ASHOKA THE GREAT

Ashoka –The Great

Key words •Kingdom: territory ruled by a king or queen

•Empire: a group of countries ruled by a single monarch

•Dynasty: a line of hereditary rulers in a country

WHO IS ASHOKA?Ashoka was an Indian emperor of the Mauryan Dynasty

He ruled the Indian subcontinent from 268 to 232 BCE.

One of India's greatest emperors,

Location

Major cities•TAXILA-CAPITAL CITY•UJJAIN-CAPITAL CITY•PATLIPUTRA-PATNA

•SARNATH-VARANASI•MAGHADHA- BIHAR

Taxila

Taxila•Taxila which means "City of Cut Stone’’ and is an important archaeological town. It is situated in Pakistan. There are 5 small stupas in the city.

Ujjain

Ujjain •Ancient city of temples

•Situated near the kshipra river

•Located in MADHYA PRADESH

•In ancient times, it was called as UJJAIYINI

Patliputra (modern patna)

Patliputra •Patliputra was the Mauryan capital city.

•Present on the Ganga River.

•Largest city in the world during that era.

•Contained more than 500,000 residents

Sarnath varanasi

SARNATH VARANASI •The Ashoka Lion capital or the Sarnath lion capital is the national symbol of India. The Sarnath pillar bears one of the Edicts of Ashoka.

MAGADHA

Magadha •The core of the kingdom was the area of Bihar south of the Ganges; its first capital was Rajagriha (modern Rajgir) then Patliputra (modern Patna).

Timeline on king Ashoka • 300 BC- Ashoka Maurya was born•284bce – MARRIDGE •272- the Reign begins•273 BC- Ashoka succeeded the throne•269 BC- He was crowned as the king•264 BC- The war against Kalinga Kingdom happened• 260 BC- Ashoka become a Buddhist monk•232 BC- He died

SOURCES OF KING ASHOKA

Chandragupta Maurya

Chandragupta Maurya •Chandragupta was the grandfather of Asoka.

•He founded the Mauryan Empire.•He gained power shortly after Alexander ‘s death. Once he was in power he forced all Greek inhabitants to leave.

Bindusara

Bindusara •Bindusara ( 297-273 BC ) Chandragupta was succeeded by his son Bindusara. He defeated rulers of 16 Kingdoms. The Mauryan Kingdom was spread across the whole Indian Subcontinent, Except in Kalinga and the Southern parts

Indian Flag

Indian 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 sanskrit and it means cycle or a repeating process.

Unknown facts about king Ashoka•He conquered the kingdom Kalinga , which none of his ancestors had done

•Ashoka is remembered in the history as a philanthropic ruler.

•In his early days, Ashoka was very cruel, and

he was began to be called Chand Ashoka.

Unknown facts about King ashoka•Ashoka built thousands of stupas and viharas for the followers and the spread of Buddhism.

•Ashoka was a devotee of Ahimsa i. e non violence , truth tolerance and vegetarianism

•Ashoka was the last and the greatest king of Mauryan dynasty.

How are policies of King Ashoka &the policies of UAE Same?

•Ashoka gave up the policy of conquest through war and began to follow a policy of conquest through dharma.

oEven in UAE the Ruler follows the principle of non-violence and gave up war.

•The Emperor took all the main decisions and rules.oIn UAE the laws are also governed by the Ruler.

•The Empires policy of accepting people in a Peaceful and respectful manner.

oThe UAE also accepts all kinds of people from different parts of the World.

Summary •Chandragupta Maurya was the first Mauryan emperor.

He conquered Magadha and then defeated Selecus Nicator.•Ashoka conquered Kalinga, After the Kalinga War, he decided to give up war altogether.•Ashoka’s policy of dhamma was based on the principles of peace,tolerance,non-violence,co-existence,truth,charity and respect for all. He issued edicts and appointed officers to spread dhamma.

•Ashoka is famous for his public welfare measures. He built roads, rest houses, hospitals and dug wells.

Summary •The Mauryas had a large administrative set-up. The empire was divided into provinces, districts and villages. A committee of 30 members looked after the administrative of Pataliputra.

•The Mauryas had a large army and an efficient spy system.

Thank you u tThank youBy –

Shambhavi Jha

6B,Delhi Private School Dubai