...would accomplish that feat, and go on to unite almost all of what is nowIndia. The young Indian emperor would also take on Alexander’s successors - and win. Chandragupta Maurya’s Birth and Ancestry: Chandragupta Maurya was born sometime around 340 BCE, reportedly in Patna, now in the Bihar state of India. Given the vast span of time since his birth, it is unsurprising that scholars are uncertain of many details. For example, some texts claim that both of Chandragupta’s parents were of the Kshatriya (warrior/prince) caste, while others state that his father was a king but his mother was a maid from the lowly Shudra (servant) caste. It seems likely that his father was Prince Sarvarthasiddhi of the Nanda Kingdom. Chandragupta’s grandson, Ashoka the Great, later claimed a blood relationship to Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, but this claim is unsubstantiated. We know almost nothing...
Words: 7201 - Pages: 29
...Ashoka The Well Appreciated Buddhist and King Ashoka was one of the greatest rulers of ancient India. He was the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya of Magadha who established the first Indian empire. Chandragupta wore the crown for twenty-four years before surrendering his throne in favor of his son, Bundusara (Ashoka’s father), who left no noticeable mark upon the empire. Ashoka was born in 304 B.C. and was known in his younger teen years as Canda Ashoka (the fierce Ashoka) because of his very aggressive nature. Ashoka came to the throne in 270 B.C. after a power struggle that ended in the death of one of his brothers. He was at first disposed to follow the example of his father and grandfather and complete the conquest of the Indian peninsula. In about 256 B.C. Ashoka attacked Kalinga, a country on the east coast of Madras, in order to expand his empire, which he ruled as a tyrant at the time. The plan he pursued about Kalinga was forceful and all standing in his way of the throne were killed. Ashoka succeeded in conquering Kalinga in the fatal war in which 100,000 men were killed, 150,000 injured, and thousands were captured and retained as slaves. The sight of the massacre involved in his conquest deeply distressed Ashoka and deeply affected his mind. Overwhelmed by the carnage, he changed his way of life. Brahmanism was the practiced religion of Ashoka, as he abstained from war forever and sought peace in Buddha’s preaching of love and ahimsa...
Words: 1412 - Pages: 6
...Was Asoka AN Enlightened or a Ruthless conqueror? Was Asoka a Ruthless conqueror by killing 1000 people , or he is enlightened by giving to the weak that don’t have a voice. Some People think that Asoka is a ruthless ruler. But I am making an argument because I think he was an Enlightened ruler. I think he was an Enlightened Ruler because he gave people chances and became friends with people who were weak. I think he was an Enlightened Ruler because he gave people chances and became friends with people who were weak. After the war he gave the weak clothes and food.I think he did this because he felt bad for people dieing. He gave people chances. With forest tribes of his empire they can join but he warns them he has power even in his...
Words: 299 - Pages: 2
...One of the greatest rulers of India's history is Ashoka (Asoka). Ruling for thirty-eight years (274 B.C.-232 B.C.), he was generally mentioned in his inscriptions as Devanampiya Piyadasi ("Beloved of the gods"). As the third emperor of the Mauryan dynasty, he was born in the year 304 B.C. His greatest achievements were spreading Buddhism throughout his empire and beyond. He set up an ideal government for his people and conquered many lands, expanding his kingdom. The knowledge of Ashoka's early reign is limited because little information was found. His edicts and inscriptions allowed us to understand his reign and empire, and have an insight into the events that took place during this remarkable period of history. Eight years after he took his throne, Ashoka's powerful armies attacked and conquered Kalinga (present day Orissa). Although he had conquered many other places, this violent war was the last war he ever fought and a turning point of his career. He was disgusted by the extreme deaths of numerous civilians, especially the Brahmans. All these misfortunes brought Ashoka to turn into a religious ruler compared to a military ruler. As he turned to Buddhism, he emphasized dharma (law of piety) and ahimsa (nonviolence). He realized he could not spread Buddhism all by himself and therefore appointed officers to help promote the teachings. These officers were called Dhamma Mahamattas or "Officers of Righteousness"" They were in charge ...
