Kandahar bilingual inscription
Also called: Asokan inscriptions in Aramaic and Greek · Topic: The Mauryan Empire · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 2 "Kings, Farmers and Towns"
Meaning
The Kandahar bilingual inscription is an Ashokan edict found near Kandahar in Afghanistan. "Bilingual" means it is written in two languages, here Greek and Aramaic. Most Ashokan inscriptions are in Prakrit in the Brahmi script, and those in the northwest are in Kharosthi. In Afghanistan, Ashoka used Greek and Aramaic. This shows he wrote his message in languages that local people could read.
Example
On a rock near Kandahar, Ashoka's call for dhamma appears in Greek and Aramaic, the languages used by Greek and Iranian-speaking people in that frontier region. It is strong proof that Mauryan rule reached into Afghanistan.
Don't confuse with
- Shahbazgarhi and Mansehra edicts: these Ashokan edicts in northwest Pakistan are in Prakrit written in the Kharosthi script, not in Greek or Aramaic.
Related concepts
- Ashokan edicts
- Piyadassi
- Shahbazgarhi and Mansehra edicts
- Maski edict
- Girnar rock edict
- R. Shamasastry
- Sohgaura copper plate
- Mahasthan inscription