300 BCE 232 BCE

Devin Ouellette
 Conversion Death in
Birth of Reign Marriage to 232 BCE
Asoka begins 284 BCE Buddhism
300 272 BCE 263 BCE
BCE
After the death of Asoka's father, Binder Sar,
Ashoka and his older brother competed for the
throne. The prime minister and other important
ministers at the time though Asoka to be more
discreet, capable and efficient ruler.
The next three years Ashoka focused on
reestablishing peace.
During Asoka's rule theft declined and science,
medicine and technology all flourished.
Buddhism received a significant boost of popularity
when Ashoka converted to Buddhism.
Chandragupta was the grandfather of Asoka.
He founded the Mauryan Empire.
He gained power shortly after Alexander s death. Once he was in power he
forced all Greek inhabitants to leave.
Asoka was a very compassionate king as he knew
exactly what was happening in every portion of
his kingdom. It is even said that he would not eat
his supper until he fed 1000 Brahmins.
To the east of Asokas empire was the empire of
Kaling(a). Kalinga was a country that had very
fertile lands and Ashoka decided that he wished
to have these lands for himself. He surrounded
the country with his soldiers. A war ensued and
Ashoka stood in the aftermath of a battle and was
appalled at how many suffered for his greed, he
then took an oath to never wage war again.
After Asokas death in 232
BCE the people of India
decided to commemorate
Ashoka by using his personal
chakra. It can still be seen
today on the Indian flag.
The word chakra is sandskrit
and it means cycle or a
repeating process.
Asokas chakra is also know as the wheel of the
dharma (way) and it symbolizes the 24 virtues in
Buddhism. Some of these 24 virtues include: love,
patience, peacefulness, courage, justice and mercy.
Under Ashokas rule religion flourished. In
particular Buddhism received a significant
boost when Asoka converted to Buddhism.
Buddhism:
Religion created by Siddhartha Gautama
Believe in reincarnation, karma and nirvana
(realm that is reached at the end of an
individuals reincarnation cycle)
Main ideology includes self-sacrafice, humility
and detachment from worldly pleasures.
Ashoka was first introduced to Buddhism when
he was injured on the battlefield and was
tended to by a Buddhist monks.
Asoka married a commoner called Karuwaki, she
was a fisher.
He met her before his reign when he was sent to
Taxshila to subdue an uprising as a general of the
Mauryan empire.
Due to Ashokas success in the quelling of the
uprising and his growing popularity, his step-
brothers forced him into exile to prevent him from
obtaining the throne.
Asoka however returned two years later being
summoned by the emperor to quell another
uprising.
Before Ashokas conquest of Kalinga he was
known as Chandashok ( Chanda-cruel, shok-
associated with Hindu goddess of eternal
energy) Asoka was considered a bloodthirsty
and power greedy individual. It was not until
later, after the conquest of Kalinga, where
Asoka received his revelation that he was
considered great.
 "Asoka - The Great Biography,Ashoka - The Great The
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Himalayas, Nepal, Kashmir, Mysore State, Baluchistan,
Afghanistan, Brahamputra, Saurashtra, Junagarh, Godawari,
Mahanadi, Bay of Bengal,Kalinga war, Anandiji, Ashoka
embraced Budhism,History Biography for children,Life line of
Ashoka - The Great,Write life sketch of Ashoka - The
Great,Mauryan Emperor (273-232 B.C.)." 4to40:Indian Kids
Portal,Kids Portal for Parents,Kids Networking site,children, kids,
parents, news, jokes, stories, books, poems, activities, features,
parenting, environment, e-pals, chat, postcards, opinion, forum,
free, school, india. 16 Dec. 2009
<http://www.4to40.com/legends/index.asp?id=133>.
 "Ashoka the Great -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 21
Dec. 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashoka_the_Great>.
"Google Image Result for
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Images. Web. 21 Dec. 2009. <http://images.google.ca/imgres?
imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/
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Web. 21 Dec. 2009. <http://www.google.ca/imgres?
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