Emperor Ashoka's Major Rock Edict XIII about Kalinga war and conquest (ended 261 BC), and great human suffering involved claiming to transform Ashoka to peace-loving Buddhist and promoter of Buddhism

Last updated on 3rd July 2022

I clearly recall studying in my schoolkid days around five decades ago, about the Kalinga war and the suffering involved transforming emperor Ashoka into a peace-loving Buddhist ruler. It had made a strong impact on me then due to which I have this clear recollection. But now I am in a position to study the matter more deeply and better understand this supposedly transformative event in Emperor Ashoka's life and reign as emperor. That is a matter of quite some satisfaction.

I use the word supposedly above as there seems to be some debate on this matter.

Relevant extracts from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalinga_War including relevant part of Ashoka's Major Rock Edict XIII are given below:

The Kalinga War (ended c. 261 BCE)[1] was fought in ancient India between the Maurya Empire under Ashoka and the state of Kalinga, an independent feudal kingdom located on the east coast, in the present-day state of Odisha and northern parts of Andhra Pradesh. It is presumed that the battle was fought on Dhauli hills in Dhauli which is situated on the banks of Daya River. The Kalinga War was one of the largest and deadliest battles in Indian history.[6] 

...

Ashoka had seen the bloodshed and felt that he was the cause of the destruction. The whole area of Kalinga was plundered and destroyed. Some of Ashoka's later edicts state that about 150,000 people died on the Kalinga side and an almost equal number of Ashoka's army, though legends among the Odia people – descendants of Kalinga's natives – claim that these figures were highly exaggerated by Ashoka. As per the legends, Kalinga armies caused twice the amount of destruction they suffered. However, prominent historians have rejected this claim and the edicts of Ashoka are believed to be the primary evidence. Thousands of men and women were deported from Kalinga and forced to work on clearing wastelands for future settlement.[14]

Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Priyadarsi, conquered the Kalingas eight years after his coronation. One hundred and fifty thousand were deported, one hundred thousand were killed and many more died (from other causes). After the Kalingas had been conquered, Beloved-of-the-Gods came to feel a strong inclination towards the Dharma, a love for the Dharma and for instruction in Dharma. Now Beloved-of-the-Gods feels deep remorse for having conquered the Kalingas.

— Ashoka, Rock Edict No. 13[15]

Ashoka's response to the Kalinga War is recorded in the Edicts of Ashoka. The Kalinga War prompted Ashoka, already a non-engaged Buddhist, to devote the rest of his life to ahimsa (non-violence) and to dharma-Vijaya (victory through dharma). Following the conquest of Kalinga, Ashoka ended the military expansion of the empire and began an era of more than 40 years of relative peace, harmony, and prosperity.

[References:]

1. Le Huu Phuoc, Buddhist Architecture, Grafikol 2009, p.30

6. "Greatest Battles In The History Of India". WorldAtlas. 19 September 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2019.

14. Roy, K. (2015). Military Manpower, Armies and Warfare in South Asia. Warfare, Society and Culture. Taylor & Francis. p. 16. ISBN 978-1-317-32128-6. Retrieved 28 June 2019.

15. Allen, Charles (2012). Ashoka: The Search for India's Lost Emperor. Little, Brown Book Group. p. 82. ISBN 9781408703885. Retrieved 1 May 2018.

--- end wiki extract ---

This article gives an alternative (harsh) view of Ashoka: This excerpt from a book demolishes Ashoka’s reputation as pacifist, https://www.hindustantimes.com/books/this-excerpt-from-a-new-book-demolishes-emperor-ashoka-reputation-as-a-pacifist/story-puxXlUpPsDy4TqELZ3UonN.html , 2016.

Even if there is some debate about whether Ashoka's claims as having become a great peace loving king after the Kalinga war are true, what seems to be without debate is that the Rock Edict XIII is from Emperor Ashoka and its translation/interpretation. Ashoka has expressed great remorse in this edict for the human suffering - 100,000 killed and 150,000 deported - caused by his Kalinga war and conquest. That is an extraordinary and perhaps very rare case of an emperor who was a victor in a major war, publicly expressing remorse through an edict for the suffering caused by that war, especially to the defeated/conquered people!

A later paragraph of Major Rock Edict XIII gives more detail of the human suffering involved. Given below is a relevant extract from https://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/ashoka.html :

Indeed, Beloved-of-the-Gods is deeply pained by the killing, dying and deportation that take place when an unconquered country is conquered. But Beloved-of-the-Gods is pained even more by this -- that Brahmans, ascetics, and householders of different religions who live in those countries, and who are respectful to superiors, to mother and father, to elders, and who behave properly and have strong loyalty towards friends, acquaintances, companions, relatives, servants and employees -- that they are injured, killed or separated from their loved ones. Even those who are not affected (by all this) suffer when they see friends, acquaintances, companions and relatives affected. These misfortunes befall all (as a result of war), and this pains Beloved-of-the-Gods.

--- end extract from colostate.edu ---

Extraordinary stuff from ancient Indian history!

I wondered whether scientific dating like carbon dating of these rock inscriptions had been done to confirm the dates arrived at by historians. I could not find suitable results when I browsed for it on the Internet. If they have not been scientifically dated so far, I wonder why that has not been done. As a citizen and resident of India, I would like to know the truth about ancient India and so I think, if it has not been done so far, scientific dating of at least one of these rock inscriptions must be done and then compared with the date arrived at by historians.

It must also be mentioned that, at least some argue that, Ashoka is believed to have killed many of his half-brothers in the succession struggle to succeed Ashoka's father, Bindusara. For more, read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashoka#Ascension_to_the_throne .

Another point that must be mentioned is that Mauryan empire started declining after Emperor Ashoka's death in 232 BCE and ended in 185-183 BCE, slightly less than 50 years after Ashoka's death,  https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/mauryan-empire-its-decline-and-significance-1437458920-1 . So the peace-loving (after Kalinga war transformed him) ancient Indian emperor's empire diminished and then vanished within half a century of his passing away! To put these 50 years in another context, some people living in the Mauryan empire who were 60 years old at the time the Mauryan empire ended in 185-183 BCE would recall living as a child in Emperor Ashoka's reign! So within the living memory of some people then, Ashoka's empire had ended and had become history! That is not surprising, I think, as Ashoka's espousal of non-violence (Ahimsa) as a ruler (in contrast to a spiritual/religious teacher) may have reduced the military might of the Mauryan empire which was (and military might continues to be) essential to successfully defend an empire (or country) from external aggression and internal rebellion. [About Ashoka's promotion of non-violence: From Ashoka's (King Piyadasi) Major Rock Edict 4 translation: "But now because Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi promotes restraint in the killing and harming of living beings, ...", https://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/ashoka.html .]

[I thank Wikipedia and colostate.edu, and have presumed that they will not have any objections to me sharing the above extract(s) from their websites (short extract from colostate.edu) on this post which is freely viewable by all, and does not have any financial profit motive whatsoever.]