Emperor Ashoka
A vast battlefield blood every where Dead and dying soldiers all around dead horses and elephants. In the midst of it all stands a king. Eyes full of sadness and pain. Who is he? Why is he sad?
He was king Ashoka, the son of Bindusara, a great king who left behind a vast empire when he died. Bindusara ruled over nearly the whole of India with his capital at Pataliputra.
Ashoka was born in about 300 BC. As a young man, he was sent by his father to rule over Takshila and Ujjain, whish were in the north of the Mauryan Empire. There he learnt many things which helped him to rule wisely.
The Kalingas were one of the few people able to remain free of Mauryan rile. Ashoka sent a huge army fights them. In the kalian war, many thousands of people were killed. Asoka’s soldiers roamed the countryside, burning houses and fields. The Kalingas were completely defeated.
The Kaligna war changed Ashoka’s life. He said. ``my heart is sick with sorrow at the pain misery I have caused from this day. I shall give up fighting wars and try conquering people’s hearts with love.’’ Ashoka gave up war at the supreme moment of victory.
In order to spread the teachings of the Buddha, Ashoka built pillars in many parts of this empire. On these stone pillars, the message of Buddhism was carved for all to read. At many important Buddhist places, he built Stupas. The most famous of these Stupas is at Sanchi near Bhopal. Ashoka sent preaches to other countries like Sri Lanka and Myanmar. The people of these countries became followers of Buddhism. In time, Buddhism became one of the most important religions in Asia.
Ashoka was a wise and noble king. He built many fine buildings and roads. He made many gardens. He dug wells so that travels and ordinary people would have enough clean water. He gave medicines to the sick, and food, money and clothing to the needy. He did not allow people to kill any living thing.
Ashoka died in about 232 BC after he had ruled for forty years. Today, we think of Ashoka as one of the greatest kings of India.
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