Piyadassi
Also called: Priyadarshi · Topic: The Mauryan Empire · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 2 "Kings, Farmers and Towns"
Meaning
Piyadassi (Sanskrit: Priyadarshi) was the title Ashoka used in his inscriptions. It means "pleasant to behold", or "one who regards others with kindness". He often used it together with Devanampiya, "Beloved of the Gods". His own name, Asoka, appears in only a few inscriptions.
Example
In the 1830s, James Prinsep deciphered the Brahmi script and found that most inscriptions named a king "Piyadassi". A few inscriptions also named him Asoka. Their content, style, language and palaeography (the shape of the letters) all matched. So epigraphists (scholars who study inscriptions) concluded that one ruler, Ashoka, issued them all.
Don't confuse with
- Devanampiya: the other title, meaning "Beloved of the Gods". Piyadassi means "pleasant to behold". Ashoka used the two titles together.
Related concepts
- Ashokan edicts
- Kandahar bilingual inscription
- Shahbazgarhi and Mansehra edicts
- Maski edict
- Girnar rock edict
- R. Shamasastry
- Sohgaura copper plate
- Mahasthan inscription