History - King Ashoka - Research Paper Example

King Ashoka ruled Indian subcontinent from 269 BC to 232 BC, until his death. In his early life, the king was known for his cruelty, but in the later period of his life, he became famous for his great edicts and acts. It was King Ashoka who played a major role in swelling Buddhism into the whole of Asia.1 Background of King Ashoka In 324 BC, the ruler of the Mauryan Empire, Chandragupta started out to surmount the weaker in the adjoining kingdoms. The motto was to enlarge his people’s territory.

Chandragupta was an explorer by nature and used to travel in the surrounding lands to evaluate whether the probable defences can raise much struggle. Then on the basis of the evaluation, he would decide about the taking up of the war. He principally avoided those lands where the defence is strong. This way Chandragupta became the first king to rule over a united India. During the end of the century, Chandragupta handed over his reign to his son Bindusara. With the passage of time, the Bindusara became ill and decided to entrust the territory to one of his sons.

As soon as the king announced his intention, a “silent sibling rivalry” started. The sons of Bindusara became the victims of an assassin and this way all the men fell until solely Ashoka stood tall. He was the only one to become successful in evading a murderer. In this way, Ashoka was crowned the new king in 274 BC. King Ashoka soon came to be known as a cruel king as he would administer capital punishment for even a minimum violation.2 On the desire to win rather than to acclaim demand, the king decided to continue with the efforts of his previous dwellers through demolishing the lands and kingdoms which previously remained unconquered.

In this process of invasion and conquering, he was well aware of the fact that many innocent people have even lost their lives because of the king’s order. Following all these disasters, Ashoka asked himself about the treasures that his people have won in the war that converted women and children to widows and orphans respectively. Soon after the realisation, the king became attentive towards his subjects’ welfare. In this way, an era of internal progression and peace came to being. It was King Ashoka who persuaded and taught his people to respect and love all living creatures.

Gradually, Ashoka became a Buddhist practitioner and built 84,000 stupas in his emperor for housing the Gautama’s sacred relics.3 Rise of Power of King Ashoka Ashoka grew to be a sharp and perfect warrior general and went on to command various brigades of the Mauryan army. Pertaining to his growing popularity, the elder brothers of Ashoka became impatient that their father Bindusara might prefer Ashoka to be the next emperor. His eldest brother Susima insisted Bindusara to send Ashoka to Taxilla, a city of unrest and trouble, governed by Susima himself.

Ashoka successfully handled those situations and all the unrest ended without any fight. This popularity of Ashoka made Susima even more curious and he again persuaded their father to send Ashoka into exile. Ashoka was thus sent to Kalinga. After returning from Kalinga, he was again sent to Ujjain, another venue of violence. There he was injured and eventually treated by Buddhist nuns and monks. During this period, he first learnt Buddhist teachings. There he met Devi, a Buddhist nurse who took care of him, and later on Ashoka married her.