Rude Awakenings - Forest Sangha Publications

^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06the briefest cryptic mention of the great Buddhist emperor. AsBuddhism died out in India, legendary accounts of Ashoka by Buddhistsin other countries were the only records—and they could be dismissedas fanciful parables. Even the pillars and edicts could not hold out againstignorance. The “Brahmi” script that the edicts were inscribed with wasforgotten, even by the time the indomitable Chinese pilgrim Fa Hsiencame through at the beginning of the fifth century C.E. In later years thepillars were worshipped as Shiva lingams, probably ensuring fertility, oroccasionally conjectured to be the walking sticks of Bhima, one of theheroes of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. It wasn’t until 1837, when JamesPrinsep translated the script, and George Turnour connected them tothe Ashoka of Buddhist legend, that the legends were held to encase ahistorical core.History had not yet arrived at Lauriya Nandangarh. Here the pillarwas the object of an unenlightened, though considerable, devotion.People were fervently throwing paisa coins, rice, and flowers at the column:women with ochre pigment daubed in their hair, nose rings flashing;the scent of perfume and mild delirium. Behind the railingsurrounding the pillar, small boys scampered to gather what theycould. We didn’t stay long: I needed to get out of the tumult, andheaded for a nearby Rama temple. There I could sit on the cool stonewith my back against the wall to wait for Nick who had stayed to lookat the fair.N I C KThe fair was a large bazaar of tented stalls and crisscrossing alleyways,all covered over with canvas, which radiated out from the Ashokan column,the excuse for everything else. The alleyways were narrow andcrowded, so I soon lost any sense of direction. There was a system to itthough; all the stalls selling the same thing were together. We had eatenat one of several selling cooked food, and we finished the meal with tea1 2 4