Ashoka  (English, Hardcover, Allen Charles)

This book reconstructs the story of Emperor Ashoka’s impact on Indian history, and takes readers through the reign of one of India’s greatest emperors.

Summary Of The Book

Ashoka, a king of the Mauryan dynasty, is one of the most recognized names in Indian history. His quest to expand his kingdom involved him in many wars. It is said that he was inspired by a Buddhist monk to realize the horrors of war, and hence completely gave up his aggressive policies.

Ashoka then undertook a different kind of expansion. He began to help Buddhist monks spread the teachings of the Buddha and thus spread his idea of peace. It was mainly because of Ashoka’s efforts that Buddhism became a major religion of the world. Under his influence, Buddhism spread all over India and even crossed the borders to reach countries like China and Japan.

The book, Ashoka, traces Ashoka’s history and legacy through historical evidences that have been gathered with time. A few stone monuments constructed during Ashoka’s time have been uncovered, and the inscriptions on these stones were deciphered by British historians.

The author pieces together these and other relevant data from that period to reconstruct the story of one of the most famous rulers of ancient India - a story that was lost till such monuments were discovered. The book presents an interesting view of Indian history, from the region’s pre-Islamic days to its post Islamic days. It also provides information on Ashoka’s family members, especially his many wives and children.

The book provides insights into the decline of Buddhist structures in the subcontinent, citing aggressive measures adopted by Hindu and Muslim troops as the reason behind the religion’s decline. It traces the life of the popular emperor, and portrays his slow transformation from being the man who slayed his countless step-brothers to being the man who spread the message and kind words of Gautama Buddha across borders.

About Charles Allen

Charles Allen is a British Historian and writer, and he was born in India in the year 1940. He belongs to a family of British colonials, who had lived in India and served under the British Raj for generations.

Most of Charles Allen’s work centers around South Asia. He has written other books like Kipling Sahib: Indian and the Making of Rudyard Kipling.  A Mountain In Tibet: The Search for Mount Kailas and the Sources of the Great Rivers of India.