सम्राट अशोक का इतिहास
Ashoka (/əˈʃoʊkə/, IAST: Aśoka; also Asoka; c. 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of the Indian subcontinent during c. 268 to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, stretching from present-day Afghanistan in the west to present-day Bangladesh in the east, with its capital at Pataliputra. A patron of Buddhism, he is credited with playing an important role in the spread of Buddhism across ancient Asia.
propagation of "dhamma" or righteous conduct, the major theme of the edicts.
Ashoka's edicts suggest that a few years after the Kalinga War, he was gradually drawn towards Buddhism. The Buddhist legends do not mention the Kalinga War at all, and variously state that Ashoka converted to Buddhism after being dissatisfied with the leaders of the other faiths or after witnessing miracles performed by Buddhist leaders. They credit Ashoka with establishing a large number of stupas, patronising the Third Buddhist council, supporting Buddhist missionaries, making generous donations to the sangha, and even persecuting non-Buddhists. The historicity of these legends is debated among modern historians, as they are often inconsistent with the edicts and among themselves, contain mythological elements, and exaggerate Ashoka's wickedness before and his piousness after his conversion to Buddhism. Ashoka's own edicts suggest that he favoured Buddhism, but also patronised the other major contemporary faiths including Brahmanism, Jainism, and Ājīvikaism.
Ashoka's existence as a historical emperor had almost been forgotten, but this changed with the decipherment of the Brahmi script in the 19th century. Historians connected the titles Priyadasi and Devanampriya in his edicts to the Ashoka of Buddhist legends, and established Ashoka's reputation as one of the greatest Indian emperors. The emblem of the modern Republic of India is an adaptation of the Lion Capital of Ashoka. Ashoka's wheel, the Ashoka Chakra is adopted at the centre of the National Flag of India.
