PASTEXPERIENCE HISTORY

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Mid-third century BCE

Ashoka’s inscriptions

A ruler’s inscriptions express remorse over war and ideals of government.

Mauryan realm

A ruler’s remorse after conquest

Rock Edict XIII records killing, deportation and suffering among families and religious communities after Kalinga. Ashoka advocates conquest through dhamma. This is a ruler’s statement of policy, not testimony from victims.

[1] Columbia University

Governing through public inscriptions

Dhamma addressed daily conduct. Edict XI discusses parents, relatives, enslaved people, servants and avoiding harm to living things; XII calls for listening to other sects. These were principles for behavior across a religiously diverse empire.

[1] Columbia University

Buddhist patronage and imperial responsibility

The Lumbini pillar records a visit to the Buddha’s birthplace in the king’s twentieth regnal year. Broad respect for sects coexisted with specific Buddhist support. Inscriptions establish messages and visits, not complete implementation everywhere.

[1] Columbia University[2] UNESCO World Heritage Centre[3] UNESCO World Heritage Centre

Before and after

  1. Around 261 BCE

    Approximate date of the Kalinga conquest.

  2. Mid-third century BCE

    Policies were inscribed on rocks and pillars.

  3. 249 BCE

    Visit recorded by the Lumbini pillar.

Key terms

Inscription
A written record carved into a durable surface.
Dhamma
Conduct principles of restraint and care expressed in the edicts.
Kalinga
A region whose conquest and suffering feature in the edicts.

What supports the account?

The king expressed remorse over conquest.

Translation of the Kalinga edict.

Limits of the evidence

Not direct victim testimony or proof of subsequent nonviolence.

[1] Columbia University

Evidence records a Lumbini visit.

The pillar inscription records the visit and date.

Limits of the evidence

It does not establish policy implementation everywhere.

[2] UNESCO World Heritage Centre

Check your understanding

Choose an answer to reveal the explanation. Return to the article and sources when you are unsure.

1. The king describes suffering from conquest. What cannot be assumed?

Sources

  1. The Edicts of AsokaColumbia University

    The king’s edicts on remorse over Kalinga, dhamma and respect for other sects.

  2. Lumbini — significance of the heritage siteUNESCO World Heritage Centre

    Ashoka’s pillar and its inscription dated to 249 BCE.

  3. The Lumbini pillar and archaeological siteUNESCO World Heritage Centre

    The Asoka pillar recording the visit in 249 BCE and the protected site.

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