Who deciphered the Brahmi and Kharoshthi scripts?

[amp_mcq option1=”Priyadassi” option2=”Colin Mackenzie” option3=”Alexander Cunningham” option4=”James Prinsep” correct=”option4″]

This question was previously asked in

UPSC CDS-1 – 2018

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James Prinsep, a British antiquarian, orientalist, and editor of the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, was the first person to successfully decipher the ancient Indian scripts of Brahmi and Kharoshthi in the 1830s. This breakthrough was crucial for understanding the inscriptions of Emperor Ashoka and shedding light on early Indian history.

James Prinsep was instrumental in deciphering Brahmi and Kharoshthi scripts.

Priyadassi was one of the titles used by Ashoka in his inscriptions written in these scripts. Colin Mackenzie was a Surveyor General of India and antiquarian who collected manuscripts and artefacts, but did not decipher the scripts. Alexander Cunningham was a prominent archaeologist and founder of the Archaeological Survey of India, but the decipherment predates his main work in this area.

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