History Of Ashoka Pillar And Complete Information About It.

All Information About Ashok Stambh In

History Of Ashok Stambh: Emperor Ashoka was the third ruler of the Maurya dynasty and one of the
most powerful kings of the Indian subcontinent in ancient times. He lived in 273 BC to 232 BC ruled in
India. Ashoka’s empire covered most of India, South Asia and beyond, what is now Afghanistan and parts
of Persia in the west, Bengal and Assam in the east, and Mysore in the south. In Buddhist literature,
Ashoka is described as a cruel and ruthless emperor. But after the war of Kalinga he embraced Buddhism
and devoted his life to spreading the principles of the religion. Ashoka built many stupas and pillars in
different parts of the country. One of these pillars which is located in Sarnath has been adopted as the
National Emblem of India.

In this article, we are going to inform you about the history, importance and other information related to
Ashoka Pillar, so read this article completely to know about Ashoka Pillar –

History Of Ashok Stambh

After becoming a follower of Buddhism, Emperor Ashoka got Buddhism propagated in countries other
than India. He sent his son Mahendra and daughter Sanghamitra to Sri Lanka to propagate Buddhism.
Ashoka built eighty-four thousand stupas in three years and he also got pillars built at many places in
India. These pillars became most famous because of their distinctive sculpture. In fact the pillar at
Sarnath was a monument to the event of turning the wheel of Dharma and it was erected to maintain
the integrity of the Dharma Sangha.

How the Ashoka Pillar was built

The Ashoka Pillar at Sarnath was built from about 45 feet long sandstone block of Chunar. Its bar is
spherical except for the base buried in the earth, which gradually becomes thinner towards the top. Its
throat is above the rod and the top is above the throat. There is an inverted lotus with the parties
hanging below the throat. The circular throat is divided into four parts by the chakra. In them, living
replicas of elephant, horse, bull and lion have emerged respectively. The top above the throat has four
lion statues attached to each other by the back. In the middle of these four was a small danda holding a
dharma-chakra with 32 spokes, symbolizing the 32 great personality traits of Lord Buddha. This pillar is
amazing in terms of its sculpture and polish. At present the lower part of the pillar is in its original
position. Only a few fragments of the Dharmachakra were available.
Significance of Lions in Ashoka Pillar

In Buddhism, the lion is considered synonymous with Buddha. Synonyms of Buddha include Shakyasimha
and Narasimha. We find this in the Pali saga. That is why the Dhammacakkappavattana sutta preached by
the Buddha has been called the roar of the Buddha.

He it seen in the form of the roaring Singh Dhamma Chakkappavattan. After Buddha attained
enlightenment, the monks went in all four directions and ordered Bahujan Hitay Bahujan Sukhay for
public welfare in Isipatan (Mrigdav), which is now known as Sarnath. Therefore, here Chakravarti Ashoka
the great, the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya, the third emperor of the Maurya period, made lions
roaring in all four directions of the pillar. It is presently known as Ashoka Pillar.

Where is the Ashoka Pillar located in India

As we have told you that Emperor Ashoka built pillars for the propagation of Buddhism in different parts
of India and got the teachings of Buddha engraved in the form of inscriptions on these pillars. Here we
are going to tell you about some of the main pillars built by the great emperor Ashoka.

Ashoka Pillar Sarnath

A pillar of Emperor Ashoka is located at Sarnath. Which was built by Ashoka in 250 BC. The pillar of
Sarnath is known as Ashoka Pillar. Four lions are sitting on the top of this pillar at Sarnath and all have
their backs adjacent to each other. India has adopted the Ashoka Pillar of Sarnath as the national
emblem. Apart from this, the Chakra located at the bottom of the Ashoka Pillar is placed in the central
part of the Indian Tricolor. For your information, let us tell you that the Ashoka Pillar located in Sarnath is
kept in the Sarnath Museum. Three inscriptions have been written on the Ashoka Pillar, the first of which
is of Ashoka’s time and is written in Brahmi script. While the second article belongs to the Kushan period
and the third article is of the Gupta period.

Ashoka Pillar Allahabad

This pillar is located outside the Allahabad Fort. It was built by Emperor Akbar in the 16th century. The
inscriptions of Ashoka are written in the Brahmi script on the outer side of the Ashoka Pillar. In 200 AD,
Samudragupta brought the Ashoka pillar to Prayag from Kaushambi and the Prayag-Prasasti composed
by his court poet Harishena was engraved on it. After this, the story of sitting on the throne of Mughal
Emperor Jahangir on this pillar in 1605 AD is also engraved on the Ashoka Pillar located at Allahabad. The
pillar is believed to have been demolished in 1800 AD but was re-erected by the British in 1838.

Ashoka Pillar Vaishali

This pillar is located in Vaishali of Bihar state. Emperor Ashoka is believed to have become a follower of
Buddhism after the Kalinga conquest and erected an Ashoka Pillar at Vaishali. Since Lord Buddha gave his
last sermon in Vaishali, this pillar was built in his memory. This Ashoka pillar located in Vaishali is quite
different from other pillars. The top of the pillar is erroneously carved into the shape of a lion with its
face facing north. It is believed to be the direction of the last journey of Lord Buddha. Beside the pillar
there is a stupa made of brick and a pond, which is known as Ramkund. It is a holy place for Buddhists.

Ashoka Pillar Delhi

Another pillar built by Emperor Ashoka is located at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi. This Ashoka Pillar of
Delhi was built by the great emperor Ashoka in the Indian subcontinent in the 3rd century BC. This pillar
is 13.1 meters high and built of polished sandstone. Ashoka built it in the 3rd century BC. It is believed
that earlier this pillar was located in Meerut but when Firoz Shah Tughlaq came to Meerut around 1364,
he was fascinated by the beauty of this pillar. After this, he took this Ashoka pillar in Meerut to Delhi and
got it installed in his fort.

Ashoka Pillar, Sanchi

This pillar is located in Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh. This pillar was erected in the 3rd century and its
structure is influenced by the Greco-Buddhist style. As a relic of the ancient history of Sanchi, this pillar is
still strong and despite being centuries old, it appears newly built. It is also very similar to the Sarnath
pillar. Four lions are sitting on the top of the Ashoka Pillar at Sanchi.

Apart from this, pillars of Ashoka are also located in Nigali Sagar and Rummindei, Lumbini Nepal,
Rampurwa and Lauria Nandangarh, Champaran Bihar, Lauria Araraja, Champaran Bihar and Amravati.