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The story of a man so powerful that he was called Samraat Chakravarthi, Emperor of Emperors, Ashoka is the historical account of the greatest King India has ever seen. Born the son of the Mauryan emperor Bindusara, the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya himself, Ashoka was always bound for greatness. He was known for his cruelty and called Chandaashoka for it. His ascension to the throne was marked by conquest after conquest, eventually coming to Kalinga on the east coast of India.
It was there that he came across the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, and saw the error of his ways. This book showcases the history of one of India's greatest kings, and portrays the India of his time and the changes he brought forth by his conversion. Charles Allen is a British writer and historian. He has written many books, some of which are: A Mountain in Tibet: Resonance from the Past and The Buddha and the Sahibs: Certified Buyer , Kolkata.
Certified Buyer , Pune. Certified Buyer , Secunderabad. Certified Buyer , Shyamdhan. Though it does tell the author's version of Ashoka, his family and empire, it's more a chronological order of the discoveries of ancient sites and historical references that lead to rediscovering the Emperor. A thriller genre meets history! The book is from the author,who is pro supporter of Aryan Invasion theory which was proved baseless and orientalist non-sense , who leaves no stone unturned in discrediting anything good to the Indian heritage.
The author very selectively took his source before arriving to any conclusion and hides nothing about his pro orientalist attitude, striking out any other source thats contradicts his ideas. He at times even sounds perverted! At many places he fails to explain why or how could such a thing be possible, but concludes that it is what would have happened! His theories about certain events are so baseless yet shocking!!
All this is covered up stating the limited scope of this book but is conveniently repetitive about things. The Aryan invasion theory and its off shoots were put to test most of them clearly failed before i. How could the other turn a blind eye on all those archaeological advances, is the the question only he can answer!? And to cover things up, he states Indians are "Nationalists" who cannot accept the truth!!
This book was every bit excruciating and I was eagerly waiting for it to end. Its a series of hypothetical theories that has been conveniently mixed up with some truth and all lies. Here below are few points, I felt which were made me feel all those things I stated above. On what basis did he conclude on that? Why were the other literary sources from Tibet and Sri Lanka and other Buddhist texts never questioned on this regard?
Every single time he describes a sculpture, he doesn't forget to describe the as "buxom", "beer bellied", "unrealistic", "unnatural dimensions". Clearly shows he has his own standards in beauty and doesn't respect any others'. Doesn't consider Sanskrit as an ancient language predating Bramhi but considers the vice-versa. Despite the religious history and mantras were transmitted through oral tradition Sanskrit before being penned down, he never cares to explain why he felt so?
The entire life and lifestyle of Mauryans, as supposed by the author, is inspired by the Greeks! Their clothing, sculpting, coinage, war strategies, etc. The sculpting prowess of India before the arrival of Graeco-Bactrian neighbours is described as "clumsy"! From where did the magnificence of Somnath came from, which predates even the Bactrian Greeks?
He even credits the Greeks to put the Mauryans in power and brands Chandragupta Maurya as a mercenary for Alexander! His interpretation of the Vedas is somehow bizarre and states that by the duties of kingship stated in Vedas is against Dharma, when the very concept of Dharma originates from Vedas! There is continuous Bramhan bashing throughout the book, stating that Buddhism challenged their status quo in the court of Ashoka. No other substantial evidence! Every single historical uprising and revolt was ascribed to Bramhans directly or indirectly generalising them over all.
Panini is known to simplify the Vedic Sanskrit, write grammar rules and form whats known as Classic Sanskrit. But the author has formulated a beautiful theory where Taxsila or Takshasila , which had grown into a advanced knowledge centre under the Persian rule, is where the foundations of Sanskrit had its foundations from the "ancient" Aramaic language. Chanakya, the colleague of Panini, mysteriously took it upon him to spread this new found language to spread across India and to some extent saw Chandragupta Maurya as a platform to carry out this!
Apr 21, Suman rated it it was amazing Shelves: Growing up in India during the 80s our introduction to Ashoka was textbook brief - he was a ruler who was transformed by the sight of bloody war whose symbols were on our flag and on our currency and who was a Buddhist. From time to time we had some reminders of this enigmatic king - in the form of that not so great movie or in reference to a TV Series - but nothing added to our knowledge of the man. So when I picked up the book and read in the introduction what appeared to be an apology for ori Growing up in India during the 80s our introduction to Ashoka was textbook brief - he was a ruler who was transformed by the sight of bloody war whose symbols were on our flag and on our currency and who was a Buddhist.
So when I picked up the book and read in the introduction what appeared to be an apology for orientalism I was disappointed, perhaps this was a book that wanted to highlight the contributions of the British to Indian history. Frankly, if there was a story in this I was not ready to hear it. I was here to know the story of Ashoka and not that of his discovery by a few British men! Apprehensive, I started reading this page book slowly.
