Pillar Edicts
Also called: Seven Pillar Edicts · Topic: The Mauryan Empire · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Pillar Edicts are a set of seven messages from Ashoka carved on tall, polished stone pillars, mostly in the Ganga plains. They are written in Prakrit, the people's language, in the Brahmi script. They come late in his reign. They talk about dhamma (Ashoka's moral code), kindness to animals, fair justice and public works for welfare. They matter because they show Ashoka's ideas in their most developed form.
Example
Edicts I to VI appear on several pillars, such as those at Lauriya Nandangarh and Rampurva in Bihar. Edict VII is found only on the Delhi-Topra pillar. Firuz Shah Tughlaq brought that pillar to Delhi in the 14th century. In Edict VII, Ashoka lists welfare works such as shade trees, wells and rest houses along roads.
Don't confuse with
- Major Rock Edicts: fourteen edicts carved on rocks, found across the empire from Afghanistan to Odisha. The Pillar Edicts are carved on pillars.
- Minor Pillar Edicts: short separate texts on some pillars, such as the Queen's edict at Allahabad. They are not part of the series of seven.
Related concepts
- Bindusara
- Ashoka
- Kalinga war
- Rock Edict XIII
- Kalinga edicts
- Dhauli
- Ashoka's dhamma
- Dhamma mahamatta
- Pativedaka
- Devanampiya