Basalt
circa 250 BCE
Western India
CSMVS
Details
Culture/Civilisation
Ancient India, Mauryan Empire
Theme
Empire: Projecting Power
Subtheme
Words After War
Display Location
Coomaraswamy Hall
Findspot
Nalla Sopara, Mumbai
Measurements
60 x 77 cm
Accession Number
SI 167
Description
“This is virtuous, this is the ceremony I should practice…”
In this rock edit erected in the ancient port of Sopara, Mumbai, the Indian Emperor Ashoka (c. 304–232 BCE) urges proper treatment of slaves and servants, reverence towards teachers, restraint from violence against living creatures, and generosity towards priests and ascetics.
The emperor placed similar inscriptions asserting his authority at strategic locations across his empire. They promote the idea of Dhamma (moral law). Mostly written in Prakrit (using the Brahmi and Kharosthi scripts), some are in regional languages like Greek or Aramaic.
