Decipherment of Ashoka's Edicts

James Prinsep, a British scholar and antiquarian, was the first to successfully decipher the edicts of Emperor Ashoka in the 1830s. He deciphered the Brahmi script used in Ashoka's inscriptions, which was a major breakthrough in understanding ancient Indian history and Buddhism. Georg Bühler was known for studying Sanskrit and Indian inscriptions but not as the first to decipher Ashoka's edicts. Max Müller was a comparative philologist, and William Jones was known for Sanskrit studies but not specifically for deciphering Ashoka's edicts. Prinsep's work was foundational in reconstructing Ashoka's reign and the spread of Buddhism.

Answer: (b).