Ashoka Pillar

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Pillars of Ashoka
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For other uses, see Ashoka Pillar (disambiguation).
View of the Ashokan Pillar at Vaishali.

The pillars of Ashoka are a series of columns dispersed throughout the northern Indian subcontinent, erected or at least inscribed by the Mauryan king Ashoka during his reign in the 3rd century BCE. Originally, there must have been many pillars but only nineteen survive with inscriptions. Many are preserved in a fragmentary state.[1] Averaging between forty and fifty feet in height, and weighing up to fifty tons each, all the pillars were quarried at Chunar, just south of Varanasi and dragged, sometimes hundreds of miles, to where they were erected.[2]
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Overview
* 2 Description of the pillars
o 2.1 Pillar at Vaishali
o 2.2 Pillar at Allahabad
o 2.3 Pillars at Lauriya-Areraj and Lauriya-Nandangarh
o 2.4 Erecting the Pillars
o 2.5 Languages and script
* 3 History of discovery
* 4 Background of construction
o 4.1 Alternative theories
* 5 Notes
* 6 See also
* 7 External links

[edit] Overview
The Ashokan pillar at Lumbini

The columns that bear the edicts of Ashoka include the two pillars at Delhi (originally located at Meerut and Topra in Haryana and were brought to Delhi during the reign of Firuz Shah Tughluq in 1356), the pillar at Allahabad (is believed as originally located at Kaushambi) and the pillars found at Lauriya-Areraj, Lauriya-Nandangarh, Rampurva (with lion capital), Sankissa, Sanchi and Sarnath. The columns bearing dedicatory inscriptions were found in Lumbini and Nigalisagar. The pillars found at Vaishali (with single lion capital) and Rampurva (with bull capital) do not bear any edict.[3]

These pillars were carved in two types of stone. Some were of the spotted red and white sandstone from the region of Mathura, the others of buff-colored fine grained hard sandstone usually with small black spots quarried in the Chunar near Varanasi. The uniformity of style in the pillar capitals suggests that they were all sculpted by craftsmen from the same region. It would therefore seem that stone was transported from Mathura and Chunar to the various sites where the pillars have been found, and there was cut and carved by craftsmen[4] The pillars have four component parts. The shafts are always plain and smooth, circular in cross-section, slightly tapering upwards and always chiselled out of a single piece of stone. The capitals have the shape and appearance of a gently arched bell formed of lotus petals. The abaci are of two types: square and plain and circular and decorated and these are of different proportions. The crowning animals are either seated or standing, always in the round and chiseled as a single piece with the abaci.[3])
[edit] Description of the pillars

The most celebrated pillar is the pillar with the lion capital at Sarnath. Here, four lions are seated back to back. The pillar at Sanchi also has a similar lion capital. There are two pillars at Rampurva, one with bull and the other with lion as crowning animal. The pillar at Sankissa has an elephant as crowning animal. Five of the pillars of Ashoka (two at Rampurva, one each at Vaishali, Lauriya-Areraj and Lauryia-Nandangarh were possibly marked the course of the ancient Royal highway from Patliputra to the Nepal valley.
[edit] Pillar at Vaishali
Front view of the single lion capital in Vaishali.

There exists in Vaishali, a pillar with a single lion capital erected by Ashoka. The location of this pillar is contiguous to the site where a Buddhist monastery and a sacred coronation tank stood. Excavations are still underway and several stupas suggesting a far flung campus for the monastery have been discovered. This pillar is different from the earlier Ashokan pillars because it has only one lion capital. The lion faces north, the direction Buddha took on his last voyage.[5] Identification of the site for excavation in 1969 was aided by the fact that this pillar still jutted out of the soil. More such pillars exist in this greater area but they are all devoid of the capital.
[edit] Pillar at Allahabad

In Allahabad there is a pillar with inscriptions from Ashoka and later inscriptions attributed to Samudragupta and Jehangir. The pillar is located inside the Allahabad Fort, built during the 16th century by Akbar at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers. As the fort is occupied by the Indian Army it is essentially closed to the public and special permission is required to see the pillar. It is generally assumed that the pillar was first erected at Kaushambi an ancient town some 30 kilometres west of Allahabad that was the capital of the Koshala kingdom. The Ashokan inscription is in Brahmi and is dated around 232 BC. A later inscription attributed to the second king of the Gupta empire, Samudragupta, is in the more refined Gupta script, a later version of Brahmi, and is dated to around 375 CE. This inscription lists the extent of the empire that Samudragupta built during his long reign. He had already been king for forty years at that time and would rule for another five. A still later inscription in Persian is from the Mughal emperor Jahangir. The Akbar Fort also houses the Akshay Vat, an Indian fig tree of great antiquity. The Ramayana refers to this tree under which Lord Rama is supposed to have prayed while on exile.
[edit] Pillars at Lauriya-Areraj and Lauriya-Nandangarh