It was not a simplified narrative. It spoke of people like James Prinsep, Alexander Cunningham and John Marshall and through their contributions Charles Allen manages to take us on a tour of the expanse of geographical India Ashoka's empire , its sources Ashoka's mythology and its relics Ashoka's pillars and edicts. The Ashoka who emerged was a complex man - a man who lived more than years ago, who spoke only edicts and who was represented in stone by people who knew him less directly than indirectly. But in every discovery and every source there is an aspect of him that makes him human - the prince with bad skin, the young man who loved a merchant's daughter, a brother who killed for power, first a conquering ruler and then a humanist ruler who presides over religous schism.
Allen's decision to not use a straight forward biographical narrative to explain these contradictions in Ashoka was working. Instead the use of the process of Ashoka's rediscovery as the thread that strings aspects of the king together made him emerge intact as a character. So by the time I got to the last chapter that finally gave biographical detail - I felt like I had discovered Ashoka together with everyone else in the preceding pages. This book is also a narrative of collective forgetfulness, of the sustained effort at discovery and the gradual illumination of aspects of Ashoka - itself a reflection of the individuals involved and their times.
For just that - this was a book well worth the time. Jan 07, Kevin Kizer rated it liked it. There are many mysteries about this ancient Indian emperor who helped transform Buddhism from a minor sect to a major world religion. Ashoka Maurya Ashoka the Great reigned around BCE and his kingdom extended across the Indian continent reaching northwards through the Himalayas and westward towards Kandahar.
His rise to power was filled with war and violence as most rises to power tended to be back in the day. However, at what proved to be his last conquest he was overwhelmed by the loss There are many mysteries about this ancient Indian emperor who helped transform Buddhism from a minor sect to a major world religion. However, at what proved to be his last conquest he was overwhelmed by the loss of life and turned to Buddhism. As a result he sought to govern by moral force alone and he had an indelible impact on the Indian subcontinent.
So why then is so little known about this great emperor? The primary reason is that those who came after him strove to erase his memory — and for the most part they did an admirable job. But many centuries later, archaeologists and curious locals began discovering mysterious lettering on large stones throughout the region from coast to coast, some hidden in plain sight while others were hidden in mountain passes; some have even been found in the last couple of years just off the roadside near Kandahar.
What was first thought to be Greek or Aramaic turned out to be Magadhi, the language on which Sanskrit was founded. Once the language was deciphered it re-revealed the story of the life and rein of Ashoka, who became emperor years after the death of Gotama Buddha. One of the inscriptions reads: Thanks to these discoveries, Charles Allen was able recreate the life and times of arguably the greatest emperor of the Indian subcontinent.
Jul 24, Rajendra Dave rated it really liked it. So little is known about India's early history, and so divided are the historians about it and that any book that deals with it with even a semblance of objectivity is welcome. Charles Allen comes quite close to it, though the author's prejudice especially against anything Hindu does show up occasionally, so Bhima is "accursed" and Kautilya always means "cow-like".
As is the case with Mr. Allen's earlier book The Buddha and Dr Fuhrer, The Ashoka is a history of exploration of India So little is known about India's early history, and so divided are the historians about it and that any book that deals with it with even a semblance of objectivity is welcome.
Allen's earlier book The Buddha and Dr Fuhrer, The Ashoka is a history of exploration of Indian pre-Islamic history by author's favorite "orientalist" gentlemen from England- Indian archeologists play only a minor role- as much as the history of emperor Ashoka. The author writes fascinating account of both with his characteristic thoroughness. But then the author attempts to place emperor Ashoka in the context of modern India.
This is where his limited understanding of Indian complexities fails him. Hence his interpretation of Gandhi's Ram Rajya in therms of Hinduism and some such assertions including his implied claim that all of India's Dalits are Buddhists! As journalist Gillian Wright has rightly written in her review of the book , this kind of strange comments, are unnecessary accretions to an otherwise informative and well-written book.
Apr 05, Jeffrey rated it liked it. There's some great research here and a nice detective story, but Allen sometimes digresses for little reason, and there's a fascination with the ancient Greeks of the region which added lines where they should have been cut. It does help you understand the distinction between the Northern and Southern schools of Buddhism because the source material on Ashoka varies so much between the manuscripts. Reasonable conjecture based on existing sources make the last chapter particularly fascinating, but There's some great research here and a nice detective story, but Allen sometimes digresses for little reason, and there's a fascination with the ancient Greeks of the region which added lines where they should have been cut.
Reasonable conjecture based on existing sources make the last chapter particularly fascinating, but unless you're a devotee of the British in Indian, the sections that are dedicated to the history of the rediscovery of Ashoka will seem long. Mar 31, Nikhil Gulati rated it it was amazing. One of the better history books I've read. Not only does the book talk about who Ashoka was but it also chronicles the process of discovery historians undertook in the 19th and 20th centuries to find out all that we know about him.
