2. TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Family Background
Personal
Information
Rise to Power
Questionable
Hereditary Succession
Early Life as
Emperor
Conquest of Kalinga
A Sudden Change of
Heart
Buddhist Conversion
Mission to Spread
Buddhism
Death and Legacy
The Edicts of King
Ashoka
Conclusion
Bibliography
3. The 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
4. Born 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.
5. Quickly grew into an excellent warrior
His 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 takshashila
Went to kalinga, where he met a fisherwoman
named kaurwaki.
6. Ashoka was stationed at ujjayini as
governor.
Bindusara's death in 273 bc led to a war
over succession
Ashoka was supported by his father's
ministers.
Ashoka managed to become the king by
getting rid of the legitimate heir to the throne
Tricking him into entering a pit filled with live
7. Bindusara became gravely ill
Ashoka killed 99 of his brothers, sparing only
one, named tissa
The coronation happened in 269 BC, four years
after his succession to the throne
Eliminated his own brothers so that he could
succeed his father
8. Ashoka was anointed the new emperor or ruler of
the mauryan empire in 274 BC
He is said to have been of a wicked nature and bad
temper
Built hell on earth, an elaborate and horrific
torture chamber
Earned him the name of chand ashoka
(sanskrit), meaning ashoka the fierce
Expanded his empire over the next eight years
9.
10.
11. After 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?
12. 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
13. The 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
14. Kashmir-
Gandhara
Majjhantika
Mahisamandala
(Mysore) -
Mahadeva
Vanavasi (Tamil
Nadu) - Rakkhita
Maharattha
(Maharashtra) -
Mahadhammarakk
hita
"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:
15. DEATH & LEGACY
Ashoka ruled for an estimated forty years
He had numerous wives and many heirs but most
of their name are lost
He had entrusted to Mahindra and Sanghamitra
the job of making his state religion
Ashoka died in 232 BC
After his death, the Mauryan dynasty lasted
just fifty more years
16. The Edicts of King Ashoka
The Rock Edicts -
THE FOURTEEN ROCK EDICTS
KALINGA ROCK EDICTS
MINOR ROCK EDICTS
THE SEVEN PILLAR EDICTS
MINOR PILLAR EDICTS
The pillars of Ashoka were erected by him during his reign in the 3rd
century BC
The Stupas of Sanchi are world famous and the stupa named
SanchiStupa was built by Emperor Ashoka
Ashoka'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”.
17.
18. 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
19. Right 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
Buddhism
In 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