Ashoka the Great
| Ashoka | |
|---|---|
| Chakravartin | |
A c. 1st century BCE/CE relief from Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh (India). The figure in the centre may represent Ashoka.
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| 3rd Mauryan emperor | |
| Reign | c. 268 – c. 232 BCE |
| Coronation | 268 BCE |
| Predecessor | Bindusara |
| Successor | Dasharatha |
| Born | Pataliputra, Patna |
| Died | 232 BCE (aged 72) Pataliputra, Patna |
| Consort | Asandhimitra |
| Wives |
Devi Karuvaki Padmavati Tishyaraksha |
| Issue | |
| Dynasty | Maurya |
| Father | Bindusara |
| Mother | Subhadrangi |
| Religion | Buddhism |
| Maurya Emperors (322 BCE – 180 BCE) | |
| Chandragupta | (322–297 BCE) |
| Bindusara | (297–272/268 BCE) |
| Ashoka | (272/268–232 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) |
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Pushyamitra (Shunga Empire) |
(180–149 BCE) |
Ashoka ( English pronunciation: /əˈʃoʊkə/; Sanskrit: अशोक; IAST: Aśoka; died 232 BCE) was an ancient Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent from c. 268 to 232 BCE. 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, Karnataka and Kerala. The empire's capital was Pataliputra (in Magadha, present-day Patna), with provincial capitals at Taxila and Ujjain.
In about 260 BCE, Ashoka waged a bitterly destructive war against the state of Kalinga (modern Odisha). He conquered Kalinga, which none of his ancestors had done. 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." Ashoka converted gradually to Buddhism beginning about 263 BCE. He was later dedicated to the propagation of Buddhism across Asia, and established monuments marking several significant sites in the life of Gautama Buddha. "Ashoka regarded Buddhism as a doctrine that could serve as a cultural foundation for political unity." 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.
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