Ashoka
| Ashoka अशोक | |
|---|---|
| Universal Ruler Beloved of the Gods Humane | |
Ashoka with his empress Tishyarakshita, at Kanaganahalli near Sannati, 1st–3rd century CE. | |
| Emperor of the Maurya Empire | |
| Reign | c. 268 – 232 BCE[1] |
| Coronation | c. 269 BCE[1] |
| Predecessor | Bindusara |
| Successor | Dasharatha Maurya |
| Crown Prince of Magadha | |
| Predecessor | Susima |
| Successor | Kunala |
| Viceroy of Avantirastra | |
| Born | c. 304 BCE Pataliputra, Magadha, Mauryan Empire (near present day Patna) |
| Died | 232 BCE Pataliputra, Magadha, Mauryan Empire |
| Spouse |
|
| Issue |
|
| Dynasty | Maurya |
| Father | Bindusara Maurya |
| Mother | Subhadrangi or Dharma[note 1] |
| Religion | Converted to Buddhism |
Ashoka was the greatest emperor of the Mauryan Empire [2][3] He ruled from 268-232 BC. His name means "Without Sorrow".[4] Ashoka is often cited as one of India's greatest emperors. After a number of military conquests, he fought a war with the kingdom of Kalinga in which there was said to be 200,000+ casualties. He conquered Kalinga (present-day Odisha) around 261 BCE. He created a vast empire with a highly centralized state. At its peak it included almost the entire Indian subcontinent.
Afterwards, shaken by his brutal victory, he decided to leave weapons and lead with peace, not war. To do this, he set up hospitals for animals and humans, created shaded and rested areas along roads for weary travellers to rest, and dug wells in villages. We know these things about his life through various inscriptions (writing) on rocks and pillars. Ashoka also convinced people to follow Dharma. He was a great patron of Buddhism and helped to spread it. The national emblem of India and the "Ashok Chakra" are created by Ashoka. It is in the flag to keep a remembrance of him.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Singh 2008, p. 331.
- ↑ Bang, Peter Fibiger; Bayly, C. A.; Scheidel, Walter, eds. (2021). The Oxford World History of Empire: Volume One: The Imperial Experience. Oxford University Press. pp. 467–468. ISBN 9780199772360.
[...] elevating one religion, in this case Buddhism, which encouraged nonviolence—especially against humans, but increasingly against all beings—most memorably proposed by Emperor Ashoka (r. 272-232 BCE). His ahimsa remains the real political wellspring of India's reluctance to take life and of India's vegetarianism, and thus may have been the single most influential ecological move ever made by an early empire.
- ↑ "Emperor Ashoka and Spread of Buddhism". Buddhist Potpourri. 6 October 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-17.
- ↑ Strong, John S. (1989). The Legend of King Aśoka: A Study and Translation of the Aśokāvadāna. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. p. 205. ISBN 978-81-208-0616-0.
Notes
- ↑ The North Indian tradition states, Subhadrangi as the name of Ashoka's mother, while the Sri Lankan tradition mention her name as Dharma.