The column at Lauriya-Nandangarh, 23 km from Bettiah in West Champaran district, Bihar has single lion capital. The hump and the hind legs of the lion project beyond the abacus.[3] The pillar at Lauriya-Areraj in East Champaran district, Bihar is presently devoid of any capital.
[edit] Erecting the Pillars

The Pillars of Ashoka may have been erected using the same methods that were used to erect the ancient obelisks. Roger Hopkins and Mark Lehrner conducted several obelisk erecting experiments including a successful attempt to erect a 25 ton obelisk in 1999. This followed two experiments to erect smaller obelisks and two failed attempts to erect a 25 ton obelisk.[6][7]
[edit] Languages and script
Brahmi inscription on a fragment of the 6th Pillar of Ashoka

Alexander Cunningham, one of the first to study the inscriptions on the pillars, remarks that they are written in eastern, middle and western Prakrits which he calls "the Punjabi or north-western dialect, the Ujjeni or middle dialect, and the Magadhi or eastern dialect."[8] They are written in the Brahmi script.
[edit] History of discovery

The first Pillar of Ashoka was found in the 16 century by Thomas Coryat in the ruins of ancient Delhi. Initially he assumed that from the way it glowed that it was made of brass, but on closer examination he realized it was made of highly polished sandstone with upright script that resembled a form of Greek. In the 1830s James Prinsep began to decipher them with the help of Captain Edward Smith and George Turnour. They determined that the script referred to King Piyadasi which was also the epithet of an Indian ruler known as Ashoka who came to the throne 218 years after Buddha's enlightenment. Scholars have since found 150 of Ashoka's inscriptions, carved into the face of rocks or on stone pillars marking out a domain that stretched across northern India and south below the central plateau of the Deccan. These pillars were placed in strategic sites near border cities and trade routes.
[edit] Background of construction

Ashoka ascended to the throne in 269 BCE inheriting the empire founded by his grandfather Chandragupta Maurya. Ashoka was reputedly a tyrant at the outset of his reign. Eight years after his accession he campaigned in Kalinga where in his own words, "a hundred and fifty thousand people were deported, a hundred thousand were killed and as many as that perished..." After this event Ashoka converted to Buddhism in remorse for the loss of life. Buddhism didn't become a state religion but with Ashoka's support it spread rapidly. The inscriptions on the pillars described edicts about morality based on Buddhist tenets. Legend has it that Ashoka built 84,000 Stupas commemorating the events and relics of Buddha's life. Some of these Stupas contained networks of walls containing the hub spokes and rim of a wheel, while others contained interior walls in a swastika shape. The wheel represents the sun, time, and Buddhist law (the wheel of law, or dharmachakra), while the swastika stands for the cosmic dance around a fixed center and guards against evil.[9][10]
[edit] Alternative theories

Ranajit Pal suggests that the pillar, now near Delhi, which was brought from Topra in Ambala was one of the lost altars of Alexander.[11]
[edit] Notes

1. ^ Harry Falk, Asokan Sites and Artefacts: A Source-Book with Bibliography (Mainz am Rhein, 2006).
2. ^ http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/ashoka.html
3. ^ a b c Mahajan V.D. (1960, reprint 2007). Ancient India, S.Chand & Company, New Delhi, ISBN 81 219 0887 6, pp.350-3
4. ^ Thapar, Romila (2001). Aśoka and the Decline of the Mauryan, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, ISBN 019 564445 X, pp.267-70
5. ^ Bihar Tourism
6. ^ http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/egypt/dispatches/990827.html
7. ^ Time Life Lost Civilizations series: Ramses II: Magnificence on the Nile (1993)p. 56-57
8. ^ Inscriptions of Asoka by Alexander Cunningham, Eugen Hultzsch. Calcutta: Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing. Calcutta: 1877
9. ^ Time Life Lost Civilizations series: Ancient India: Land Of Mystery (1994) p. 84-85,94-97
10. ^ Oliphant, Margaret "The Atlas Of The Ancient World" 1992 p. 156-7
11. ^ Ranajit Pal, "An Altar of Alexander Now Standing Near Delhi", Scholia, vol. 15, p. 78-101.