Words: 312 - Pages: 2
...Ashoka Written by: Amulya Chandra Sen Last Updated 1-1-2014 Ashoka Emperor of India Also known as Aśoka died 238 BC? Ashoka, also spelled Aśoka (died 238? bce, India), last major emperor in the Mauryan dynasty of India. His vigorous patronage of Buddhism during his reign (c. 265–238 bce; also given as c. 273–232 bce) furthered the expansion of that religion throughout India. Following his successful but bloody conquest of the Kalinga country on the east coast, Ashoka renounced armed conquest and adopted a policy that he called “conquest by dharma” (i.e., by principles of right life). In order to gain wide publicity for his teachings and his work, Ashoka made them known by means of oral announcements and by engravings on rocks and pillars at suitable sites. These inscriptions—the rock edicts and pillar edicts (e.g., the lion capital of the pillar found at Sarnath, which has become India’s national emblem), mostly dated in various years of his reign—contain statements regarding his thoughts and actions and provide information on his life and acts. His utterances rang of frankness and sincerity. According to his own accounts, Ashoka conquered the Kalinga country (modern Orissa state) in the eighth year of his reign. The sufferings that the war inflicted on the defeated people moved him to such remorse that he renounced armed conquests. It was at this time that he came in touch with Buddhism and adopted it. Under its influence and prompted by his own dynamic temperament, he...
Words: 850 - Pages: 4
...March Great Personalities Chanakya - 1 An average looking guy was walking on the streets of the Pataliputra (today’s Patna city in India) for routine work. In his hurried walk, he stumbled on a stump of a noxious grass and injured his foot. Grass was deeply rooted in the earth and it was not easy to uproot it out. Little upset he sat down right there in the burning sun. He poured a sugar-syrup on the grass and stood by as if he was waiting for something!! A passing by kid, named Chandragupta, was watching him curiously, but carefully. All of a sudden, from nowhere, several ants and other insects came and attracted towards sugar-syrup. They destroyed the grass completely. Chandragupta curiously asked him, “It was just a grass. Why did you do it?” Brahmin replied back, “It was poisonous (evil) and fatal. And all evil things should be destroyed completely eventhough they are small. This is everybody’s duty. I would remove even a king if the king adopted adharma.” This average looking guy was not merely a common guy, but a very smart, clever and learned brahmin. His name was Vishnugupta. Vishnugupta lived in the capital city Pataliputra of an empire Magadha during the period 350-275 BC. His father, Chanak, was a learned brahmin. Being a teacher himself, Chanak knew the importance of education. He started teaching his son Vishnugupta in his early age. He himself was learned, noble and self-esteemed brahmin. He would not tolerate any injustice or adharmik deeds. Naturally, the...
Words: 1768 - Pages: 8
...wqddasdawdawdadDescribe the conquests of Alexander the Great and analyze the legacy of his empire. (Refer to chapter 7 of your textbook and additional references) Be sure to mention his impact on Persia, India, and Egypt as well as the cultural implications of his conquests. vDescribe the conquests of Alexander the Great and analyze the legacy of his empire. (Refer to chapter 7 of your textbook and additional references) Be sure to mention his impact on Persia, India, and Egypt as well as the cultural implications of his conquests. vvvvvDescribe the conquests of Alexander the Great and analyze the legacy of his empire. (Refer to chapter 7 of your textbook and additional references) Be sure to mention his impact on Persia, India, and Egypt as well as the cultural implications of his conquests. Describe the conquests of Alexander the Great and analyze the legacy of his empire. (Refer to chapter 7 of your textbook and additional references) Be sure to mention his impact on Persia, India, and Egypt as well as the cultural implications of his conquests. Describe the conquests of Alexander the Great and analyze the legacy of his empire. (Refer to chapter 7 of your textbook and additional references) Be sure to mention his impact on Persia, India, and Egypt as well as the cultural implications of his conquests. Describe the conquests of Alexander the Great and analyze the legacy of his empire. (Refer to chapter 7 of your textbook and additional references) Be sure...
Words: 485 - Pages: 2
...Alexander at the Battle of the Hydaspes River. 321 BC Mauryan Empire is founded by Chandragupta Maurya in Magadha after he defeats the Nanda dynasty and Macedonian Seleucid Empire. Mauryan capital city is Patliputra (Modern Patna in Bihar) 305 BC Chandragupta Maurya defeats Seleucus Nicator of the Seleucid Empire. 304 BC Seleucus gives up his territories in the subcontinent (Afghanistan/Baluchistan) to Chandragupta in exchange for 500 elephants. Seleucus offers to marry his daughter to Chandragupta to seal their friendship. 273 BC Ashoka the Great, grandson of Chandragupta Maurya, ascends as emperor of the Mauryan Empire. 266 BC Ashoka conquers and unifies most of South Asia, along with Afghanistan and eastern Iran. 265 BC Kalinga War takes place. After conquering Kalinga, Ashoka regrets the killings in the war, leading him to adopt Buddhism, which then became the quasi-official state religion of the Mauryan Empire. 260s Ashoka begins displaying religious tolerance, grants animal rights, builds hospitals for people and animals, treats his subjects as equals regardless of caste or creed, and promotes...
