Correct answer: A. Kharavela
Explanation: The direct answer is A, Kharavela. The Hathigumpha inscription is found in the Udayagiri-Khandagiri cave complex near Bhubaneswar in Odisha. Step by step: identify Hathigumpha as an inscription in Odisha; identify its record as the achievements and activities of the ruler Kharavela; therefore A is correct. Option A works because Kharavela was a ruler of ancient Kalinga and the inscription is the principal source connected with him. Option B, Ashoka, is famous for the Mauryan Empire and Buddhist inscriptions, but Hathigumpha is not his inscription. Option C, Kanishka, was a Kushan ruler associated with north-western India and Buddhism, not this record. Option D, Samudragupta, was a Gupta ruler known especially from the Allahabad pillar inscription, not Hathigumpha. Memory cue: Hathigumpha means Odisha, Kalinga and Kharavela.