Chapter 7: Ashoka, The Emperor Who Gave Up War
History • Class 6 • Class 6 Our Past I
7
Ashoka, The Emperor Who Gave Up War
Saved in DatabaseHistory • Class 6 • Class 6 Our Past I
Prelims High-Yield Explanations & Traps
- rulers — Chandragupta, his son Bindusara, and
- for transport,
- for
- for
- DATES
- Trade Routes including the Silk Route
- sea
- centres for the export of
- adopted by Ashoka to spread the message of dhamma? 6
Essential Definitions & Formulas
- It
- possible that these resources were collected as tribute.
- Here
- a part of his description: “The occasions on which the emperor appears in public are celebrated with grand royal processions.
- He
- carried in a golden palanquin.
- The king
- normally surrounded by armed women.
- He
- afraid that someone may try to kill him.
- This
- a large and beautiful city.
- It
- surrounded by a massive wall.
- It
- surrounded with gardens and enclosures for keeping birds.
- Kar in K ar in Kar in K ar in K alingaalinga alingaalinga alinga Kalinga
- the ancient name of coastal Orissa (see Map 5, page 68).
- He
- the only king in the history of the world who gave up conquest after winning a war.
- K alinga walinga w alinga walinga w alinga w arar arar ar This
- what Ashoka declared in one of his inscriptions: “Eight years after becoming king I conquered Kalinga.
- Whenever an independent land
- conquered, lakhs of people die, and many are taken prisoner.
- That
- why I am sad, and have decided to observe dhamma, and to teach others about it as well.
- I believe that winning people over through dhamma
- much better than conquering them through force.
- It
- an example of the skill of the sculptors of the time.
- It
- both wrong to praise one’s own religion or criticise another’s.
- The wall
- about 6400 km long, and is made of stone and brick, with a road along the top.
- What were the
- adopted by Ashoka to spread the message of dhamma? 6.
- Here
- a set of captions.
Related PYQs (8)
2016•Prelims•Paper 1 (GS)•Q.39
Who of the following had first deciphered the edicts of Emperor Ashoka?
Ancient History
2019•Prelims•Paper 1 (GS)•Q.8
In which of the following relief sculpture inscriptions is 'Ranyo Ashoka' (King Ashoka) mentioned along with the stone portrait of Ashoka?
Ancient History
2020•Prelims•Paper 1 (GS)•Q.30
Who among the following rulers advised his subjects through this inscription? "Whosoever praises his religious sect or blames other sects out of excessive devotion to his own sect, with the view of glorifying his own sect, he rather injures his own sect very severely."
Ancient History
2022•Prelims•Paper 1 (GS)•Q.60
According to Kautilya's Arthashastra, which of the following are correct ?
1
A person could be a slave as a result of a judicial punishment.
2
If a female slave bore her master a son, she was legally free.
3
If a son born to a female slave was fathered by her master, the son was entitled to the legal status of the master's son.
Ancient Indian History
2022•Prelims•Paper 1 (GS)•Q.91
Consider the following pairs : Site of Ashoka's major rock edicts - Location in the State of
1
Dhauli - Odisha
2
Erragudi - Andhra Pradesh
3
Jaugada - Madhya Pradesh
4
Kalsi - Karnataka
History of India
2023•Prelims•Paper 1 (GS)•Q.42
With reference to ancient India, consider the following statements :
1
The concept of Stupa is Buddhist in origin.
2
Stupa was generally a repository of relics.
3
Stupa was a votive and commemorative structure in Buddhist tradition.
Ancient Indian History
2025•Prelims•Paper 1 (GS)•Q.19
1
The ship put in at the first available port to repair its damaged hull.
2
The advertisement was put out for wide circulation.
3
The matter had become so urgent that it could not be put off for another day.
Ancient History
2026•Mains•GS-I•Q.1
Analyze the importance of Ashokan inscriptions for reconstructing Mauryan history.
Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society