THE GREAT : ASHOKA
Ashoka was a great king in our history.we must know about him. He done many great work for his people
"Aśoka" and "Ashoka the Great" redirect here. For the social sector organization, see Ashoka: Innovators for the Public. For other uses, seeAshoka (disambiguation)
| Ashoka | |
|---|---|
| Chakravartin[1][2] Samraat | |
A c. 1st century BCE/CE relief fromAmaravati, Andhra Pradesh (India). The figure in the centre may represent Ashoka.
| |
| 3rd Mauryan emperor | |
| Reign | c. 268 – c. 232 BCE[3] |
| Coronation | 268 BCE[3] |
| Predecessor | Bindusara |
| Successor | Dasharatha |
| Born | 304 BCE Pataliputra, Patna |
| Died | 232 BCE (aged 72) Pataliputra, Patna |
| Consort | Asandhimitra |
| Wives | |
| Issue | |
| Dynasty | Maurya |
| Father | Bindusara |
| Mother | Subhadrangi |
| Maurya Kings (322 BCE – 180 BCE) | |
| Chandragupta | (322–297 BCE) |
| Bindusara | (297–273 BCE) |
| Ashoka | (268–232 BCE) |
| Dasharatha | (232–224 BCE) |
| Samprati | (224–215 BCE) |
| Shalishuka | (215–202 BCE) |
| Devavarman | (202–195 BCE) |
| Shatadhanvan | (195–187 BCE) |
| Brihadratha | (187–180 BCE) |
| Pushyamitra (Shunga Empire) | (180–149 BCE) |
Ashoka Maurya (IAST: Aśoka; /əˈʃoʊkə/; 304–232 BCE), commonly known asAshoka[4] and Ashoka the Great, was an Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled almost all of theIndian subcontinent from c. 268 to 232 BCE.[5] One of India's greatest emperors, Ashoka reigned over a realm that stretched from the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan to the modern state of Bangladesh in the east. It covered the entire Indian subcontinent except parts of present-day Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The empire's capital was Pataliputra (inMagadha, present-day Bihar), with provincial capitals at Taxila and Ujjain.
In about 260 BCE, Ashoka waged a bitterly destructive war against the state of Kalinga (modern Odisha).[6]He conquered Kalinga, which none of his ancestors had done.[7] He embraced Buddhism after witnessing the mass deaths of the Kalinga War, which he himself had waged out of a desire for conquest. "Ashoka reflected on the war in Kalinga, which reportedly had resulted in more than 100,000 deaths and 150,000 deportations, ending at around 200,000 deaths."[8]Ashoka converted gradually to Buddhism beginning about 263 BCE.[6]He was later dedicated to the propagation of Buddhism across Asia, and established monuments marking several significant sites in the life ofGautama Buddha. "Ashoka regarded Buddhism as a doctrine that could serve as a cultural foundation for political unity."[9] Ashoka is now remembered as a philanthropic administrator. In the Kalinga edicts, he addresses his people as his "children", and mentions that as a father he desires their good.
Ashoka's name "Aśoka" means "painless, without sorrow" in Sanskrit(the a privativum and śoka "pain, distress"). In his edicts, he is referred to as Devānāmpriya (Pali Devānaṃpiyaor "The Beloved of the Gods"), andPriyadarśin (Pali Piyadasī or "He who regards everyone with affection"). His fondness for his name's connection to the Saraca asoca tree, or the "Ashoka tree" is also referenced in theAshokavadana.
H.G. Wells wrote of Ashoka in his bookThe Outline of History: "Amidst the tens of thousands of names of monarchs that crowd the columns of history, their majesties and graciousnesses and serenities and royal highnesses and the like, the name of Ashoka shines, and shines, almost alone, a star." Along with the Edicts of Ashoka, his legend is related in the 2nd-century CE Ashokavadana ("Narrative of Ashoka", a part of Divyavadana), and in the Sri Lankan text Mahavamsa ("Great Chronicle"). The emblem of the modernRepublic of India is an adaptation of the Lion Capital of Ashoka.
