According to a Buddhist text, who distributed portions of the Buddha's relics to every important town and ordered the construction of stupas over them?

Asoka

The correct answer is Option (2) → Asoka

The tradition of erecting stupas may have been pre-Buddhist, but they came to be associated with Buddhism. Since they contained relics regarded as sacred, the entire stupa came to be venerated as an emblem of both the Buddha and Buddhism. According to a Buddhist text known as the Ashokavadana, Asoka distributed portions of the Buddha’s relics to every important town and ordered the construction of stupas over them.