Samrat Ashoka

Ashoka is unique amongst the earliest rulers of India (3rd century BC) in that the memory of his rule is well preserved in the form of his message to the people engraved on rocks and pillars that span the length and breadth of the country. The four lions emblem on one of his pillars is sovereign India's official seal. Ashoka was prince of the kingdom of what is the city of Patna today. Brave and strict, as viceroy he crushed rebels in far off northwest and nearer home in central India. He was equally ruthless in eliminating those coming in the way of his ascension to the throne after his father's death. Ashoka pursued a policy of expansion of his power over neighboring kingdoms. His campaign to subdue Kalinga (present day Orissa) resulted in more than a hundred thousand casualties. This destructive war became a turning point. Filled with remorse for the huge loss of human life, Ashoka began to rethink the idea of war and aggression as a way of life. Eventually he embraced the teachings of the Buddha and strove to spread the message of right conduct all over India. It this unique message of peace and tolerance that survives in his rock and pillar edicts spread across 33 locations in what are now India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.