Who deciphered the Brahmi and Kharosthi scripts used in the earliest inscriptions and coins?

James Prinsep

The correct answer is Option (2) → James Prinsep

James Prinsep, an officer in the mint of the East India Company, deciphered Brahmi and Kharosthi, two scripts used in the earliest inscriptions and coins. He found that most of these mentioned a king referred to as Piyadassi – meaning “pleasant to behold”; there were a few inscriptions which also referred to the king as Asoka, one of the most famous rulers known from Buddhist texts.