Ashoka
? – 233 BCE Indian Emperor of the Maurya dynasty
Mauryan emperor who ruled most of the Indian subcontinent and, after a bloody conquest, turned to Buddhism and non-violence.
- Religion
- Buddhist
- Affiliations
- Maurya Empire
Ashoka ruled the Maurya Empire across most of the Indian subcontinent in the third century BCE. According to his own edicts, the enormous bloodshed of his conquest of Kalinga filled him with remorse and led him to embrace Buddhism and a policy he called dhamma, stressing non-violence, tolerance, and welfare. He had edicts carved on pillars and rocks across his realm and sent Buddhist missions abroad, helping spread the religion beyond India. His empire declined after his death, but his reign became a lasting symbol; the lion capital of one of his pillars is now the emblem of India. His birth date is not securely recorded.
In the timeline
- 321 BCE Founding of the Maurya Empire the later emperor at the empire's height
- 268 BCE Reign of Ashoka the Great the reigning emperor
- 260 BCE Ashoka embraces Buddhism central figure