ASOKA'S EDICTS

ASOKA'S EDICTS

Asokan inscriptions have been found from many areas of the Indian subcontinent. The inscriptions are incised either on pillars of stone or on rocks and consist of major and minor edicts. Asoka used the medium of his edicts to expound the policy of Dhamma.
The search for Asokan inscriptions began in 1750. The same year Padrefenthailar discovered an Asokan pillar in Delhi. In 1837, James Prinsep deciphered the earliest known Indian script, Brahmi, and read the name of Asoka as Devanampiya Piyadassi. It is not, however, clear whether the ban on killing refers to all animals or those that were 'protected'. There is also a possibility that the ban is on sacrifice of animals. The Asokan inscriptions may be di­vided into three groups-rock edicts, pillar edicts and cave edicts. .