Kalinga was the next natural choice for an ambitious emperor. It was a large, independent, wealthy kingdom that sat right between Ashoka’s empire and the rival kingdoms of the southern peninsula. Mauryan emperors before Ashoka had tried to capture Kalinga and failed. To a king set on making a name for himself, Kalinga was irresistible. But it was a much harder conquest than Ashoka expected. The first armies he sent out were soundly defeated. Kalinga had a formidable military force of their own. Ashoka realised that nothing short of his full army would be enough, so he scaled up and attacked again. Still, the people of Kalinga fought back fiercely. The war raged on for one whole year as battle after bloody battle was fought. Eventually though, Kalinga could not match the sheer size of the Mauryan army, with its seemingly endless supply of soldiers.

Kalinga fell. At the end of it all 10,000 Mauryan soldiers were dead. In Kalinga, the numbers were far greater: 100,000 by one account. When Kalinga was finally annexed, the war had touched the lives of every single person in the kingdom. It also had a profound impact on Ashoka. Up until that point, Ashoka, was considered a rather callous king. Kalinga changed everything.

Here’s one account of what happened next:

“…On conquering Kalinga, the Beloved of the Gods (Ashoka) felt remorse, for, when an independent country is conquered the slaughter, death, and deportation of the people is extremely grievous to the Beloved of the Gods, and weighs heavily on his mind…” (Ashokan Edict XIII)

This account is Ashoka’s own and shows his deep remorse at the destruction he had caused. Such inscriptions in the form of stone edicts were placed in different parts of his kingdom. 33 of these famous edicts carved into rock boulders, cave walls and pillars in different parts of his empire have survived till today. You can find these carvings all over India, and in parts of Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan. They were written in several languages including Prakrit, Aramaic and Greek.

Want to know more about the origins of Buddhism, and its influence in India? Download the Storytrails App and take the Audio Tour around the Stone Sculptures Gallery of the Government Museum in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Discover stories from some of the oldest Buddhist monuments built in Ashoka’s time.

The edicts tell us a lot about the kind of king Ashoka became after Kalinga and his relationship to Buddhism. Some historians suggest that it was after the war in Kalinga that Ashoka converted to Buddhism. Others say, that he was always a Buddhist, but it was only after the war that he paid any real attention to what being a Buddhist meant. The carvings, interestingly enough, concentrate not so much on Buddhism as a religion, but more on the philosophical implications of trying to live a righteous life. Ashoka wanted his people to live their lives bound by the Buddhist idea of Dhamma or duty and righteousness. The edicts were meant to give his people directions to lead such a life.

Here’s an excerpt from the English translation of the Kandahar Edict above:

“Ten years (of reign) having been completed, King

Piodasses (Ashoka) made known (the doctrine of)

Piety … to men; and from this moment he has made

men more pious, and everything thrives throughout

the whole world. And the king abstains from (killing)

living beings, and other men and those who (are)

huntsmen and fishermen of the king have desisted

from hunting. And if some (were) intemperate, they

have ceased from their intemperance as was in their

power;” (Trans. by G.P. Carratelli)

Ashoka appears to have believed in leading by example. He also donated generously to Buddhist monasteries and, by one account, built 84,000 stupas in different parts of the country. He is also credited with the spread of Buddhism beyond India by sending Buddhist missions as far as the Mediterranean. Today Buddhism has around 488 million followers around the world and it all started with Ashoka.