Pillar of Ashoka
A History of the World in 100 Objects
00:00
Ashoka's Dharma
In 268 BC Ashoka took his place on the throne, but not without considerable struggle. Buddhist writings tell us that he killed 99 of his brothers in order to obtain the kingship. He described his remorse and announced his conversion to his people through a rocky dict. His name was Chandra Gupta and he risen to the throne following a military campaign That created a huge empire, reaching from Kandahar in modern Afghanistan in the west to Bangladesh in the east.
Transcript
Play full episode