[edit] See also

* Mauryan art
* Image of a standing pillar of Ashoka
* Ashoka pillar in Southern India
* Ashoka's Major Rock Edict
* Lion Capital of Asoka
* National Emblem of India
* National Flag of India
* Ashoka Chakra
* List of megalithic sites

[edit] External links

Archaeological Survey of India [1]

British Museum, collections online

* [2]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ashoka pillars

* For Pictures of the famous original "Lion Capital of Ashoka" preserved at the Sarnath Museum which has been adopted as the "National Emblem of India" and the Ashoka Chakra (Wheel) from which has been placed in the center of the "National Flag of India" - See "lioncapital" from Columbia University Website, New York, USA


AshokStambhaThailand.jpg
Ashoka pillar at Wat U Mong near Chiang Mai, Thailand showing Dharma Chakra prevails over beasts (lion). A similar four "Indian lion" Lion Capital of Ashoka atop an Ashoka Pillar at Sarnath which was destroyed during Turk invasions of India missing the larger Dharma Chakra / Ashoka Chakra atop the four lions, now preserved at Sarnath Museum has been adopted as the National Emblem of India and the smaller Chakra in the base on which the lions are standing has become a part of the National Flag of India.
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Edicts of Ashoka

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Distribution of the Edicts of Ashoka[1]

The Edicts of Ashoka are a collection of 33 inscriptions on the Pillars of Ashoka, as well as boulders and cave walls, made by the Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan dynasty during his reign from 269 BCE to 231 BCE. These inscriptions are dispersed throughout the areas of modern-day Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan and represent the first tangible evidence of Buddhism. The edicts describe in detail the first wide expansion of Buddhism through the sponsorship of one of the most powerful kings of Indian history. According to the edicts, the extent of Buddhist proselytism during this period reached as far as the Mediterranean, and many Buddhist monuments were created.

These inscriptions proclaim Ashoka's beliefs in the Buddhist concept of dharma and his efforts to develop the dharma throughout his kingdom. Although Buddhism and the Buddha are mentioned, the edicts focus on social and moral precepts, rather than specific religious practices or the philosophical dimension of Buddhism.

In these inscriptions, Ashoka refers to himself as "Beloved of the Gods" and "King Priya-darshi." The identification of King Priya-darshi with Ashoka was confirmed by an inscription discovered in 1837. The inscriptions found in the eastern part of India were written in the Magadhi language, using the Brahmi script. In the western part of India, the language used is closer to Sanskrit, using the Kharoshthi script, one extract of Edict 13 in the Greek language, and one bilingual edict written in Greek and Aramaic.These edicts were decodified by British archeologist and historian James Prinsep.

The inscriptions revolve around a few recurring themes: Ashoka's conversion to Buddhism, the description of his efforts to spread Buddhism, his moral and religious precepts, and his social and animal welfare program.
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Ashoka's conversion
* 2 Ashoka's proselytism
o 2.1 Proselytism beyond India
o 2.2 Proselytism within Ashoka's territories
+ 2.2.1 Greek communities
+ 2.2.2 Other communities
* 3 Moral precepts
o 3.1 Right behaviour
o 3.2 Benevolence
o 3.3 Kindness to prisoners
o 3.4 Respect for animal life
* 4 Religious precepts
o 4.1 Buddhism
o 4.2 Belief in a next world
o 4.3 Religious exchange
* 5 Social and animal welfare
o 5.1 Medicinal treatments
o 5.2 Roadside facilities
o 5.3 Officers of the faith
* 6 Inscriptions
* 7 Estampages of Girnar Edicts
* 8 See also
* 9 Notes
* 10 References
* 11 External links

[edit] Ashoka's conversion
Fragment of the 6th Pillar Edicts of Ashoka (238 BCE), in Brahmi, sandstones. British Museum.

