Megasthenes is the one who said that Indians do not know the art of writing.

Megasthenes was a Greek historian and ambassador to the Mauryan Empire during the reign of Chandragupta Maurya. He wrote a book called Indika, which is one of the earliest accounts of ancient India. In this book, Megasthenes made several observations about Indian culture, society, and governance.

One of the observations made by Megasthenes was about the absence of a writing system in India. He mentioned that the Indians did not have a script and relied solely on memory and oral tradition for the transmission of knowledge. According to him, there were no written laws, administrative records, or historical accounts in India.

Explanation of the answer:

Heading: Megasthenes' observations on Indian writing system

- Megasthenes, a Greek historian and ambassador to the Mauryan Empire, wrote a book called Indika.
- In his book, Megasthenes made several observations about Indian culture, society, and governance.
- One of his observations was about the absence of a writing system in India.
- According to Megasthenes, the Indians did not have a script and relied on memory and oral tradition for the transmission of knowledge.
- He mentioned that there were no written laws, administrative records, or historical accounts in India.

Heading: Megasthenes' perspective on Indian civilization

- Megasthenes' observations were based on his interactions and experiences during his time in India.
- It is important to note that his perspective was influenced by his own cultural background and biases.
- As a Greek historian, he was accustomed to a society that heavily relied on writing and documentation.
- Therefore, his observation about the absence of a writing system in India may not have been entirely accurate.

Heading: Criticism of Megasthenes' observation

- Megasthenes' claim about the absence of a writing system in India has been criticized by many scholars and historians.
- The existence of ancient Indian scripts such as Brahmi and Kharosthi, as well as numerous inscriptions and manuscripts, provide evidence of a rich tradition of writing in India.
- The Indus Valley Civilization, which predates Megasthenes' visit to India, also had a script that has not been fully deciphered yet.
- Therefore, it can be argued that Megasthenes' observation was limited in its scope and did not accurately represent the reality of Indian civilization.

In conclusion, Megasthenes, a Greek historian, claimed that Indians did not know the art of writing. However, his observation has been criticized by scholars, and evidence of ancient Indian scripts and inscriptions suggests a rich tradition of writing in India.