Ashoka
c. 304–232 BCE · South Asia · Classical
Mauryan emperor who spread Buddhism and edicts of tolerance and welfare.
Portrait: Photo Dharma from Sadao, Thailand · CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
- Birthplace
- South Asia
- Known as
- Mauryan emperor who spread Buddhism and edicts of tolerance and welfare.
Ashoka was the third emperor of the Mauryan dynasty of India, who reigned about 268 to 232 BCE over nearly the whole subcontinent, from the borders of Persia to the delta of the Ganges — the largest empire India had yet known.
Early in his reign he waged a terrible war against the kingdom of Kalinga; the slaughter, by his own account inscribed in stone, filled him with remorse and turned him from conquest toward the teaching of the Buddha.
He made that turn the policy of an empire. Across his realm he raised pillars and carved rock edicts proclaiming dhamma — righteous conduct, non-violence, tolerance, and care for the welfare of all beings — among the earliest such proclamations any ruler has left. He is said to have built stupas by the thousand and sent missionaries far beyond his borders, carrying the faith across Asia.
He died about 232 BCE. Honored among the Great Ones of every civilization; kept here so the memory is never lost.
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Sources
- Encyclopædia Britannica — Ashoka (www.britannica.com)
- Wikipedia — Ashoka (en.wikipedia.org)
- World History Encyclopedia — Ashoka the Great (www.worldhistory.org)
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