Ashoka explains that he converted to Buddhism out of remorse for his conquest of the Kalingas around 264 BCE in eastern India (near the present-day state of Orissa):

Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, conquered the Kalingas eight years after his coronation. One hundred and fifty thousand were deported, one hundred thousand were killed and many more died (from other causes). After the Kalingas had been conquered, Beloved-of-the-Gods came to feel a strong inclination towards the Dhamma, a love for the Dhamma and for instruction in Dhamma. Now Beloved-of-the-Gods feels deep remorse for having conquered the Kalingas. Rock Edict Nb13 (S. Dhammika)

Following his conversion, Ashoka traveled throughout India and visited sacred Buddhist locations, where he would typically erect a pillar bearing his inscriptions:

Twenty years after his coronation, Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, visited this place and worshipped because here the Buddha, the sage of the Sakyans, was born. He had a stone figure and a pillar set up and because the Lord was born here, the village of Lumbini was exempted from tax and required to pay only one eighth of the produce. Minor Pillar Edict Nb1 (S. Dhammika)

[edit] Ashoka's proselytism

In order to propagate the Buddhist faith, Ashoka explains he sent emissaries to the Hellenistic kings as far as the Mediterranean, and to the peoples throughout India, claiming they were all converted to the Dharma as a result. He names the Greek rulers of the time, inheritors of the conquest of Alexander the Great, from Bactria to as far as Greece and North Africa, displaying an amazingly clear grasp of the political situation at the time.
[edit] Proselytism beyond India
Buddhist proselytism at the time of king Ashoka (260–218 BCE)

Now it is conquest by Dhamma that Beloved-of-the-Gods considers to be the best conquest. And it (conquest by Dhamma) has been won here, on the borders, even six hundred yojanas away, where the Greek king Antiochos rules, beyond there where the four kings named Ptolemy, Antigonos, Magas and Alexander rule, likewise in the south among the Cholas, the Pandyas, and as far as Tamraparni. Rock Edict Nb13 (S. Dhammika)

The distance of 600 yojanas (a yojanas being about 7 miles), corresponds to the distance between the center of India and Greece (roughly 4,000 miles).

* Amtiyoko refers to Antiochus II Theos of Syria (261–246 BC), who controlled the Seleucid Empire from Syria to Bactria, in the east from 305 to 250 BC, and was therefore a direct neighbor of Ashoka.
* Turamaye refers to Ptolemy II Philadelphos of Egypt (285–247 BCE), king of the dynasty founded by Ptolemy I, a former general of Alexander the Great, in Egypt.
* Amtikini refers to Antigonus II Gonatas of Macedon (278–239 BC)
* Maka refers to Magas of Cyrene (300–258 BC)
* Alikasudaro refers to Alexander II of Epirus (272–258 BC).

In the Gandhari original Antiochos is referred as "Amtiyoko nama Yona-raja" (lit. "The Greek king by the name of Antiokos"), beyond whom live the four other kings: "param ca tena Atiyokena cature 4 rajani Turamaye nama Amtikini nama Maka nama Alikasudaro nama" (lit. "And beyond Antiochus, four kings by the name of Ptolemy, the name of Antigonos, the name of Magas, the name Alexander" [1]

It is not clear in Hellenic records whether these emissaries were actually received, or had any influence on the Hellenic world. Some scholars, however, point to the presence of Buddhist communities in the Hellenistic world from that time, in particular in Alexandria (mentioned by Clement of Alexandria). The pre-Christian monastic order of the Therapeutae may have drawn inspiration for its ascetic lifestyle from contact with Buddhist monasticism. Buddhist gravestones from the Ptolemaic period have also been found in Alexandria, decorated with depictions of the Wheel of the Law (Tarn, "The Greeks in Bactria and India"). Commenting on the presence of Buddhists in Alexandria, some scholars have even pointed out that "It was later in this very place that some of the most active centers of Christianity were established" (Robert Linssen).

Ashoka’s proselytism also expanded to the south of the Indian subcontinent:

* The Cholas and Pandyas were south Indian peoples living outside Asoka's empire.
* Tamraparni is the old name of Sri Lanka. Tamraparniya is also the name of Theravada School from Sri Lanka.

[edit] Proselytism within Ashoka's territories

Inside India proper, in the realm of Ashoka, many different populations were the object of the King’s proselytism:

Here in the king's domain among the Greeks, the Kambojas, the Nabhakas, the Nabhapamkits, the Bhojas, the Pitinikas, the Andhras and the Palidas, everywhere people are following Beloved-of-the-Gods' instructions in Dhamma. Rock Edict Nb13 (S. Dhammika)

[edit] Greek communities

Greek communities lived in the northwest of the Mauryan empire, in the region of Pakistan, notably ancient Gandhara near the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, and in southern Afghanistan in the region of Gedrosia, following the conquest and the colonization efforts of Alexander the Great around 323 BC. These communities therefore seem to have been still significant during the reign of Ashoka. A notable mention references aspects of Greek society.

