An illuminating biography reconstructing the life and legacy of a
unique king in world history and the most famous emperor in South
Asian history  There are few historical figures more
integral to South Asian history than Emperor Ashoka, a
third-century BCE king who ruled over a larger area of the Indian
subcontinent than anyone else before British colonial rule. Ashoka
sought not only to rule his territory but also to give it a unity
of purpose and aspiration, to unify the people of his vastly
heterogeneous empire not by a cult of personality but by the cult
of an idea—“dharma”—which served as the linchpin of a new
moral order. He aspired to forge a new moral philosophy that would
be internalized not only by the people of his empire but also by
rulers and subjects of other countries, and would form the
foundation for his theory of international relations, in which
practicing dharma would bring international conflicts to an end.
 His fame spread far and wide both in India and in other
parts of Asia, and it prompted diverse reimaginations of the king
and his significance. In this deeply researched book, Patrick
Olivelle draws on Ashoka’s inscriptions and on the art and
architecture he pioneered to craft a detailed picture of Ashoka as
a ruler, a Buddhist, a moral philosopher, and an ecumenist who
governed a vast multi-ethnic, multi-linguistic, and multi-religious
empire.
General
Imprint: |
Yale University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
April 2024 |
Authors: |
Patrick Olivelle
|
Dimensions: |
235 x 156mm (L x W) |
Pages: |
380 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-300-27000-6 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-300-27000-3 |
Barcode: |
9780300270006 |
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