scorecardresearch
Add as a preferred source on Google
Monday, March 16, 2026
TopicEmperor Ashoka

Topic: Emperor Ashoka

Brahmi script existed in India way before Ashoka edicts, new paper says

The emergence of the Brahmi script can be dated back to the time of the PGW culture, which former ASI director-general BB Lal associated with the Mahabharata period.

What happened at Sarnath in the 300 years between Buddha and Ashoka? Archaeology has clues

‘There is a common perception that everything started with Ashoka at Sarnath, but I knew that couldn’t be true,’ said archaeologist BR Mani, speaking about his 2013–14 excavation.

India to Host First-Ever Asian Buddhist Summit

New Delhi: New Delhi will host the first-ever Asian Buddhist Summit (ABS) on November 5-6, bringing together prominent Buddhist leaders, scholars, and practitioners from...

Making Ashoka Great Again. New book picks up where Romila Thapar left

Author Patrick Olivelle's book, 'Ashoka: Portrait of a Philosopher King', locates history within legends and mythologies by tracing the Buddhist king's intellectual journey.

Under Ashoka, Chandragupta, India accounted for 32% of the world’s GDP

This period saw the expansion of agriculture, the growth of population and settlement sizes, craft specialization, the emergence of writing and a surge of internal and external trade.

Did the Mauryas really unite India? Archaeology says ‘no’

Mauryas weren’t important because they were Nehru and Patel in the 3rd century, but because they are among the few that we know of from a most remarkable period.

Chanakya’s existence, Ashoka’s politics—new book has stories and counter-stories on Mauryas

Devika Rangachari’s book straddles the famous Mauryan empire, bookended by the most popular Mauryans: Chandragupta Maurya and Ashoka.

A Carnatic singer, historian, Sanskrit professor revive Ashoka as India turns to Kautilya

Magsaysay awardee and musician T.M. Krishna launched an ambitious second edition of The Edict Project with Ashoka University Tuesday.

Ashok Vijaydashmi to Dhola — National archives, central libraries failed Dalit-Bahujan history

Oral histories of the Dalit-Bahujan community take us beyond the existing notions about India’s excluded communities and the Brahminical and Eurocentric biases inherent in them.

Not even Rama and Laxman could resist the succulent meat preparations of ancient India

Meat eating was the norm right through ancient India, which is why even Emperor Ashoka couldn't get his family and subjects to give it up.

On Camera

India must allow citizens to invest beyond its borders. It’s risk management, not luxury

The financialisation of Indian household savings is one of the most important economic shifts of the past decade. But financialisation without international diversification creates fragile balance sheets.

Gulf conflict pushes Dubai diamond traders to eye Surat for rough stone auctions. But there are hurdles

Industry leaders say India’s complicated customs process and GST levies are deterrents for traders to come to Surat for auctions.

Supreme Leader Mojtaba, the man Iran must keep alive & the secret force ‘tasked with it’—all about NOPO

The Nirouyeh Vijeh Pasdaran Velayat, or NOPO, was the only force Ali Khamenei trusted.It was founded in 1991 and is more feared than the Revolutionary Guards.

Peaceful power transfers followed uprisings in India’s neighbourhood. It’s a sign of mature democracies

Rating democracies is a tricky business. I am only using the simple metric of who in the Indian subcontinent has had the most peaceful, stable, normal political transitions and continuity.