Ashoka the Great: India’s Emperor of Peace

Ashoka the Great (c. 304–232 BCE) was the third emperor of the Mauryan Empire of India, and one of the most remarkable rulers in the history of the world. He was the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the Mauryan Empire, and the son of Bindusara. He inherited an empire that stretched across most of the Indian subcontinent, and he extended the empire to its greatest extent. He was, at first, a ruthless and warlike ruler, and the conquest of the kingdom of Kalinga (in modern Odisha) was marked by terrible slaughter. But the suffering caused by the Kalinga War led to a dramatic change of heart. Ashoka converted to Buddhism, renounced violence, and devoted the rest of his life to the spread of Buddhism, the protection of animals, and the welfare of his subjects. The rock and pillar edicts that he issued throughout his empire are the most important surviving source for his reign, and they are a powerful statement of the principles of Buddhist governance.

This page is a concise introduction to Ashoka’s life and legacy. It links back to the Indus Valley Civilization cluster, the Vedic Period page, and the Ancient Civilizations pillar.

The Early Life of Ashoka

Ashoka was born around 304 BCE, the son of Bindusara, the second Mauryan emperor, and the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the Mauryan Empire. The Mauryan Empire was the first empire of the Indian subcontinent, and it was one of the largest empires of the ancient world. Chandragupta had built the empire with the help of his chief minister Chanakya (also known as Kautilya), the author of the Arthashastra, a treatise on statecraft that is still studied in India and around the world.

Ashoka grew up in the Mauryan court, and he was trained as a prince and a future ruler. He served as governor of several provinces, including Ujjain and Taxila, and he gained experience in administration and military command. He had several older brothers, and the succession was contested. According to Buddhist tradition, Ashoka was not initially the heir to the throne, and he may have spent several years as a kind of outcast prince before being recalled to the capital.

The Kalinga War

Ashoka became emperor around 268 BCE, after the death of his father Bindusara. The early years of his reign were marked by military expansion. The most important event of his early reign was the Kalinga War, fought around 261 BCE against the kingdom of Kalinga on the eastern coast of India. Kalinga was a wealthy and powerful kingdom, and it had resisted Mauryan rule for centuries.

The Kalinga War was a decisive but terrible victory. According to Ashoka’s own edicts, the war killed 100,000 people, enslaved 150,000 more, and caused the death of many times that number from famine, disease, and displacement. Ashoka, deeply affected by the suffering, underwent a profound change of heart. He converted to Buddhism, renounced violence, and devoted the rest of his life to the principles of dhamma (the Sanskrit form of the Pali dhamma, the teachings of the Buddha).

The Rock and Pillar Edicts

The most important surviving evidence of Ashoka’s reign is the body of rock and pillar edicts that he issued throughout the Mauryan Empire. The edicts were inscribed in the Brahmi script (and sometimes in Kharosthi, Greek, or Aramaic) on rocks, boulders, and specially erected pillars, and they were placed in prominent locations throughout the empire, from the northwest frontier (modern Afghanistan) to southern India.

The edicts are a remarkable document of Buddhist governance. They proclaim the principles of dhamma: non-violence (ahimsa), respect for elders, generosity to the poor, kindness to animals, religious tolerance, and the moral duties of the ruler. The famous Rock Edict 13 records the suffering of the Kalinga War, and it announces Ashoka’s conversion to Buddhism and his renunciation of violence. The Pillar Edict 7 records Ashoka’s appeal to the people of the empire to live in harmony, to honor their parents, to be generous to their friends and relatives, to be kind to the poor, and to refrain from killing animals.

The edicts also record Ashoka’s practical measures for the welfare of his subjects. He established hospitals for people and animals, he planted trees along the roads, he dug wells and built rest houses for travelers, and he appointed officers (dhamma mahamatras) to oversee the welfare of the people. The edicts are the most detailed surviving record of a state welfare program in the ancient world.

The Spread of Buddhism

Ashoka is credited with a major role in the spread of Buddhism, both within India and in the wider world. According to the ancient Buddhist tradition, he sent missions to Sri Lanka, the Hellenistic kingdoms, and other parts of Asia, and the missions established Buddhism in many of the countries where it is still practiced. The modern Indian tradition emphasizes Ashoka’s role in the spread of Buddhism in India and Sri Lanka; the Sri Lankan tradition emphasizes his role in sending his son Mahinda to Sri Lanka to convert the island to Buddhism.

The Mauryan Empire declined after Ashoka’s death, and the dynasty ended with Brihadratha in 185 BCE. The subsequent history of India was marked by a long series of invasions from Central Asia, the rise of the Gupta Empire, the spread of Hinduism, the development of the great Hindu and Buddhist temples, and the eventual establishment of Muslim rule in the medieval period. The legacy of Ashoka, however, remained a powerful symbol of Buddhist governance and Indian unity.

The Legacy of Ashoka

Ashoka has been one of the most famous and most admired rulers in the history of the world. In India, he has been the symbol of the great, just, Buddhist emperor, and his name has been invoked by every generation of Indian leaders since independence. The lion capital of one of his pillars, the Ashoka Pillar at Sarnath, was adopted as the national emblem of the Republic of India, and the famous “Ashoka Chakra” (the wheel of law) is the central symbol of the Indian national flag.

Outside India, Ashoka has been a powerful symbol of the Buddhist king, the ruler who used his power for the welfare of his subjects. His edicts have been studied by every generation of scholars since their decipherment in the nineteenth century, and they remain one of the most important bodies of royal inscription in the ancient world. The story of the Kalinga War, the conversion, and the reign of dhamma has been the subject of countless works of literature, art, and film, and it remains one of the most powerful examples of the moral transformation of a ruler in the history of the world.