Inscriptions of Ashokar

Abstract

Inscriptions have been an instrument in reconstructing the political history of ancient India. In ancient times all the messages that were considered to be valuable were engraved on stones, rocks, iron pillars, caves, bronze, copper plates and terracotta seals. The messages thus inscribed are called inscriptions. Often the decrees of the kings were inscribed as inscriptions. Apart from these, there are inscriptions related to soldiers, lords, officers and other important events, and the inscriptions can last for thousands of years. Hence the most ancient historical accounts are reliable evidence for many events. Many inscriptions are inscribed not only in one language but also in more than one language indicating the same message. The changes in the written forms of a language are explained only through the inscriptions, so the information obtained through the inscriptions is a kind of true knowledge of the historical truth of a country. Ashoka was the first to publish a large number of inscriptions. Almost the entire history of his reign has been constructed from the evidence provided by inscriptions. Through the inscriptions we can get a clear idea about the names of the kings, the titles of the kings, the chronology of the royal dynasties, the conquests of the king, the area of the state, the political, social, economic and religious status. This research paper sheds light on the inscriptions and in particular about Ashokar’s inscriptions.