3493–3529 AM · 268 BCE — 232 BCE · world history
Ashoka and the spread of Buddhism
After the bloody war in Kalinga, Ashoka changes course and supports the Buddhist mission.
Chandragupta's grandson rules a realm covering nearly the whole subcontinent. The war for Kalinga on the eastern coast ends in victory and tens of thousands dead; in an inscription Ashoka admits that he repents of it. From then on he declares dhamma the basis of his rule — tolerance, care for his subjects, restraint in sacrifices — and has his edicts carved on rocks and stone pillars from Afghanistan to the south of India. With his support Buddhist missionaries go out to Ceylon and to the Hellenistic kingdoms. The lion capital of one of his pillars serves today as the emblem of India.