The finding of ancient sculptures and ruins to the translation of many ancient texts which provided pieces to the jigsaw puzzle to the deciphering of the Brahmi script etc are all interwoven to tell the story of Ashoka and his empire. Jul 19, Dhruv Banerjee rated it really liked it. A very good histography of Ashoka without too much of a bias.
The author does exactly what he tells us in the beginning and takes us through a journey of discovery, chronologically. Sometimes you just want to jump ahead, like a thriller. Things slowly unravel and you get to know possibly more about Ashoka than what you knew from standard history books. One of the best Historical Books I have read.
There are few minor errors, which no doubt will be corrected in the next edition. This book is like a detective story, once you start, you can not let it go. It also shows the works of the European Orientalist to uncover the lost history of India and they should be applauded for their work. Mar 04, Advay rated it liked it. Nice to know the KING whose symbols we use as national symbols. Sometimes the book get monotonous with similar information being communicated.
Overall a very nice read. Mar 11, mindfulmomto3 rated it it was amazing Shelves: Just finished reading this book. I was impatient while reading the first few chapters because there was not much in them about Ashoka himself. My impatience grew so much after reading the chapter about Alexander that I decided to skip to the last chapter at once. So, I went straight to the final chapter of the book which has what I was looking for - Ashoka's story.
I even went back and read a few pages for the second time. This book is filled with knowledge. Although I was impatient in the beginning, after having finished the entire book, now I realize that I learned more about Ashoka by reading about the efforts put in by people like Alexander Cunningham, James Princep and such to discover him than I would ever have learned by reading that final chapter alone. Chapter by chapter, the author reveals details related to the Ashokan era in a fascinating way until a full picture of Ashoka emerges in the end. The writing was very simple and to the point which I really liked.
There are so many historical details in this book that I found myself reading the same paragraphs multiple times. This is not an easy read by any means. It required lot of patience and most importantly a keen interest in the subject. Among the many fascinating things that I learned from this book were a few facts about ancient Indian languages. Prakrit is an ancestor of Sanskrit and Brahmi is the Magadhan script for Prakrit.
Kharoshti was another language that was spoken during the Mauryan rule in parts of Afghanistan.
It was developed by the Gandharans and has links to Aramaic. Both Sanskrit and Pali were derived from Prakrit. Sanskrit became the root of all Indian languages and Pali became the root of Sinhalese which is spoken in SriLanka.
It was interesting to read about the origins of these languages. It was exciting to see Brahmi letters and their translations on a few random pages. I also found the travel accounts of Chinese travelers quite fascinating. Xuanzang and Faxian traveled to India at separate times in search of authentic Buddhist artifacts as Buddhism started growing in China in the Fourth century B.
They were not the first Chinese travelers who visited India but they were the first to record their travels. Their travel accounts proved very useful in later years to find the Ashokan rock and pillar edicts, stupas, etc.
The Buddha and the Sahibs. Allen is unfashionably sympathetic to the 'orientalist' project: It's an account of his gradual discovery of by scholars and archaeologists during the Raja and pre-Raj periods. Keep me logged in on this computer. Book Description Thrilling new biography about the first man to rule all of the Indian subcontinent, from one of the great chroniclers of India.
We all know that travel has great benefits. It opens up our minds to another culture, another way of living and helps us gain a valuable perspective on our ways of life. The fact that quite a few people in those ancient times traveled to unknown territories in pursuit of knowledge knowing very well that travel was risky in those days goes to say that a few great minds have an insatiable hunger for knowledge.
These great minds existed for ever, helping civilizations to move forward. The author mentions Gandhi briefly in the final chapters of the book. He says that a couple of centuries after Ashoka, Gandhi used the same principles of morality and non violence to get independence for India from the British.
However I see a stark contrast between these two popular leaders. Ashoka established a welfare state, built hospitals for people and animals, encouraged religious tolerance and employed Rajukkas and Mahamatras to ensure that his principles of Dharma and non violence are being followed everywhere in his kingdom. Ashokan edicts themselves did not reference any particular religion, except the first couple of them which were probably written when Ashoka did not gain all the wisdom that he seemed to have gained in his later years.
Instead, they focused solely on the principles of morality. Gandhi per this book propagated the notion of a Rama Rajya rooted in tradition but devoid of caste and gender oppression. He envisioned a local council of elders for governance and a benevolent but distant government. I don't have much knowledge of Gandhi's ideas about governance but if what is said about them in this book is true, then Ashoka seems to have had more progressive and practical views on this matter even though his time was a couple of centuries before Gandhi's time.
Gandhi, on the other hand, seemed to have regressive and idealistic views on this matter. They say pictures speak a thousand words. The pictures in this book certainly speak volumes about the times of Ashoka. The sculptures on the stupas reveal a lot of interesting details when observed closely. Finally about Ashoka himself - what a great man he was! His story needs to be told again and again. He truly grasped the meaning of religion. The fact that he was ruthless in the beginning, feels deep remorse after killing , people in the Kalinga war and turns to Buddhism to rule the kingdom with principles of morality and non violence makes him very human and very real.
Despite being a devout Buddhist he did not use his power to enforce Buddhism on his people. He promoted religious tolerance in his edicts. The fact that he had the courage to carve his own ways of working at a time when kings were ruthless and often barbaric speaks volumes about his strength of character, integrity and overall personality. He single handedly revived a dying religion which later went on to become one of the largest religions in the world. He was also the first emperor to unify India and rule it all the way from north to south leaving out parts of Tamilnadu and Kerala.
It is a shame that he is not as widely acknowledged within India as he deserves to be. Jul 06, Muthuprakash Ravindran rated it it was amazing. Charles Allen's 'Ashoka;India's lost emperor' reads like a detective novel. And a damn good one at that too. The Lost Emperor tells the story of the man who was arguably the greatest ruler India has ever known. Charles Allen is the author of a number of bestselling books about India and the colonial experience elsewhere. He is a traveller, historian and master storyteller. Famous throughout the world as England's greatest sporting estate, Goodwood has been the home of English sport for centuries: Glorious Goodwood takes the reader on a historic journey starting in the eighteenth century with the escapades of the first Duke of Richmond Charles II's illegitimate son , through the nineteenth century, up to the twentieth century with the Brussels and Scottish interludes and into the present day.
The three hundred years that the book embraces chart the ups and downs of a great English aristocratic family and how they responded to the challenges life presented, both as people of their times and as innovators, always with a love of sport that they willingly shared with others. This special edition features six never-before-published monologues, a new foreword by National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson, a new introduction by the author, and a new afterword by One Billion Rising director Monique Wilson on the stage phenomenon's global impact.
A landmark work in women's empowerment, as relevant as ever after a year marked by unprecedented social and political protest in the face of unapologetic racism and misogyny, The Vagina Monologues honours women's sexuality in all its complexity, mystery and power. Witty and irreverent, compassionate and wise, this award-winning masterpiece gives voice to real women's deepest fantasies, fears, anger and pleasure, and calls for a world where all women are safe, equal, free and alive in their bodies. Seeing it changed my soul.
Performing in it changed my life'Kerry Washington. The point is to find out who you are and to be true to that person. Because so often you can't. Won't people turn away if they know the real me? The me that hates my own child, that put my perfectly healthy dog to sleep? The me who thinks, deep down, that maybe The Wire was overrated?
For nearly four decades, David Sedaris has faithfully kept a diary in which he records his thoughts and observations on the odd and funny events he witnesses. Anyone who has attended a live Sedaris event knows that his diary readings are often among the most joyful parts of the evening. But never before have they been available in print. Now, in Theft by Finding, Sedaris brings us his favorite entries. From the family home in Ralegh, North Carolina, we follow Sedaris as he sets out to make his way in the world.
As an art student and then teacher in Chicago he works at a succession of very odd jobs, meeting even odder people, before moving to New York to pursue a career as a writer - where instead he very quickly lands a job in Macy's department store as an elf in Santaland Tender, hilarious, illuminating, and endlessly captivating, Theft by Finding offers a rare look into the mind of one of our generation's greatest comic geniuses. Reflecting with gratitude on the exquisite beauty of the intimacy they shared, grappling with the resulting void, and finding solace in caring for her two teenage sons, Alexander channels her poetic sensibilities into rich, lucid prose that universalizes a very personal quest for meaning and acceptance in the wake of loss.
For those who have loved and lost, or for anyone who cares about what matters most, this book is required reading. Charles Allen captures the vanished world of British Colonial Africa in the recollections of the pioneering men and women who lived and worked there. The idea of a hidden refuge, a paradise far from the stresses of modern life, has universal appeal.
India's lost emperor Ashoka Maurya has a special place in history. In his quest to govern India by moral force alone he turned Buddhism from a minor sect into a. It is difficult to imagine a life as full of grandeur and drama as that of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka, but it is more difficult still to imagine how.
He tracks down the sources that Hilton drew upon in writing his popular romance, and then sets out to discover what lies behind the legend that inspired him. In the course of a lively and amusing account of his four journeys into Tibet, Allen also gives us a controversial new reading of the country's early history, shattering our notions of Tibet as a Buddhist paradise and restoring the mysterious pre-Buddhist religion of Bon to its rightful place in Tibetan culture.
He also locates the lost kingdom of Shang-shung and, in doing so, the original Shangri-La itself: Throughout the East there runs a legend of a great mountain at the centre of the world, where four rivers have their source.