Vincent E. Smith

Asoka: the Buddhist Emperor Vincent E. Smith

Asoka the great, as he is popularly known, was the last emperor of the Maurya dynasty of India. He ruled the major subcontinents in India, extending the lineage of his grandfather Chandragupta Maurya from Afghanistan in the west to Bangladesh in the east. Also known as the Buddhist emperor, he became the biggest preacher of the religion in the country. He embraced Buddhism after the bloody and brutal war of Kalinga. He is remembered for the pillars and edicts propagating tenets of Buddhism, to spread virtues of honesty, truthfulness, compassion toward all, and for establishing monuments marking several significant sites in the life of Gautama Buddha. Asoka: The Buddhist Emperor of India charts how this exemplary king made history, and explores the transformation of a tyrant and despot to a devotional monk following and spreading the tenets of non-violence and benevolence.