The Allahabad pillar is a Stambha, containing one of the Pillars edicts of Ashoka, possibly erected by Ashoka, Emperor of the Maurya dynasty, who reigned in the 3rd century BCE or it may have prior origins. While it is one of the few extant pillars that carry Ashokan edicts, it is particularly notable for containing later inscriptions attributed to the Gupta emperor Samudragupta (4th century CE). Also engraved on the stone are inscriptions by the Mughal emperor Jahangir, from the 17th century.