Question

Who is the individual known for deciphering Asokan Brahmi in 1838?

• A. Indian pandits
• B. Alexander Cunningham
• C. James Prinsep
• D. None of the above

Hint:

To remember this, think: "Prinsep brought the \textbf{Prince} (Ashoka) back to history." Without Prinsep's linguistic breakthrough in 1838, we might still be wondering who the mysterious 'Piyadassi' of the stone pillars was!

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Concept: The decipherment of the Brahmi and Kharosthi scripts was a watershed moment in Indian historiography. These scripts were used in the earliest inscriptions of ancient India, particularly those of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka. Before their decipherment, much of India's early political history remained unknown or misunderstood.
Step 1:The role of James Prinsep.
James Prinsep was an officer in the mint of the East India Company and the founding editor of the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. In 1837–1838, he successfully deciphered the Brahmi script, which was used in the majority of the Edicts of Ashoka. He also deciphered the Kharosthi script used in the northwestern parts of the subcontinent.
Step 2:The breakthrough in identifying Ashoka.
While deciphering the inscriptions, Prinsep found that most of them referred to a king called \textit{Piyadassi} (meaning "pleasant to behold"). It was only later, by cross-referencing these findings with Buddhist chronicles like the \textit{Mahavamsa} and \textit{Dipavamsa} from Sri Lanka, that scholars were able to link the name \textit{Piyadassi} to the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka. This discovery completely transformed the understanding of ancient Indian history, shifting the focus to a ruler who promoted non-violence and Dhamma.
Step 3:Differentiating from other options.

• Indian pandits were consulted by early European scholars like William Jones, but they were unable to read the ancient Ashokan Brahmi as the script had evolved significantly over 2,000 years into modern regional scripts.
• Alexander Cunningham is known as the "Father of Indian Archaeology" and was the first Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). While he did extensive work on Ashokan sites, he was not the one who first deciphered the script.