Man of peace
ROHINI RAMAKRISHNAN
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Ashoka – a warrior who became a peacemaker, is one of history’s most endearing kings. And here’s a book all about him.
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There’s no longer any sane reason to moan and groan when it comes to studying the portion on Ashoka for History. Grab a copy of Ashok: The Great and Compassionate King by Subhadra Sen Gupta and you are ready to talk about the man — king and peacemaker.
Filled with facts, the story begins with “Discovering Ashoka”, and it reads like a mystery novel. Did you know that Ashoka was forgotten for 2000 years?
The exciting journey of how and where the pillars were found and the deciphering of the Ashoka Brahmi script cracked the mystery surrounding the hidden Ashoka. Insets of pages of diaries give you the feeling of being there during the discoveries and the graphic of the Ashoka Brahmi script invites you to write your name in the ancient script.
Facts and trivia
The highlight of the books are the accounts by other historians. Watch out for the History Bug bringing you facts and trivia.
Beginning with Chandragupta, Bindusara and of course the crafty Chanakya it tells the story of how Ashoka the warrior evolved. From the warrior we move on to the peacemaker who spread Dhamma.
And then the fun part of the book comes in “Living in Mauryan times” — the food, their fashion, life in the city, excerpts from poems and other interesting tidbits.
History Bug brings out some freaky food facts and the Trivia Treasury has “What happened and when”, “Ashoka and the world”. Monuments and museums that you could visit, books you could read and websites that will give you more information.
Want to know more about Indian history? Mail the author at subhadrasg@gmail.com
ASHOKA, Puffin Books, Subhadra Sen Gupta Rs. 150
An excerpt :
In 326 B.C., Alexander, the king of Macedon, and his triumphant army entered the Indian Subcontinent. He was the Greek military genius who swept across West Asia and Egypt, conquered the mighty Persian empire by defeating Darius III and destroyed the beautiful city of Persepolis by setting it on fire. Spreading death and destruction, he then clambered over rocks to attack hill fortresses and triumphed over the tough tribal armies of Afghanistan. He entered India through the mountain passes of the Hindukush and came to a halt on the banks of the Indus river. Here Ambhi, king of Takshashila, came to welcome him with elephants laden with gifts and prayed for an alliance. The Greek historians called him Omphis of Taxila.
Ambhi’s greatest rival was King Paurava, whose kingdom lay beyond Taxila. The Greeks called him Porus and he was a very different man. When Alexander imperiously summoned Porus, demanding that he come and offer his submission, Porus replied courteously that he was looking forward to meeting Alexander - but only on the battle field.
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