Mauryan Empire

Major Rock Edicts of Ashoka

These are the separate 14 major rock edicts, spanning across almost India. Except for the Kandahar Greek Edict, which is on a stone plaque, all other major rock edicts were written on large rocks. Location: These edicts were inscribed on the frontiers of Ashoka’s territory and not in the heartland (capital) of the Mauryan Empire. Three languages (Prakrit, Aramaic and Greek) and two scripts (Brahmi and Kharosthi).

Subject Matter of 14 Major Rock Edicts

Minor Rock Edicts of Ashoka

Ashoka’s Minor Rock Edicts are early, shorter inscriptions found across India and present his gradual conversion to Buddhism, emphasizing Dhamma  (righteous conduct) and urging respect for elders, parents, and teachers. The edicts appear in various Places as shown in Map. Four of these Places also use the name “Ashoka”

Mauryan Pillars (4th and 2nd Century BC) are one of the crucial architectural belongings of Ancient India. These pillars give details about the major incidents of those times, rulers, wars, etc. Thus, they are major sources of information for Historians.

4 Lions on Capital

Capital : Capital is the topmost element of a pillar
or column. The crowning animals are masterpieces
of Mauryan art, shown either seated or standing,
always in the round and chiselled as a single piece with
the abaci.

Ashoka Chakra

The most visible use of the Ashoka Chakra today is at the
centre of the Flag of India (adopted on 22 July 1947),
where it is rendered in a navy blue colour.

The 24 spokes represent the 24 Jain Tirthankara of the
present cosmic cycle. Alternatively, the 24 spokes
represent the twelve causal links taught by the Buddha
The first 12 spokes represent 12 stages of suffering.
The next 12 spokes represent no cause no effect.

Inverted Lotus

The abacus of an Ashoka Pillar is the carved, drum
shaped base supporting the animal figures (like lions,
elephants, horses, bulls) and Dharma Chakras. It
symbolizes the turning of the Wheel of Law (Dharma)
and represents progress

Shaft

The shaft of an Ashoka Pillar is its tall, smooth,
tapering, circular main body, typically carved from
a single, monolithic block of polished sandstone
(often Chunar sandstone)
Note: There is no distinct base at the bottom of the shaft.

Three types of pillars were made during the Mauryan period. The 1^st variety was that of a wooden pillar. These pillars were used in the palace build by Chandra Gupta Maurya. These pillars are known only from literacy reference.

The other 2 varieties of pillars were made up of stone. Out of these 1st variety was used in the stone palace build by Ashoka to support the roof & 2^nd variety represented Independent work.

Two kinds of stone were used to chisel these pillars – white sandstone from the Mathura region, while others are made of buff-colored fine-grained hard sandstone mined in Chunar near Varanasi.

The pillar capitals’ similarity in style implies that they were carved by workers from the same location.

An Ashoka Pillar generally has three main parts: a monolithic, smooth, tapering Shaft, a distinct Capital often made of a different stone, and a crowning Animal Sculpture (like lions or a bull) on an abacus, sometimes with a wheel (Dharma Chakra) below it, all representing Buddhist themes and inscribed with edicts. 

Anda

Toran

A toran of a stupa is an ornate, ceremonial gateway
marking the entrance, typically consisting of two
pillars and horizontal beams, elaborately carved with
Buddhist stories (like Jataka tales) and symbols,
serving as a sacred, symbolic passage to enlightenment,
famously seen at the Great Stupa in Sanchi.
The cardinal directions for stupa toranas are the North,
South, East, and West, each marking a significant event
in the Buddha's life: East for his Birth, South for
Enlightenment, West for his First Sermon, and North
for his Nirvana (death).
Note: The elaborately carved gateways were added later
(by Satvahanas) in the 1st century BC.

Medhi

The Medhi is a crucial part of a stupa, a raised,
circular terrace or platform built around the base of
the dome (Anda) that serves as the primary path for
devotees to perform ritualistic clockwise
circumambulation (Pradakshina patha) as a meditative
act of reverence

Vedika

The vedika of a stupa is the sacred, low stone or wooden
railing that encircles the monument, defining its holy
boundary and separating it from the secular world, often
featuring elaborate carvings of Buddhist tales and
symbols, with ceremonial gateways (toranas) at the
cardinal points for circumambulation

Harmika

Yasti

The yasti in a stupa is the central spire or mast rising
from the top of the dome (anda), symbolizing the axis
mundi (cosmic axis) connecting earth and heaven, often
surrounded by a railing (harmika) and topped by
ceremonial parasols (chhatras)

Chatras

Chatras are tiered, umbrella-like finials symbolizing
royalty, protection, and spiritual ascent, placed atop
the yasti (spire)

Pradikshina Path

Pradakshina Patha in a stupa is the circular, processional pathway around its base, where devotees walk clockwise (Pradakshina or Parikrama) as a meditative ritual of reverence, symbolizing the journey of the soul, often enclosed by railings (vedika)

Stupas were built to house relics of the Buddha, serving as symbols of his teachings and as centers of Buddhist devotion.

They were characterised by their dome-shaped structures, symbolising the cosmic mountain, and were adorned with intricate reliefs depicting scenes from Buddha’s life.

Architecture: Stupas consist of a cylindrical drum with a circular anda and a harmika and a chhatra on the top. The core of the stupa was made of unburnt brick while the outer surface was made by using burnt bricks, which were then covered with a thick layer of plaster and medhi and the toran were decorated with wooden sculptures. The Various Parts of the stupa and its Details are Explained in the infographic.

Caves during this period were mainly made for Religious Purposes that also served mainly as Living Quarters. (Viharas) Initially it was made for Ajeevika sect but later hundreds of rock-cut caves were made for the Buddhist, Jaina and Brahmanical traditions . These caves from the time of the great Indian emperor Ashoka and his grandson, Dasharatha speak volume of the policy of religious tolerance undertaken by the two emperors who were otherwise Buddhists.

Lomas Rishi Cave is considered the earliest surviving example of the rock-cut chaitya arch (known as chandrashala or gavaksha) in India, serving as a prototype for later, larger Buddhist chaitya halls found elsewhere in the subcontinent. Let us Look at the Basic Design of the Chaityas and Viharas Built during this Period