ipl-logo

How Did Ashoka Influence His Administration

2091 Words9 Pages

Introduction Ashoka was the 3rd king of the Mauryan dynasty and also the most famous Mauryan ruler. He ruled from 304-232 BC. The Mauryan kingdom was massive in size and extended from the Hindu Kush region all the way to the Bay of Bengal. It was India’s first truly great empire. Ashoka was not only an able ruler but also brought along the quality of social justice to his already strong administration. Ashoka embraced Buddhism after the bloody conquest of kalinga (modern day Orissa) because he felt a sense of remorse. Thereafter tolerance,compassion, reverence for life and peaceful co-existence were the cornerstones of his administration. Under him the earliest bans on slavery and capital punishment came into place along with environmental regulations as well. King Ashoka made a lot of effort to spread Buddhism not only across his kingdom but also outside his Kingdom. He was inspired by the teachings of lord Buddha and played a crucial role in spreading Buddhism across the indian sub-continent. He wanted to spread the word of ‘dhamma’ amongst the masses and most of his life as a ruler after the kaliga war was devoted in …show more content…

These inscriptions are spread throughout the indian subcontinent and are the first tangible evidence of Buddhism. These edicts spread the message of ‘dhamma’ as propagated by Ashoka, as an attempt to solve some of the problems faced by society. According to these edicts, the Buddhist proselytism reached as far as the Mediterranean during Ashoka’s reign. The Edicts are divided into: • Major Rock Edicts: 14 Edicts (termed 1st to 14th) and 2 separate ones found in Orissa • Minor Rock Inscriptions: Minor Rock Edicts, the Queen 's Edict, Barabar caves inscriptions and the Kandahar bilingual inscription. • Pillar Edicts: Seven Edicts.

More about How Did Ashoka Influence His Administration

Open Document