Emperor Ashoka The Great

Lion Capital with Ashoka Chakra

Emperor Ashoka is considered one of the most influential figures in India's history. He was the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the great Mauryan empire. He is believed to have lived between 304–232 BC. Popularly known as Ashoka The Great, he ruled over most of present-day India during the years 269 - 232 BC. After numerous conquests, including the powerful Kalinga empire, his kingdom stretched from present-day Pakistan & Afghanistan in the west, to the present-day Bangladesh and Assam (Indian state) in the east, and ranged as far south as northern Kerala. His empire was headquartered in Magadha (modern day state of Bihar).

Ashoka, his name meaning "painless, without sorrow" in Sanskrit, was born to King Bindusara and Queen Subhadrangi, the daughter of Champa of Telangana. He had several elder siblings, all of whom were his half-brothers from other wives of Bindusāra. From a very young age, Ashoka received military and warfare training. He was an accomplished hunter, and according to a legend, he killed a lion with just a wooden rod. He was a skilled fighter, whose expertise with the sword was well known. He acquired the reputation of a fierce warrior and a heartless general.

Bindusara's death in 273 BC led to a succession war. Bindusara wanted his son Sushim to succeed him but Ashoka was supported by his father's ministers. According to one legend, Ashoka became the king by getting rid of the legitimate heir to the throne, by tricking him into entering a pit filled with live coals. Another legend states that he killed 99 of his brothers, sparing only one, named Tissa. Ashoka’s coronation took place in 269 BC, four years after his succession to the throne.

In the initial years of his reign, Ashoka is said to have had bad temper and was wicked by nature. Legend goes that he administered a loyalty test to his ministers and killed those that failed. He also kept a harem of hundreds of women and burnt many of them to death when he felt that they insulted him. He built an elaborate and horrific torture chamber which earned him the name of Chand Ashoka, meaning Ashoka the Fierce.

Although the early part of Ashoka's reign was violent and gory, the war with Kalinga became a key turning point in his life. The kingdom of Kalinga was situated on the east coast of India (present-day states of southern Orissa and north coastal Andhra). It prided itself on its sovereignty and monarchial democracy. This was quite an exception in ancient Bharata (India) where the prevalent custom was that of an absolute monarchy. The Kalinga battle was bloody and left more than 100,000 soldiers and many civilians dead or deported. It is said that when Ashoka was walking through the grounds of Kalinga after his conquest, rejoicing his victory, he was moved by the horrific sight of thousands of bodies strewn across the landscape. The piercing wails of the kith and kin of the dead made a lasting impression on his mind.