48 lines
2.8 KiB
Markdown
48 lines
2.8 KiB
Markdown
<!-- factbase:06d51f -->
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# Ashoka
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## Overview
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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]
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## Key Facts
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- Born: ~304 BCE, Pataliputra @t[~304 BCE]
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- Died: ~232 BCE @t[~232 BCE]
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- Reign: ~268–232 BCE @t[268 BCE..232 BCE]
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- Dynasty: Maurya
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- Religion: Buddhism (after Kalinga War)
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- Father: Bindusara (r. ~297–273 BCE)
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- Grandfather: Chandragupta Maurya (founder of the empire)
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## Family & Early Career
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- Mother variously named Subhadrangi or Dharma in Buddhist sources [^3]
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- First wife: Devi (also Vidisha-mahadevi), daughter of a merchant at Ujjain
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- Children with Devi: son Mahinda and daughter Sanghamitra, both of whom led Buddhist missions to Sri Lanka [^3]
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- As a young prince, suppressed a revolt at Taxila (~age 18), then served as viceroy at Ujjain [^3]
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- Governed using the *Arthashastra* (political treatise attributed to Chanakya, Chandragupta's prime minister) as his administrative framework [^3]
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## The Kalinga War
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- Conquered Kalinga (~262 BCE) with devastating casualties (~100,000 killed, 150,000 deported per his own edicts) @t[~262 BCE]
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- The carnage prompted his conversion to Buddhism [^1]
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- His 13th Major Rock Edict records his remorse over the campaign
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## Ashoka's Edicts
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- 33 inscriptions total on pillars, boulders, and cave walls across the empire [^3]
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- Written in Prakrit, Greek, and Aramaic; the Kandahar Bilingual Rock Inscription (~260 BCE) is carved in both Greek and Aramaic at Chehel Zina, Afghanistan @t[~260 BCE] [^2]
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- Promoted *dhamma* (dharma): Non-violence, religious tolerance, welfare of subjects
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- Established hospitals for humans and animals
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- Sent Buddhist missionaries to Sri Lanka, Central Asia, and the Hellenistic world [^2]
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- Ordered construction of stupas across the empire, including the famous stupa at Sanchi [^3]
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## Empire Extent
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- At its height stretched from modern-day Iran and Afghanistan in the west to Bangladesh in the east [^3]
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- Capital at Pataliputra (modern Patna); provincial capitals at Taxila and Ujjain [^2]
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## Legacy
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- The Ashoka Chakra appears on India's national flag
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- Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath is India's national emblem
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- Rediscovered by James Prinsep (1799–1840 CE) who deciphered Brahmi script in 1837
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---
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[^1]: Thapar, R. *Aśoka and the Decline of the Mauryas* (Oxford, 1961)
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[^2]: Singh, U. *A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India* (2008)
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[^3]: Mark, J. J. "Ashoka the Great." *World History Encyclopedia*, 24 Jun 2020. https://www.worldhistory.org/Ashoka_the_Great/ |