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Q39 (IAS/2016) History & Culture › Ancient India › Ashokan edicts and Dhamma Official Key

Who of the following had first deciphered the edicts of Emperor Ashoka?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: B
Explanation

James Prinsep, a British archeologist and historian, decoded the edicts of Emperor Ashoka in 1837.[1] It was only after decades of painstaking investigations by several epigraphists that James Prinsep was able to decipher Asokan Brahmi in 1838.[2] The reconstruction of the Mauryan period to a great extent became possible only after the Brahmi script of the inscriptions at Sanchi was deciphered by James Prinsep in 1837.[3]

Prinsep's achievement was remarkable because the Brahmi script used in Ashoka's inscriptions had been unknown for centuries. His decipherment opened up a wealth of historical information about the Mauryan Empire and Emperor Ashoka's reign, including his dhamma policy and administrative practices. The other scholars mentioned—Georg Bühler, Max Müller, and William Jones—made important contributions to Indology, but none was the first to decipher Ashoka's edicts. This breakthrough in 1837-38 marked a turning point in understanding ancient Indian history.

Sources
  1. [2] THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART I, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 2: Kings, Farmers and Towns > 7.1 Deciphering Brahmi > p. 46
  2. [3] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 4: Emergence of State and Empire > Sources > p. 47
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. Who of the following had first deciphered the edicts of Emperor Ashoka? [A] Georg Bühler [B] James Prinsep [C] Max Müller [D] William…
At a glance
Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 2.5/10 · 7.5/10
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This is a 'Sitter' category question derived directly from the first chapter of standard Ancient History textbooks (NCERT/TN Board). It tests the foundational milestone of Indian historiography. Missing this indicates a gap in reading the 'Introduction' or 'Sources' chapters of your history books.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Was Georg Bühler the first scholar to decipher the edicts of Emperor Ashoka?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"In 1837, British archeologist and historian James Prinsep decoded the edicts of emperor Ashoka."
Why this source?
  • Explicitly names James Prinsep as the person who decoded Ashoka's edicts in 1837.
  • By attributing the decoding to Prinsep, it refutes the claim that Georg Bühler was the first.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"James Prinsep... was the first to decipher edicts of Ashoka. He deciphered Brahmi script in 1838."
Why this source?
  • States James Prinsep 'was the first to decipher edicts of Ashoka.'
  • Specifies Prinsep deciphered the Brahmi script (year given as 1838), directly contradicting Georg Bühler being first.
Web source
Presence: 4/5
"The correct answer is Option (b): James Prinsep deciphered the edicts of Ashoka in 1837."
Why this source?
  • Identifies James Prinsep as the decipherer of Ashoka's edicts (1837) in a study/quiz context.
  • Reinforces the consensus that Prinsep — not Georg Bühler — was the first to decode the inscriptions.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 4: Emergence of State and Empire > Sources > p. 47
Strength: 5/5
“The most widely known are the edicts of Ashoka, which have been discovered in many parts of the country. In fact, the reconstruction of the Mauryan period to a great extent became possible only after the Brahmi script of the inscriptions at Sanchi was deciphered by James Prinsep in 1837. Let us now turn to two later sources. The first is the rock inscription of Junagadh, near Girnar in Gujarat. This was carved during the reign of Rudradaman, the local ruler and dates back to 130-150 CE. It refers to Pushyagupta, the provincial governor (rashtriya) of Emperor Chandragupta.”
Why relevant

Says reconstruction of the Mauryan period became possible only after the Brahmi script of the inscriptions at Sanchi was deciphered by James Prinsep in 1837.

How to extend

A student could check the chronological order of decipherment efforts (Prinsep 1837 vs Bühler) to see who worked first.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 4: Emergence of State and Empire > I. Choose the Correct Answer > p. 61
Strength: 5/5
“• 1. Brahmi script in Ashoka's pillar inscription was deciphered by __ • (a) Thomas Saunders• (b) James Prinsep• (c) Sir John Marshal• (d) William Jones• 2. The first known ruler of Magadha was of the Haryanka dynasty. • (a) Bimbisara (b) Ajatashatru• (c) Ashoka (d) Mahapadma Nanda • 3. A comprehensive historical chronicle in Pali from Sri Lanka serving as an important source for the Mauryan Period is ______. • (a) Mahavamsa (b) Deepavamsa • (c) Brahmanas (d) Mudrarakshasa • by Visakadatha describes 4. The play Chandragupta and his accession to the throne of the Magadha Empire. • (a) Mudrarakshasa (b) Rajatharangini • (c) Arthasastra (d) Indica • 5.”
Why relevant

A quiz-style snippet explicitly credits James Prinsep with deciphering the Brahmi script in Ashoka's pillar inscriptions.

How to extend

Use this attribution as a lead to compare Prinsep's published work and dates with any publications by Georg Bühler.

Exploring Society:India and Beyond ,Social Science-Class VII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 5: The Rise of Empires > THINK ABOUT IT > p. 105
Strength: 4/5
“Historians have sometimes called Aśhoka a 'great communicator' since he issued in many parts of his empire edicts engraved on rocks or pillars that contained his messages for the people and encouraged them to follow dharma. Most of these edicts were inscribed in Prakrit, which was the popular language in many parts of India and written in the Brahmi script (Brahmi is the mother of all regional scripts of India). We have referred to the Prakrit language written in Brahmi script. What does this mean? Very simply, a language is what we speak, while script is what we write a language in.”
Why relevant

Notes that most of Ashoka's edicts were inscribed in Prakrit and written in the Brahmi script, implying that deciphering Brahmi was the key step to reading the edicts.

How to extend

Knowing decipherment of Brahmi is pivotal, a student can investigate who first deciphered Brahmi and thus first made the edicts readable.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 4: Emergence of State and Empire > Edicts of Ashoka > p. 52
Strength: 3/5
“The edicts of Ashoka thus constitute the most concrete source of information about the Mauryan Empire. There are 33 edicts comprising 14 Major Rock Edicts, 2 known The Kalinga edicts, 7 Pillar Edicts, some Minor Rock Edits and a few Minor Pillar Inscriptions. The Major Rock Edicts extend from Kandahar in Afghanistan, Shahbazgarhi and Mansehra in north-west Pakistan to Uttarakhand district in the north, Gujarat and Maharashtra in the west, Odisha in the east and as far south as Karnataka and Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh, Minor Pillar Inscriptions have been found as far north as Nepal (near Lumbini). The geographical spread of the edicts essentially defines the extent of the vast empire over which Ashoka ruled.”
Why relevant

Describes the geographic spread and forms (rock/pillar) of Ashokan edicts, indicating multiple inscriptions existed requiring script-decipherment for decoding.

How to extend

A student could correlate the locations and publication times of early transcriptions/decipherments to identify who first presented readable texts (Prinsep or Bühler).

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