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?

Option (D) — 1, 2 and 3

• The place-value (decimal) system is one of India's most significant contributions to mathematics and was gradually adopted in epigraphy.
• The Mankani (or Sankheda) copper plates from Gujarat, dated to AD 595-596, are widely recognized as the earliest epigraphic evidence of the place-value system in India.
• By the ninth century, the place-value notation became widespread in inscriptions across India, replacing older systems.
• In Southeast Asia, Sanskrit inscriptions from as early as the seventh century show the use of the Indian place-value system, reflecting the spread of Indian mathematical knowledge.

• 1. The earliest epigraphic use of the place-value system in India is found in the Mankani plates from Gujarat (AD 595-596): Correct. These copper plates are the earliest confirmed epigraphic use of the decimal place-value system in India.
• 2. In the ninth century, place-values become general in inscriptions all over India: Correct. The ninth century marks the period when the place-value system became common in Indian inscriptions.
• 3. The place-values have been found in Sanskrit inscriptions in South-east Asia as early as the seventh century: Correct. Indian mathematical notation, including the place-value system, spread to Southeast Asia and is attested in seventh-century Sanskrit inscriptions there.