There is no country, except among the Greeks, where these two groups, Brahmans and ascetics, are not found, and there is no country where people are not devoted to one or another religion. Rock Edict Nb13 (S. Dhammika)

Bilingual inscription (Greek and Aramaic) by king Ashoka, from Kandahar (Shar-i-kuna). Kabul Museum.

Two edicts in Afghanistan have been found with Greek inscriptions, one of these being a bilingual edict in Greek language and Aramaic. This edict, found in Kandahar, advocates the adoption of "Piety" (using the Greek term Eusebeia for Dharma) to the Greek community:

Ten years (of reign) having been completed, King

Piodasses (one of the titles of Ashoka: Piyadassi or Priyadarsi, "He who is the beloved of the Gods and who regards
everyone amiably") made known (the doctrine of)
Piety (Greek:εὐσέβεια, Eusebeia) to men; and from this moment he has made
men more pious, and everything thrives throughout
the whole world. And the king abstains from (killing)
living beings, and other men and those who (are)
huntsmen and fishermen of the king have desisted
from hunting. And if some (were) intemperate, they
have ceased from their intemperance as was in their
power; and obedient to their father and mother and to
the elders, in opposition to the past also in the future,
by so acting on every occasion, they will live better
and more happily. (Trans. by G. P. Carratelli [2])

[edit] Other communities

* Kambojas are a people of Central Asian origin who had settled first in Arachosia and Drangiana (today’s southern Afghanistan), and then in the northwestern Indian subcontinent in Sindhu, Gujarat and Sauvira.
* The Nabhakas, the Nabhapamkits, the Bhojas, the Pitinikas, the Andhras and the Palidas are other people under Ashoka’s rule.

[edit] Moral precepts
Edicts of Ashoka I-XI in Shahbazgarhi, Peshawar

The Dharma preached by Ashoka is explained mainly in term of moral precepts, based on the doing of good deeds, respect for others, generosity and purity.
[edit] Right behaviour

Dharma is good, but what constitutes Dharma? (It includes) little evil, much good, kindness, generosity, truthfulness and purity. Pilar Edict Nb2 (S. Dharmika)

And noble deeds of Dharma and the practice of Dharma consist of having kindness, generosity, truthfulness, purity, gentleness and goodness increase among the people. Rock Pilar Nb7 (S. Dharmika)

[edit] Benevolence

Ashokas Dharma meant that: he used his power to try to make life better for his people and he also tried to change the way people thought and lived
[edit] Kindness to prisoners

Ashoka showed great concern for fairness in the exercise of Justice, caution and tolerance in the application of sentences, and regularly pardoned prisoners.

It is my desire that there should be uniformity in law and uniformity in sentencing. I even go this far, to grant a three-day stay for those in prison who have been tried and sentenced to death. During this time their relatives can make appeals to have the prisoners' lives spared. If there is none to appeal on their behalf, the prisoners can give gifts in order to make merit for the next world, or observe fasts. Pilar Edict Nb4 (S. Dhammika)

In the twenty-six years since my coronation prisoners have been given amnesty on twenty-five occasions. Pilar Edict Nb5 (S. Dhammika)

[edit] Respect for animal life

The Mauryan empire was the first Indian empire to unify the country and it had a clear-cut policy of exploiting as well as protecting natural resources with specific officials tasked with protection duty. When Ashoka embraced Buddhism in the latter part of his reign, he brought about significant changes in his style of governance, which included providing protection to fauna, and even relinquished the royal hunt. He was perhaps the first ruler in history to advocate conservation measures for wildlife. Reference to these can be seen inscribed on the stone edicts.[3]

Twenty-six years after my coronation various animals were declared to be protected – parrots, mainas, //aruna//, ruddy geese, wild ducks, //nandimukhas, gelatas//, bats, queen ants, terrapins, boneless fish, //vedareyaka//, //gangapuputaka//, //sankiya// fish, tortoises, porcupines, squirrels, deer, bulls, //okapinda//, wild asses, wild pigeons, domestic pigeons and all four-footed creatures that are neither useful nor edible. Those nanny goats, ewes and sows which are with young or giving milk to their young are protected, and so are young ones less than six months old. Cocks are not to be caponized, husks hiding living beings are not to be burnt and forests are not to be burnt either without reason or to kill creatures. One animal is not to be fed to another.
—Edict on Fifth Pillar

