Ashoka's Pillars: The Emperor's Edicts on Stone Across India

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the monumental pillars of Ashoka Maurya, inscribed with his Dhamma edicts, erected across the Indian subcontinent in the 3rd century BCE. They discuss the logistics of quarrying and transporting sandstone pillars from Chunar to sites like Sarnath, Sanchi, and Lauriya Araraj, the use of Prakrit and Brahmi script, and the symbolism of the lion capital. The conversation also touches on the discovery of these pillars by British antiquarians in the 19th century, the decipherment of Brahmi by James Prinsep, and the modern national symbol of India derived from the Sarnath pillar. Along the way, they reflect on how Ashoka's moral governance project was carved in stone for eternity, and how these pillars still speak to us today. #Ashoka #MauryaEmpire #Dhamma #Pillars #Edicts #Brahmi #Prakrit #Sarnath #LionCapital #JamesPrinsep #ChunarSandstone #Sanchi #LauriyaAraraj #Emperor #Buddhism #History #FexingoHistory #AncientIndia Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo