SSC
Who was the first scholar to decipher the Brahmi script of Ashoka's inscriptions (in 1837)?
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Answer: Option D ā James Prinsep
Detailed Solution
James Prinsep, an officer of the British East India Company and secretary of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, deciphered the Brahmi script of Ashoka's inscriptions in 1837.
How the script was deciphered:
- For centuries, no one in India could read the Brahmi script used in the inscriptions on Ashokan pillars and rocks.
- Prinsep studied many inscriptions, including short donative inscriptions on the Sanchi stupa, which often ended with the same word ("danam", meaning "gift").
- By comparing repeated patterns of letters, he identified the sounds of the letters.
- He was helped by earlier work on later scripts, and by Indian scholars.
- He also helped decipher the Kharosthi script, using bilingual (Greek and Kharosthi) coins of the Indo-Greek kings.
NCERT on the decipherment:
- NCERT describes how Prinsep's decipherment in 1837 gave a new direction to the study of early Indian political history.
- It showed that most inscriptions mentioned a king called "Piyadassi", meaning "pleasant to behold"; some inscriptions also called him Ashoka, one of the most famous rulers known from Buddhist texts.
About James Prinsep:
- He was born in 1799 and died in 1840.
- He came to India in 1819 and worked as an assay master (testing metals) at the Calcutta and Banaras mints.
- He was also an architect, scientist and illustrator.
- He was the secretary of the Asiatic Society of Bengal from 1832 to 1838.
- "Prinsep Ghat" in Kolkata was built in his memory in 1841.
Other scholars:
- Alexander Cunningham founded the Archaeological Survey of India and published a collection of Ashoka's inscriptions in 1877.
- William Jones founded the Asiatic Society in 1784.
- Max Muller was a scholar of Sanskrit and the Vedas.
Why not the other options?
- āCunningham, Jones and Max Muller contributed in other ways.
Quick tip
Remember: Brahmi deciphered by James Prinsep (1837; secretary of the Asiatic Society; used "danam" at Sanchi); Prinsep Ghat in Kolkata; Asiatic Society founded by William Jones (1784).
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Mahajanapadas & Mauryan Empire ā Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Mahajanapadas & Mauryan Empire, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the sixteen Mahajanapadas, the rise of Magadha under the Haryanka, Shishunaga and Nanda dynasties, Alexander's invasion, and the Mauryan Empire under Chandragupta Maurya, Bindusara and Ashoka, including Mauryan administration, Ashoka's dhamma and his edicts. Questions often ask about the capital of a Mahajanapada, the founder of a dynasty, or details of Ashoka's rule, such as the Kalinga war and his rock and pillar edicts. Key sources include Kautilya's Arthashastra and Megasthenes' Indica. James Prinsep first deciphered Ashoka's Brahmi inscriptions in 1837. Practise the Mahajanapadas and Mauryan Empire questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.