The edicts also proclaim that many followed the king's example in giving up the slaughter of animals; one of them proudly states:

Our king killed very few animals.
—Edict on Fifth Pillar[3]

Ashoka did not completely prohibit the killing of animals; he prohibited gratuitous killings (such as for sacrifices)[citation needed], he advocated restraint in the number that had to be killed for consumption, protected some of them, and in general condemned violent acts against animals, such as castration.

However, the edicts of Ashoka reflect more the desire of rulers than actual events; the mention of a 100 'panas' (coins) fine for poaching deer in royal hunting preserves shows that rule-breakers did exist. The legal restrictions conflicted with the practices then freely exercised by the common people in hunting, felling, fishing and setting fires in forests.[3]
[edit] Religious precepts
[edit] Buddhism

Beyond spreading the moral virtues of Buddhism, Ashoka also insisted that the word of the Buddha be read and followed, in particular in monastic circles (the Sanghas):

Piyadasi, King of Magadha, saluting the Sangha and wishing them good health and happiness, speaks thus: You know, reverend sirs, how great my faith in the Buddha, the Dhamma and Sangha is. Whatever, reverend sirs, has been spoken by Lord Buddha, all that is well-spoken. Minor Rock Edict Nb3 (S. Dhammika)

These Dhamma texts – Extracts from the Discipline, the Noble Way of Life, the Fears to Come, the Poem on the Silent Sage, the Discourse on the Pure Life, Upatisa's Questions, and the Advice to Rahula which was spoken by the Buddha concerning false speech – these Dhamma texts, reverend sirs, I desire that all the monks and nuns may constantly listen to and remember. Likewise the laymen and laywomen. Minor Rock Edict Nb3 (S. Dhammika)

[edit] Belief in a next world

One benefits in this world and gains great merit in the next by giving the gift of the Dhamma. Rock Edict Nb11 (S. Dhammika)

Happiness in this world and the next is difficult to obtain without much love for the Dhamma, much self-examination, much respect, much fear (of evil), and much enthusiasm. Pilar Edict Nb1 (S. Dhammika)

[edit] Religious exchange

Far from being sectarian, Ashoka, based on a belief that all religions shared a common, positive essence, encouraged tolerance and understanding of other religions.

All religions should reside everywhere, for all of them desire self-control and purity of heart. Rock Edict Nb7 (S. Dhammika)

Here (in my domain) no living beings are to be slaughtered or offered in sacrifice. Rock Edict Nb1 (S. Dhammika)

Contact (between religions) is good. One should listen to and respect the doctrines professed by others. Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, desires that all should be well-learned in the good doctrines of other religions. Rock Edict Nb12 (S. Dhammika)

[edit] Social and animal welfare

According to the edicts, Ashoka took great care of the welfare of his subjects (human and animal), and those beyond his borders, spreading the use of medicinal treatments, improving roadside facilities for more comfortable travel, and establishing "officers of the faith" throughout his territories to survey the welfare of the population and the propagation of the Dharma.
[edit] Medicinal treatments

Everywhere within Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi’s domain, and among the people beyond the borders, the Cholas, the Pandyas, the Satiyaputras, the Keralaputras, as far as Tamraparni and where the Greek king Antiochos rules, and among the kings who are neighbors of Antiochos, everywhere has Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, made provision for two types of medical treatment: medical treatment for humans and medical treatment for animals. Wherever medical herbs suitable for humans or animals are not available, I have had them imported and grown. Wherever medical roots or fruits are not available I have had them imported and grown. Along roads I have had wells dug and trees planted for the benefit of humans and animals. Rock Edict Nb2 (S. Dhammika)

[edit] Roadside facilities

Along roads I have had banyan trees planted so that they can give shade to animals and men, and I have had mango groves planted. At intervals of eight //krosas//, I have had wells dug, rest-houses built, and in various places, I have had watering-places made for the use of animals and men. But these are but minor achievements. Such things to make the people happy have been done by former kings. I have done these things for this purpose, that the people might practice the Dhamma. Pilar Edict Nb7 (S. Dhammika)