Words: 3079 - Pages: 13
...many people. This left very few people in the city who were unable to defend themselves against potential raiders. Once these few people were pushed out of the city it was powerless and left for the history books. 2. The Aryans were a race that was part of the Vedic period. They aren’t very well known, however; through hymns, poems, and the Vedas we can learn a little bit about them. We know that they were known for war and different weapons they used to win in battle. We also know that by 1000 B.C.E they had taken over most of India north of the Vindhya Range. Though it is not for sure we can guess that they were responsible for introducing the caste system to India. 3. Throughout the history of the world one of the greater kings was Ashoka. One of his greatest strengths was that he was able to bring together both the north and the south to create one great empire. A major goal of Ashoka’s was to create a less violent empire. He did this by bringing Buddhism into the empire. Though, he didn’t entirely lean towards non-violence. He still kept laws and his army. He was able to prevent violence while still enforce law at the same time, both characteristics of a great leader. 4. Throughout northwest Asia there was Greek style kingdoms. Greek traders and other visitors were often in and out of India frequently. Trade was a big part of the west; with items being traded constantly the west was able to get items they otherwise wouldn’t have. Spices, ivory, cotton, stones...
Words: 872 - Pages: 4
...Richard Hamilton AC1307862 HS150-World Civilization Assignment 02- Alexander the Great 2/16/2014 Alexander the Great was arguably one of the greatest leaders of all time. During his time, Alexander conquered nearly the entire known world. He proceeded to take all he conquered under his rule. He built perhaps one of the largest, strongest, and greatest empires this planet has ever seen. He commanded the Greek military from 336-323 BC. He was known throughout the world for his ruthless victories on the battlefield. He made himself popular and famous through his clever use of propaganda. He promoted and preached Hellenistic culture in all of the regions that fell under his rule. Alexander’s father was Phillip II, the king of Macedonia from the year 356 BC up until his assassination in 330 BC. Phillip knew that one day his throne would be passed on to Alexander. In knowing this, Phillip II did everything he could to prepare Alexander for his future as king. He taught him to be a strong leader not only on the battlefield, but in the world of politics as well. At the age of 14, Phillip II hired a private tutor to teach Alexander. This tutor was a Greek philosopher by the name of Aristotle. Aristotle taught Alexander literature and rhetoric by a Greek. This peaked Alexander’s interest in medicine and science. After his father was killed in 336 BC, Alexander went on to become king. Alexander’s first order of business as king was to attack Thessaly. He did this to restore Macedonia...
Words: 731 - Pages: 3
...place of prayer in North Africa, and is regarded as the fourth holiest site in Islam (after Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem.) The decorations of the Great Mosque were attractive and practical. 9 doors were carved in detailed inlaid marquetry, and the 414 columns had ancient capitals and beautiful shafts. Not one of the 414 columns in the mosque is similar to any other elsewhere in the mosque. It also featured a system are gathering rainwater. The Great Stupa at Sanchi was started under the rule of Emperor Ashoka in the third century BCE, and additions were being made to it until the fifth century CE. It was paid for my mercantile funds, and inscriptions within the stupa give credit to those who gave money. The stupa, however, features just the one large hemisphere dome, and has a circumference of 120ft, rising to 53ft. The Stupa at Sanchi was built after Emperor Ashoka converted to Buddhism. It was continued because of the religious fervor surrounding Buddhism, much of which Ashoka contributed to with his zeal for Buddhism. This stupa was built because the citizens needed a place to worship. In the Great Stupa there are four carved gateways that are the cardinal points of the compass that depict scenes in the life of Buddha. The stupa also featured four stone carvings of Buddha, complete with...
