The correct answer is C — this is the incorrect statement.

Ashoka's inscriptions were NOT written only in Sanskrit. They were primarily in Prakrit using the Brahmi script, and also found in Greek and Aramaic in the northwestern parts of the empire.

A is correct: Founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 321 BCE with guidance from Chanakya, after overthrowing the Nanda Dynasty.

B is correct: Under Ashoka, the empire covered almost the entire Indian subcontinent from the Himalayas to near the southern tip.

D is correct: The empire had a well-organized central bureaucracy with provincial divisions, tax collection, and law enforcement systems.

The correct answer is A: 1-a, 2-b, 3-c, 4-d.

1–A: Ashoka is renowned for the conquest of Kalinga (c. 261 BCE), after which he embraced Buddhism and promoted Dhamma.

2–B: Akbar founded Din-i-Ilahi, a syncretic movement drawing from Hinduism, Islam, Zoroastrianism, and Christianity to foster unity.

3–C: Shivaji Bhonsle founded the Maratha Empire and challenged Mughal authority in the Deccan through guerrilla warfare.

4–D: Megasthenes visited Chandragupta Maurya's court at Pataliputra and recorded his observations in Indica.

The correct answer is D: All of the above.

Statement I is correct: James Prinsep deciphered Brahmi and Kharosthi scripts in the 1830s, enabling the reading of Ashokan edicts for the first time.

Statement II is correct: Megasthenes served as Greek ambassador at Chandragupta Maurya's court in Pataliputra; his account Indica is a key source for Mauryan history.

Statement III is correct: Chanakya (Kautilya), author of the Arthashastra, was both the teacher and Prime Minister of Chandragupta Maurya.

The correct answer is C: All (a), (b), (c), and (d) are correct.

1–A: Satavahanas ruled the Deccan plateau from c. 1st century BCE to 3rd century CE, bridging northern and southern India through trade.

2–B: Pratishthana (modern Paithan, Maharashtra) was the Satavahana capital and a key political and cultural center.

3–C: Significant Indo-Roman trade during the Satavahana period led to discovery of Roman gold coins at archaeological sites in southern India.

4–D: Megasthenes served as Greek ambassador to Chandragupta Maurya's court at Pataliputra; his observations recorded in Indica are a key source for Mauryan history.

The correct answer is A: a, c, b, d.

a) Maurya Dynasty (c. 322–185 BCE) — founded by Chandragupta Maurya; one of India's earliest major empires.

c) Kushana Empire (c. 1st–3rd centuries CE) — established by the Yuezhi tribes; significant for trade and spread of Buddhism.

b) Gupta Dynasty (c. 4th–6th centuries CE) — known as the Golden Age of India; achievements in arts, mathematics, and astronomy.

d) Delhi Sultanate (c. 1206–1526 CE) — established by Muslim rulers in northern India; marked the beginning of Islamic rule in the subcontinent.