Historical Figures Codexery

Ashoka

Mauryan emperor who promoted Buddhism and righteous conduct.

Ashoka's inscriptions, other inscriptions that reference him, and ancient literature—especially Buddhist texts—are the sources for what is known about him.[1] In the Indian subcontinent, the earliest records of imperial power expressed by a ruler are found in Ashoka's own inscriptions.[2]

Quick Facts

Predecessor
Bindusara
Successor
Dasharatha
Born
c. 304 BCE
Died
232 BCE (aged 72)

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

The Mahavamsa states that Bindusara appointed Ashoka as Viceroy of Avantirastra, which is corroborated by the Saru Maru inscription.[3] Ashoka's inscriptions mention that he conquered the Kalinga region during his 8th regnal year, and the destruction made him repent violence.[4] The Sri Lankan tradition suggests Ashoka was already a devoted Buddhist by his 8th regnal year.[5] The exact date of Ashoka's birth is not certain, but he lived in the 3rd century BCE.[6]

Details about Ashoka's youth are absent from his own inscriptions; the information instead originates from later, apocryphal legends composed centuries after his death.[7]

What the cited sources add

The 2nd-century historian Appian states that Chandragupta entered a marital alliance with Greek ruler Seleucus I Nicator.[8] The 12th-century text Rajatarangini mentions a Kashmiri king Ashoka of the Gonandiya dynasty who built several stupas.[9] The Chinese pilgrim Faxian, who traveled in the 5th century, wrote that Ashoka went to the underworld in person to learn about torture techniques.[8]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Ashoka" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Thapar 1961, p. 5–8; Singh 2012, p. 132 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Ashoka" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Singh 2012, p. 132; Singh 2012, p. 132 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Ashoka" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Thapar 1961, p. 5–8; Lahiri 2015, p. 295–296; Allen 2012, p. 350–351; Guruge 1993, p. 19; Lahiri 2015, p. 295–296 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Ashoka" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Guruge 1995, p. 46 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Ashoka" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Guruge 1995, p. 46; Thapar 1995, p. 15 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Ashoka" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lahiri 2015, p. 295–296 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Ashoka" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lahiri 2015, p. 295–296; Lahiri 2015, p. 295–296; Singh 2008, p. 331 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Ashoka" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Thapar 1961, p. 5–8 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Ashoka" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Guruge 1995b, p. 185-188 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Ashoka (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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