini is a metrical legendary and historical chronicle of the north- western Indian subcontinent, particularly the kings of Kashmir. It was written in Sanskrit.by Kashmiri historian Kalhana in the 12th century CE.

Ordinary
people told stories, composed poems and songs, sang, danced, and
performed plays. Some of these are preserved in collection of stories as
the Jatakas and the Panchatantras, which were written down around this
time.

The
Vedic, Buddhist and Jain literature of ancient India was preserved by
oral tradition. It is now available in the written form. Even so, the
oral tradition is still alive.

Megasthanes, the ambassador of Seleucus at the Mauryan court in Pataliputra, wrote an account of the period in his book Indika which is now lost, but has been partially reconstructed from the writings of the later authors

The Indica was written by Megasthenes, an ancient Greek historian, diplomat and Indian ethnographer and explorer. He was an ambassador of Seleucus at the Mauryan court in Pataliputra.

The Hitopadesha composed by Pandit Narayana is a remarkable compilation of short stories. It is an Indian text in Sanskrit language consisting of fables with animal and human characters. It is a collection of tales that counsel and advice for the welfare and benefit of everyone.

Mehrgarh is a Neolithic site located near the Bolan Pass on the Kacchi Plain of Balochistan, Pakistan. Early evidence has been found suggesting that a Civilization existed in Mehrgarh as early as 7000 BCE which is 3500 years before the Indus Civilization.  Archaeological digs have unearthed some of the earliest evidence of farming and husbandry in that region.

Bakhar is a form of historical narrative written in Marathi prose. They are considered valuable resources for depicting the history of Maratha region. The most important Bhakar tells about deeds and valor of great Maratha ruler Shivaji. Although Bakhars are considered as assets that describe the Marathi history, they are also criticized for falsification, embellishment, and magnification of facts. Some common Bakhars are  Sabhasad bakhar, Mahikavatichi bakhar, Kalmi bakhar, Chitnis bakhar, Peshwayanchi bakhar etc.

Mehrgarh is a Neolithic site located near the Bolan Pass on the Kacchi Plain of Balochistan, Pakistan. Early evidence has been found suggesting that a Civilization existed in Mehrgarh as early as 7000 BCE which is 3500 years before the Indus Civilization.  Archaeological digs have unearthed some of the earliest evidence of farming and husbandry in that region.