King Asoka and Buddhism - Urban Dharma

7Emperor Aśoka’s Place in History:A Review of Prevalent OpinionsANANDA W.P. GURUGE1. IntroductionIn spite of frequent assertions to the contrary, students of historydo engage themselves, as almost a major preoccupation,in the assessment of careers and achievements of prominenthistorical figures. Even in the most mechanical and matter-offactpresentation of historical data with rigorous objectivity, anelement of subjective assessment is inevitable. The influencewhich such figures have exerted on events of their lifetimeand those of subsequent periods is increasingly becoming thecentral theme of historical research and study. The requisiteanalysis of interaction, for this purpose, involves comparison;and comparison, by itself, is the precursor and promoter ofevaluation.No figure in Indian history has been evaluated for hisplace in history with as much intensity and by as many diverseinterest-groups as Emperor Aśoka, the third monarch of theMauryan Dynasty (C. 273 – 236 B.C.). This has been done overa period of not less than two thousand years and the conclusionsof each evaluation vary, to such an extent as to makehim the most enigmatic figure in the history of the Indian subcontinent,if not of the whole world.The process, which started with the earliest oral traditionsof the Theravāda School of Buddhism in India and sub-182