Correct Option
The correct option is 1 only
Explanation
The decipherment of ancient Indian scripts was a pivotal moment in reconstructing early Indian history. James Prinsep, an official of the East India Company mint, played a crucial role in deciphering both Brahmi and Kharosthi scripts in the 1830s, which unlocked the edicts of Ashoka.
Statement-wise Analysis
- Statement 1 is Correct: The Brahmi script is the parent script for the majority of scripts used to write modern Indian languages. Scripts such as Devanagari, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam all trace their evolution back to Brahmi.
- Statement 2 is Incorrect: While James Prinsep did decipher Asokan Brahmi around 1837-1838, the method mentioned in the statement is incorrect.
- The comparison with Greek scripts on bilingual coins of Indo-Greek rulers was the method used to decipher Kharosthi, not Brahmi.
- To decipher Brahmi, Prinsep and other scholars studied inscriptions (such as those at Sanchi) and compared them with later scripts (like Gupta Brahmi), working backwards. The breakthrough came when Prinsep identified the recurring word danam (meaning "gift") in the votive inscriptions.
Key Takeaway
James Prinsep deciphered Kharosthi using Indo-Greek bilingual coins and Brahmi by analyzing recurring terms in inscriptions (like danam) and tracing the script backwards from later periods.