Correct Option
The correct option is Rudradaman.
Explanation
The Sudarshana Lake was a historic artificial reservoir located at Girnar (Junagadh) in Gujarat. Its history, including construction and repairs, is documented in the Junagadh Rock Inscription, covering the Mauryan, Post-Mauryan (Shaka), and Gupta periods.
Historical Analysis
- Original Construction: The lake was built by Pushyagupta, the governor of Chandragupta Maurya. Later, conduits were added by Tushaspha during the reign of Ashoka.
- Repair by Rudradaman I: In the mid-second century CE (c. 150 CE), a severe storm breached the dam. Rudradaman I, the most prominent Shaka (Western Kshatrapa) ruler, undertook the repair work.
- Significance of the Repair: The Junagadh inscription records that Rudradaman repaired the lake three times stronger than before using his private funds, without levying extra taxes or forced labor (vishti) on the people. This inscription is historically significant as the first long inscription composed in chaste Sanskrit.
- Later Repairs: The lake was repaired again during the Gupta period (reign of Skandagupta) by the administrator Chakrapalita.
Option Analysis
- Kanishka Kanishka: A Kushana ruler associated with the Fourth Buddhist Council and the patronage of Gandhara art. He is not linked to the Sudarshana Lake.
- Rudradaman Rudradaman: Correct. He was the Shaka ruler who repaired the lake in the 2nd century CE.
- Nahapana Nahapana: A Western Kshatrapa ruler known for his conflict with the Satavahana ruler Gautamiputra Satakarni, but not for the repair of this lake.
- Menander Menander: An Indo-Greek ruler (Milinda) known for his conversion to Buddhism and the text Milinda Panha.
Key Takeaway: The Sudarshana Lake was repaired by the Shaka ruler Rudradaman I in the 2nd century CE, as recorded in the Junagadh Rock Inscription, which is the earliest specimen of pure Sanskrit inscription.