217 lines
11 KiB
Markdown
217 lines
11 KiB
Markdown
<!-- factbase:06d51f -->
|
||
# Ashoka
|
||
|
||
## Overview
|
||
Ashoka (~304–232 BCE), also known as Ashoka the Great, was the third Maurya emperor who, after the bloody conquest of Kalinga, converted to Buddhism and promoted non-violence through rock and pillar edicts across the Indian subcontinent. His name means "without sorrow" in Sanskrit. In his edicts he styled himself *Devanampiya Piyadassi* ("Beloved of the Gods, gracious of mien"). @t[304 BCE..232 BCE] [^3]
|
||
|
||
## Key Facts
|
||
- Born: ~304 BCE, Pataliputra @t[~304 BCE]
|
||
- Died: ~232 BCE @t[~232 BCE]
|
||
- Reign: ~268–232 BCE @t[268 BCE..232 BCE]
|
||
- Dynasty: Maurya
|
||
- Religion: Buddhism (after Kalinga War)
|
||
- Father: Bindusara (r. ~297–273 BCE)
|
||
- Grandfather: Chandragupta Maurya (founder of the empire)
|
||
|
||
## Family & Early Career
|
||
- Mother variously named Subhadrangi or Dharma in Buddhist sources [^3]
|
||
- First wife: Devi (also Vidisha-mahadevi), daughter of a merchant at Ujjain
|
||
- Children with Devi: son Mahinda and daughter Sanghamitra, both of whom led Buddhist missions to Sri Lanka [^3]
|
||
- Second queen: Karuvaki (also Kaurwaki); their son Tivala (also Tivara) is the only child of Ashoka mentioned by name in his own inscriptions — in the Queen's Edict [^4]
|
||
- Son Kunala (by another queen) was blinded by his stepmother Tishyaraksha and thus excluded from succession; his own son Samprati later ruled part of the empire [^4]
|
||
- As a young prince, suppressed a revolt at Taxila (~age 18), then served as viceroy at Ujjain [^3]
|
||
- Governed using the *Arthashastra* (political treatise attributed to Chanakya, Chandragupta's prime minister) as his administrative framework [^3]
|
||
|
||
## The Kalinga War
|
||
- Conquered Kalinga (~261 BCE), a kingdom on the east coast corresponding to modern Odisha and northern Andhra Pradesh, with devastating casualties (~100,000 killed, 150,000 deported per his own edicts) @t[~261 BCE]
|
||
- The carnage prompted his conversion to Buddhism [^1]
|
||
- His 13th Major Rock Edict records his remorse over the campaign
|
||
|
||
## Ashoka's Edicts
|
||
- 33 inscriptions total on pillars, boulders, and cave walls across the empire [^3]
|
||
- The edicts are the earliest written and datable texts from India [^4]
|
||
- Written in Prakrit, Greek, and Aramaic; two inscriptions were found at Kandahar (Chehel Zina, Afghanistan): the Kandahar Bilingual Rock Inscription (~260 BCE) in Greek and Aramaic (discovered 1957), and a separate Greek-only inscription (discovered 1963) @t[~260 BCE] [^2] [^5]
|
||
- Promoted *dhamma* (dharma): Non-violence, religious tolerance, welfare of subjects
|
||
- Established hospitals for humans and animals
|
||
- Sent Buddhist missionaries to Sri Lanka, Central Asia, and the Hellenistic world [^2]
|
||
- Ordered construction of stupas across the empire, including the famous stupa at Sanchi [^3]
|
||
- Undertook a pilgrimage to Buddhist sacred sites including Lumbini (birthplace of the Buddha), where he erected a pillar inscription (~249 BCE) exempting the village from taxes @t[~249 BCE] [^4]
|
||
|
||
## Empire Extent
|
||
- At its height stretched from modern-day Iran and Afghanistan in the west to Bangladesh in the east [^3]
|
||
- Capital at Pataliputra (modern Patna); provincial capitals at Taxila and Ujjain [^2]
|
||
|
||
## Legacy
|
||
- The Ashoka Chakra appears on India's national flag
|
||
- Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath is India's national emblem
|
||
- Rediscovered by James Prinsep (1799–1840 CE) who deciphered Brahmi script in 1837
|
||
- Ashoka was immediately succeeded by his grandson Dasharatha Maurya (~232–224 BCE), as his son Kunala had been blinded and was ineligible; the empire began fragmenting under Dasharatha and subsequent weaker rulers [^4]
|
||
- The last Maurya emperor, Brihadratha, was assassinated by his general Pushyamitra Shunga in 185 BCE, who founded the Shunga dynasty, ending Maurya rule [^4]
|
||
|
||
---
|
||
[^1]: Thapar, R. *Aśoka and the Decline of the Mauryas* (Oxford, 1961)
|
||
[^2]: Singh, U. *A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India* (2008)
|
||
[^3]: Mark, J. J. "Ashoka the Great." *World History Encyclopedia*, 24 Jun 2020. https://www.worldhistory.org/Ashoka_the_Great/
|
||
[^4]: "Ashoka." *Wikipedia*. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashoka; "Tivala." *Wikipedia*. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tivala; "Edicts of Ashoka." *Wikipedia*. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edicts_of_Ashoka; "Kunala." *Wikipedia*. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunala; "Dasharatha Maurya." *Wikipedia*. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dasharatha_Maurya
|
||
[^5]: Olivelle, P. *Ashoka: Portrait of a Philosopher King* (Yale University Press, 2024); "Kandahar Bilingual Rock Inscription." *Wikipedia*. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kandahar_Bilingual_Rock_Inscription
|
||
---
|
||
|
||
## Review Queue
|
||
|
||
<!-- factbase:review -->
|
||
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 11: "Dynasty: Maurya" - when was this true?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 12: "Religion: Buddhism (after Kalinga War)" - when was this true?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 13: "Father: Bindusara (r. ~297–273 BCE)" - when was this true?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 14: "Grandfather: Chandragupta Maurya (founder of the empire)" - when was this true?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 17: "Mother variously named Subhadrangi or Dharma in Buddhist sources [^3]" - when was this true?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 18: "First wife: Devi (also Vidisha-mahadevi), daughter of a merchant at Ujjain" - when was this true?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 19: "Children with Devi: son Mahinda and daughter Sanghamitra, both of whom led Bu..." - when was this true?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 20: "Second queen: Karuvaki (also Kaurwaki); their son Tivala (also Tivara) is the..." - when was this true?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 21: "Son Kunala (by another queen) was blinded by his stepmother Tishyaraksha and ..." - when was this true?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 22: "As a young prince, suppressed a revolt at Taxila (~age 18), then served as vi..." - when was this true?