Ashoka the great was the third ruler of the Mauryan empire. His edicts were mainly about the reforms, he had taken after the Kalinga war and the recommendation of moral principles in order to create a humane and peaceful society.
The practice of engraving royal proclamations on rocks was one of the important features of Ashoka’s reign. His inscriptions are mainly written in the Prakrit language and Brahmi script, a language and script of common people. Some of the inscriptions are also in the Kharoshti script as well a few inscriptions are in Greek and Aramaic. Ashoka’s inscriptions comprised two major categories: major rock edicts and pillar edicts. One of his famous rock edicts gives an account of the Kalinga war, which impacted his mind so deeply. Thereafter, he adopted the policy of Dhamma.
The edicts of Ashoka are scattered across his empire, in present-day Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. One of the famous rock edicts of Ashoka was the Major rock edict XIII or 13, which is believed to be written just after the war with Kalinga and gives a detailed account of the Kalinga war and its impact on Ashoka. In this edict, Ashoka was referred to as ’’Devanam piyadassi’’ meaning beloved of the god and it is mentioned that Kalinga was conquered by the king Piyadassi, after eight years of his coronation.
One of these rock edicts found in Shahbazgarhi and Manasera (present-day Pakistan) gives information about the emperor Ashoka, whose empire covered almost the whole Indian subcontinent, and how he had started running his empire on the basis of Buddhist philosophy. He ordered several rock edicts to be made by engraving his principles on big rocks. He wanted anyone arriving in his empire from anywhere, should be able to read and understand the laws of his empire.
This rock edict XIII also gives vivid detail of casualties of the Kalinga war, in which approximately one hundred and fifty thousand were banished, many were killed and a large number of people died. Even though he annexed Kalinga, he was filled with sorrow and guilt to see such massive destruction, as to how an independent country had to go through a lot of slaughter, death, and deportation of the people.
According to these inscriptions, the war not only affected the ones who died and got injured during the course of the war. It also affected even those who were not direct victims of the war rather they suffered when they saw their friends, acquaintances, and relatives in utter pain. In this way, misfortune came up for all (as a result of war), and this somehow hurt Ashoka deeply.
The people of such a prosperous country had to go through a lot of pain without any mistakes. Therefore, the killing, death, and cries of hundreds, or even thousands had shaken Ashoka’s conscience. The ones who died and the ones who became homeless and orphans during the conquest of Kalinga left him in agony. Now he thought to forgive even those who had done something wrong if forgiveness is possible.
After this war, Ashoka did not celebrate his victory over Kalinga rather this was the first battle in the world, where a king after winning the war gave up the idea of using swords or military strength for expanding the empire. He decided to take up the path of Buddhism and felt a strong need for Dhamma during that time. Now he decided to conquest through Dhamma or Dharmavijaya and gave up the idea of physical war and violence.
Ashoka now strictly followed the principles of Dhamma namely; Non-violence or ahimsa, acceptance of all sects, generosity toward others, and obedience and respect to elders. He set an example that others were inspired to follow him. He even directed his son and grandson to adopt the path of Dhamma for the conquest. Therefore, he had written the principles of Dhamma in several edicts so that his successors could also continue with that by avoiding military conquests rather than making conquests by Dhamma only. Here, Ashoka not only retreated from warfare but also changed the very concept of warfare.
The inscription portrays that the Kalinga war was a turning point in Ashoka’s life. Afterward, he disliked the idea of senseless warfare for the extension of power and control rather he wanted to influence people in a peaceful manner by spreading the message of love, mercy, charity, and faith. For that matter, he came with the policy of ‘’Dhamma’’ and made it the foundation of his empire. He revised all his administrative policies and replaced them with different principles of Dhamma. It was not confined to his empire only rather he made effort to spread this in other parts of the world so that people could stay peacefully and be tolerant and respectful towards each other.
Moreover, the edict also mentions Dharma-Vijaya achieved by the king across his dominions by sending representatives of Dhamma to several countries. The idea of Dharma-Vijaya would have been taken some time after the war. Ashoka started running his empire on Buddhist philosophies. He built stupas, viharas, and chaityas for Buddhist monks throughout his empire. He sent learned Buddhist scholars to different countries to propagate his Dhamma. This edict of Ashoka also mentions the victory of Ashoka’s Dhamma over Greek kings, Ptolemy of Egypt, Antigonus of Macedon, Magas of Cyrene, Alexander of Epirus, Cholas, Pandyas, the Bhojas, the Pitinikas, the Andhras and the nabhaks (different kingdoms of India at that time), etc.
The thirteenth rock edict which was issued at the end of the Kalinga war gives a clear picture of the Kalinga war and how the result of that war brought a drastic change in Ashoka from an aggressive and violent warrior to a great ruler who preached and practice the principles of peace, love, and generosity. In a way, one of the direct and immediate effects of the Kalinga war was that Ashoka started following the path of Buddha. Another important effect of this war was the introduction of Dhamma, to which he devoted his life to the welfare of his subjects.
Q1. How many edicts were built during the reign of Ashoka?
Ans. There were 33 inscriptions were engraved on pillars, large rocks, and cave walls by Ashoka the great as the Ashokan Edicts. These edicts are further divided into four parts −
Minor rock edicts
Minor pillar edicts
Major rock edicts
Major pillar edicts
Q2. Where is the Kalinga edict of Ashoka located in India?
Ans. The edict which accounts for the Kalinga war is located in Dhaulli hills near Bhubaneswar in Orrisa. The edicts are engraved on a large stone in Pali, a colloquial language of that time. This edict is said to be situated near the site where the Kalinga war took place.
Q3. Do you think that a war is inevitable? Suggest some other ways in which differences between countries can be sorted to avoid wars?
Ans. No, I do not think that a war is inevitable it can be avoided by adopting several ways like − By signing peace treaties, maintaining diplomatic relations, reducing the race of armaments, and resolving disputes by having peace talks.
Q4. Why are Ashoka’s edicts important in history?
Ans. Ashoka’s edicts served as the major source of information about the Mauryan empire. These edicts give vivid information about Ashoka’s reign and his policies.
Q5. When did Ashoka invade Kalinga and why?
Ans. Ashoka invaded Kaling in 261 BCE. He invaded Kalinga because it was the only major kingdom on the eastern coast which was not under the Mauryan empire and Ashoka wanted to have access to trade routes wit southeast Asia, which was going through the seaports of Kalinga.
Physics
Biology
Chemistry
Mathematics
Economics
Psychology
Environmental Science
Social Studies
Fashion Studies
English