Ashoka

Ashoka was one of the greatest emperors of India. He was the grandson of Chandragupta, who ruled the Mauryan Dynasty from 269 to 232 BC. He was one of India's most memorable rulers.

Ashoka was the third emperor of the Mauryan Dynasty. He ruled from 273-232 BC. He had all the good qualities of a king.

By the 3century BC, the kingdom of Magadha under the power of the Mauryas controlled almost the entire Indian subcontinent except for the southern tip of India. However, Buddhist missionaries of Ashoka extended religious influences into Ceylon, which became a strong pillar of 'Theravada' Buddhism with Ashoka's effort.

At a very young age, he became the viceroy of Taxila and later of Ujjain. He ascended the throne in 273 BC, but there was a dispute over the succession of the throne which delayed his coronation until 269BC. In 261, he annexed Kalinga, a huge area between the Mahanadi and Godavari rivers, killing over 100,000 people and taking about 150,000 captives. This war changed Ashoka's life. He was very shocked to see the outcome of the war and became sad. He devoted the rest of his life spreading 'Dharma', the Buddhist law of piety.

After Kalinga's war, Ashoka gave up hunting, royal luxuries, and the use of meat in the royal kitchen. He built many hospitals both for human beings and animals, within his own kingdom and in the neighborhood. On the highways, banyan trees were planted to provide shade to the travelers, wells were dug, water pumps were installed and the rest houses were constructed to give comfort to the tired travelers. Ashoka made pilgrimages to holy places in India, preaching the law of piety to his subjects. He appointed officers; 'Dharma Mahamatras' to spread goodness among people. He taught everybody to respect elders, to be kind to servants, serfs, and beasts of burden, to be truthful, and to respect the beliefs of fellowmen.

The Ashokan Empire comprised modern Afghanistan, south of the Hindu Kush, Baluchistan, Sind, Kashmir, and the area of lower Himalayas and the whole of India and Pakistan except the southern tip of India. The central area was governed directly from Patliputra. The remote kingdoms were divided among four viceroys, who were close relatives of the imperial family. A council of ministers acted as an advisory body for the King. Apart from this, there was a well-defined bureaucratic structure.

Ashoka took to non-violence, though a standing army was maintained. The Kalinga Edict clearly stated to people not to revolt as the Emperor even in his sorrow had the power to crush them and give them the death penalty.

A Tibetan tradition reveals that he died at Taxila. He had two grandsons, Dasratha and Samprathi who succeeded him and divided the empire. But within fifty years of Asoka's death, a Brahmanical reaction led by Pusyamitra brought the dynasty to an end.

From the sixteenth year of his reign, Ashoka permanently recorded ethical doctrines by inscribing them on the rocks, sandstone pillars, and cave walls in the various regional languages. Ashoka is said to have built over 8,000 Temples and more than 1,000 Stupas or tombs in honor of Buddha. The stupa at Bhilsa still survives. The surviving gray sandstone pillars of his palace at Patliputra (modern Patna) reveals wonderful brilliant art in detail. Ashoka's lion seal carved on the Sarnath pillar became modern India's state seal and Ashoka's wheel is represented on the central stripe of India's flag.

Ashoka wanted to spread his message across India, so he sent ambassadors to the east. He sent his son, Mahendra, and daughter Samghamitra to Ceylon, to spread the faith of Buddhism. A mission was also sent to Burma, the Himalayan regions, and beyond. He was a great king whom we can't forget. He is truly known as Ashoka 'The Great'.