Ashoka Bindusara Maurya The Great Indian Emperor History Essay

Ashoka Bindusara Maurya The Great Indian Emperor History Essay Ashoka Bindusara Maurya, the great Indian emperor was a ruler during the Maurya dynasty, born in 265 BC to parents Bindusara and Dharma Maurya (Iloveindia.com, 2010). Ashoka’s regime spread across most of India and modern Pakistan and Afghanistan which was due to a number of successful conquests that will be mentioned later. His name is often followed by the title â€Å"the great† mainly due to the fact that he was one of India’s greatest rulers. His regime saw most on India united as one state under a democratic government. His name Ashoka is Sanskrit for â€Å"without sorrow.† According to Iloveindia.com (2010), from a young age, Ashoka was quite a handful; he often got into trouble for beating up his fellow children and being cruel to animals but on the other hand was an extremely clever child who grasped all that he was taught, be it ancient Buddhist teachings or how to hunt for wild animals. By the time he was a teenager, he had his older brotherâ₠¬â„¢s complaining to their parents and this got him sent away to the outskirts of the empire to pose as a general. Here he did things as he pleased, terrorizing small communities and various would be vigilante groups. At this time, young Ashoka realized that he’s brothers were against him so when he was sent away by his father; he instead exiled himself to Kalinga where he’s greatest military conquest lay (Iloveindia.com, 2010). There he met a young maiden named Kaurwaki whom he got involved with but later abandoned. After two years in exile, Ashoka grudgingly returned to India where his father needed him to preside over a conflict in the Ujjain region. This conflict is what launched Ashoka’s devotion to Buddhism. While peace keeping, Ashoka was injured and fortunately secretly tended to by Buddhist priests who did not want the news of his injury to reach his vengeful brothers (Wold, 2010). During this period, he got to learn of ancient Buddhist teachings and va lues that helped cultivate his belief. In addition, he also met another young girl whom he married as his first wife. Years after, the conflict between the siblings climaxed when their father passed away in 268 BC leaving them battling for the emperorship. After two long years of gross violence, Ashoka finally emerged victorious to sit on the much coveted throne (Sahu, 2005). Legend has it that Ashoka killed most of his brother while most of the retreated to various parts of India. After eight years of devoted and vigilant governance, Ashoka decided to expand his empire by invading Kalinga and annexing it to India. According to Munshi (1968) this was after he had successfully imperialized the borders of Iran, Afghanistan, west Bangladesh and eastern Burma. In 286 BC, Ashoka led the Indian army into Kalinga. Regardless of Ashoka having sentimental ties to Kalinga, Kaurwaki in particular, he plunged into war head first sparing no one. The region of Kalinga though greatly betrayed and dismayed fought back bravely but ultimately lost the war (Sahu, 2005). The morning after, Ashoka visited the battle field to view the extent of his â€Å"victory† but he somewhat did not feel good about it. Seeing to houses burned to ashes and bodies lying everywhere, Ashoka was horror struck by the sight. At that moment in time, Ashoka had an epiphany where he began to be aware of and regret the horrors of his actions. Corpses lay scattered on the earth, orphaned children cried for their mother all over, widows grieved for their husbands, the Daya River ran red with blood and various temples and monuments were destroyed in the nasty brawl.