The history of Ashoka is reconstructed on the basis of his inscriptions, thirtynine, in number, that are classified into Major Rock Edicts, Minor Rock Edicts, Separate Rock Edicts, Major Pillar Edicts, and Minor Pillar Edicts. Here, we have covered important Major Rock Edicts- their location and importance.
Kandahar
• Located at Shar-I-Kuna in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
• Is a bilingual Greek-Aramaic inscription.
• Presently only portions of rock edicts XII and XIII are there and the beginning and the end of the fragments are lacking. It shows how Kalinga war changed Ashoka’s mind and gives information about his Dhamma policy.
• Shows the North – Western boundary of Mauryan Empire.
Mansehra
• Lies in Khyber Pakhtunkwa province of Pakistan.
• Dating back to the middle of third century BCE, they are written in Prakrit language and Kharoshti script.
• They record fourteen edicts of Mauryan emperor, Ashoka mentioning the aspects of Ashoka’s Dhamma.
• The site is located near Karakoram highway on the ancient Silk Route.
• This site is currently in the tentative list of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites.
• It shows the northern extent of Mauryan empire.
Shahbazgarhi
• Lies in Peshawar district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Also known as Polusha and Bazira in ancient texts.
• Dating back to the middle of third century BCE, they are written in Prakrit language and Kharoshti script.
• They record fourteen edicts of Mauryan emperor, Ashoka mentioning the aspects of Ashoka’s Dhamma.
• This site is currently in the tentative list of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites.
• It shows the northern extent of Mauryan empire.
Kalsi
• Located in Dehradun district, Uttarakhand, at the confluence of Yamuna and Tons rivers.
• The site of Ashoka’s inscriptions at Kalsi is the only place in North India where the great Mauryan emperor has inscribed the set of all the fourteen rock edicts.
• Language of these edicts is Pali and the script is Brahmi. During Mauryan age, Kalsi was a major trading centre and so Ashoka inscribed a rock edict here to preach the principle of Dhamma to maximum people.
• There are several distinguishing features like the presence of a royal elephant on the edict.
Dhauli
• Located in Puri district, Odisha.
• Was part of ancient kingdom of Kalinga, which was conquered by emperor Ashoka in about 260 BC.
• The Ashokan inscription has been cut high on the rock which also has a depiction of monumental rock cut elephant.
• Here separate rock edicts I and II replace major rock edicts 11-13.
• The site has been identified as Tosali which is mentioned by Ptolemy as a metropolis.
• It was situated near sacred pool of Kosala Ganga and thus developed into a religious centre as well.
Girnar
• In Junagadh region of Kathiawar peninsula in the state of Gujarat.
• The major rock edicts of Ashoka mentioning the principles of Dhamma belong to third century BCE.
• Apart from Ashokan edicts, other inscriptions like that of King Rudraman of Saka dynasty and Skandagupta of Gupta empire are also important as they give information about the construction of Sudarsana lake by Pushyagupta (the provincial Governor of Chandra Gupta Maurya) and was repaired during the reign of Ashoka and Skandagupta.
Sopara
• Originally it was at Sopara in Thane district, Maharashtra but now has been moved to Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai.
• Presently only the fragments of rock edict VIII and IX written in Prakrit language and Brahmi script XI are preserved.
• Sopara was also an ancient seaport and town.
• Its ancient name is Supparalia.
• Ptolemy described it as a commercial centre.
Jaugada
• Situated on the northern bank of Rishikulya river, Ganjam district, Odisha.
• Was part of the ancient kingdom of Kalinga as suggested by separate rock edicts 1 and 2.
• The two separate edicts are addressed to the Mahamattas of Samapa, which was probably the name of a town in the Mauryan period.
• The presence of fort ruins suggest it was a large town and probably a military centre.
• Was a trade centre due to its proximity with the sea.
Erraguadi/ Yerraguddi
• Situated in Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh.
• Both major edicts and minor edicts of Ashoka giving the principles of Dhamma have been excavated here.
• No remains of a town have been discovered in the area, but it is possible that it was an important frontier town during Ashoka’s reign, with a route leading through it to South Indian kingdoms.
Sannati
• Situated on the bank of Bhima river, Gulbarga district, Karnataka.
• The Sannati inscription is engraved on a semi dressed block/ slab rather than a natural rock as in other Ashokan edicts.
• It was discovered in 1989.
• Apart from portions of major rock edicts, the special rock edicts I and II available in Dhauli are also found in Sannati.
• Because of the elaborate fortification, the site of Sannati is identified with Suvarnagri, one of the four provincial capitals of the Mauryan empire.
• Also known for Chadralamba temple, a well known pilgrimage centre.