Portal:India/Today's selected article/March 4, 2006



Ashoka was the emperor of the Mauryan Empire from 273 BCE to 232 BCE. He reigned over most of South Asia and beyond. An early supporter of Buddhism, Ashoka established monuments marking several significant sites in the life of Shakyamuni Buddha, and according to Buddhist tradition was closely involved in the preservation and transmission of Buddhism. He was the first ruler of ancient Bharatavarsha (India), after Mahabharata rulers, to unify such a vast territory under his empire.

The Ashoka Pillar at Sarnath is the most popular of the relics left by Ashoka, made of sandstone. It has a four-lion capital which was adopted as the emblem of the modern Indian republic. In translating these monuments, historians learn the bulk of what is assumed to have been true fact of the Mauryan Empire. It is difficult to determine whether certain events ever happened, but the stone etchings depict clearly of how he wanted to be remembered. (more...)