23 Astonishing King Ashoka Facts About Ashoka The Great

Emperor Ashoka was one of the greatest rulers of ancient India.Interestingly, Emperor Ashoka’s reign was the first time a single ruler governed (almost) the whole of the Indian subcontinent. Did you know that Emperor Ashoka belonged to the Mauryan Dynasty and was the third king to rule over the Mauryan Empire?The Maurya Empire was founded by the grandfather of Ashoka, Chandragupta Maurya. Chandragupta Maurya was instrumental in halting the advances of Greek forces into India when he defeated one of the generals of Emperor Alexander the Great, Seleucus Nicator, in an unidentified location in modern-day Punjab. In his quest for glory, a young Chandragupta Maurya was helped extensively by a Brahmin scholar named Chanakya or Kautilya. We learn a great deal about ancient Indian political systems from the book that was authored by this learned man. Chanakya’s book ‘The Arthashastra’ is still read by many people today.Textual information about Ashoka that modern scholars and historians have access to comes from a limited number of Indian texts. Chief among those is the Sanskrit text Ashokavadana. It gives us a rough account of the life and time of this great Indian monarch.The sacred Indian texts, the Puranas, also mention the name of Devanampiya. But they refrain from giving any historical timeline of his life. Most of the information about the Mauryan Emperor is gathered from Buddhist texts, inscriptions, and coins.It could really come as a great surprise to many, but even in Sri Lanka, there exist ancient texts which speak at length about Ashoka. The Mahavamsa, Dipavamsa, and Culavamsa are Sri Lankan chronicles that mention King Devanampiya. This is the name that Ashoka used to address himself in his edicts and inscriptions.Keep on reading to learn more about the life and times of this legendary emperor!King Ashoka Life And HistoryThe early life of King Ashoka is shrouded in mystery. We know for a fact that he was the third king of the Mauryan Empire and reigned in the 3rd century BC.King Ashoka’s birth year is hotly debated in academic circles. The wider consensus is that he was born around 304 BC. His father was King Bindusara, who reigned from circa 297 BC to circa 273 BC. Legend has it that Ashoka was one among the hundred sons of Bindusara. However, current scholarship holds the view that Ashoka was one of only four sons of Bindusara.Ashoka’s mother’s name is given in some sources as Subhadrangi, and in others, as was Dharma. We do not know for certain whether Ashoka’s mother was Bindusara’s chief queen or not. Her position in the palace is also something we cannot be sure about. While she is depicted as a high-born Brahmin (highest caste in the Indian caste system) in some sources, in others, we find her to be of low birth and a peripheral figure. According to some sources, Ashoka’s mother was murdered by men loyal to Prince Sushima.Ashoka was never meant to become king as his elder brother, Sushima, was the crown prince and heir apparent. Ashoka was not a favourite of his father and spent most of his childhood in studies and military training. His skills were actually put to the test when he was sent to quell an uprising at Takshashila (modern-day Taxila in Pakistan) at the age of 18. Although details of this campaign do not exist, it is an accepted truth that Ashoka was successful in his quest.Next, he was sent away from the capital Pataliputra (modern-day Patna of Bihar State) to the central Indian town of Ujjain. This was one of the important trading spots of the Mauryan Empire at the turn of the 3rd century BC. Ashoka’s time in Ujjain is mainly remembered for his romance with a woman named Devi, whom he subsequently married. It is pertinent to note here that Ashoka was for the first time introduced to the teachings of the Buddhist faith during his courtship with Devi since the latter was a practising Buddhist.Around the time when Ashoka was busy administering Ujjain, there took place another uprising in Takshashila. This time, however, Ashoka’s father sent Sushima to check the revolt. While Sushima was away from Pataliputra, Bindusara suddenly fell ill and died. It was a chaotic situation in the capital, as factions began plotting the installation of either Sushima or Ashoka on the throne of the Mauryan Empire. Eventually, the ministers who were on the side of Ashoka prevailed, and the new king was crowned in 268 BC.The date of his coronation, however, can be ascertained using inscriptions. Soon after taking the throne, King Ashoka ordered the death of his elder half-brother, Sushima. He dealt with the rest of his brothers with equal harshness. Only the youngest of King Bindusara’s sons, Vitashoka, is said to have left the palace and become a Buddhist monk.One of the most important events of Ashoka’s life occurred when he conquered the kingdom of Kalinga. The Kalinga region lay to the southeast of Magadha, the core area of the Mauryan Empire, and was ruled by a king named Anantha Padmanabha. The Kalinga country can be traced to the present-day Indian state of Odisha. Ashoka was determined to take over the affairs of Kalinga country due to its wealth and location. The Kalinga region excelled in trade, being situated next to the sea. It enjoyed considerable affluence due to large-scale trading activities with neighbouring areas as well as foreign lands.Both kingdoms had coexisted peacefully for a long time. So, the exact reason why Ashoka chose to conquer this region is unknown. But, as has been gathered from his inscriptions, Ashoka conquered Kalinga in 260 BC. The war was fought on the plains of present-day Dhauli. It is a nondescript town in Odisha, one you should visit if you are interested in seeing the Ashokan rock inscription that stands here.The war between the Ashoka’s Mauryan Army and the forces of Kalinga was reportedly a vicious one, leading to the destruction of a million lives. Almost one and a half million people were displaced, and many more died due to famine and disease. It is the war of Kalinga that changed the life of Ashoka forever. He completely renounced warfare and began adhering to the tenets of Buddhism by heart.King Ashoka Contribution To Maurya DynastyThe Mauryan Emperor Ashoka reigned from circa 268 BC to 232 BC. Ashoka was the third ruler of the Mauryan Dynasty, and during his rule, he expanded the borders of the empire. Ashoka the Great was the first Indian ruler in recorded history who tried to bring the