The Reign of Ashoka

(273-232 BC)PRESENTED BY…..

Subhasish DasDept.- EE

Class Roll No.- 11/EE/4019WBUT Roll No.- 14801611055

WBUT Registration No.- 111480110461

TABLE OF CONTENTIntroductionFamily BackgroundPersonal InformationRise to PowerQuestionable Hereditary SuccessionEarly Life as EmperorConquest of KalingaA Sudden Change of

HeartBuddhist ConversionMission to Spread BuddhismDeath and LegacyThe Edicts of King AshokaConclusionBibliography

INTRODUCTIONThe high point of the Mauryan empire Conquered the kingdom of Kalinga, 260 BC.Ruled through tightly organized bureaucracy Established capital at Pataliputra Policies of encouraging agriculture and trade Dedicated his life to Buddhism.Built Extensive roads.Conflict How to balance Kautilya’s method of keeping power and Buddha’s demands to become a selfless person?

FAMILY BACKGROUNDBorn in 304 BC to the mauryan emperor bindusara and his queen, dharma [or dhamma].The grandson of chandragupta maurya, founder of mauryan dynasty.Although dharma was of priestly lineage, the fact that she was not royal by birth made her a very low-status consort in the harem.Had several elder siblings, whom were his half-brothers from other wives of bindusara.One younger sibling, vitthashoka, another son of dharma.

PERSONAL INFORMATIONQuickly grew into an excellent warriorHis command on the mauryan army started growing day by day His elder brothers became suspicious of him being favoured as the next emperor.The eldest son of bindusara, prince susima, convinced him to send asoka to takshashilaWent to kalinga, where he met a fisherwoman named kaurwaki.

RISE TO POWERAshoka was stationed at ujjayini as governor.Bindusara's death in 273 bc led to a war over successionAshoka was supported by his father's ministers.Ashoka managed to become the king by getting rid of the legitimate heir to the throneTricking him into entering a pit filled with live coals.

Questionable Hereditary Succession

Bindusara became gravely illAshoka killed 99 of his brothers, sparing only one, named tissaThe coronation happened in 269 BC, four years after his succession to the throneEliminated his own brothers so that he could succeed his father

EARLY LIFE AS EMPERORAshoka was anointed the new emperor or ruler of the mauryan empire in 274 BCHe is said to have been of a wicked nature and bad temperBuilt hell on earth, an elaborate and horrific torture chamberEarned him the name of chand ashoka (sanskrit), meaning ashoka the fierceExpanded his empire over the next eight years

Conquest of Kalinga

Continued.....Began in the 8th year of Ashoka's reign, probably in 261

BC

After a bloody battle, Ashoka tried to annex kalinga

In the aftermath of the battle of kalinga the daya river

running next to the battle field turned red with the blood of

the slain

100,000 kalinga civilians and more than 10,000 of

ashoka's own warriors were among those slain

A Sudden Change of HeartAfter the battle in a tour of city, he could see nothing except burnt houses and scattered corpses.

This sight made him sick and he cried the famous monologue:

What have I done? If this is a victory, what's a defeat then? Is this a victory or a defeat? Is this justice or injustice? Is it gallantry or a rout? Is it valor to kill innocent children and

women? Do I do it to widen the empire and for prosperity or to destroy the other's kingdom and splendor? One has lost

her husband, someone else a father, someone a child, someone an unborn infant.... What's this debris of the

corpses? Are these marks of victory or defeat? Are these vultures, crows, eagles the messengers of death or evil?

Continued…..

•The mammoth loss of life and suffering witnessed on the battlefield made him turn away from war•He felt that he was the cause of the destruction•His queen, Devi, who was a Buddhist, left him after seeing the brutality at Kalinga•Ashoka realized the consequences of wars and battles

BUDDHIST CONVERSIONThe brutality of the conquest led Ashoka to adopt

Buddhism

Embraced buddhism under the brahmin buddhist sages,

radhaswami and manjushri

He made buddhism his state religion around 260 BC

Can be credited with making the first serious attempt to

develop a Buddhist policy

Propagated and preached it within his domain and

worldwide from about 250 BC

Missions to Spread Buddhism

Kashmir-Gandhara MajjhantikaMahisamandala (Mysore) - Mahadeva Vanavasi (Tamil Nadu) - Rakkhita Maharattha (Maharashtra) - Mahadhammarakkhita "Country of the Yona" (Bactria/ Seleucid Empire) -

Maharakkhita Himavanta (Nepal) - Majjhima Suvannabhumi (Thailand/ Myanmar) - Sona and Uttara Lankadipa (Sri Lanka) - Mahamahinda Aparantaka (Gujarat and Sindh) - Yona Dhammarakkhita

He sent his missionaries to the following places:

DEATH & LEGACYAshoka ruled for an estimated forty yearsHe had numerous wives and many heirs but most of their name are lostHe had entrusted to Mahindra and Sanghamitra the job of making his state religionAshoka died in 232 BCAfter his death, the Mauryan dynasty lasted just fifty more years

The Edicts of King Ashoka The Rock Edicts -

THE FOURTEEN ROCK EDICTSKALINGA ROCK EDICTSMINOR ROCK EDICTSTHE SEVEN PILLAR EDICTSMINOR PILLAR EDICTS

The pillars of Ashoka were erected by him during his reign in the 3rd century BCThe Stupas of Sanchi are world famous and the stupa named SanchiStupa was built by Emperor AshokaAshoka's own words as known from his Edicts are:

"All men are my children. I am like a father to them. As every father desires the good and the happiness of his children, I wish

that all men should be happy always”.

ROCK EDICTS OF AHOKA

Elephant at Kalinga war site-Orissa

Minor Rock Edict site- Madhya Pradesh

Rock Edict at Junagadh Major Rock Edict at Girnar, Gujarat

CONCLUSIONRight from his childhood days Ashoka showed great promise in the field of weaponry skills as well as academics Although Ashoka was known as Cruel Ashoka but He felt that he was the cause of the destruction which made him turn away from war and adopt BuddhismIn fact, he can be credited with making the first serious attempt to develop a Buddhist policy. Buddhism received a significant boost of popularity when Ashoka converted to Buddhism. Throughout his life, 'Asoka the Great' followed the policy of nonviolence He is acclaimed for constructing hospitals for animals and renovating major roads throughout India. After this transformation, Ashoka came to be known as Dhammashoka Ashoka tried to make the lives better and Ashoka is honored today

BIBLIOGRAPHY