Biography
Ashoka's early life
Ashoka was born to the Mauryanemperor Bindusara and a relatively lower ranked wife of his, Dharmā (or Dhammā). He was the grandson ofChandragupta Maurya, founder ofMauryan dynasty. The Avadana texts mention that his mother was queenSubhadrangī. According toAshokavadana, she was the daughter of a Brahmin from the city of Champa.[10][11]:205 Though a palace intrigue kept her away from the emperor, this eventually ended, and she bore a son. It is from her exclamation "I am now without sorrow", that Ashoka got his name. The Divyāvadāna tells a similar story, but gives the name of the queen as Janapadakalyānī.[12][13]
Ashoka had several elder siblings, all of whom were his half-brothers from other wives of Bindusara. His fighting qualities were apparent from an early age and he was given royal military training. He was known as a fearsome hunter, and according to a legend, killed a lion with just a wooden rod. Because of his reputation as a frightening warrior and a heartless general, he was sent to curb the riots in the Avanti province of the Mauryan empire.[14][15]
Rise to power
Approximate extent of Maurya empire under Ashoka. The empire stretched from Afghanistanto Bengal to southern India
The Buddhist text Divyavadanadescribes Ashoka putting down a revolt due to activities of wicked ministers. This may have been an incident in Bindusara's times.Taranatha's account states thatAcharya Chanakya, Bindusara's chief advisor, destroyed the nobles and kings of 16 towns and made himself the master of all territory between the eastern and the western seas. Some historians consider this as an indication of Bindusara's conquest of the Deccan while others consider it as suppression of a revolt. Following this, Ashoka was stationed at Ujjayini as governor.[10]
Bindusara's death in 272 BCE led to a war over succession. According to theDivyavadana, Bindusara wanted his son Susima to succeed him but Ashoka was supported by his father's ministers, who found Susima to be arrogant and disrespectful towards them.[16] A minister named Radhagupta seems to have played an important role in Ashoka's rise to the throne. The Ashokavadana recounts Radhagupta's offering of an old royal elephant to Ashoka for him to ride to the Garden of the Gold Pavilion where King Bindusara would determine his successor. Ashoka later got rid of the legitimate heir to the throne by tricking him into entering a pit filled with live coals. Radhagupta, according to the Ashokavadana, would later be appointed prime minister by Ashoka once he had gained the throne. TheDipavansa and Mahavansa refer to Ashoka's killing 99 of his brothers, sparing only one, named Vitashoka or Tissa,[3] although there is no clear proof about this incident (many such accounts are saturated with mythological elements). Thecoronation happened in 269 BCE, four years after his succession to the throne.
A c. 1910painting byAbanindranath Tagore (1871–1951) depicting Ashoka's queen standing in front of the railings of the Buddhist monument at Sanchi (Raisen district, Madhya Pradesh).
Buddhist legends state that Ashoka was bad-tempered and of a wicked nature. He built Ashoka's Hell, an elaborate torture chamber described as a "Paradisal Hell" due to the contrast between its beautiful exterior and the acts carried out within by his appointed executioner, Girikaa.[17] This earned him the name of Chanda Ashoka (Caṇḍa Aśoka) meaning "Ashoka the Fierce" in Sanskrit. Professor Charles Drekmeier cautions that the Buddhist legends tend to dramatise the change that Buddhism brought in him, and therefore, exaggerate Ashoka's past wickedness and his piousness after the conversion.[18]
Ascending the throne, Ashoka expanded his empire over the next eight years, from the present-day boundaries Assam in the East toBalochistan in the West; from thePamir Knot in Afghanistan in the north to the peninsula of southern India except for present day Tamil Nadu andKerala which were ruled by the threeancient Tamil kingdoms.[13][19]
Conquest of Kalinga
Main article: Kalinga War
While the early part of Ashoka's reign was apparently quite bloodthirsty, he became a follower of the Buddha's teachings after his conquest of Kalingaon the east coast of India in the present-day states of Odisha and North Coastal Andhra Pradesh. Kalinga was a state that prided itself on its sovereignty and democracy. With its monarchical parliamentary democracy it was quite an exception in ancient Bharata where there existed the concept of Rajdharma. Rajdharma means the duty of the rulers, which was intrinsically entwined with the concept of bravery and dharma. The Kalinga War happened eight years after his coronation. From his 13th inscription, we come to know that the battle was a massive one and caused the deaths of more than 100,000 soldiers and many civilians who rose up in defence; over 150,000 were deported.[20] When he was walking through the grounds of Kalinga after his conquest, rejoicing in his victory, he was moved by the number of bodies strewn there and the wails of the bereaved.
Buddhist conversion
A similar four "Indian lion" Lion Capital of Ashokaatop an intactAshoka Pillar at Wat U Mong near Chiang Mai, Thailand showing another larger Dharma Chakra /Ashoka Chakra atop the four lions.
Edict 13 on the Edicts of Ashoka Rock Inscriptions reflect the great remorse the king felt after observing the destruction of Kalinga:
His Majesty feels remorse on account of the conquest of Kalinga because, during the subjugation of a previously unconquered country, slaughter, death, and taking away captive of the people necessarily occur, whereat His Majesty feels profound sorrow and regret.
The edict goes on to address the even greater degree of sorrow and regret resulting from Ashoka's understanding that the friends and families of deceased would suffer greatly too.[21]
Legend says that one day after the war was over, Ashoka ventured out to roam the city and all he could see were burnt houses and scattered corpses. This sight made him sick and he cried a famous monologue
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