Ashoka, popularly known as Ashoka the Great, served as the third emperor of the Mauryan Empire. He reigned from 268 to 232 BCE. Alike with his ancestors, His Empire, which had Pataliputra as its capital, stretched across a sizable portion of the Indian Subcontinent, from what is now Afghanistan in the west to what is now Bangladesh in the east.
In an inscription that James Prinsep deciphered in 1837, the King identified himself as ‘Devanampiya Piyadassi,’ the beloved of the gods. The name was mentioned in the Buddhist chronicles of Sri Lanka. An edict was discovered in 1915, in which the King referred to himself as ‘Devanampiya Ashoka.’ This and more than thirty inscriptions on the Pillars of Ashoka, boulders, and cave walls made up the collection known as the Edicts of Ashoka. They provided us the much-needed information about The Ashoka Empire. The Ashoka Edicts are carved on the stone around the Indian Subcontinent. It was spread as far west as Afghanistan and south as Andhra.
The Ashokan edict depicts his accomplishments, personality, significant events, and policies as a ruler. Predominantly written in Prakrit, two edicts were written in Greek, and one found near modern Kandahar was in Greek and Aramaic. Edicts found near Peshawar were in Kharosthi script derived from Aramaic used in Iran. The everyday use of Prakrit suggested cultural uniformity in the Empire.
During his Father’s tenure, he governed the region of Ujjain and Taxila, also known as Takshashila, a province in Punjab, Pakistan. There is still a debate whether Ashoka took up the Throne immediately after his Father passed away or whether there was a four-year gap during which the brothers fought for the crown. According to Buddhist Legends, he killed his brothers to conquer the Throne. As King, he was ambitious, extending the Empire’s dominance in southern and western India. During his eighth year of reign, i.e., 260 BCE, after a brutal war, Ashoka brought the Kalinga region under the mantle of the Mauryan Empire. However, this victory came at an immense price, and hundreds and thousands of people were adversely affected by the destruction and the fallout of war. Seeing the destruction caused by him, he gradually turned away from violence and moved toward Buddhism. He became more focused on promoting Peace and justice. Many of his edicts promoted Non-Violence and living in Peace.
Caste was not a barrier in Buddhism. Moreover, communications were developed with the outside world beyond the Subcontinent. The countries to the west, i.e., Hellenistic kingdoms, were particular interest in Ashoka’s future aspirations. So he exchanged with them Diplomatic Missions. Antiochus II of Syria (260-246 bc); Ptolemy II of Egypt (285-247 bc); Antigonus of Macedonia (276-239 bc); Magas of Cyrene; and Alexander of Epirus were prominent among them.
The placement of Ashoka’s inscriptions can help us to gauge the scope and impact of Mauryan power throughout the peninsula. In the inscriptions, we find the names of the southerners, including the Cholas, Pandyas, Satiyaputras, and Keralaputras (Sri Lanka), with whom Ashoka was friends. These edicts can be found as far as Tamraparni, Sri Lanka.
According to Mahavamsa and Dipavamsa, Ashoka had close ties with Sri Lanka. Ashoka’s son Mahinda is credited with becoming the first Buddhist missionary to the island, and Tissa, the reigning monarch at the time, seems to have taken his cues from Ashoka. Gifts and envoys were exchanged often. A branch of the original Bodhi tree, under which the Buddha had attained enlightenment, was given by the Indian Emperor to the island formerly known as Ceylon.
Ashoka died in 232 BCE, leaving behind one of the greatest empires in the world.