Ashoka the Great
One of the more enduring legacies of Ashoka Maurya was the model that he provided for the relationship between the Buddhism and state. Throughout Theravada Southeastern Asia, the model of rulership embodied by Ashoka replaced the notion of divine kingship that had previously dominated (in the Angkor kingdom, for instance). Under this model of 'Buddhist kingship', the king sought to legitimize his rule not through descent from a divine source, but by supporting and earning the approval of the Buddhist sangha. Following Ashoka's example, kings established monasteries, funded the construction of stupas, and supported the ordination of monks in their kingdom. Many rulers also took an active role in resolving disputes over the status and regulation of the sangha, as Ashoka had in calling a conclave to settle a number of contentious issues during his reign. This development ultimately lead to a close association in many Southeast Asian countries between the monarchy and the religious hierarchy, an association that can still be seen today in the state-supported Buddhism of Thailand and the traditional role of the Thai king as both a religious and secular leader.
Ashoka also said that all his courtiers were true to their self and governed the people in a moral manner.
In popular culture
- Asoka is a largely fictionalized film based on his life.
- In some conspiracy theories Ashoka is mentioned as the founder of a powerful secret society called the Nine Unknown Men.
- Ashoka is a civilization leader in the PC video game Civilization 4. In the game, he is one of two leaders of the Indian Empire,the other being Gandhi.
- In Piers Anthony's series of space opera novels, Bio of a Space Tyrant, the protagonist repeatedly mentions Asoka as a model for rulers to strive for.
- Air India's first 747 aircraft was named after Emperor Ashoka.
- The Blake and Mortimer two-part album Les Sarcophages du Sixième Continent revolves around the sinister plot of a person posing as a resurrected Ashoka.
See also
- Arthashastra
- Ashoka's Major Rock Edict
- Ashokavadana
- Bindusara Maurya
- Buddhism
- Chandragupta Maurya
- Chanakya
- Chakravarti
- Dasaratha Maurya
- Edicts of Ashoka
- Hinduism
- Jaugada
- Kalinga War
- Lion Capital of Ashoka
- Magadha
- Maurya Empire
- Sisupalgarh
- History of India
- History of Hinduism
- History of Buddhism
- History of Maldives
- List of Indian monarchs
- List of people known as The Great
Sources
- Swearer, Donald. Buddhism and Society in Southeast Asia (Chambersburg, Pennsylvania: Anima Books, 1981) ISBN 0-89012-023-4
- Thapar, Romila. Aśoka and the decline of the Mauryas (Delhi : Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997, 1998 printing, c1961) ISBN 0-19-564445-X
- Nilakanta Sastri, K. A. Age of the Nandas and Mauryas (Delhi : Motilal Banarsidass, [1967] c1952) ISBN 0-89684-167-7
- Bongard-Levin, G. M. Mauryan India (Stosius Inc/Advent Books Division May 1986) ISBN 0-86590-826-5
- Govind Gokhale, Balkrishna. Asoka Maurya (Irvington Pub June 1966) ISBN 0-8290-1735-6
- Chand Chauhan, Gian. Origin and Growth of Feudalism in Early India: From the Mauryas to AD 650 (Munshiram Manoharlal January 2004) ISBN 81-215-1028-7
- Keay, John. India: A History (Grove Press; 1 Grove Pr edition May 10, 2001) ISBN 0-8021-3797-0
- Falk, Harry. Asokan Sites and Artefacts - A Source-book with Bibliography (Mainz : Philipp von Zabern, [2006]) ISBN 978-3-8053-3712-0
Notes
- ^ Dr. Ranajit Pal, however, points out that the first reference to Magadha is in an Edict of Ashoka near the North-west and that early Magadha was Magan in Baluchistan (western). The total absence of any relics of the Mauryas and Nandas in the Patna area shows that this was probably not Ashoka's capital. See Ranajit Pal, "Non-Jonesian Indology and Alexander" , New delhi - 2002.
- ^ "Bodhisattva that the Brahman," see Chap. xvi
- ^ KING ASHOKA: His Edicts and His Times
- ^ The Nurses should be able to Sing and Play Instruments - Wujastyk, Dominik; University College London. Accessed 2008-02-22.)
- ^ Amartya Sen (1997). Human Rights and Asian Values. ISBN 0-87641-151-0.
- ^ Arrian, Indica:
This also is remarkable in India, that all Indians are free, and no Indian at all is a slave. In this the Indians agree with the Lacedaemonians. Yet the Lacedaemonians have Helots for slaves, who perform the duties of slaves; but the Indians have no slaves at all, much less is any Indian a slave.
- ^ Reference: "India: The Ancient Past" p.113, Burjor Avari, Routledge, ISBN 0415356156
- ^ Skilton, Andrew. A Concise History of Buddhism. Windhorse. Birmingham: 2004.
- ^ a b Full text of the Mahavamsa Click chapter XII
- ^ Pliny the Elder, "The Natural History", Chap. 21
- ^ Appian, History of Rome, The Syrian Wars 55
- ^ "Demetrius, who was a Seleucid on his mother's side, may conceivably have regarded himself as possessing some sort of hereditary title to the throne of the Mauryas, inasmuch as the Seleucid and Maurya lines were connected by the marriage of Seleucus' daughter (or niece) either with Chandragupta or to his son Bindusara, in which case Ashoka himself would have been half a Seleucid." John Marshall, Taxila, p28
External links
- King Asoka and Buddhism. Historical and Literary studies
- Detailed biography, including key dates in Ashoka's Life
- The life of Asoka Maurya
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Ashoka the Great
Mauryan dynasty
Born: 304 BC Died: 232 BC |
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| Preceded by Bindusara |
Mauryan Emperor 272 BC–232 BC |
Succeeded by Dasaratha |
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