000			01882nam a22002297a 4500
005			20241105133229.0
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020			_a9789356993228
028			_a: International Book Distrubutors _b: Flat No. 17, Prakash Apartment, 4405/2,5, Ansari Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi. _c: 120876 _d: 22/10/2024
082			_a954.01 OLI
100			_aOlivelle, Patrick.
245			_aAshoka _b: Portrait of a Philosopher King. _c/Patrick Olivelle.
260			_aGurugram _b : Harper Collins, _c, 2023.
300			_axxxix, 356p _c; 24cm.
365			_b559
520			_aAshoka, the last great Mauryan emperor, is one of the most iconic figures in Indian history. Under his rule (268-232 BCE) the Mauryan empire extended across almost the entirety of the Indian subcontinent. Apart from his effective reign over his vast kingdom, Ashoka is well known for his renunciation of war, his development of the concept of dhamma, his patronage of Buddhism, and his promotion of religious harmony. Ashoka has been imagined, and reimagined, many times over. It has been said that there are at least two Ashokas: the historical Ashoka (whom we know mainly through his inscriptions), and the legendary Ashoka, who is largely a construct of the popular imagination. The distinguished scholar Patrick Olivelle's new book resists the temptation to blend the two-a temptation that many writers have succumbed to-as it seeks to gain an insight into the emperor's world. Based primarily on the inscriptions (which is where Ashoka 'speaks for himself'), Olivelle constructs a fascinating portrait of India's first great ruler, where the figure of Ashoka comes vividly alive notwithstanding the elusiveness and fragmentary nature of the sources.
650			_aAshoka
650			_aMauryan Emperor
650			_aHistory
700			_aPatrick Olivelle.
942			_cBOOK
999			_c62538 _d62538