[edit] Officers of the faith

In past there were no Dhamma Mahamatras but such officers were appointed by me thirteen years after my coronation. Now they work among all religions for the establishment of Dhamma, for the promotion of Dhamma, and for the welfare and happiness of all who are devoted to Dhamma. They work among the Greeks, the Kambojas, the Gandharas, the Rastrikas, the Pitinikas and other peoples on the western borders. They work among soldiers, chiefs, Brahmans, householders, the poor, the aged and those devoted to Dhamma – for their welfare and happiness – so that they may be free from harassment. Rock Edict Nb5 (S. Dhammika)

[edit] Inscriptions

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[edit] Estampages of Girnar Edicts

An estampage is an impression of the inscription on a rock face. This can be obtained by pressing wet paper to the rock face.

Estampages of Asokan edicts were prepared by ASI for their publication in a revised Corpus.[4]

The following five images are estampages of the Girnar Rock Edicts. A comparison with Cunningham’s reproductions (see above) shows that his copies of the Girnar edicts are not faithful to the incised Brahmi characters. A note describing some of the differences can be seen here.[5] Two digital photographs of the right half of the rock can be seen in that note as well as their author's page on the web.[6]


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[edit] See also

* Edict
* Greco-Buddhism
* Kambojas
* Ashoka's Major Rock Edict

[edit] Notes

1. ^ Gandhari original of Edict No13 (Greek kings: Paragraph 9): Text

[edit] References

1. ^ Reference: "India: The Ancient Past" p.113, Burjor Avari, Routledge, ISBN 0-415-35615-6
2. ^ Mauryans & Graeco-Bactrians
3. ^ a b c Rangarajan, M. (2001) India's Wildlife History, pp 8.
4. ^ Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum – Volume 1: Inscriptions of Asoka by E. Hultzsch, 1925
5. ^ http://jignashi.blogspot.com/
6. ^ http://www.ghumakkar.com/2010/01/05/junagadh-–-a-journey-through-ages/

* "The Edicts of King Asoka: An English Rendering" by Ven. S. Dhammika (The Wheel Publication No. 386/387) ISBN 955-24-0104-6
* "Zen living" by Robert Linssen ISBN 0-8021-3136-0

[edit] External links

* The Edicts of King Ashoka (full text, electronic edition offered for free distribution)
* The Edicts of King Ashoka in Access to Insight
* Edicts in original Gandhari
* King Asoka and Buddhism. Historical and Literary studies
* Inscriptions of India – Complete listing of historical inscriptions from Indian temples and monuments

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Kalarippayatt

Kalarippayatt
Kalarippayatt is the ancient martial art of India, it is said to be the mother of all martial arts and dates back some thousands of years. Could it be true that the Buddhist monk, Bodhidarma studied this art and imparted these skills throughout South East Asia, then into China at the Soong Shan monastery? From further study, it is now clear that many traveling monks, merchants, and especially Ksatriyas (warrior class), were also responsible for imparting such knowledge, from its martial techniques in injury, medicine, and pressure point (marman) striking skills. One can easily see similarities between the arts such as silat, Chuan Fa (Gung Fu), not just in its techniques, but also in its training methods.

Traditional masters of Kalari attribute Parasurama who is an incarnation of the supreme Lord, and the creator of the land of Kerela, instituted 108 Kalaries all over the land. This legend on the origin of the institutions propagated by Keralolpathi, still lingers in the minds of the people. Some masters believe that the Kalari system originated out of the wrath of the lord Shiva while in his fury, to destroy Dakshayaga. Parasurama is surposed to have studied this art from him and and have handed it over to his 21 disciples in Kerela. Of the Kalarippayatt, the southern system offers the story that sage Agastya was the founder of the art.
Sometime later in the history of the Kalarippayatt, the famous Bhodidharma from Madras who was said to be the master of the art of Kalarippayatt traveled to Kerela. It is said that he had learnt the Northern as well as the Southern forms of Kalari. From there he went on to Indonesia, Malaysia then to southern China, and then to Soong Shan mountains to the Shaolin Temple, and it was there that he taught the martial art. He later became known as Da Mo, this was some 1500 hundred years ago.
Overall it is to be assumed the Kalarippayatt has emerged through a long process as the result of a synthesis of an indigenous physical culture with the martial systems, imparted through a Brahminical institution called Salais. The word Kalari derived from Sanskrit, the worlds oldest written language 5,000 years is also seen in repeatedly in early Tamil anthologies.

