Asoka the Great
| Ashoka | |
|---|---|
| Chakravartin | |
|
|
| 3rd Mauryan emperor | |
| Reign | c. 268 – c. 232 BCE |
| Coronation | 268 BCE |
| Predecessor | Bindusara |
| Successor | Dasharatha |
| Born | Pataliputra, modern-day Patna |
| Died | 232 BCE Pataliputra, modern-day Patna |
| Spouse | |
| Issue |
|
| Dynasty | Maurya |
| Father | Bindusara |
| Mother | Subhadrangi (also called Dharma) |
Ashoka (English: /əˈʃoʊkə/; IAST: Aśoka; died 232 BCE) was an Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty, who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent from c. 268 to 232 BCE. He was the grandson of the founder of the Maurya Dynasty, Chandragupta Maurya, who had created one of the largest empires in ancient India and then, according to Jain sources, renounced it all to become a Jain monk. One of India's greatest emperors, Ashoka expanded Chandragupta's empire, and reigned over a realm that stretched from present-day Afghanistan in the west to Bangladesh in the east. It covered the entire Indian subcontinent except for 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 destructive war against the state of Kalinga (modern Odisha). He conquered Kalinga, which none of his ancestors had done. Some scholars suggest he belonged to the Jain tradition, but it is generally accepted that he embraced Buddhism. Legends state he converted 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 to Buddhism about 263 BCE. He is remembered for the Ashoka pillars and edicts, for sending Buddhist monks to Sri Lanka and Central Asia, and for establishing monuments marking several significant sites in the life of Gautama Buddha.
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