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A "Chakravartin" ruler, first century BC/CE. Andhra Pradesh, Amaravati. Preserved at Musee Guimet
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| Name | Ashoka Maurya | | Reign | 274 � 232 BC | | Coronation | 270 BC | | Full name | Ashoka Bindusara Maurya | | Titles | Samraat Chakravartin; other titles include Devanampriya and Priyadarsin | | Buried | Ashes immersed in the Ganges River, possibly at Varanasi (Cremated 232 BC, less than 24 hours after death) | | Predecessor | Bindusara | | Successor | Dasaratha Maurya | | Consort | Maharani Devi | | Offspring | Mahendra, Sanghamitra,Teevala, Kunala | | Royal House | Mauryan dynasty | | Father | Bindusara | | Mother | Rani Dharma or Shubhadrangi | | Religious beliefs | Hinduism, later on embraced Buddhism |
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Ashok Maurya or Ashoka (Devanāgarī: अशोक, Bangla: অশোক, IAST: , -saaˈɕoːkəIPA, ca. 304 - 232 BC), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was an Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent from ca. 269 BC to 232 BC. One of India's greatest emperors, Ashoka reigned over most of present-day India after a number of military conquests. His empire stretched from present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan in the west, to the present-day Bangladesh and the Indian state of Assam in the east, and as far south as northern Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. He conquered the kingdom named Kalinga, which no one in his dynasty had conquered starting from Chandragupta Maurya. His reign was headquartered in Magadha (present-day Bihar, India). He embraced Buddhism from the prevalent Hindu tradition after witnessing the mass deaths of the war of Kalinga, which he himself had waged out of a desire for conquest. He was later dedicated to the propagation of Buddhism across Asia and established monuments marking several significant sites in the life of Gautama Buddha. Ashoka was a devotee of ahimsa (nonviolence), love, truth, tolerance and vegetarianism. Ashoka is remembered in history as a philanthropic administrator.
In the history of India, Ashoka is referred to as Samraat Chakravartin Ashoka - the Emperor of Emperors Ashoka.
His name " " means "painless, without sorrow" in Sanskrit (the a privativum and śoka "pain, distress"). In his edicts, he is referred to as (Pali or "The Beloved Of The Gods"), and (Pali or "He who regards everyone with affection").
Along with the Edicts of Ashoka, his legend is related in the later 2nd century ("Narrative of Asoka") and ("Divine narrative"), and in the Sri Lankan text Mahavamsa ("Great Chronicle").
Ashoka played a critical role in helping make Buddhism a world religion. As the peace-loving ruler of one of the world's largest, richest and most powerful multi-ethnic states, he is considered an exemplary ruler, who tried to put into practice a secular state ethic of non-violence. The emblem of the modern Republic of India is an adaptation of the Lion Capital of Ashoka.
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