'The Structure'
The building of the Kalari, based on the measurement of the ground, inform us that the size of the structure ranges from twelve to sixty two feet, the most common among the above groups and the only type that exist at present in Kerala is the Nalpatheerati. All Kalaries except the Patinetteerati bare from a width of half its length.
There are two different types of Kalaries, the Kuzhikalari in the North and the Nilakalari in the south of Kerela. A Kuzhikalari is constructed by digging out the soil from the ground and forming a pit for an appropriate structure. The depth of the pit varied from region to region. The Nilakkalaries of Southern Kerela are made by constructing mud or stone walls around the appropriate area and roofing it with coconut leaves. In the case of Radha Krishnan Kalari it was three stone walls covering a sand pit which was about 32 feet to 42 feet in length.

Kalari Deities
There is a whole lot of metaphysical belief according to which, the structure of a Kalari symbolized the universe, Starting when one enters into the Kalari, the right foot enters first, then touching the ground of the kalari with the right hand to evoke the goodness of the earth. At Rada Krishanan Kalari, Hanuman the monkey god was at the center of worship, and a prayer are offered before training commences. The worship; touching the ground, deity obeiances and to the gurus feet is to be repeated every day. The bowing represents complete submission to the Karari Deities, Kalari master and it's rules.

Dress Code
The traditional dress used in the Kalari is known as Kachha and its wearing method is Kachha Kettal. Even though Kachha means only dress, it has a special connection. The Kachha is referred to the North ballads as a loin cloth with 64 Muzhams (one muzham is equal to 16 inches) It is to be wrapped in a particular method which give maximum tightness to the hip and support the navel region. The belief that the power is generated from the navel is the basis of the art of Kahhakettal. And this also is the same for the other martial art disciplines.
It is practice to apply gingerly oil (sesame oil) or medicated oil before training, this renders coolness and flexibility to the body and invigorates the veins and muscles. Usually students of Kalarippayatt undergo a course of uzhichal massage with special medicinal oil like Mukkoot or Arakuzhambu, which last for about a fortnight. There are also some restrictions regarding food and drink during the course. The massage is done with the hands for the young and the feet for the older. Such massage is considered to be an integral part of the Kalarei training which help the body to attain flexibility, nimbleness and suppleness.

Training
There are two systems of Kalarippayatt, the Northern and the Southern system. The Southern system heavily concentrates on the focus of striking the pressure points, known as marman. The Southern Kalarippayatt has strong emphasis on open hand skills, that cover marama strike locking techniques, kick and throws.
At the heart of the Southern system is the complex forms, there are 18 forms to study. The first is the salutation form called Surya Namaska which means Obedience to the Sun god Surya. Also some other starting Kalari forms vary the offering (namaste) to Agastya. Each form builds onto the next, starting with the left stationary form, where the body only pivots totally on the left leg, and cover the four directions. This is also a very interesting to note, because the left leg stationary forms are the predecessor of the Chinese kung fu forms known as the moi fa or plum blossom, a shape that is the same as the dots of the No. 5 on a dice.
There are two types of forms in the Southern system, non moving (Otta Chuvadu) as above and moving (Kootta Chuvadu). In the moving forms, all manner of shapes are taken into account, from square, triangle, circle, etc. Within the Southern Kalarippayatt, like its Northern counterpart are the animal postures within the forms. Though taught in a different manner, both practise the snake, cock, boar, fish and many more, each having a different purpose either in application of exercise. Locking skills in Kalarippayatt are called Verum Kai Prayogam or unarmed fighting techniques. Chumattadi is another name, and its the fourth stage of Kalari training. This is a unique method of offense and defense. In this technique various holds, grips and locks are combined with knuckle and elbow hits directed at the Marama or vital points of the opponents body. Locking techniques cover not only the applications, of which there are some 300 locks, but also an escape from the certain lock. By this method one must learn to evade, duck, grapple in precise positioning and timing. Through practice and understanding the bodies mechanics one can easily apply these locks that would disable an enemy completely. Usually, knowledge of this kind is not passed on indiscriminately to any one, but only those with a disciplined life who guarantees that the knowledge will not be misused.

Weapons
After achieving perfect body control through meippayatt, the Kalari student will be initiated into the training of weapon, starting with wooden weapons: shote and long stike, otta.