Biography of King Ashoka complete biography for Class 10, Class 12, and Graduation and other classes.
| Full Name | Ashoka |
| Born | 304 BCE |
| Died On | 232 BCE |
| Known for | Third king of the Mauryan Empire and known for his renunciation of war |
| Children | Mahinda, Sanghamitta, Kunala, Tivala, Charumati, Jaluka |
| Spouse | Devi (Sri Lankan tradition) Karuvaki (own inscriptions) Padmavati (North Indian tradition) Asandhimitra (Sri Lankan tradition) Tishyaraksha (Sri Lankan and North Indian tradition) |
Ashoka, also known as Ashoka the Great, was an Indian emperor of the Maurya dynasty, who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent from c. 268 to 232 BCE. He is considered one of the greatest rulers in Indian history and is known for his military conquests, as well as his support for Buddhism and his policies of nonviolence and social welfare.
Ashoka came to the throne in 268 BCE after a bloody war of succession following the death of his father, Bindusara. Early in his reign, he conquered the neighboring kingdoms of Kalinga, but the violence and suffering caused by the conquest deeply troubled him and led him to renounce war and embrace Buddhism.
Ashoka implemented a number of policies to promote the welfare of his people, he built hospitals, dug wells, and planted trees along roads to provide shade. He also promoted religious tolerance and supported the spread of Buddhism throughout his empire, building temples, monasteries and stupas, and encouraging the translation of Buddhist texts into various languages.
Ashoka also sent out Buddhist missions to various parts of the world to spread the teachings of the Buddha. He supported the development of rock-cut architecture, he also established a network of officers to ensure that his orders were carried out throughout the empire, this network was known as the Ashokan Pillars.
Ashoka’s reign is considered a golden age in Indian history, as he is known for his support for Buddhism and his policies of nonviolence and social welfare. His legacy continues to be honored in India and he is widely regarded as one of the greatest kings in Indian history.
Ashoka’s inscriptions, many of them written in stone and widely distributed across the empire, form the oldest surviving corpus of Indian historical records. These inscriptions can provide a great deal of information about his life and reign, the society of that time, and the spread of Buddhism.