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 23: "Governed using the *Arthashastra* (political treatise attributed to Chanakya,..." - when was this true?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 27: "The carnage prompted his conversion to Buddhism [^1]" - when was this true?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 28: "His 13th Major Rock Edict records his remorse over the campaign" - when was this true?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 31: "33 inscriptions total on pillars, boulders, and cave walls across the empire ..." - when was this true?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 32: "The edicts are the earliest written and datable texts from India [^4]" - when was this true?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 34: "Promoted *dhamma* (dharma): Non-violence, religious tolerance, welfare of sub..." - when was this true?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 35: "Established hospitals for humans and animals" - when was this true?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 36: "Sent Buddhist missionaries to Sri Lanka, Central Asia, and the Hellenistic wo..." - when was this true?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 37: "Ordered construction of stupas across the empire, including the famous stupa ..." - when was this true?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 41: "At its height stretched from modern-day Iran and Afghanistan in the west to B..." - when was this true?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 42: "Capital at Pataliputra (modern Patna); provincial capitals at Taxila and Ujja..." - when was this true?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 45: "The Ashoka Chakra appears on India's national flag" - when was this true?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 46: "Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath is India's national emblem" - when was this true?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 47: "Rediscovered by James Prinsep (1799–1840 CE) who deciphered Brahmi script i..." - when was this true?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 48: "Ashoka was immediately succeeded by his grandson Dasharatha Maurya (~232–22..." - when was this true?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 49: "The last Maurya emperor, Brihadratha, was assassinated by his general Pushyam..." - when was this true?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 8: "Born: ~304 BCE, Pataliputra @t[~304 BCE]" - what is the source?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 9: "Died: ~232 BCE @t[~232 BCE]" - what is the source?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 10: "Reign: ~268–232 BCE @t[268 BCE..232 BCE]" - what is the source?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 11: "Dynasty: Maurya" - what is the source?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 12: "Religion: Buddhism (after Kalinga War)" - what is the source?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 13: "Father: Bindusara (r. ~297–273 BCE)" - what is the source?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 14: "Grandfather: Chandragupta Maurya (founder of the empire)" - what is the source?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 18: "First wife: Devi (also Vidisha-mahadevi), daughter of a merchant at Ujjain" - what is the source?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 26: "Conquered Kalinga (~261 BCE), a kingdom on the east coast corresponding to mo..." - what is the source?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 28: "His 13th Major Rock Edict records his remorse over the campaign" - what is the source?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 34: "Promoted *dhamma* (dharma): Non-violence, religious tolerance, welfare of sub..." - what is the source?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 35: "Established hospitals for humans and animals" - what is the source?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 45: "The Ashoka Chakra appears on India's national flag" - what is the source?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 46: "Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath is India's national emblem" - what is the source?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 47: "Rediscovered by James Prinsep (1799–1840 CE) who deciphered Brahmi script i..." - what is the source?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[stale]` Line 17: "Mother variously named Subhadrangi or Dharma in Buddhist sources [^3]" - Mark source from 2020 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[stale]` Line 19: "Children with Devi: son Mahinda and daughter Sanghamitra, both of whom led Bu..." - Mark source from 2020 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[stale]` Line 22: "As a young prince, suppressed a revolt at Taxila (~age 18), then served as vi..." - Mark source from 2020 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[stale]` Line 23: "Governed using the *Arthashastra* (political treatise attributed to Chanakya,..." - Mark source from 2020 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[stale]` Line 27: "The carnage prompted his conversion to Buddhism [^1]" - Thapar source from 1961 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[stale]` Line 31: "33 inscriptions total on pillars, boulders, and cave walls across the empire ..." - Mark source from 2020 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[stale]` Line 33: "Written in Prakrit, Greek, and Aramaic; two inscriptions were found at Kandah..." - Singh source from 2008 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[stale]` Line 36: "Sent Buddhist missionaries to Sri Lanka, Central Asia, and the Hellenistic wo..." - Singh source from 2008 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[stale]` Line 37: "Ordered construction of stupas across the empire, including the famous stupa ..." - Mark source from 2020 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[stale]` Line 41: "At its height stretched from modern-day Iran and Afghanistan in the west to B..." - Mark source from 2020 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
- [ ] `@q[stale]` Line 42: "Capital at Pataliputra (modern Patna); provincial capitals at Taxila and Ujja..." - Singh source from 2008 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
|
||
>
|