Ashoka, Asoka

Indian ruler who unified India through the Maurya Empire and ruled from c. 269 BCE to c. 232 BCE. During his reign Buddhism was adopted as the state religion. He sent Buddhist missionaries to Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, in particular.

Ashoka hailed from Magadha, Maurya dynasty's home province, and came to be called Devanampriya Priyadarsi Raja, ‘the king who is the beloved of the gods and who glances graciously upon al, or simply Devanampriya,  or king Priyadarsi, or Priyadarsana [‘one having an amiable appearance’]. Tradition says that the fuller form of Asoka’s name was Asokavardhana.

"Gautama the Buddha and the Maurya emperor Asoka are two of the greatest sons of India and the world, and their lives and achievements stand among India’s best contributions to human civilization", wrote Indian scholar D.C. Sircar.

His important Edicts were inscribed on stone in Prakrit, Greek and Aramaic languages.

Ashoka Chakra, "the wheel of Righteousness" (Dharma in Sanskrit, Dhamma in Pali), adorns India's national flag.