Location of the Minor Rock Edicts (Edicts 1, 2 & 3) Other inscriptions often classified as Minor Rock Edicts. Location of the Major Rock Edicts. Location of the Minor Pillar Edicts. Original location of the Major Pillar Edicts. Capital cities
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The Edicts of Ashoka are a collection of more than thirty inscriptions on the Pillars of Ashoka, as well as boulders and cave walls, attributed to Emperor Ashoka of the Maurya Empire who reigned the Indian subcontinent from 268 BCE to 232 BCE.[1] Ashoka used the expression Dhaṃma Lipi (Prakrit in the Brahmi script: 𑀥𑀁𑀫𑀮𑀺𑀧𑀺, "Inscriptions of the Dharma") to describe his own Edicts.[2] These inscriptions were dispersed throughout the areas of modern-day Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and provide the first tangible evidence of Buddhism. The edicts describe in detail Ashoka's view on dhamma, an earnest attempt to solve some of the problems that a complex society faced.[3] According to the edicts, the extent of Buddhist proselytism during this period reached as far as the Mediterranean, and many Buddhist monuments were created.
These inscriptions proclaim Ashoka's adherence to the Buddhist philosophy. The inscriptions show his efforts to develop the Buddhist dhamma throughout his kingdom. Although Buddhism as well as Gautama Buddha are mentioned, the edicts focus on social and moral precepts rather than specific religious practices or the philosophical dimension of Buddhism. These were located in public places and were meant for people to read.
In these inscriptions, Ashoka refers to himself as "Beloved of the Gods" (Devanampiya). The identification of Devanampiya with Ashoka was confirmed by an inscription discovered in 1915 by C. Beadon, a British gold-mining engineer, at Maski, a village in Raichur district of Karnataka. Another minor rock edict, found at the village Gujarra in Datia district of Madhya Pradesh, also used the name of Ashoka together with his titles: Devanampiya Piyadasi Asokaraja.[4] The inscriptions found in the central and eastern part of India were written in Magadhi Prakrit using the Brahmi script, while Prakrit using the Kharoshthi script, Greek and Aramaic were used in the northwest. These edicts were deciphered by British archaeologist and historian James Prinsep.[5]
The inscriptions revolve around a few recurring themes: Ashoka's conversion to Buddhism, the description of his efforts to spread Buddhism, his moral and religious precepts, and his social and animal welfare program. The edicts were based on Ashoka's ideas on administration and behaviour of people towards one another and religion.
^Le 2010, p. 30.
^Singh, Upinder (2008). A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century. Pearson Education India. p. 351. ISBN 9788131711200. Archived from the original on 2 July 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
^"The Ashokan rock edicts are a marvel of history". Archived from the original on 6 September 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
^Malalasekera, Gunapala Piyasena (1990). Encyclopaedia of Buddhism. Government of Ceylon. p. 16. Archived from the original on 2 July 2023. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
The EdictsofAshoka are a collection of more than thirty inscriptions on the Pillars ofAshoka, as well as boulders and cave walls, attributed to Emperor...
brutal war. Ashoka subsequently devoted himself to the propagation of "dhamma" or righteous conduct, the major theme of the edicts. Ashoka'sedicts suggest...
inscriptions of any Indian monarch. These edicts are preceded chronologically by the Minor Rock Edicts. Ashoka was the third monarch of the Maurya Empire...
The following is an overview ofEdictsofAshoka, and where they are located. Kandahar, Afghanistan Lampaka, Afghanistan Bahapur, Delhi Bairat, near Jaipur...
The Ashokan edicts in Delhi are a series ofedicts on the teachings of Buddha created by Ashoka, the Mauryan Emperor who ruled in the Indian subcontinent...
pillars ofAshoka are a series of monolithic pillars dispersed throughout the Indian subcontinent, erected—or at least inscribed with edicts—by the 3rd...
The Kandahar Greek EdictsofAshoka are among the Major Rock Edictsof the Indian Emperor Ashoka (reigned 269-233 BCE), which were written in the Greek...
BCE. They contain some of the most important of the EdictsofAshoka. The inscription in Khalsi contains all the Major Rock Edicts, from 1 to 14. They were...
The Minor Pillar Edictsof Indian Emperor Ashoka refer to 4 separate minor EdictsofAshoka (Schism Edict, Queen's Edict, 2 Commemorative inscriptions)...
The Major Pillar Edictsof Indian Emperor Ashoka refer to 7 separate major EdictsofAshoka inscribed on columns (the Pillars ofAshoka), which are significantly...
number ofedictsofAshoka, most prominent among which is the Lion Capital ofAshoka. The most visible use of the Ashoka Chakra today is at the centre of the...
containing one of the pillar edictsofAshoka, erected by Ashoka, emperor of the Maurya dynasty, who reigned in the 3rd century BCE, . While it is one of the few...
edicts (the fragments of the 8th and 9th major rock edicts) ofAshoka in 1882 prove the importance of this port town from the 3rd century BCE to the 9th...
Mansehra Rock Edicts are fourteen edictsof the Mauryan emperor Ashoka, inscribed on rocks in Mansehra in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The edicts are cut into...
considered to be a part ofAshoka's Minor Rock Edicts (consequently dubbed "Minor Rock Edict No. 4"), in contrast to his Major Rock Edicts, which contain portions...
Kalingas. — Ashoka, Rock Edict No. 13 Ashoka's response to the Kalinga War is recorded in the EdictsofAshoka. The Kalinga War prompted Ashoka, already...
well-documented period of Indian history. Ashoka left us a series of great inscriptions (major rock edicts, minor rock edicts, pillar edicts) which are among...
2004 in the Cultural category. Edict No.12 Edicts No.1 to No.11 Edicts No.13 and No.14 Protective housing A rubbing of two of the inscriptions. The words...
mention of the "Yauna" in the Persepolis Administrative Archives (550–333 BC). The mention of the "Yona king Aṃtiyoka" in the EdictsofAshoka (280 BCE)...
name of an early Indian king, author of the Major Rock Edicts or the Major Pillar Edicts inscriptions, whom he identifies as probably the son of Chandragupta...
in the Indian subcontinent are the EdictsofAshokaof the 3rd century BCE, in the Brahmi script. If epigraphy of proto-writing is included, undeciphered...
form by the 3rd century BCE where it appears in some of the EdictsofAshoka. The EdictsofAshoka (circa 250 BCE) may show Achaemenid influences, including...
construct a succession of Hittite Kings. It also recounts Mursili I's conquest of Babylon. EdictsofAshoka, by the Mauryan emperor, Ashoka, during his reign...
Global Information
Location of the Minor Pillar Edicts.
Original location of the Major Pillar Edicts.
Capital cities