1. 300 BCE – 232 BCE Presentation by:- Sameer Agrawal
ASHOKA THE GREAT
300 BCE – 232 BCE
Presentation by:-
Sameer Agrawal

2. Location
India

3. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
ASHOKA BELONGS
TO MAURYAN DYNASTY
HE IS THE THIRD KING
OF MAURYAN DYNASTY

4. Timeline Conversion to Buddhism 263 BCE Death in 232 BCE
Birth of Asoka
300 BCE
Reign begins
272 BCE
Marriage
284 BCE

5. MAURYA DYNASTY CHANDRAGUPTA MAURYA (Founder & grand father of Ashoka)
BINDUSARA
(Second king & father of Ashoka)
ASHOKA THE EMPEROR
(Third king)

6. CHANDRAGUPTA MAURYA Founded Mauryan Dynasty in 322 BC
Gained power shortly after
Alexander ‘s death.
Was crowned King at Taxila
Had capital at Pataliputra
His minister Chanakya
wrote Arthashastra

7. ASHOKA THE GREAT BEFORE THE KALINGA WAR AFTER THE KALINGA WAR
LEGACY OF ASHOKA

8. ASHOKA THE GREAT PART-I
BEFORE THE KALINGA WAR

9. Kalinga War Ashoka's reign as emperor began with a series of wars .
He conquered more lands
and added them to his
empire.
The Kalinga War of 260 BC
was the worst of all.

10. A change of heart The huge loss of life and suffering witnessed on
the battlefield made him
turn away from war.
So he was deeply
influenced by Buddhism,
and adopted the dharma
principles

11. ASHOKA THE GREAT PART - II
AFTER THE KALINGA WAR
ASHOKA THE GREAT PART - II

12. AFTER KALINGA WAR A. Dharma Principles B. Spread of Buddhism
C. Ashoka the Administrator

13. A. The Dharma Principles
The main principles of dharma (dhamma)
nonviolence,
tolerance of all sects,
obedience to parents,
respect for Brahmans , teachers & priests
liberality towards friends,
humane treatment of servants,

14. SPREAD OF BUDDHISM Ashoka built shrines and monasteries and inscribed
Buddhist teachings on
rocks and pillars in many
places.
He sent missionaries to
countries.
His own son Kunal became a
monk & carried Buddhism
to Sri Lanka

15. Ashoka the administrator
Ashoka taught and convinced people to love and respect all living things.
He insisted on the recognition of the sanctity of all human life.
He abolished the unnecessary slaughter or mutilation of animals.
Ashoka banned sport hunting & thus protected wildlife.
He became vegetarian & most people chose to become vegetarians on their own.
He allowed one day leave to prisoners to go outside for a day of the year.

16. ASHOKA THE GREAT PART-III
LEGACIES OF ASHOKA

17. LEGACIES OF ASHOKA
SYMBOLIC LEGACY
BOLLYWOOD LEGACY

18. SYMBOLIC Legacy Indian government has adopted the famous lion
capital from his pillar at
Sarnath as official
national emblem.

19. India’s Flag
After Asoka’s death in 232 BCE the people of India decided to commemorate Ashoka by using his personal chakra. It can still be seen today on the Indian flag.
The word chakra is sandskrit and it means cycle or a repeating process.

20. Ashoka’s Wheel of Law
Asoka’s chakra is also know as the wheel of the dharma (way) and it symbolizes the 24 virtues in Buddhism. Some of these 24 virtues include: love, patience, peacefulness, courage, justice and mercy.

21. BOLLYWOOD LEGACY The film-ASHOKA- was directed by Santosh Sivan
and stars Shahrukh Khan
as Ashoka and Kareena
Kapoor
as Kaurwaki, a princess
of Kalinga

22. Historical Importance
After the death of Asoka's father, Binder Sar, Ashoka and his older brother competed for the throne. The prime minister and other important ministers at the time though Asoka to be more discreet, capable and efficient ruler.
The next three years Ashoka focused on reestablishing peace.
During Asoka's rule theft declined and science, medicine and technology all flourished.
Buddhism received a significant boost of popularity when Ashoka converted to Buddhism.

23. Personal Information
Asoka married a commoner called Karuwaki, she was a fisher.
He met her before his reign when he was sent to Taxshila to subdue an uprising as a general of the Mauryan empire.
Due to Ashoka’s success in the quelling of the uprising and his growing popularity, his step-brothers forced him into exile to prevent him from obtaining the throne.
Asoka however returned two years later being summoned by the emperor to quell another uprising.

24. Asoka the terrible
Before Ashoka’s conquest of Kalinga he was known as Chandashok ( Chanda-cruel, shok-associated with Hindu goddess of eternal energy) Asoka was considered a bloodthirsty and power greedy individual. It was not until later, after the conquest of Kalinga, where Asoka received his revelation that he was considered great.

25. THANK YOU
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