Important Facts To Know About Ashoka The Great

Ashoka's Reign was one of the brightest chapter in the history of mankind.His own Inscriptions reveal the chief stages in the history of his reign and the motives underlying activities. After Serving Viceroy of Ujjain and Taxila, Ashoka Succeeded Bindusara to mouryan empire.

In Puranas he is refereed to as Asokavardhana ,in the Grinar Inscription of rudradaman 150 AD he is mentioned as Asoka the Maurya. Some where he is refereed to as Piyadasi laja magdhee. In his Addicts Ashoka Assuemed two titles Devanampiya and Piyadasi.

Early Life of Ashoka or Asoka

On the early life of Ashoka according to buddhist accounts his mother was janapadi kalyani. As a Prince He served the Viceroy of Ujjain and Taxila and during his viceroyship fell in love with Vidisa the daughter of merchant of vidisa.Ashokas two others well known queens were Kaurvaki and Asandhimitra.

Accession To Throne

On the basis of Srilankan chronicles he had Succession war with his 100 brothers and was said to have killed 99 sparing one. Same stories are also mentioned in Buddhist texts. But these stories are not trustworthy. Ashoka has mentioned his Brothers and his families in the inscriptions after the years of Coronation.

Kalinga War

The earliest event of Asoka's reign thet we find recorded in his inscription is his conquest of kalinga, which proved to be a turning point in his life. Ashoka Conquered kalinga in the eighth year of coronation. after this Ashoka ceased to get in aggressive war. The 13th Rock Eddict vividly describes the horrors and miseries of this war and the remorse it caused to Ashoka.

1,50,000 people were deported a 1,00,000 people were killed and many times that perished. After the war of kalinga Ashoka realised the actual gravity of the war and wrote "Today if a hundredth or thousandth part of those people who got perished or deported when kalinga was annexed were to suffer similarly ,it would weigh heavily on the mind of the beloved of the Gods"

Ashoka As a Buddhist

Ashoka converted to Buddhism in the ninth year of his coronation after a year of kalinga war. According to srilankan chronology mahavamsa he was converted to Buddhism by Nigrodha,a boy monk who was only 7 years old then. the 3rd Buddhist Council was presided at Ashoka's time.

After his conversion to Buddhism his family members also converted to Buddhism.