Words: 321 - Pages: 2
...“Wu Zetian and Buddhist Art of the Tang Dynasty” written by Patricia Karetzky provides a number of evidence that Empress Wu is a generous supporter of Buddhism and her patronage led to a splendid achievement in Buddhist art. Per my understanding, it is a Standard Textbook or Encyclopedia Entry type of article. This article does not have many references to other published work and the writer is presenting existed evidence to support his objective of the paper. He used descriptive language to tell the fact and to provided information to readers instead of bringing in his own opinion or doing deep analysis of the information he collected. The article has a very clear structure. Besides the introduction and conclusion parts, the article has three subheadings. The first one is from P114 to P116. The author talks about Buddhist activities in earlier Tang Dynasty and in Zhou. Under this section, the author also made two sub-points. One sub-point demonstrated the relationship Wu Zetian built with Buddhist monks and the Buddha images, such as Emperor Asoka she supported to build in the temple. The second sub-point illustrated that Wu Zetian also sponsored Buddhist monks on their translation activities and she involved in writing preface for these translations, such as Dayun sutra (Karetzky, 116). The second subheading is about Buddhist artistic evidence, which is from P116 to P122 and it includes three subsections, which are Empress Wu as Maitreya and the Dayunjing, Buddhist Art at...
Words: 562 - Pages: 3
...The Paperbag speeches that we had in Professor *** Speech 103 class a few weeks ago were a great experience for me; it is my first speech class but I enjoyed doing my speech in a comfortable environment. I got to experience the great diversity in cultures from all over the world and got the chance to know a little something about each and every student in my class, which I wouldn’t have done otherwise. I noticed that every person has some unique characteristic, whether it’s their hobbies or talents. It is great to know about people’s interests and lifestyle, along with their personal background. When Ms. first announced our assignment the first day, I had a feeling of excitement. Even though I’m not the best at giving speeches, I still wanted my fellow classmates to know the real me. Because I came from a different background from everyone else, I had a little something to share with everyone about my culture, lifestyle, interests, hobbies, and of course, my all-time favorite sport, Cricket. I went home that day with a million questions for my parents. They told me about my home country and the Indian Punjabi lifestyle that I was unaware of for 18 years; I was extremely fascinated when I found out where I came from and how I would have lived if I was back in India. The dressing style, the music and dance, art, food, rituals and even the daily lives of Punjabis was pretty impressive. My mother showed me old pictures of me when I was small wearing the traditional...
Words: 527 - Pages: 3
...Ancient Emperors: Ashoka Brittany Raymond Professor Michael Briere Strayer University HUM 111 Monday, December 15, 2014 Ancient Emperors: Ashoka http://static.newworldencyclopedia.org/7/7d/Ashoka2.jpg0 Ancient Emperors: Ashoka As I, Emperor Ashoka Maurya, lay here holding on to the last bit of my life I want to leave a part of me to share with the world of my life. I was born in 304 BC to my father the Mauryan Empire, Bindusara. When I was born my grandfather, Chandragupta, was ruler of the empire. My father later inherited leadership from him and ruled for the next 25 years. I was 18 years old in the year 286 B.C. when my father appointed me as his Viceroy of the province of Avanti. My father had chosen me because it was said I had shown my abilities and individuality well. I soon after married Vidisa Mahadevi Sakya Kumari in Ujjayini. Mahadevi was from the famous Sakya clan to which Buddha belonged. At age 20 I celebrated the birth of a son whom I gave the name Mahendra. Next my daughter, Sanghamitra, was born just two years later. This was the small start to what one day would be my large family. Early into my military career I became a strong leader. I was respected and spoke highly about. This did not sit easy with my eldest half-brother, Prince Susima. He then began to plan his demise to keep me from being the choice to take over my father’s place as ruler. I was sent by my father into Takshashila province when...
Words: 1401 - Pages: 6
...Ashoka Ashoka is a man that we know little about, but he has a lot of stories about him written on stone. The people of India needed a symbol on their flag that represented their culture and values. What they chose was a chakra which was named after Ashoka (BGE). Ashoka also took over the kalinga, which led to them conquering most of the Indian subcontinent. Was Ashoka an enlightened or ruthless leader? Ashoka was an enlightened ruler who worked toward nonviolence by using Buddhist values, and his impact has lasted even through the 19th century. Nonviolence Ashoka was an enlightened ruler because he wanted nonviolence. The first reason for nonviolence is he would send his missionaries out so that people would follow the Buddhist values (BGE)....
Words: 374 - Pages: 2