entire subcontinent under one centralized economy.The vast Mauryan Empire included almost the whole of present-day India and Pakistan. In addition, large portions of Bangladesh and Afghanistan were also integral to the empire. To the west, the empire bordered Persia. Its eastern limits ended somewhere in central Bangladesh. The southern region of Nepal lay within the ambit of the Mauryan Empire.Although Ashoka did not annex the kingdoms of southern India, we would not be wrong to say that these small kingdoms were subservient to the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka. Emperor Ashoka never engaged militarily with the kingdoms of the Pandyas, Cheras, and the Cholas, which were all located in the extreme southern end of the country.Emperor Ashoka is still the only ruler of an empire in all of history who gave up violence and took the path of peace and universal brotherhood. In a way, Ashoka’s stringent adherence to non-military tactics in everyday affairs would also be one of the reasons behind the downfall of the Maurya Empire soon after his demise.Ashoka ruled for about 40 years and was most likely succeeded by his grandson Dasharatha in 232 BC.What is King Ashoka famous for?Ashoka the Great used his power and influence to promote Buddhism in the far corners of his vast empire and beyond. Soon after Ashoka embraced Buddhism, he began travelling to the sacred sites of Buddhism, such as Kapilavastu, Sarnath, Sravasti, Rajgir, to preach his version of Buddhism to his subjects. In a way, Ashoka the Great had created his own religion after adding his thoughts and ideas to the principal tenets of Buddhism.Ashoka was a devoted Buddhist who, to make sure that his words were not forgotten by the common people, instructed his governors to place beautifully crafted pillars containing inscriptions on major thoroughfares all across the Mauryan Empire. These pillars still exist in some places. One of them can be seen at the Feroze Shah Kotla in New Delhi, India. The inscriptions on these pillars provide the most vital information about the Dhamma of Ashoka.Ashoka the Great ensured that Buddhism did not just remain a religion of India. He worked tirelessly to make it popular not only in his country but in foreign lands as well. Buddhist legends speak of the emissaries that King Ashoka had sent to countries as far as Greece and Egypt to promote the ideals of Buddhism.Closer home, King Ashoka sent Buddhist missionaries to Sri Lanka, Thailand, and China. The depth of King Ashoka’s attachment to Buddhism can be gauged by the fact that one of his sons, Mahendra, and his daughter, Sangamitra, had converted to Buddhism. He sent the two of them along with Buddhist monks to Sri Lanka to meet with the King of Lanka, Tissa.Several Indian and Sri Lankan Buddhist legends talk about the meeting between Tissa and King Ashoka’s representatives at a place called Mihinthalaya. If you visit Sri Lanka today, you will find a giant white Stupa at the site commemorating the meeting between the two parties.Why is King Ashoka called great?Ashoka’s greatness will never be erased from the face of this planet. Here was a king who had all the power and resources in his hands to continue expanding his territories but chose not to do so. Nowhere do we find such a ruler. His uniqueness makes him one of the greatest figures not in India but in the entire world.In world history, we find notable kings and emperors who have been deemed as ‘Great’. Most of us know quite well about the exploits of Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great had conquered parts of India in the 4th century BC. One of his generals, Seleucus Nicator, had established an independent kingdom in India after Alexander’s death in 323 BC. When we study Indian history, we refer to Ashoka as a ‘Great’. His greatness lay in his many remarkable deeds.Since leaving the path of violence after the fateful Kalinga War, Ashoka the Great chose the path of Dhamma instead to rule over his people. The idea of Dasa Raja Dharma was not new when Ashoka embraced it. Ashoka the Great took an existing moral idea and reformulated it to make use of it in the enormous task of governing a vast empire. Ashoka’s concept of Dhamma included the basic ideals of being dutiful, making efforts to behave righteously, promoting peace and brotherhood, being charitable towards others, striving to become pure. Above all else, Ashoka stressed the ideal of acceptance and toleration of different faiths.During his lifetime, Ashoka was aware of the legend concerning the Buddha’s mortal remains. As per the Buddhist legend, after the Buddha’s death, his closest disciples divided his remains into eight parts and placed them inside containers. These eight containers were then installed within eight stupas located in different parts of the country.You may be wondering what a ‘stupa’ is. Stupas are round structures made of bricks that were built to house the relics of the Buddha. These can be found in the Buddhist holy sites all over India and beyond. Two of the largest stupas ever to have been built are at Bharhut Stupa in modern-day Madhya Pradesh state and the Amaravati Stupa in modern-day Andhra Pradesh state.Ashoka was not only invested in building stupas and monasteries for the Buddhist sangha (monastic order of monks and nuns). Ashoka built many public buildings and restrooms in his dominions. He knew the importance of building public resthouses and water reservoirs along the chief roads of his empire. By doing that, we can see that he was a good and efficient ruler. Ashoka was smart enough to erect most of his Ashokan pillars and inscribe his inscriptions close to the public structures that he built. So, his subjects could use the facilities and read his dhamma instructions at the same time.To enhance the tangible presence of Buddhism in his empire, King Ashoka is said to have commissioned the construction of 84,000 stupas!Those of you who have read Spiderman comics or seen the movies must be aware of the famous saying, ‘with great power comes great responsibility!’, in many ways, Emperor Ashoka embodied just that.Here at Kidadl, we gave carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 23 astonishing King Ashoka facts: all about Ashoka the Great revealed then why not take a look at 21 impressive Royal Albert Hall facts that are worth knowing!, or 13 Radio City Music Hall facts on New York city’s famous art theatre?

Emperor Ashoka was one of the greatest rulers of ancient India.